macOS doesn't let apps read "whatever text is currently selected" directly.
So Pluks does what you would do: the moment you finish a selection, it presses
⌘+C for you. Sending that synthetic keystroke is exactly
what the Accessibility permission gates, and noticing your selection gesture
(the mouse drag or double-click) is what Input Monitoring gates. Granting them
is the one-time, ~10-second setup step.
Here's everything the code does with that access:
- Listens for selection gestures — drags and double-clicks — so it knows when you've selected something.
- Sends a synthetic ⌘+C to the app you're in, so that app copies your selection.
- Checks the focused field first and skips password inputs (secure text fields) entirely.
- Only if you turn on Draft Recovery (Pro, off by default): notices
that you're typing — never which keys — and, once you pause, reads the text box
you're in so a copy can be saved on your Mac.
It never reads your screen and never records your keystrokes. Your clipboard history —
and, if you turn it on, your saved drafts — stays in a local database on your computer
and is never uploaded. Drafts skip password fields and apps you block, and delete
themselves after 30 days by default.
On Windows there's no equivalent permission step — global input listening and
clipboard access work out of the box, so Pluks runs the moment it's installed.