clipaste vs clipssh vs cssh is the usual comparison when Ctrl+V will not paste a screenshot into Claude Code over SSH. They are not interchangeable. Some install a remote xclip shim so paste looks local. Some upload a PNG and leave a path. Invoke only saves a local file; you still scp. Updated September 2026.
How paste actually fails, with scp recipes: How to paste an image into Claude Code over SSH.
What you are choosing
Score each tool on four things: whether it needs a remote install, whether Ctrl+V stays native, whether it handles files that are not PNGs, and whether leftover files expire.
Three designs show up over and over:
- You copy a file (
scp, drag into Remote-SSH, rsync). No extra process. - A clipboard uploader reads the local PNG, writes it on the host, leaves a path to paste.
- A paste shim plus a tunnel or daemon, so Ctrl+V in remote Claude Code fetches the image.
Shims feel closest to local Claude Code. They also install the most machinery: reverse tunnels, xclip on PATH, sometimes Xvfb for Codex. Uploaders stay closer to OpenSSH and break the moment you need a PDF.
The field
| Tool | How it moves the image | Remote install | Beyond screenshots | Cleanup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
scp / drag-and-drop | You pick the path | No | Any file | None |
| clipaste | Local daemon, SSH tunnel, xclip shim so Ctrl+V fetches the PNG | Yes (ssh-setup) | Images. Codex uses a helper path, not the shim | Varies |
| cssh | Multiplexed SSH push plus remote xclip shim; optional Xvfb for Codex | Yes | Images | One-shot file plus TTL |
| clipssh | Clipboard PNG over SSH, remote path copied locally | No daemon | Images | /tmp unless you change dir |
| sshshot | Watches clipboard or screenshot folder, uploads, copies remote path | No daemon | Images | Remote screenshot dir |
pastehop (ph) | Upload + paste path; WezTerm/Kitty can hook Ctrl+V | No remote daemon | Images or a file you name | Staging dir |
| imgssh | Wrapper around ssh; Ctrl+] uploads and types the remote path | No | PNG clipboard | /tmp |
| VS Code / Cursor extensions (Claude Paste, remotepix) | Extension host writes a remote file and inserts the path | Extension, Remote-SSH only | Images | Configurable |
| Invoke | Local screenshot-to-path hotkey | No | Local images. SSH still needs scp or another uploader | Local ~/.screenshots/ |
| vmup | Batch over OpenSSH, prompt with folder path on the clipboard | No | Images, PDFs, recordings, other types | TTL 5 minutes, prune --all |
Names and behaviors are what the projects document. Versions move; check the repo before you depend on a shim.
clipaste vs clipssh vs cssh
Use this when you searched for a clipaste alternative, or for clipssh vs cssh.
| clipaste | cssh | clipssh | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goal | Ctrl+V in remote Claude Code | Ctrl+V, plus optional Codex/Xvfb | One command, then paste a path |
| Remote install | Yes (ssh-setup, xclip shim) | Yes (xclip shim; Xvfb for Codex) | No daemon |
| Key gotcha | Use Ctrl+V, not Cmd+V, on a Linux remote | Extra X server if you want Codex paste | Leaves files under /tmp unless you change dir |
| Not for | PDFs, recordings, boxes you cannot modify | Same | Native [Image #1] without pasting a path |
clipaste and cssh are shims. clipssh is a path uploader. If you cannot install helpers on the VM, skip the first two. If you need a PDF in the same turn, skip all three and use scp or vmup.
clipaste alternatives with no remote shim: clipssh, sshshot, or scp. cssh if you still want Ctrl+V and will install a helper.
scp and Remote-SSH drag
No new binary. scp bug.png user@host:/tmp/ then Look at /tmp/bug.png. In VS Code or Cursor Remote-SSH, drag the file into Explorer.
Best when you already saved one file and you do not want a daemon. Worst when you do this twenty times a morning, or you have a PDF and a recording in the same turn. vmup vs scp and rsync.
Ctrl+V shims (clipaste, cssh)
These exist so remote Claude Code can keep using Ctrl+V. clipaste runs a local HTTP server and, after clipaste ssh-setup user@host, installs a remote shim. On a Linux remote you press Ctrl+V, not Cmd+V: Cmd+V pastes a Mac path the server cannot read. Codex often bypasses xclip, so the same setup tells you to run a helper and hand Claude the printed path.
cssh is the same idea with a multiplexed SSH push and an optional headless X server so Codex has a real clipboard.
Pick a shim if you live in the TUI, you only need screenshots, and you will maintain a tunnel plus a remote PATH change. Skip it if you cannot install helpers on the VM, or you need files that are not PNGs.
Path uploaders (clipssh, sshshot, pastehop, imgssh)
These skip the fake clipboard. They write ~/…/clipboard-….png or /tmp/imgssh-….png and give you that string. clipssh is one command after a screenshot. sshshot can watch the screenshot folder. pastehop can bind Ctrl+V in WezTerm or Kitty. imgssh wraps ssh and types the path on Ctrl+].
Pick one if you want less remote state than a shim and you are fine pasting a path instead of a native image attachment. They still optimize for one image. Leftover files in /tmp are your problem unless the tool documents a TTL.
Invoke
Invoke is a local dictation app with a screenshot-to-path hotkey. It saves a PNG under ~/.screenshots/ and pastes the local path. That is the right fix for Claude Code on the same machine, WSL included. Over SSH, Invoke’s own guide says you still scp that file (or alias it). It does not replace an uploader.
vmup
vmup collects a batch (paths, picker, --clip, or a watched folder), streams it over the ssh you already have, and copies a prompt that already contains the remote folder:
Please inspect all files in ~/vmup/agents-…/No remote daemon, no xclip shim, no editor extension. File types are not limited to images. Remote batches expire (default 5 minutes). Send laptop files to a coding agent on a remote VM. First upload.
You paste a folder prompt, not a native image pill. If you need Ctrl+V inside Claude’s TUI to attach [Image #1], a shim is closer. If you need several files and cleanup, a batch folder is closer.
How to pick
One saved PNG, keep the name, no extra tools: scp or Remote-SSH drag.
Live in Claude’s TUI, screenshots only, you accept a tunnel and a remote shim: clipaste or cssh.
One screenshot, path paste, no remote install: clipssh, sshshot, pastehop, or imgssh.
Local Claude Code / WSL, no second SSH hop: Invoke’s hotkey, or any local path. SSH from WSL to a VM is still remote: scp or an uploader.
Several files, mixed types, OpenSSH only, then delete: vmup.
Quick answers
What is the simplest tool to paste a screenshot into Claude Code over SSH? scp. Save the PNG, copy it to the server, paste the remote path. Everything else automates that loop.
Do clipboard daemons work without installing anything on the server? Some path-upload CLIs (clipssh, sshshot, pastehop, vmup) use the ssh you already have. Shim tools (clipaste, cssh) install a remote helper or reverse tunnel so Ctrl+V looks native.
Which tools handle PDFs and recordings, not only images? scp, rsync, and vmup. Most Claude Code SSH paste helpers are screenshot-only.
When should I pick a Ctrl+V shim instead of a batch upload? Pick a shim if you live in the TUI and want one screenshot to attach like a local paste. Pick a batch upload if you have several files, no extra daemon, and a prompt with one folder path.
What is a clipaste alternative for Claude Code over SSH? clipssh or sshshot if you want a path and no remote shim. cssh if you still want Ctrl+V and will install a helper. scp if you want zero new tools. vmup if you have several files, not one PNG.