How do I separate snippets by language?

Create one board per language in ClipHistory — Python, SQL, shell — and save each snippet to its board. Boards act as language buckets you open directly.

Can I still search across all languages at once?

Yes. Open ClipHistory with Cmd+Shift+V and type a keyword. Naming snippets by purpose makes cross-board search land on the right one.

What is the difference between a board and a snippet?

A snippet is a single reusable piece of text. A board is a named group of related snippets and clips, like all your SQL templates together.

Is my code stored online?

No. Boards, snippets, and history all stay on your Mac, with no cloud and no account.

Is it a one-time purchase?

Yes. $19.99 for a 12-month license, paid once, with no auto-renewal.

Organize Code Snippets by Language on Mac

If you work across several languages, a single flat pile of snippets gets slow to search fast. Grouping by language — Python here, SQL there, shell over there — turns recall into a one-step action. Here is how to set that up on macOS with ClipHistory.

Why group by language

Language is a natural boundary for code snippets because it matches how you switch context. When you are in a SQL file, you want SQL templates, not your Bash aliases. Grouping by language means:

The snippet you want is in the board you are already thinking about.
Search inside a board returns fewer, more relevant results.
You can keep language-specific notes (gotchas, flags) next to the code.

Use boards as language buckets

ClipHistory groups clips and snippets into boards — named collections you control. The simplest organized setup is one board per language:

Python — common imports, a logging setup, an argparse template.
SQL — a SELECT skeleton, a join pattern, a migration header.
Shell — a safe script preamble (set -euo pipefail), a loop pattern.
JavaScript/TypeScript — a fetch wrapper, a debounce, a type guard.

Each snippet lives in its language board, so you open the board and the relevant code is right there.

Going one level deeper

For larger libraries, combine language boards with descriptive snippet names. Name by purpose — "python: retry with backoff", "sql: paginated select" — so a search across all boards still lands on the right snippet when you are not sure which board it is in.

Saving and recalling

The loop is short:

Copy or select code worth keeping.
Save it as a snippet and place it on the right language board.
Recall later with Cmd+Shift+V, then type the language or the purpose.

Because the shortcut works in every app, you can drop a Python snippet into your editor, a SQL snippet into your database client, and a shell snippet into the terminal without changing tools.

History handles the short term

Boards and snippets are for the things you keep. For the last few minutes of work, the rolling history of your last 150 clips covers you — plus unlimited pinned clips for anything you want to hold onto without making it a permanent snippet.

When a snippet belongs in more than one place

Some snippets are language-agnostic — a comment style, a header you reuse across stacks. For these, pick the board where you are most likely to look for it and give it a name that describes its purpose. Because search runs across all boards, a well-named snippet is findable even if it only lives in one place. Resist the urge to duplicate it into several boards; one canonical copy with a clear name is easier to maintain than copies that drift out of sync.

Migrating an existing snippet pile

If you already have a scratch file or a notes document full of snippets, move them in gradually rather than all at once. Each time you reach for a snippet from the old pile, paste it, save it to the right language board, and delete it from the source. Within a couple of weeks the snippets you actually use will have migrated, and the ones you never touch will reveal themselves as clutter you can drop. This avoids a tedious one-time import and ensures your boards hold only living, used code.

Pair boards with the rolling history

Language boards handle the long-lived, organized library. The day-to-day churn — the value you copied two minutes ago — is covered by the rolling history of your last 150 clips. The two work together: history catches everything automatically so nothing is lost mid-task, while boards hold the curated snippets you return to across projects. You rarely think about which is which; you press the shortcut and the right thing is there.

Keep it local

Code snippets are often real project code. ClipHistory stores boards, snippets, and history on your Mac — no cloud, no account. Nothing leaves your machine in the background.

Tidy snippets with your own AI key

When a snippet needs cleanup — reformatting, removing comments, a quick rewrite — ClipHistory can do it with your own API key across five providers (Anthropic, OpenAI, DeepSeek, Google, or a custom endpoint). The request goes directly to your provider, only when you ask.

Requirements and pricing

ClipHistory runs on macOS 12+, is a universal binary (Apple Silicon and Intel), and is signed and notarized by Apple. It is $19.99 — a one-time payment for a 12-month license, no auto-renewal.

Get ClipHistory for macOS — $19.99, a one-time payment for a 12-month license (no auto-renewal). Signed and notarized by Apple, universal binary, everything stays on your Mac. Download ClipHistory.