zp is a command-line tool designed to copy text or data from files or standard output buffers directly to the clipboard. This can be particularly useful for developers and power users who need quick access to snippets of code, configurations, or any other textual information.

To copy the entire contents of a file:

zp my_file.txt

To get the first n words from a file:

zp -s n my_file.txt

To get lines between a range, i.e., lines n to m:

zp -s n -e m my_file.txt

To copy the entire output of a command:

cat sample_file.txt | zp

For ranges and specific words, you can use similar flags as with files.

Every copied content is saved to a history file located in your home directory (~/.zp/clipboard_history.json). You can view the copy history using:

zp --logs

This provides an interactive interface showing the last copied items, along with timestamps. The log viewer supports navigation, copying, and exiting.

The zp tool also includes a clipboard monitoring daemon to automatically save any changes made to the clipboard. This can be especially useful if you want to keep a history of every change made to your clipboard without manually triggering the copy command each time.

To start the clipboard monitoring daemon:

zp --daemon

This will fork the tool into the background and continue running, automatically saving any clipboard changes.

To stop the clipboard monitoring daemon:

zp --stop-daemon

You can check if the daemon is currently running with:

zp --daemon-status

This will inform you whether the daemon is active and provide its process ID.

zp includes a powerful peer-to-peer synchronization system that allows you to sync clipboard history across all your devices, including remote systems accessed via SSH.

zp --sync-enable

For local network devices:

zp --add-peer laptop:http://192.168.1.100:8080

For remote devices via SSH:

zp --add-peer server:ssh://user@remote.host:22

zp --sync-daemon

This starts the sync daemon in the background, enabling automatic clipboard synchronization.

# Check sync daemon status
zp --sync-daemon-status

# Stop sync daemon
zp --stop-sync-daemon

# Manual sync
zp --sync-now

# View sync configuration
zp --sync-config

• Cross-platform support: Works on local networks and remote systems
• SSH tunneling: Secure sync with remote devices via SSH
• Background operation: Sync daemon runs in the background
• Conflict resolution: Timestamp-based merging prevents data loss
• Manual control: Start, stop, and check status of sync processes

For detailed sync setup and configuration, see SYNC_USAGE.md.

The recommended way to install zp is using Rust's package manager, Cargo. Here are several methods:

cargo install zp

For those who prefer building from source, you can clone the repository and build it manually:

git clone https://github.com/bahdotsh/zp.git
cd zp
cargo install --path .

This method allows you to customize or modify the code before installation.

zp is licensed under the MIT license. See the LICENSE file for more details.