Ecosystem Partnership

ClipboxAI is a clipboard hub. But heavy lifting — file compression, image optimization, PDF work — is better done by specialized sibling apps. The Action Marketplace already ships a third-party software category where actions delegate straight to apps your users already have installed (NueZip, Nicasa, …).

This page explains how the integration works and how your app can join.

How it works (outbound delegation)

An ecosystem action is just a marketplace entry with an execution descriptor instead of a prompt:

{
  "id": "nuezip-compress-zip",
  "name": "Compress to ZIP",
  "category": "ecosystem",
  "author": "NueZip",
  "appIcon": "icons/nuezip.png",
  "execution": {
    "kind": "externalApp",
    "scheme": "nuezip",
    "urlTemplate": "nuezip://quickCompress?files={{files}}&extra=zip"
  }
}

When the user clicks Install, ClipboxAI registers the action locally. When they trigger it on a clipboard item, the app fills the template and opens the target app via NSWorkspace.open(_:):

• — absolute file path(s) of the current clipboard item (newline-separated for multiple files).
• — the plain-text content.
• — an optional clipboxai://callback?… return URL for x-callback-url style round-trips (used once the sibling app implements it).

If the target app is not installed, the action is hidden from the panel until the user installs it — no broken buttons.

URL scheme contract for sibling apps

To be a target, your macOS app only needs to:

1. Register a URL scheme in Info.plist (CFBundleURLTypes).
2. Handle the inbound URL — read files / text from the query and act on them.
3. (Optional) Call the returnURL when done, so ClipboxAI can show a "finished in <App>" toast.

That's it. No private APIs, no shared code — just a deeplink. The NueZip and Nicasa Finder extensions are reference implementations you can copy from.

Join the ecosystem

We keep the catalog in a public repo so anyone can contribute an action:

• 📦 Submit an action (or request your app be added) via clipboxAI/marketplace · Issues
• 🔀 Or open a pull request against clipboxai-marketplace adding your action JSON.

Guidelines

• Use a clear author and appIcon (a square PNG, ~256×256, transparent ok).
• Keep urlTemplate minimal and document any custom query params.
• Test the round-trip with your app actually installed before publishing.
• Respect the user's privacy — only act on the files they explicitly delegate.

Why partner?

• Zero integration cost — one deeplink, no SDK.
• Distribution — your app's actions appear in the ClipboxAI Marketplace to every user.
• Context — actions fire from the clipboard, Finder, or anywhere the user already works.

→ Open an integration issue