Clipboard and paste

When you run jiq with no file argument and no piped stdin, jiq peeks the clipboard once at launch and lets you confirm what to load — no surprise auto-loads.

The source picker

If the clipboard contains a JSON object or array, jiq shows a small picker banner with the cached payload previewed below:

┌─ Choose JSON input source ───────────────────────────────────┐
│  ▶ Clipboard                                                 │
│    Paste                                                     │
└─ Enter Load • ↑/↓ Switch • Esc Quit ─────────────────────────┘
┌─ Clipboard preview ──────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  {                                                           │
│    "users": [                                                │
│      { "name": "alice", "active": true },                    │
│      …                                                       │
│  }                                                           │
│  … (47 more lines, 11.8 KB more)                             │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Enter loads the highlighted source. The bottom-border hint text adapts: it reads “Enter Load” when Clipboard is highlighted, “Enter Open paste editor” when Paste is highlighted.
↑ / ↓ (or Tab, j/k, h/l) toggle between the two options.
Esc quits jiq immediately.

Smart fallback when the clipboard isn’t queryable

If the clipboard is empty, isn’t JSON, holds a primitive value, or can’t be read at all, jiq skips the picker entirely and drops straight into the paste editor with a one-line “Info” box describing what was on the clipboard. Pick from the message and paste manually:

What jiq saw	Info-box message
Clipboard read failed	`Couldn't read the clipboard`
Empty buffer	`Clipboard is empty`
Not valid JSON	`Clipboard contents aren't valid JSON`
A primitive (`42`, `"x"`, `true`, `null`)	`Clipboard JSON is a primitive (e.g. 42, "x", true) — needs an object or array`

The paste editor has its own title and placeholder telling you how to operate it; the Info box only carries the diagnosis.

Skip the picker with a flag

Flag	Behavior
`jiq --clipboard`	Force the clipboard auto-load (skips the picker; uses the legacy “load directly” path).
`jiq --paste`	Open the paste editor immediately, without touching the clipboard. The editor uses a calm cyan border and no Info box — its title and placeholder say everything.

The two flags are mutually exclusive. Combining either with piped stdin or a file argument hard-errors with a colored “ambiguous input source” message that lists every valid invocation form.

The paste editor

A full-screen text area with the same Vim-style editing as the query input. Paste, edit, and press Enter to load.

Key	Action
Paste (Cmd+V / Ctrl+Shift+V)	Insert JSON into the box
`Enter`	Validate and load the pasted JSON
`Ctrl+X`	Clear the text area
`Esc`	Switch to navigation mode
`i`	Switch back to typing mode
Vim shortcuts	Same editing keys as the query input (see Vim editing)
`Ctrl+C`	Quit

Manual paste rejects bare primitives the same way the clipboard does — 42, "hello", true, and null all return “Input must be a JSON object or array, not a primitive value.” so the same rule applies regardless of how JSON entered jiq.

Copy results to your clipboard

What you want	Press
Copy results (from any focus)	`Ctrl`+`O`
Copy the focused pane (query if input, results if results)	`Ctrl`+`Y`
Copy specific lines	`v` to select, `y` to copy

Configure the clipboard backend

In ~/.config/jiq/config.toml:

[clipboard]
backend = "auto"   # "auto", "system", or "osc52"

Backend	When to use
`auto`	Tries system clipboard first, falls back to OSC 52
`system`	Force OS clipboard only (may not work over SSH)
`osc52`	Terminal escape sequences — works in most modern terminals over SSH/tmux