anthropics
Screenshot Support via Clipboard Paste in Claude Code CLI
Preflight Checklist
- [x] I have searched existing requests and this feature hasn't been requested yet
- [x] This is a single feature request (not multiple features)
Problem Statement
When working with Claude Code on PhpStorm, I frequently need to show Claude the visual result of its work - to verify layouts, check rendering, identify visual bugs, or point out CSS/styling issues. The web chat interface supports pasting screenshots directly (Ctrl+V / Cmd+V), making this workflow seamless.
The Claude Code CLI has no way to accept images or screenshots. This forces me to switch to the web interface just to show a screenshot, breaking the development flow and context. For visual feedback (UI issues, layout problems, responsiveness checks), screenshots are often more efficient than describing the problem in text.
Proposed Solution
Claude Code CLI should support pasting images from clipboard, similar to the web chat:
- User presses Ctrl+V (or Cmd+V on Mac) in the CLI input
- If clipboard contains an image/screenshot, Claude Code detects it and asks "Image detected. Include in message?" (Yes/No)
- The image is attached to the message and sent to Claude for analysis
- Claude can see the screenshot and provide feedback on visual issues, styling problems, layout issues, etc.
- Support common formats: PNG, JPG, WebP (same as web chat)
Alternative Solutions
Current workarounds are all suboptimal:
- Switch to web chat interface (context loss, flow interruption)
- Save screenshot to file and ask Claude to view it (cumbersome, not part of conversation flow)
- Describe visual issues in text (inefficient, often unclear)
- Use third-party tools to embed images in CLI conversations (hacky, not native)
None of these match the simplicity of native clipboard support.
Priority
High - Significant impact on productivity
Feature Category
Developer tools/SDK
Use Case Example
Scenario: I'm working on a Shopify theme customization. Claude Code is modifying the product card styling. I run the code and take a screenshot of the result in my browser - it shows the layout is broken on mobile.
Current workflow:
- Take screenshot
- Open browser, go to Claude web chat
- Paste screenshot and explain the issue
- Claude provides fix
- Copy fix back to IDE
- Lose context of the ongoing CLI session
Desired workflow:
- Take screenshot
- In Claude Code CLI, paste image (Ctrl+V)
- Type: "Mobile layout is broken, see screenshot above"
- Claude analyzes the screenshot, identifies the problem
- Provides fix immediately
- Continue in same session without context loss
Additional Context
Technical considerations:
- Reuse existing image processing from web chat (same models, same capabilities)
- Handle clipboard detection across Windows, Mac, Linux
- File size limits should match web chat (e.g., max 5MB)
- Support drag-and-drop of image files as alternative to clipboard
User context: This is essential for developers working on visual components, CSS/styling, responsive design, and UI bugs. Currently, Claude Code is not viable for these workflows without switching to web chat. Adding clipboard image support would make Claude Code a complete IDE-integrated development tool.
Related: This pairs well with the previous feature request about session persistence - combined they would make Claude Code suitable for longer, more complex development sessions including visual/UI work.
For macOS and Linux users at least, you can paste images directly into the chat via Ctrl+V (not Cmd+V). On Windows, you can drag images directly into the Claude Code input box where you send messages, but you still have to save the screenshot first.
https://code.claude.com/docs/en/common-workflows#work-with-images:~:text=You%20can%20use,your/image.png%E2%80%9D
For macOS and Linux users at least, you can paste images directly into the chat via Ctrl+V (not Cmd+V). On Windows, you can drag images directly into the Claude Code input box where you send messages, but you still have to save the screenshot first.
https://code.claude.com/docs/en/common-workflows#work-with-images:~:text=You%20can%20use,your/image.png%E2%80%9D
Not sure about native Linux, but Ctrl+V pasting doesn't work when using Claude code on ubuntu WSL2 from Win11
@whackedMallard Did you try dragging the image directly from File Explorer into the CC input box?
That works but is not useful. I want to paste directly from clipboard without saving
workaround might be a slight derivation of the below (untested):
Setup
1. Create the script `~/.local/bin/lastshot`:
```bash
#!/bin/bash
LATEST=$(ls -1t /mnt/c/Users/YOUR_USERNAME/Pictures/Screenshots/*.png | head -n1)
echo "$LATEST"
```
2. Make executable:
```bash
chmod +x ~/.local/bin/lastshot
```
3. Add to your `CLAUDE.md`:
```
When I type 'ss', run `lastshot` and read the returned screenshot path.
```
## Usage
- Take screenshot with Windows (Win+Shift+S, save to Screenshots folder)
- In Claude Code, type "ss" to reference your latest screenshot
Anyone know if this is a limitation of terminal applications on windows or claude code? I've tried windows terminal and alacritty both with WSL1 and neither allowed pasting images
Edit: i'm guessing it's a claude code windows implementation issue. Just realized I can't paste images in iTerm in mac so I'm thinking claude code is just reading the clipboard when you hit ctrl+v on mac
