# mdcopy — machine-readable install & usage (macOS)

Purpose: Convert GitHub-Flavored Markdown to rich HTML on the system clipboard so the user can paste into Mail, Slack, Google Docs, Word, etc. Plain `pbcopy` keeps asterisks and hashes visible; mdcopy preserves headings, bold/italic, lists, tables, links, and inline code styling.

Hard requirements:
- macOS only (script uses Swift + AppKit NSPasteboard).
- pandoc on PATH: `brew install pandoc`.

Install (human or agent):
1. Ensure repo path is known, e.g. CLONE=/path/to/mdcopy
2. `chmod +x "$CLONE/bin/mdcopy"`
3. Optional PATH symlink: `ln -sf "$CLONE/bin/mdcopy" ~/bin/mdcopy` (if ~/bin exists and is on PATH).

Claude Code plugin install (optional): `/plugin install mdcopy@focus-marketplace` from the Focus marketplace. Then the script path is `"${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/bin/mdcopy"` (same chmod if needed).

Usage — three input modes (priority: file > stdin > clipboard markdown):
- File: `mdcopy path/to/file.md`
- Stdin: `cat file.md | mdcopy` or pipe LLM stdout directly.
- Clipboard as markdown (TTY, no stdin): `mdcopy` reads `pbpaste` as the markdown source.

After success, stderr prints a line like: ✓ Rich text copied to clipboard. User pastes in the target app with normal Paste.

Markdown flavor: pandoc `-f gfm` (tables, strikethrough, task lists, etc.). Output is HTML with embedded CSS (system font, table borders, code blocks) placed on pasteboard as type HTML.

Source of truth in repo:
- Script: bin/mdcopy
- Human README: README.md
- Short Mail paste examples: README.md section “Mail.app paste examples”
- Larger format demo: examples/rich-text-demo.md

When suggesting commands in chat, prefer absolute path to bin/mdcopy if PATH is uncertain: `/full/path/to/mdcopy/bin/mdcopy`.

Limitations: Destination app must accept HTML from clipboard; some fields are plain-text only. Not for Linux/Windows.

Version: repo mdcopy; no separate semver in script.