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Ghostty provides comprehensive clipboard support with configurable behavior for both system clipboard and terminal-initiated clipboard operations.

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Basic Clipboard Operations

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Copy and Paste

Copy

Select text and it’s automatically copied (Linux/macOS default).Or use:
  • macOS: cmd+c
  • Linux: ctrl+shift+c

Paste

  • macOS: cmd+v
  • Linux: ctrl+shift+v
  • Middle-click: Paste selection (Linux)

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Copy on Select

Automatically copy selected text to clipboard:
~/.config/ghostty/config
# Enable copy-on-select (default on Linux/macOS)
copy-on-select = true

# Disable copy-on-select
copy-on-select = false

# Always copy to both selection and system clipboard
copy-on-select = clipboard
On Linux, middle-click paste uses the selection clipboard and works even when copy-on-select is false.

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Right-Click Actions

Configure what right-click does: 
# Show context menu (default)
right-click-action = context-menu

# Paste clipboard contents
right-click-action = paste

# Copy selection
right-click-action = copy

# Copy if text is selected, otherwise paste
right-click-action = copy-or-paste

# Do nothing
right-click-action = ignore

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OSC 52 Support

OSC 52 allows terminal applications to read from and write to the system clipboard. This is particularly useful for clipboard operations over SSH.

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Configuration

# Prompt user before allowing clipboard reads (default)
clipboard-read = ask
Valid values:
  • ask - Prompt the user (default for clipboard-read)
  • allow - Allow unconditionally (default for clipboard-write)
  • deny - Deny all access

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Testing OSC 52

Test clipboard write support: 
# Copy "Hello" to clipboard
printf '\e]52;c;%s\a' "$(printf 'Hello' | base64)"
Test clipboard read (if clipboard-read = allow): 
# Request clipboard contents
printf '\e]52;c;?\a'
Allowing clipboard read (clipboard-read = allow) can be a security risk. Applications can silently read your clipboard contents.

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Clipboard Behavior

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Trimming Whitespace

Remove trailing whitespace when copying: 
# Trim trailing spaces (default: true)
clipboard-trim-trailing-spaces = true

# Preserve all whitespace
clipboard-trim-trailing-spaces = false
Completely blank lines always have their whitespace trimmed.

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Clearing Selection

Clear selection after copying:
# Keep selection visible after copying (default)
selection-clear-on-copy = false

# Clear selection after copying
selection-clear-on-copy = true

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Paste Protection

Prevent accidental execution of dangerous commands: 
# Warn before pasting text with newlines (default: true)
clipboard-paste-protection = true

# Treat bracketed pastes as safe (default: true)  
clipboard-paste-bracketed-safe = true
1

Protection activates

When pasting text containing newlines, Ghostty shows a confirmation dialog.
2

Bracketed paste exception

If the application has bracketed paste mode enabled, the paste is considered safe and no confirmation is shown (unless clipboard-paste-bracketed-safe = false).

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Advanced Features

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Clipboard Character Mapping

Replace specific Unicode characters when copying to clipboard: 
# Convert box-drawing characters to ASCII
clipboard-codepoint-map = U+2500=U+002D  # Horizontal → hyphen
clipboard-codepoint-map = U+2502=U+007C  # Vertical → pipe

# Replace with text
clipboard-codepoint-map = U+03A3=SUM     # Greek Sigma → "SUM"

# Ranges
clipboard-codepoint-map = U+2500-U+257F=U+002D  # All box-drawing
This only applies to text copying, not URL copying.

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Selection Word Characters

Define what characters mark word boundaries during selection: 
# Default word boundaries
selection-word-chars = " \t'\"│`|:;,()[]{}<>$"

# Treat dashes as part of words
selection-word-chars = " \t'\"│`|:;,()[]{}<>$"
When double-clicking to select a word, selection stops at these characters.

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Keybinding Examples

keybind = ctrl+c=copy_to_clipboard
keybind = ctrl+v=paste_from_clipboard
keybind = ctrl+shift+v=paste_from_selection

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Platform Differences

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macOS

  • Uses the system pasteboard
  • Supports rich text copying (with formatting)
  • Integrates with Universal Clipboard (copy on Mac, paste on iPhone)

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Linux

  • Two clipboards: selection (middle-click) and system (ctrl+v)
  • Selection clipboard is automatically populated when selecting text
  • System clipboard requires explicit copy action
# Configure copy-on-select behavior for Linux
copy-on-select = true          # Use selection clipboard
copy-on-select = clipboard     # Use both clipboards
copy-on-select = false         # Explicit copy only

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SSH and Remote Clipboard

When connected to a remote host via SSH, OSC 52 allows remote applications to access your local clipboard:
1

Enable OSC 52 write

clipboard-write = allow
2

Configure remote app

Many applications support OSC 52:
  • tmux: set -s set-clipboard on
  • vim: Use plugins like vim-oscyank
  • neovim: Built-in OSC 52 support
3

Copy remotely

When you copy text in the remote application, it appears in your local clipboard.

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Example: Neovim Over SSH

-- Neovim config for OSC 52 clipboard
vim.g.clipboard = {
  name = 'OSC 52',
  copy = {
    ['+'] = require('vim.ui.clipboard.osc52').copy('+'),
    ['*'] = require('vim.ui.clipboard.osc52').copy('*'),
  },
  paste = {
    ['+'] = require('vim.ui.clipboard.osc52').paste('+'),
    ['*'] = require('vim.ui.clipboard.osc52').paste('*'),
  },
}

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Troubleshooting

  1. Verify OSC 52 is enabled: clipboard-write = allow
  2. Ensure remote application supports OSC 52
  3. Check SSH doesn’t strip escape sequences
  4. Test with the OSC 52 printf command shown above
Check copy-on-select is enabled:
copy-on-select = true
Middle-click paste is always enabled and uses the selection clipboard. Make sure you’ve selected text first, or check if another application has cleared the selection.
If bracketed paste mode is available but still showing confirmation:
clipboard-paste-bracketed-safe = true
Or disable paste protection entirely (not recommended):
clipboard-paste-protection = false