[FEATURE]: Add support for Linux PRIMARY selection (middle-click paste) #29963
Description
Feature hasn't been suggested before.
- I have verified this feature I'm about to request hasn't been suggested before.
Describe the enhancement you want to request
Description
Currently, the TUI only targets the CLIPBOARD selection when copying text. On Linux, this means that while Ctrl+C/V works, the native "highlight to copy" and "middle-click to paste" behavior (PRIMARY selection) is not supported.
This makes the TUI feel non-native on Linux environments.
Proposed Solution
Introduce a new configuration option linux_clipboard_selection in the TUI config with the following values:
clipboard: Standard Ctrl+C/V (current behavior)primary: Targets the middle-click bufferboth: Updates both buffers simultaneously (recommended default)
This requires using xclip, xsel, or wl-copy to explicitly target the primary selection.
Reacted by martin-vi, Miguel López López, sbalmer, rogercost and Kyle Baker
Metadata
Metadata
Assignees
Labels
No labels
Activity
github-actions commentedon May 30, 2026
This issue might be a duplicate of existing issues. Please check:
If your request is specifically about adding a configuration option to target the PRIMARY selection (not just fixing middle-click paste), it may still be distinct enough to stand on its own. Please check #6072 and let us know if this covers your use case or if your request is different.
bornmw commentedon May 30, 2026
simonklee commentedon May 31, 2026
Ideally i'd like to lower all of this (pr and clipboard things) to OpenTUI, but i think for now this may be good.
github-actions commentedon Jul 31, 2026
To stay organized issues are automatically closed after 60 days of no activity. If the issue is still relevant please open a new one.