Implement "Paste Selection" on macOS like Terminal.app (#4733)

As discussed in #2670 and #2722

- This uses an NSPasteboard with the name
`com.mitchellh.ghostty.selection` as a dedicated 'selection' clipboard
- Sets `supports_selection_clipboard` to true for macOS
- Sets the default `copy-on-select` config to `.true` for macOS
- Adds a "Paste Selection" menu item and default cmd+shift+v key binding
for macOS (to match Terminal.app)

macos/Sources/App/macOS/AppDelegate.swift

@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ class AppDelegate: NSObject,
 
     @IBOutlet private var menuCopy: NSMenuItem?
     @IBOutlet private var menuPaste: NSMenuItem?
+    @IBOutlet private var menuPasteSelection: NSMenuItem?
     @IBOutlet private var menuSelectAll: NSMenuItem?
 
     @IBOutlet private var menuToggleVisibility: NSMenuItem?
@@ -353,6 +354,7 @@ class AppDelegate: NSObject,
 
         syncMenuShortcut(config, action: "copy_to_clipboard", menuItem: self.menuCopy)
         syncMenuShortcut(config, action: "paste_from_clipboard", menuItem: self.menuPaste)
+        syncMenuShortcut(config, action: "paste_from_selection", menuItem: self.menuPasteSelection)
         syncMenuShortcut(config, action: "select_all", menuItem: self.menuSelectAll)
 
         syncMenuShortcut(config, action: "toggle_split_zoom", menuItem: self.menuZoomSplit)

macos/Sources/App/macOS/MainMenu.xib

@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
-<document type="com.apple.InterfaceBuilder3.Cocoa.XIB" version="3.0" toolsVersion="23094" targetRuntime="MacOSX.Cocoa" propertyAccessControl="none" useAutolayout="YES" customObjectInstantitationMethod="direct">
+<document type="com.apple.InterfaceBuilder3.Cocoa.XIB" version="3.0" toolsVersion="23504" targetRuntime="MacOSX.Cocoa" propertyAccessControl="none" useAutolayout="YES" customObjectInstantitationMethod="direct">
     <dependencies>
         <deployment identifier="macosx"/>
-        <plugIn identifier="com.apple.InterfaceBuilder.CocoaPlugin" version="23094"/>
+        <plugIn identifier="com.apple.InterfaceBuilder.CocoaPlugin" version="23504"/>
     </dependencies>
     <objects>
         <customObject id="-2" userLabel="File's Owner" customClass="NSApplication">
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@
                 <outlet property="menuNextSplit" destination="bD7-ei-wKU" id="LeT-xw-eh4"/>
                 <outlet property="menuOpenConfig" destination="BOF-NM-1cW" id="Nze-Go-glw"/>
                 <outlet property="menuPaste" destination="i27-pK-umN" id="ICc-X2-gV3"/>
+                <outlet property="menuPasteSelection" destination="akq-ov-Jjh" id="GS8-aQ-hVw"/>
                 <outlet property="menuPreviousSplit" destination="Lic-px-1wg" id="Rto-CG-yRe"/>
                 <outlet property="menuQuickTerminal" destination="1pv-LF-NBJ" id="glN-5B-IGi"/>
                 <outlet property="menuQuit" destination="4sb-4s-VLi" id="qYN-S1-6UW"/>
@@ -185,6 +186,12 @@
                                     <action selector="paste:" target="-1" id="ZKe-2B-mel"/>
                                 </connections>
                             </menuItem>
+                            <menuItem title="Paste Selection" id="akq-ov-Jjh">
+                                <modifierMask key="keyEquivalentModifierMask"/>
+                                <connections>
+                                    <action selector="pasteSelection:" target="-1" id="vo3-Rf-Udb"/>
+                                </connections>
+                            </menuItem>
                             <menuItem title="Select All" id="q2h-lq-e4r">
                                 <modifierMask key="keyEquivalentModifierMask"/>
                                 <connections>

macos/Sources/Features/Terminal/BaseTerminalController.swift

@@ -389,9 +389,9 @@ class BaseTerminalController: NSWindowController,
         }
 
         switch (request) {
-        case .osc_52_write:
+        case let .osc_52_write(pasteboard):
             guard case .confirm = action else { break }
-            let pb = NSPasteboard.general
+            let pb = pasteboard ?? NSPasteboard.general
             pb.declareTypes([.string], owner: nil)
             pb.setString(cc.contents, forType: .string)
         case .osc_52_read, .paste:

macos/Sources/Ghostty/Ghostty.App.swift

@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ extension Ghostty {
             // uses to interface with the application runtime environment.
             var runtime_cfg = ghostty_runtime_config_s(
                 userdata: Unmanaged.passUnretained(self).toOpaque(),
-                supports_selection_clipboard: false,
+                supports_selection_clipboard: true,
                 wakeup_cb: { userdata in App.wakeup(userdata) },
                 action_cb: { app, target, action in App.action(app!, target: target, action: action) },
                 read_clipboard_cb: { userdata, loc, state in App.readClipboard(userdata, location: loc, state: state) },
@@ -320,13 +320,13 @@ extension Ghostty {
             let surfaceView = self.surfaceUserdata(from: userdata)
             guard let surface = surfaceView.surface else { return }
 
-            // We only support the standard clipboard
+            // Get our pasteboard
-            if (location != GHOSTTY_CLIPBOARD_STANDARD) {
+            guard let pasteboard = NSPasteboard.ghostty(location) else {
                 return completeClipboardRequest(surface, data: "", state: state)
             }
 
             // Get our string
-            let str = NSPasteboard.general.getOpinionatedStringContents() ?? ""
+            let str = pasteboard.getOpinionatedStringContents() ?? ""
             completeClipboardRequest(surface, data: str, state: state)
         }
 
@@ -364,14 +364,12 @@ extension Ghostty {
         static func writeClipboard(_ userdata: UnsafeMutableRawPointer?, string: UnsafePointer<CChar>?, location: ghostty_clipboard_e, confirm: Bool) {
             let surface = self.surfaceUserdata(from: userdata)
 
-            // We only support the standard clipboard
-            if (location != GHOSTTY_CLIPBOARD_STANDARD) { return }
 
+            guard let pasteboard = NSPasteboard.ghostty(location) else { return }
             guard let valueStr = String(cString: string!, encoding: .utf8) else { return }
             if !confirm {
-                let pb = NSPasteboard.general
+                pasteboard.declareTypes([.string], owner: nil)
-                pb.declareTypes([.string], owner: nil)
+                pasteboard.setString(valueStr, forType: .string)
-                pb.setString(valueStr, forType: .string)
                 return
             }
 
@@ -380,7 +378,7 @@ extension Ghostty {
                 object: surface,
                 userInfo: [
                     Notification.ConfirmClipboardStrKey: valueStr,
-                    Notification.ConfirmClipboardRequestKey: Ghostty.ClipboardRequest.osc_52_write,
+                    Notification.ConfirmClipboardRequestKey: Ghostty.ClipboardRequest.osc_52_write(pasteboard),
                 ]
             )
         }

macos/Sources/Ghostty/Package.swift

@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ extension Ghostty {
         case osc_52_read
 
         /// An application is attempting to write to the clipboard using OSC 52
-        case osc_52_write
+        case osc_52_write(OSPasteboard?)
 
         /// The text to show in the clipboard confirmation prompt for a given request type
         func text() -> String {
@@ -188,7 +188,7 @@ extension Ghostty {
             case GHOSTTY_CLIPBOARD_REQUEST_OSC_52_READ:
                 return .osc_52_read
             case GHOSTTY_CLIPBOARD_REQUEST_OSC_52_WRITE:
-                return .osc_52_write
+                return .osc_52_write(nil)
             default:
                 return nil
             }

macos/Sources/Ghostty/SurfaceView_AppKit.swift

@@ -1127,6 +1127,14 @@ extension Ghostty {
             }
         }
 
+        @IBAction func pasteSelection(_ sender: Any?) {
+            guard let surface = self.surface else { return }
+            let action = "paste_from_selection"
+            if (!ghostty_surface_binding_action(surface, action, UInt(action.count))) {
+                AppDelegate.logger.warning("action failed action=\(action)")
+            }
+        }
+
         @IBAction override func selectAll(_ sender: Any?) {
             guard let surface = self.surface else { return }
             let action = "select_all"
@@ -1448,3 +1456,19 @@ extension Ghostty.SurfaceView: NSServicesMenuRequestor {
         return true
     }
 }
+
+// MARK: NSMenuItemValidation
+
+extension Ghostty.SurfaceView: NSMenuItemValidation {
+    func validateMenuItem(_ item: NSMenuItem) -> Bool {
+        switch item.action {
+        case #selector(pasteSelection):
+            let pb = NSPasteboard.ghosttySelection
+            guard let str = pb.getOpinionatedStringContents() else { return false }
+            return !str.isEmpty
+
+        default:
+            return true
+        }
+    }
+}

macos/Sources/Helpers/CrossKit.swift

@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import AppKit
 typealias OSView = NSView
 typealias OSColor = NSColor
 typealias OSSize = NSSize
+typealias OSPasteboard = NSPasteboard
 
 protocol OSViewRepresentable: NSViewRepresentable where NSViewType == OSViewType {
     associatedtype OSViewType: NSView
@@ -34,6 +35,7 @@ import UIKit
 typealias OSView = UIView
 typealias OSColor = UIColor
 typealias OSSize = CGSize
+typealias OSPasteboard = UIPasteboard
 
 protocol OSViewRepresentable: UIViewRepresentable {
     associatedtype OSViewType: UIView

macos/Sources/Helpers/NSPasteboard+Extension.swift

@@ -1,6 +1,12 @@
 import AppKit
+import GhosttyKit
 
 extension NSPasteboard {
+    /// The pasteboard to used for Ghostty selection.
+    static var ghosttySelection: NSPasteboard = {
+        NSPasteboard(name: .init("com.mitchellh.ghostty.selection"))
+    }()
+
     /// Gets the contents of the pasteboard as a string following a specific set of semantics.
     /// Does these things in order:
     /// - Tries to get the absolute filesystem path of the file in the pasteboard if there is one.
@@ -14,4 +20,18 @@ extension NSPasteboard {
         }
         return self.string(forType: .string)
     }
+
+    /// The pasteboard for the Ghostty enum type.
+    static func ghostty(_ clipboard: ghostty_clipboard_e) -> NSPasteboard? {
+        switch (clipboard) {
+        case GHOSTTY_CLIPBOARD_STANDARD:
+            return Self.general
+
+        case GHOSTTY_CLIPBOARD_SELECTION:
+            return Self.ghosttySelection
+
+        default:
+            return nil
+        }
+    }
 }

src/config/Config.zig

@@ -1389,13 +1389,10 @@ keybind: Keybinds = .{},
 /// and the system clipboard on macOS. Middle-click paste is always enabled
 /// even if this is `false`.
 ///
-/// The default value is true on Linux and false on macOS. macOS copy on
+/// The default value is true on Linux and macOS.
-/// select behavior is not typical for applications so it is disabled by
-/// default. On Linux, this is a standard behavior so it is enabled by
-/// default.
 @"copy-on-select": CopyOnSelect = switch (builtin.os.tag) {
     .linux => .true,
-    .macos => .false,
+    .macos => .true,
     else => .false,
 },
 
@@ -2749,6 +2746,13 @@ pub fn default(alloc_gpa: Allocator) Allocator.Error!Config {
             .{ .toggle_fullscreen = {} },
         );
 
+        // Selection clipboard paste, matches Terminal.app
+        try result.keybind.set.put(
+            alloc,
+            .{ .key = .{ .translated = .v }, .mods = .{ .super = true, .shift = true } },
+            .{ .paste_from_selection = {} },
+        );
+
         // "Natural text editing" keybinds. This forces these keys to go back
         // to legacy encoding (not fixterms). It seems macOS users more than
         // others are used to these keys so we set them as defaults. If