feat(terminal): add "Copy on Select" clipboard setting (default off) (#862)

Adds an opt-in terminal setting that automatically copies the current
selection to the system clipboard as the user selects, mirroring X11 /
gnome-terminal behavior. xterm.js has no native option for this, so the
renderer hooks `onSelectionChange` per pane and writes via the existing
clipboard IPC. Defaults to false so existing users keep the explicit
Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+C copy flow.

Closes #860

src/main/codex-accounts/runtime-home-service.test.ts

@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ function createSettings(overrides: Partial<GlobalSettings> = {}): GlobalSettings
     terminalDividerThicknessPx: 1,
     terminalRightClickToPaste: false,
     terminalFocusFollowsMouse: false,
+    terminalClipboardOnSelect: false,
     setupScriptLaunchMode: 'split-vertical',
     terminalScrollbackBytes: 10_000_000,
     openLinksInApp: false,

src/main/codex-accounts/service.test.ts

@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ function createSettings(overrides: Partial<GlobalSettings> = {}): GlobalSettings
     terminalDividerThicknessPx: 1,
     terminalRightClickToPaste: false,
     terminalFocusFollowsMouse: false,
+    terminalClipboardOnSelect: false,
     setupScriptLaunchMode: 'split-vertical',
     terminalScrollbackBytes: 10_000_000,
     openLinksInApp: false,

src/renderer/src/components/settings/TerminalPane.tsx

@@ -368,6 +368,50 @@ export function TerminalPane({
             />
           </button>
         </SearchableSetting>
+
+        <SearchableSetting
+          title="Copy on Select"
+          description="Automatically copy terminal selections to the clipboard as soon as a selection is made."
+          keywords={[
+            'clipboard',
+            'copy',
+            'select',
+            'selection',
+            'auto',
+            'automatic',
+            'x11',
+            'linux',
+            'gnome',
+            'paste'
+          ]}
+          className="flex items-center justify-between gap-4 px-1 py-2"
+        >
+          <div className="space-y-0.5">
+            <Label>Copy on Select</Label>
+            <p className="text-xs text-muted-foreground">
+              Automatically copy terminal selections to the clipboard as soon as a selection is
+              made.
+            </p>
+          </div>
+          <button
+            role="switch"
+            aria-checked={settings.terminalClipboardOnSelect}
+            onClick={() =>
+              updateSettings({
+                terminalClipboardOnSelect: !settings.terminalClipboardOnSelect
+              })
+            }
+            className={`relative inline-flex h-5 w-9 shrink-0 cursor-pointer items-center rounded-full border border-transparent transition-colors ${
+              settings.terminalClipboardOnSelect ? 'bg-foreground' : 'bg-muted-foreground/30'
+            }`}
+          >
+            <span
+              className={`pointer-events-none block size-3.5 rounded-full bg-background shadow-sm transition-transform ${
+                settings.terminalClipboardOnSelect ? 'translate-x-4' : 'translate-x-0.5'
+              }`}
+            />
+          </button>
+        </SearchableSetting>
       </section>
     ) : null,
     matchesSettingsSearch(searchQuery, TERMINAL_DARK_THEME_SEARCH_ENTRIES) ? (

src/renderer/src/components/settings/terminal-search.ts

@@ -47,6 +47,23 @@ export const TERMINAL_PANE_STYLE_SEARCH_ENTRIES: SettingsSearchEntry[] = [
     description:
       "Hovering a terminal pane activates it without needing to click. Mirrors Ghostty's focus-follows-mouse setting. Selections and window switching stay safe.",
     keywords: ['focus', 'follows', 'mouse', 'hover', 'pane', 'ghostty', 'active']
+  },
+  {
+    title: 'Copy on Select',
+    description:
+      'Automatically copy terminal selections to the clipboard as soon as a selection is made.',
+    keywords: [
+      'clipboard',
+      'copy',
+      'select',
+      'selection',
+      'auto',
+      'automatic',
+      'x11',
+      'linux',
+      'gnome',
+      'paste'
+    ]
   }
 ]
 

src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/use-terminal-pane-lifecycle.ts

@@ -160,6 +160,9 @@ export function useTerminalPaneLifecycle({
   const systemPrefersDarkRef = useRef(systemPrefersDark)
   systemPrefersDarkRef.current = systemPrefersDark
   const linkProviderDisposablesRef = useRef(new Map<number, IDisposable>())
+  // Why: read settingsRef at fire time so toggling "copy on select" takes
+  // effect without recreating panes.
+  const selectionDisposablesRef = useRef(new Map<number, IDisposable>())
 
   const applyAppearance = (manager: PaneManager): void => {
     const currentSettings = settingsRef.current
@@ -186,6 +189,7 @@ export function useTerminalPaneLifecycle({
     const panePtyBindings = panePtyBindingsRef.current
     const pendingWrites = pendingWritesRef.current
     const linkDisposables = linkProviderDisposablesRef.current
+    const selectionDisposables = selectionDisposablesRef.current
     const worktreePath =
       useAppStore
         .getState()
@@ -273,6 +277,21 @@ export function useTerminalPaneLifecycle({
           createFilePathLinkProvider(pane.id, linkDeps, pane.linkTooltip, fileOpenLinkHint)
         )
         linkProviderDisposablesRef.current.set(pane.id, linkProviderDisposable)
+        // Why: skip empty selections so clicking to deselect doesn't clobber
+        // whatever the user last copied elsewhere.
+        const selectionDisposable = pane.terminal.onSelectionChange(() => {
+          if (!settingsRef.current?.terminalClipboardOnSelect) {
+            return
+          }
+          const selection = pane.terminal.getSelection()
+          if (!selection) {
+            return
+          }
+          void window.api.ui.writeClipboardText(selection).catch(() => {
+            /* ignore clipboard write failures */
+          })
+        })
+        selectionDisposablesRef.current.set(pane.id, selectionDisposable)
         pane.terminal.options.linkHandler = {
           allowNonHttpProtocols: true,
           activate: (event, text) => handleOscLink(text, event as MouseEvent | undefined, linkDeps),
@@ -316,6 +335,11 @@ export function useTerminalPaneLifecycle({
           linkProviderDisposable.dispose()
           linkProviderDisposablesRef.current.delete(paneId)
         }
+        const selectionDisposable = selectionDisposablesRef.current.get(paneId)
+        if (selectionDisposable) {
+          selectionDisposable.dispose()
+          selectionDisposablesRef.current.delete(paneId)
+        }
         const transport = paneTransportsRef.current.get(paneId)
         const panePtyBinding = panePtyBindings.get(paneId)
         if (panePtyBinding) {
@@ -555,6 +579,10 @@ export function useTerminalPaneLifecycle({
         disposable.dispose()
       }
       linkDisposables.clear()
+      for (const disposable of selectionDisposables.values()) {
+        disposable.dispose()
+      }
+      selectionDisposables.clear()
       for (const transport of paneTransports.values()) {
         if (tabStillExists && transport.getPtyId()) {
           // Why: moving a terminal tab between groups currently rehomes the

src/shared/constants.ts

@@ -124,6 +124,7 @@ export function getDefaultSettings(homedir: string): GlobalSettings {
     // { ...defaults.settings, ...parsed.settings } merge, so enabling
     // focus-follows-mouse never happens unexpectedly.
     terminalFocusFollowsMouse: false,
+    terminalClipboardOnSelect: false,
     setupScriptLaunchMode: 'new-tab',
     terminalScrollbackBytes: 10_000_000,
     openLinksInApp: true,

src/shared/types.ts

@@ -591,6 +591,11 @@ export type GlobalSettings = {
    *  menu behavior and users can still reach the menu with Ctrl+right-click. */
   terminalRightClickToPaste: boolean
   terminalFocusFollowsMouse: boolean
+  /** Why: mirrors X11 / gnome-terminal "copy on select" UX — making a terminal
+   *  selection copies it to the system clipboard automatically, so users can
+   *  paste with Cmd/Ctrl+V without an intervening Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+C. Defaults
+   *  to false so existing users keep the explicit-copy behavior. */
+  terminalClipboardOnSelect: boolean
   /** Where the repo setup script runs on workspace create. Defaults to a
    *  background "Setup" tab so the user's main terminal stays immediately
    *  usable without the setup output crowding the initial pane. */