paste-image-to-file-tool
A CLI tool that saves clipboard images to numbered PNG files. Copy a screenshot, run the tool, and images are saved as 1.png, 2.png, etc.
This tool pairs beautifully with the gemini-ocr-tool where you can first create bulk screenshots with this tool, then bulk ocr these screenshots to text for postprocessing, eg. if you want to make quizzes with the markdown-quiz-exporter-tool, but there are many other uses as well.
Quick Start
# Install
uv tool install .
# Run (auto mode - polls clipboard for new images)
paste-image-to-file-tool
# Output:
# waiting for paste (auto mode, Ctrl+C to stop)
# writing 1.png
# waiting for paste
# writing 2.png
Features
- Save clipboard images to numbered PNG files (
1.png,2.png, ...) - Auto mode: polls clipboard, saves on change (default)
- Manual mode: press Enter to save current clipboard (
-m) - Multi-level verbosity logging (
-v/-vv/-vvv) - OpenTelemetry observability (traces, metrics, logs)
- Shell completion for bash, zsh, and fish
Installation
Prerequisites
- Python 3.14+
- uv package manager
Install from source
git clone https://github.com/dnvriend/paste-image-to-file-tool.git
cd paste-image-to-file-tool
uv tool install .
Verify installation
paste-image-to-file-tool --version
Usage
# Auto mode (default)
paste-image-to-file-tool
# Manual mode - press Enter to save
paste-image-to-file-tool -m
# With verbose logging
paste-image-to-file-tool -v # INFO level
paste-image-to-file-tool -vv # DEBUG level
# With telemetry
paste-image-to-file-tool --telemetry
# Show help
paste-image-to-file-tool --help
Documentation
| Topic | Description |
|---|---|
| Logging | Multi-level verbosity and file logging |
| Telemetry | OpenTelemetry observability setup |
| Shell Completion | Bash, zsh, and fish completion |
| Security | Security scanning tools |
| Development | Development setup and commands |
Contributing
- Fork the repository
- Create a feature branch (
git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature) - Run the full pipeline (
make pipeline) - Commit and push your changes
- Open a Pull Request
License
MIT License - see LICENSE for details.
Author
Dennis Vriend - @dnvriend