paste-typer is a small macOS shell utility that types clipboard text as keystrokes for local accessibility, automation, and compatibility workflows.

It reads the current clipboard with pbpaste, waits for a short countdown, and uses macOS System Events to type each character into the currently focused app. Clipboard contents are not logged, stored, or sent over the network.

• macOS
• Bash, pbpaste, pbcopy, osascript, and bc from the standard macOS toolset
• Accessibility permission for the terminal app that runs paste-typer

Grant Accessibility permission in:

System Settings -> Privacy & Security -> Accessibility

Add Terminal.app, iTerm2, or whichever terminal application you use.

Clone the repository, then run:

./install.sh

The installer creates this symlink:

/usr/local/bin/paste-typer -> ./paste-typer.sh

If /usr/local/bin is not writable, the installer prints the exact sudo command before asking for permission. If a command already exists at /usr/local/bin/paste-typer, the installer stops unless you pass --force.

You can also run the script directly without installing:

./paste-typer.sh

paste-typer [OPTIONS]

Options:
  --delay N          Countdown seconds before typing (default: 3)
  --speed PRESET|N   Typing speed: slow (50ms), normal (20ms), fast (5ms), or N ms
  --yes, -y          Skip confirmation prompt
  --quiet            Suppress completion notification
  --help, -h         Show this help message
  --version          Show version

paste-typer                     # Type clipboard text with defaults
paste-typer --delay 5           # 5-second countdown
paste-typer --speed slow        # Slower typing for unreliable fields
paste-typer --yes --speed 10    # No confirmation, 10ms delay
paste-typer --yes --quiet       # Silent mode

An optional Automator Quick Action is included in PasteTyper.workflow.

The workflow runs:

/usr/local/bin/paste-typer --yes

That means you should run ./install.sh before using the workflow.

To install the Quick Action:

cp -R PasteTyper.workflow ~/Library/Services/

Then open System Settings -> Keyboard -> Keyboard Shortcuts -> Services, find PasteTyper, and assign a shortcut.

• Use this only for workflows you are authorized to automate.
• Do not use this tool to evade policy controls or site/app rules.
• Clipboard contents are read once, typed locally, and never intentionally logged, stored, or transmitted.
• By default, the confirmation prompt shows only a masked preview for longer clipboard text.

bash -n paste-typer.sh install.sh test/test.sh
bash test/test.sh
PASTE_TYPER_DRY_RUN=true ./paste-typer.sh --yes --delay 0 --speed 0

The automated tests use dry-run mode for behavior that would otherwise send real keystrokes.

• This project targets macOS only.
• Non-ASCII clipboard text may not type reliably in v0.1.0.
• The focused app must accept normal keyboard input during the countdown.

Small, focused issues and pull requests are welcome. Please keep the project dependency-light and avoid adding telemetry, background services, or clipboard logging.

MIT