Show HN: PasteClean – Desktop app to strip tracking parameters from clipboard

https://iixotic.github.io/PasteClean/website/

20•Iblockedthem•1mo ago

I built a small desktop tool called PasteClean to solve a personal annoyance: sharing URLs filled with tracking garbage (utm_source, fbclid, etc.).

It runs in the background and automatically cleans URLs in your clipboard when you copy them. It handles 50+ tracking parameters and can also unshorten links (bit.ly, t.co) to reveal the destination and clean them before pasting.

Tech stack is Electron/React/TypeScript.

The core privacy features are free. I added a "Pro" lifetime license for some advanced features (unshortening, batch mode) to support development.

Comments

dfajgljsldkjag•1mo ago

Obvious vibe coded slop.

Also includes a nice fake readme on github that says it's open source (it's not) with "instructions" to build it locally with npm (they don't work). https://archive.is/rzwK1

TylerE•1mo ago

Seconded.

techjamie•1mo ago

Not sure how much you checked in detail, but to add on, I downloaded it and unpacked the app to check out the source. Would say it definitely looks like AI written code. I partially wonder if Gemini generated it, because it seemingly imports `@google/genai` as a dependency and does nothing with it, and that kinda seems like a Gemini thing to do.

drshajul•1mo ago

Absolutely right.. this is closed source. Don't know why there is the 'Development' section.

fragmede•1mo ago

kinda related, on iOS there's https://routinehub.co/shortcut/16554/ for this.

stephenr•1mo ago

Presumably this also works on macOS.

AnonHP•1mo ago

Sadly, this site requires a login or registration with an email just to get the shortcut. I guess I may be able to find a similar one that’s just shared by someone on their iCloud storage.

fragmede•1mo ago

Oh that sucks. Wasn't trying to shill for that site. I've got this one but I can't remember where I got it from and it doesn't work for youtube links. There's probably a better one out there if you look around.

https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/2012dc7a1a894f72b0ff0d5e0b3...

tonymet•1mo ago

My hobby is writing iOS Shortcuts while in the restroom and my url cleaner shortcut is my most often used one.

Side note : Shortcuts.app is iOS best feature hands down

Brajeshwar•1mo ago

How do you deal with the permissions on using Shortcut?

With the new macOS Spotlight improvement and the window management getting better, I thought I will get rid of Rectangle Pro (I use only that custom window resizing) and tried a window Resizer Shortcut. I’ve tried giving it as much freedom as I can but it keeps bumping into more and more gates.

Btw, I think I jumped too early on that Spotlight thing. I remember, I got back to Alfred last week.

tonymet•1mo ago

in my experience i get prompted on first launch but then it runs well afterward. can you tell me the permissions prompt it's asking for? i'll see if I can reproduce and help with insights.

jauntywundrkind•1mo ago

On Android, I've been using Leon - The URL Cleaner. GPL3 is restrictive but fine here for me. It is a nice Share Target app, so integrates well with Android. And it has an option to copy the URL to the clipboard automatically after cleaned, which is what I want. https://github.com/leon-cleaning-services/leon

I'd love to use a webapp/PWA that has Share Target support, just because. Not sure what is out there.

crtasm•1mo ago

Firefox's right-click menu has "Copy Link Without Site Tracking"

uBlock Origin can remove them before loading a URL, some examples (they go in My Filters)

    *$removeparam=/^utm_/
    *$removeparam=fbclid
    *$removeparam=si

Show HN: Env-shelf – Open-source desktop app to manage .env files

Show HN: Almostnode – Run Node.js, Next.js, and Express in the Browser

Dell support (and hardware) is so bad, I almost sued them

Project Pterodactyl: Incremental Architecture

Styling: Search-Text and Other Highlight-Y Pseudo-Elements

Crypto firm accidentally sends $40B in Bitcoin to users

Magnetic fields can change carbon diffusion in steel

Fantasy football that celebrates great games

Show HN: Animalese

StrongDM's AI team build serious software without even looking at the code

John Haugeland on the failure of micro-worlds

Show HN: Velocity - Free/Cheaper Linear Clone but with MCP for agents

Corning Invented a New Fiber-Optic Cable for AI and Landed a $6B Meta Deal [video]

Show HN: XAPIs.dev – Twitter API Alternative at 90% Lower Cost

Near-Instantly Aborting the Worst Pain Imaginable with Psychedelics

Show HN: Nginx-defender – realtime abuse blocking for Nginx

The Super Sharp Blade

Smart Homes Are Terrible

What I haven't figured out

KPMG pressed its auditor to pass on AI cost savings

Open-source Claude skill that optimizes Hinge profiles. Pretty well.

First Proof

I squeezed a BERT sentiment analyzer into 1GB RAM on a $5 VPS

Kagi Translate

Building Interactive C/C++ workflows in Jupyter through Clang-REPL [video]

Tactical tornado is the new default

Full-Circle Test-Driven Firmware Development with OpenClaw

Automating Myself Out of My Job – Part 2

Dependency Resolution Methods

Crypto firm apologises for sending Bitcoin users $40B by mistake