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Clipboard Recast

Common Issues

Common Issues

Section titled “Common Issues”

Solutions to the most frequently encountered problems.

Installation Issues

Section titled “Installation Issues”

macOS asks “are you sure you want to open it?”

Section titled “macOS asks “are you sure you want to open it?””

Cause: Clipboard Recast is signed with an Apple Developer ID and notarized by Apple, so it opens normally. The first time you launch any app downloaded from the Internet, macOS shows a one-time confirmation dialog — this is expected and not a problem with the app.

The fix: Click Open in the dialog. macOS won’t ask again on future launches.

If the app still won’t open, make sure you downloaded the complete .dmg (a partial or corrupted download can fail to open) and try downloading it again from your download link.

App doesn’t appear in menu bar

Section titled “App doesn’t appear in menu bar”

Solutions:

  1. Check Activity Monitor - search for “ClipboardRecast” to see if it’s running
  2. Look at the right side of your menu bar (icon may be hidden)
  3. Try launching from Applications folder again
  4. Check Console.app for error messages
  5. Reinstall the app from the DMG

Runtime Issues

Section titled “Runtime Issues”

Global Hotkey Not Working

Section titled “Global Hotkey Not Working”

Problem: Cmd+Shift+A doesn’t trigger transformations

Cause: Missing Accessibility permissions

Solution:

  1. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility
  2. Click the lock icon to make changes
  3. Click + button and add ClipboardRecast
  4. Ensure checkbox is enabled
  5. Quit and relaunch the app

Verification:

  • Copy some text
  • Press Cmd+Shift+A
  • Dialog should appear

Transformations Failing

Section titled “Transformations Failing”

Error: “No AI Provider Configured”

  • Click menu bar → Settings
  • Select AI provider
  • Enter API key
  • Click Save

Error: “Invalid API key”

  • Verify key is correct (no extra spaces)
  • Check if key has necessary permissions
  • Ensure billing is set up with provider

Error: “Rate limit exceeded”

  • Wait a few minutes
  • Check provider’s rate limits
  • Consider upgrading plan

Error: “Invalid response format”

  • Provider may be down - check status page
  • Try different model in Settings
  • Verify API key has access to selected model

Error: “Network error”

  • Check internet connection
  • Verify firewall isn’t blocking app
  • Try different network

Error: “Project ID required” (Vertex AI)

  • Enter Google Cloud Project ID in Settings
  • Ensure Vertex AI API is enabled

Clipboard Not Being Monitored

Section titled “Clipboard Not Being Monitored”

Problem: Copying text doesn’t trigger auto-workflows

Solutions:

  1. Check “Auto-process clipboard changes” is enabled in Workflows
  2. Verify workflows have “Auto-trigger” checked
  3. Restart the app
  4. Check Console.app for errors

Workflows Not Matching Content

Section titled “Workflows Not Matching Content”

Problem: Workflow should match but doesn’t trigger

Debug Steps:

  1. Open Workflows window
  2. Verify workflow is Enabled
  3. Check trigger type matches content
  4. For Text triggers, verify keywords match
  5. Test manually with Cmd+Shift+A

Screenshots Not Detected

Section titled “Screenshots Not Detected”

Problem: Taking screenshots but they don’t appear in history

Solutions:

  1. Use Cmd+Shift+4 (saves to Desktop) not Cmd+Shift+Control+4
  2. Wait 2-3 seconds for detection
  3. Check screenshots are saving to Desktop
  4. Verify filename matches pattern: “Screenshot YYYY-MM-DD…”

Screenshot Analysis Fails

Section titled “Screenshot Analysis Fails”

Error: “Model doesn’t support images”

  • Provider doesn’t support vision (Cerebras, Together AI, z.ai)
  • Or using wrong model (e.g., gemini-pro instead of gemini-pro-vision)
  • Change to vision-capable provider or model

Solutions:

  • Switch to Claude, OpenAI, or Gemini
  • For Gemini: Change model to gemini-pro-vision
  • For OpenAI: Change model to gpt-4-vision-preview

Performance Issues

Section titled “Performance Issues”

App Using Too Much CPU

Section titled “App Using Too Much CPU”

Solutions:

  • Check if stuck in processing loop
  • Restart the app
  • Disable auto-processing temporarily
  • Check Console.app for errors

Slow Response Times

Section titled “Slow Response Times”

Solutions:

  • Try different AI provider
  • Use faster model (e.g., Claude Haiku, GPT-4o Mini)
  • Check internet connection speed
  • Verify provider isn’t experiencing issues

Memory Issues

Section titled “Memory Issues”

Solutions:

  • Quit and relaunch app
  • Clear clipboard history (if available)
  • Check for memory leaks in Console.app

macOS-Specific Issues

Section titled “macOS-Specific Issues”

App Doesn’t Start After macOS Update

Section titled “App Doesn’t Start After macOS Update”

Solutions:

  1. Re-grant Accessibility permissions
  2. Reinstall the app
  3. Check Console.app for new permission requirements

Conflicts with Other Clipboard Managers

Section titled “Conflicts with Other Clipboard Managers”

Problem: Using multiple clipboard managers causes conflicts

Solutions:

  • Disable other clipboard managers
  • Or disable Clipboard Recast’s monitoring
  • Use only one clipboard manager at a time

Getting More Help

Section titled “Getting More Help”

If your issue isn’t listed here:

  1. Check Console.app: Search for “ClipboardRecast” to see error messages
  2. Enable Debug Logs: See Debug Workflows
  3. Check Provider Status: Visit your AI provider’s status page
  4. Contact Support: Reach out through the app’s support channels

Quick Diagnostic Checklist

Section titled “Quick Diagnostic Checklist”

Run through this checklist to diagnose issues:

  • App appears in Activity Monitor?
  • Menu bar icon visible?
  • Accessibility permissions granted?
  • AI provider and API key configured?
  • Internet connection working?
  • Provider service status online?
  • Workflows enabled?
  • Content matches workflow triggers?

Next Steps

Section titled “Next Steps”