Clasp Helper app icon

Free Companion for Clasp

Clasp Helper

Unlock advanced paste automation, system-wide hotkeys, real-time text expansion, and screenshot capture. Everything Apple won't allow on the App Store — free and open.

macOS 14+

Requires Clasp (free on the App Store). Signed & notarized by Apple.

Features Apple won't allow on the App Store

Clasp on the App Store is fully functional and powerful. But Apple's sandbox restrictions prevent some features that power users need — like pasting directly into other apps, intercepting keystrokes for text expansion, and capturing screenshots automatically.

Clasp Helper runs outside the sandbox to unlock these capabilities. It's free, signed and notarized by Apple, and communicates securely with Clasp through a shared local database. No data ever leaves your Mac.

Paste directly into any app

Without the helper, Clasp copies items to your clipboard and you press Cmd+V. With the helper, Clasp pastes directly into the active app — no extra step needed.

  • Standard paste (Cmd+V) injected automatically
  • Paste as plain text for terminals and code editors
  • Paste and match style for rich text apps
  • Per-app custom paste shortcuts
  • Rate-limited to prevent double-paste

Access Clasp from anywhere

Register system-wide keyboard shortcuts that work in any app, even when Clasp isn't in the foreground.

  • Cmd+Shift+V — open Clasp quick paste popover
  • Cmd+Shift+Space — open Spotlight-style launcher
  • Cmd+Shift+1-9 — paste Nth history item directly
  • Cmd+Shift+S — save clipboard to snippets
  • All shortcuts fully customizable

Type a trigger, get the full text

The helper monitors your keystrokes and instantly expands snippet triggers as you type — in any app, system-wide. No need to open Clasp or use the keyboard extension.

  • Reads your Clasp snippet library automatically
  • Dynamic variables: {date}, {time}, {clipboard}, {uuid}
  • Per-app enable/disable rules
  • Preserves your clipboard after expansion
  • Instant undo with Cmd+Z

Every screenshot, indexed and searchable

The helper watches your screenshot directory and automatically imports every screenshot into Clasp — with OCR text extraction so you can search by what's in the image.

  • Captures all Cmd+Shift+3/4/5 screenshots
  • On-device OCR extracts text from images
  • Screen recordings (.mov) detected too
  • Respects your custom screenshot directory
  • Multi-language screenshot filename detection

Rules and transforms for every paste

Set per-app rules that automatically transform clipboard content before pasting. Strip tracking parameters from URLs, force plain text in terminals, pretty-print JSON in code editors.

  • Auto plain text for Terminal, VS Code, Xcode
  • Strip UTM tracking from URLs automatically
  • JSON pretty-print, Base64, URL encode/decode
  • Text transforms: uppercase, lowercase, title case, slug
  • URL to QR code generation

How to install Clasp Helper

Three steps, under a minute.

Download & Install

Download the DMG, open it, and drag Clasp Helper to your Applications folder. It's signed and notarized by Apple — no Gatekeeper warnings.

Grant Accessibility

On first launch, Clasp Helper will guide you to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility. This permission lets it paste into other apps and expand text. It's local-only — no data leaves your Mac.

Done — It Just Works

Clasp Helper runs silently in your menu bar and connects to Clasp automatically. Your clipboard history, snippets, and settings sync through a shared local database.

Safe, Local, and Transparent

Clasp Helper is signed with our Apple Developer ID and notarized — macOS verifies its integrity before it runs. It uses Accessibility permission solely to simulate keyboard shortcuts. It never reads content from other apps, never connects to the internet (except for update checks), and never sends data anywhere. All communication with Clasp happens through a local shared database on your Mac.

Common questions

Do I need Clasp Helper to use Clasp?

No. Clasp from the App Store is fully functional on its own. The helper is an optional add-on for power users who want paste injection, system-wide hotkeys, and real-time text expansion.

Why isn't this on the App Store?

Apple's App Store requires apps to run in a sandbox that prevents simulating keyboard shortcuts in other apps and monitoring keystrokes for text expansion. These are the core features of the helper, so it must be distributed outside the App Store.

Is it safe to grant Accessibility permission?

Yes. Clasp Helper only simulates Cmd+V (and similar shortcuts) when you explicitly trigger a paste from Clasp. It never reads content from other apps or monitors anything beyond your own keystrokes for text expansion triggers. The app is notarized by Apple, which means macOS has verified it's free of malware.

Does it auto-update?

Yes. Clasp Helper uses Sparkle (the industry-standard macOS update framework) to check for updates automatically. You'll see a notification when a new version is available.

What macOS version do I need?

macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later, same as Clasp.

Ready to supercharge Clasp?

Download Clasp Helper for free and unlock the full potential of your clipboard.