NibNab
A highlighter for your digital life 🎨
Your clipboard deserves better than Cmd+V into Notes.app
Why NibNab exists
Every clipboard manager is either too complicated, too simple, or too corporate.
Too complicated? We don't need 47 features and a settings panel that scrolls.
Too simple? A chronological list isn't organization, it's procrastination.
Too corporate? Why does copying text require an account, a subscription, and "AI-powered insights"?
NibNab is the 80/20 version. Does less. Does it better.
Three steps. That's it.
Copy anything
Cmd+C or select text—anywhere on your Mac
Auto-captures to your color
Yellow, Orange, Pink, or Purple—you decide what they mean
Export or use anytime
Search, sort, export as Markdown or Plain Text
This will never have:
Just a tool that does one thing well and respects you.
Everything you need. Nothing you don't.
Built for speed. Designed for humans.
Smart Capture
Monitors clipboard changes and text selections. Saves automatically to your active color. No interruptions, no decisions.
Color Organization
Four highlighter colors for categorizing clips. Organize by project, type, or whatever makes sense to you.
Powerful Search
Find any clip instantly. Search across text and source apps. Sort by date, app, or length.
Two Export Formats
Markdown with metadata, perfect for sharing. Plain Text clean and simple, ready to paste.
Privacy First
Everything stored locally in ~/.nibnab/. No cloud. No sync. No tracking. You own your data.
Mac Native
Built with Swift/SwiftUI. Feels like it belongs. Right-click settings menu. Keyboard shortcuts. Done right.
Your colors, your rules
The four colors mean whatever you want:
Or organize however you want. They're just highlighters.
Made for humans who copy stuff
Writers. Developers. Designers. Students. Everyone else.
Writers
→ Collect research, gather quotes, organize references
Developers
→ Save code snippets, commands, Stack Overflow gems
Designers
→ Capture inspiration, color codes, URLs
Students
→ Clip lecture notes, research papers, important passages
Everyone else
→ If you copy things and want to find them later
Keyboard wizards
→ Global shortcuts, quick export, zero mouse needed
Built right. Stays fast.
Native Swift/SwiftUI. No dependencies. Single file. ~1200 lines of readable code.
Get NibNab
Download for Mac
Free forever. No trial. No freemium. No "pro" version.
Free means free.
🛠️ Or build it yourself
git clone https://github.com/pibulus/nibnab.git
cd nibnab
./build.sh
open build/NibNab.appRequires macOS 13.0+ and Xcode
Native & Fast
Swift & SwiftUI. Buttery smooth.
100% Private
No cloud. No tracking. Just clips.
Anti-Scale
Can't scale = the feature.