Smart Context Clipboard

You are about to send context to an AI, but you want it clean, predictable, and reusable. Smart Context Clipboard is the fast lane for that moment.

Smart Context Clipboard gives you a few different export paths, and they do not all behave the same way.

Some entry points open a depth chooser before copying.
Other entry points copy the current selection immediately.

Use the matrix below to pick the right surface for the job.

Who this helps

• You want consistent context bundles for AI chats.
• You want to understand which surfaces support depth selection and which copy immediately.
• You care about character budget before you paste.
• You want clipboard output that matches your preferred template format.
• You need images as context (Pro).

Ways to copy context

Smart Context currently has two clipboard patterns:

Command and surface matrix

If you need a reusable saved set, use Smart Context Builder.
If you need a tree export instead of bundle text, use one of the separate link-tree copy actions.

Copy the current note as context

Run one of these commands:

This is the main modal-based clipboard flow.

What happens:

1. Smart Context builds a linked context from the active note.
2. Any codeblock context items in that same note are merged in at depth 0.
3. CopyContextModal opens and groups suggestions by depth.
4. You choose:
   • depth
   • outlinks-only or include-backlinks
5. The selected row copies the filtered result.

What the modal currently shows per row:

• cumulative character estimate
• cumulative item count

What the final copy notice currently shows:

• file(s)
• characters
• optional depth≤N
• excluded section count when heading filters apply

The final notice does not currently show:

• token estimate
• items-per-depth breakdown

Copy a named context

Run the command:

• Copy named context to clipboard (choose depth)

This flow is also modal-based, but it starts from a saved named context instead of the current note.

What happens:

1. NamedContextSelectModal lets you pick the named context.
2. Smart Context builds a temporary linked copy context from that saved set.
3. CopyContextModal opens so you can choose depth and backlink mode.
4. The saved named context stays unchanged.

Current implementation notes:

• output is text-only
• current linked build is capped at depth 3
• media copy is not currently wired into named-context depth copy

Pick a link depth

Link depth currently applies to the modal-based flows:

• current note
• named context

It does not currently apply to:

• selected notes
• selected folders
• folder copy
• direct Builder / codeblock / dashboard copy actions

Depth meaning

Link direction rows

Each depth is shown twice in the chooser:

Current limits

Current stats behavior

The chooser currently shows:

• chars
• items

The chooser does not currently show:

• token estimates
• per-depth stats in the final confirmation

Copy multiple selected notes

When you want a small hand-picked bundle, use file navigator multi-select.

This is ideal for direct "just these notes" workflows:

• agenda + last meeting notes + decisions
• requirements + constraints + current draft
• bug report + repro steps + relevant logs

If you need depth control, start from a current note or named context instead.

Copy an entire folder

If your project already lives in one folder, folder copy is the fastest direct-copy path.

You can start it from either surface:

Folder export is best when you want a quick project snapshot and you already know the folder boundary is the right scope.

Copy as text vs copy with media (Pro)

The Copy flow can offer two export modes:

• Copy as text: best for writing, specs, notes, or code.
• Copy with media (Pro): includes a single compiled visual bundle so you can paste both:
  • the text context, and
  • the relevant visuals (images/PDF pages) as one image

This is useful when your reasoning depends on visuals: diagrams, screenshots, UI mockups, slide snapshots, PDFs, etc.

How media handling works

When you choose Copy with media, Smart Context compiles supported visuals into a single image to make pasting easier alongside the text context.

What this means in practice:

• Images embedded in your notes are included in the compiled image.
• PDFs referenced/embedded in your notes are exported as visual pages (so they can be pasted into tools that accept images).
• The compiled image is labeled with source filenames (and PDF page numbers) so visuals stay attributable.
• The output is designed for AI tools that accept pasted images.

Media inclusion rules

• Embeds in the starting note are included at Depth 0.
• Linked attachments are included when they are within the selected link depth.
• The copy confirmation file count is a quick sanity check that attachments were picked up.

Copy context with media (Pro)

Copy with media is for the cases where the "why" lives in the visuals:

• screenshots of UI state
• diagrams / whiteboards
• PDF tables / charts / figures
• slide snapshots

Instead of pasting a bunch of separate images (and hoping you did not miss one), Smart Context compiles the relevant visuals into a single image and puts it on your clipboard alongside the text context.

The recording above shows the full loop end-to-end.

1) Prepare the note (make the media reachable)

Put the media you want the model to see inside your context graph:

• Add links or embeds to your images and PDFs in the note(s) you plan to copy.
• If you want a visual included even at Depth 0, embed it in the starting note (example: ![[some-image.png]]).
• If your note only links to attachments (not embeds), you will typically include them by choosing Depth 1 (one hop from the note to the linked files).

Practical pattern: add an "Attachments" section near the top of your note and put the key images/PDFs there, so you can quickly sanity-check what will be included.

2) Copy with media

1. Open the Smart Context clipboard flow (current note, selected notes, or folder).
2. In the Copy to clipboard modal, choose a link depth.
   • Use the item count + size estimate to pick the smallest depth that still includes the visuals you need.
3. Click Copy with media (Pro).

You should see a confirmation like:

• "Copied to clipboard! (N file(s)), N chars"

That file count is a quick sanity check that your attachments were picked up (note(s) + linked/embedded media).

3) Paste into your chat (text + image together)

1. Go to your chat tool (Smart Chat, ChatGPT, Claude, etc.).
2. Click into the message box.
3. Paste (Ctrl+V / Cmd+V).

What you should see:

• the text context is pasted into the message box, and
• an image thumbnail is attached in the composer (this is the compiled media bundle)

Send the message like you normally would.

What "compiled media" means

When you choose Copy with media, Smart Context creates a single collage-style image that contains:

• each referenced image (screenshots, diagrams, etc.)
• each referenced PDF rendered as pages (so the model can "see" the PDF content)

The compiled image is labeled with source filenames (and PDF page numbers) so the visuals stay attributable and easy to reference in follow-up prompts.

Customize what gets copied

Clipboard exports use the Smart Context templates you configure in settings.

That means you can standardize things like:

• how each note is titled in the export,
• wrappers (headers/footers),
• whether to include file paths,
• whether to include a file tree header,
• formatting for block embeds vs whole notes.

If you want your clipboard output to match your preferred prompt format, adjust templates in Smart Context settings.

Workflows to try

Use these to turn clipboard exports into repeatable outcomes.

1) Depth-0 decision draft

• When: you need a quick decision, plan, or rewrite from a single note.
• Flow:
  • Copy the current note at Depth 0.
  • Ask: "Use only this context. Return a decision + 3 next actions."
  • Paste the answer back into the note under ## Decision.

2) Linked-notes brief (Depth 1)

• When: your note links to supporting docs and you want a concise brief.
• Flow:
  • Copy at Depth 1.
  • Ask: "Summarize the topic, list assumptions, then flag missing info."
  • Save the brief as a ## Brief section in the hub note.

3) Folder pulse check

• When: you want a status snapshot of a project folder.
• Flow:
  • Copy folder contents.
  • Ask: "Summarize progress, risks, and top 3 next actions. Cite note titles."
  • Paste into your weekly project pulse note.

4) Visual review (Pro)

• When: diagrams, screenshots, or PDFs are required for reasoning.
• Flow:
  • Choose Copy with media.
  • Ask: "Reference both the text and images. Call out visual gaps."
  • Log the review outcome in the source note.

Troubleshooting

"My paste is too large"

• Reduce link depth.
• Use multi-select instead of folder copy.
• Remove heavy wrappers in templates (and consider removing file tree).
• Switch to Builder if you need block-level precision.

"Token estimate does not match my AI tool"

Tokenization differs across models and vendors. Treat the estimate as directional.

"Images/PDFs did not paste"

Use Copy with media (Pro) and confirm your target tool supports pasted images. If it is text-only, use Copy as text.
If attachments are missing, embed them in the starting note for Depth 0 or increase link depth so linked media is included.
using ChatGPT? Sometimes images aren't pasted into the chat if there is already existing text. Try pasting after removing all text from the input box.

Related pages

• Build precise sets before copying: Smart Context Builder
• Add semantic discovery to your selection flow: Exploring the Connections view
• Start from a question and then copy results: Smart Lookup
• Keep copy output aligned with your configuration: Smart Context settings