The clean-clipboard project offers a straightforward shell script designed to remove email addresses from text stored in the clipboard. This tool is particularly beneficial for individuals looking to maintain privacy when pasting email threads into AI applications such as ChatGPT, ensuring sensitive information is not unintentionally shared.

Key Features

• Cross-Platform Compatibility: Works seamlessly on macOS and Linux environments.
• Simple Usage: A single command removes email addresses from copied text, enhancing data security without complicating the workflow.

Requirements

To use clean-clipboard, the following clipboard tools must be installed:

Example of Usage

Before running clean-clipboard:

From: Alice Johnson <alice.johnson@company.com>  
To: Bob Smith <bob.smith@org.net>  
Cc: Carol <carol_dev@startup.io>  
Subject: Re: Conference Planning  

Hi Bob,

Thanks for the update! I’ve attached the draft agenda. Could you ask Carol to confirm the catering details with the venue?  
I’ll follow up with the external speakers once we have the finalized schedule.

Best,  
Alice

After running clean-clipboard:

From: Alice Johnson <>  
To: Bob Smith <>  
Cc: Carol <>  
Subject: Re: Conference Planning  

Hi Bob,

Thanks for the update! I’ve attached the draft agenda. Could you ask Carol to confirm the catering details with the venue?  
I’ll follow up with the external speakers once we have the finalized schedule.

Best,  
Alice

Alternative Installation Method

As an alternative to installing the script as an executable, users can add the clean-clipboard functionality directly to their shell configuration file (~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc), allowing for instant access by defining a custom function.
For instance, on macOS, add the following lines to the shell configuration file:

clean-clipboard() { 
  pbpaste | sed -E 's/[A-Za-z0-9._%+-]+@[A-Za-z0-9.-]+\.[A-Za-z]{2,}//g' | pbcopy
  echo "Email addresses removed from clipboard."
}

This tool simplifies the process of maintaining privacy while utilizing AI applications, safeguarding personal information effectively.