Sync Pad GitHub

v1.0 · Free & open source · Alfred 5

Share a clipboard with your other Macs.

Sync Pad is an Alfred workflow. Type pad, save a text clip, and pick it up on another Mac. Alfred Clipboard History stays on clip.

pad
Download for Alfred View on GitHub

Alfred 5 with the Powerpack · Text clips · The current package is on the main branch

Sync Pad 1.0, shown with example text
↩

Copy

Puts that clip on the clipboard and makes it the newest clipboard item. Paste with ⌘V.

⌘↩

Save

Saves a clipboard clip to Sync Pad. Saving the same text again moves it to the top.

⌥↩

Remove

Removes a saved snippet. Clipboard rows stay in Alfred’s own history.

Features

Saved snippets first. Then this Mac.

Type pad and the list is already there. The last snippets you saved are on top. This Mac’s clipboard follows them.

No Sync Pad snippets yet⌘↩ a clipboard clip below to save it
Clipboard
https://example.com/budget-q4Safari · just now

Ready before the first save

Until you save something, the first row tells you how. Highlight a clipboard clip and press ⌘↩.

pad quote
Vendor quote is $240, shipping includedSync Pad · Studio · Mail

Search both lists

pad quote narrows saved snippets first, then clipboard history. The pad holds the last 30 snippets.

Thursday standup: ship the booth signsSync Pad · MacBook Air · moved to the top
Vendor quote is $240, shipping includedSync Pad · Studio · Mail

Same text, one row

Sharing a clip you already saved moves that snippet to the top. The pad stays a list of 30, newest first.

pad

Its own keyword

Clipboard History stays on clip. Sync Pad is a separate list, so a custom keystroke can live on each row.

30

Last 30 snippets

Text only. Images and files stay on the Mac where you copied them.

☁

Rides along with Alfred

The scratch file sits next to your synced Alfred preferences. Google Drive carries it to the other Macs.

Aa

Plain text on purpose

sync-pad.json is a text file. Share only what you would put in Google Drive.

↩

Becomes clipboard history

On the other Mac, press Return. That snippet is now the newest clipboard item there.

⌥

Remove when you are done

Option-Return drops a saved snippet. It stays until you remove it.

How it works

Copy, save, then open it over there.

Give Google Drive a moment to finish sync-pad.json before you look on the other Mac.

  1. 1

    Copy some text

    Copy on this Mac the way you already do. Open Alfred and type pad. Saved snippets are first. Clipboard rows follow the Clipboard divider.

  2. 2

    Save it

    Highlight a clipboard row and press ⌘Return. Sync Pad writes that text into sync-pad.json, next to your Alfred preferences.

  3. 3

    Take it on the other Mac

    Type pad, highlight the snippet, and press Return. Paste with ⌘V. The clip is now in that Mac’s Clipboard History.

Where the text lives

  • Shared snippets are plain text in sync-pad.json, beside Alfred.alfredpreferences, in the folder Alfred already syncs.
  • The GitHub repository holds the workflow. Your clips stay out of git.
  • Each Mac’s Clipboard History stays on that Mac until you press Return on a shared snippet.
  • There is no account and no analytics. The file syncs only because your Alfred folder syncs.

Install

Double-click, then type pad.

Recommended

Alfred package

Download Sync.Pad.alfredworkflow and double-click it. Alfred asks to import the workflow. If that bundle ID is already installed, replace it.

Download Sync.Pad.alfredworkflow
From a clone

Git

git clone https://github.com/stevencombs/alfred-sync-pad.git
cd alfred-sync-pad
./scripts/install.sh

install.sh copies the workflow into Alfred’s preferences and reloads it. On Macs that already share that preferences folder, Drive carries the same files across.

Requirements

What you need

  • Alfred 5 with the Powerpack
  • /usr/bin/python3 (the Xcode Command Line Tools provide it)
  • To share between Macs: Alfred preferences syncing through one folder, such as Google Drive
  • A single Mac can still use pad as a saved-snippet list

Updates

The same path you used to install.

Sync Pad has no updater inside Alfred, and it is not in the Alfred Gallery. The file on main is the current version. Alfred Preferences → Workflows → Sync Pad shows the version you have. This page shows 1.0.

  1. 1

    Shared Alfred preferences

    The workflow lives in the preferences folder your Macs already sync. When a new copy is installed into that folder, Google Drive brings info.plist, sync_pad.py, and icon.png to the other Macs. Wait until Drive finishes, then type pad. If the old behavior is still there, quit Alfred and open it again.

  2. 2

    You double-clicked the package

    Download Sync.Pad.alfredworkflow again and double-click it. Alfred matches bundle ID com.retrocombs.syncpad and replaces the workflow you have.

  3. 3

    You cloned the repo

    Run git pull, then ./scripts/install.sh. That copies the workflow into Alfred and reloads it. Run ./scripts/package.sh when you also want the downloadable zip rebuilt.

What an update leaves alone

  • sync-pad.json sits beside the preferences folder, outside the workflow. Replacing Sync Pad leaves your saved snippets in place.
  • Clipboard History is Alfred’s database. An update does not clear it.
  • The keyword stays pad and the bundle ID stays com.retrocombs.syncpad, so the new package replaces this workflow.
  • Let Drive finish before you edit the workflow on a second Mac. The last saved copy of those files is the one Drive keeps.

FAQ

Questions, answered.

How do I get a new version?

There is no automatic update. Macs that share Alfred’s preferences folder pick up the new workflow files when Google Drive finishes syncing that folder. Everyone else downloads Sync.Pad.alfredworkflow again and double-clicks it, or runs git pull and ./scripts/install.sh. The Updates section has the three paths.

Will an update erase saved snippets?

No. Saved snippets live in sync-pad.json, next to Alfred.alfredpreferences. The workflow package is only info.plist, sync_pad.py, and icon.png.

Is the shared text private?

It is plain text in the folder Alfred syncs, which on this setup is Google Drive. Share only text you are willing to keep there. The GitHub repository does not contain sync-pad.json.

Does Return paste into the front app?

Return copies. Click the document and press ⌘V. The snippet also becomes the newest item in Alfred Clipboard History on that Mac.

Can I share an image or a file?

Sync Pad shares text. Images and files stay on the Mac where you copied them.

What does it cost?

Nothing. Sync Pad is free. If it saves you from mailing a snippet to yourself, a tip is welcome.

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Visit the GrokGauge page →

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Visit the ClipGauge page →

Sync Pad You are here

An Alfred workflow that shares text clips with your other Macs. Keyword pad.

Free, and built in the open.

Sync Pad was made by Steven “retroCombs” Combs. If it saves you from emailing a snippet to yourself, you can say thanks with a tip.

Tip via PayPal ★ Star on GitHub Report a bug or request a feature