Connect Clipper to Desktop

Pair Clipper

1. 1

   Install or update Clipper

   Install the BigIdeasDB Clipper from the Chrome Web Store and make sure it is version 1.5.0 or later. See <a href="/docs/chrome-extension-clipper">the Clipper extension</a>.

2. 2

   Get a code

   In Desktop, open Settings, Connect Clipper, and press Connect Clipper. A 6-digit code and a port appear with a countdown.

3. 3

   Open the Desktop tab

   Click the Clipper icon in Chrome and open the Desktop tab.

4. 4

   Enter the code and the port

   Type the 6 digits and the port, then press Pair. The banner changes to Connected.

5. 5

   Allow Auto reconnect

   Chrome asks to allow a background timer. Allow it so Clipper reconnects by itself whenever Desktop opens.

Turn on Reddit

In Desktop, Settings, Connect Clipper, the Clipper sources list has a switch for Reddit. Other sites (any website) comes in a later Clipper update: see Desktop research sources. When Reddit is on, Desktop asks your own browser for the reddit.com pages it needs, using your login, one page per second. Log in to reddit.com in the same Chrome profile first.

The first time you switch on Reddit or a review site in Clipper, Chrome asks once to allow that one site. Each source does nothing until you switch it on.

Sign in to reddit.com in that Chrome. A signed-in visit gets far fewer human checks and better results.

Searching Reddit: Reddit refuses search requests made behind the scenes. Clipper 1.5.1 or later opens Reddit's normal search page in one background tab, scrolls it a few times slowly, reads the results and closes the tab. Listings and threads work as before. If Reddit shows a check or asks for a login on the search page, searching pauses for 30 minutes: open reddit.com in that Chrome and sort it out yourself. Until you have Clipper 1.5.1, use Reddit history (the archive) to search.

Review sites: sign in to each one first

Clipper reads G2, Capterra, TrustRadius and Trustpilot with your own browser, the same way you would. These sites show far fewer are-you-a-human checks, and sometimes more reviews, to visitors who are signed in. Before you switch a site on:

1. 1

   Make a free account

   Create a free account on each review site you want Desktop to read (G2, Capterra, TrustRadius, Trustpilot). A normal user account is enough.

2. 2

   Sign in in the same Chrome

   Sign in to each site in the Chrome profile where Clipper is installed, and keep that sign-in. Clipper never sees or stores your password; it only opens pages the way you would.

3. 3

   Open the site once

   Visit the site normally once after signing in, and finish any check it shows. Then switch the site on in Clipper's Desktop tab.

Do the same for Reddit: make a free account and sign in to reddit.com in that Chrome. If a site still shows checks often, keep its daily limit low and check fewer products at a time. See Desktop troubleshooting if a site says Needs you.

Closing and reopening Desktop

You pair once. The pairing is saved in Desktop and in Clipper, so closing Desktop, restarting your computer or restarting Chrome never needs a new code.

• With Auto reconnect allowed: Clipper checks every 30 seconds and reconnects by itself within about 30 seconds of Desktop opening.
• Without it: Clipper reconnects when Chrome starts, or when you open the Clipper popup and press Connect now. The popup shows Auto reconnect is off, with a way to turn it on.
• While it reconnects, Desktop's Connect Clipper section says Paired with your browser. Wait a moment or press Connect now in Clipper. You only need a new code if you pressed Forget in Desktop or Disconnect in Clipper.

Store and development versions

• Store version: install Clipper from the Chrome Web Store. A normal Desktop build trusts it automatically. Clipper needs Chrome 116 or later.
• Development version: a copy you load unpacked shows a DEV label in its popup. A packaged Desktop only pairs with the store version, so test copies are for developers running an unpackaged Desktop.
• Edge: there is no Edge Add-ons listing yet. Use Chrome.

Send a page to Desktop

Once paired, the Copy tab shows Send to Desktop. Press it on any page to save that page into the open project as evidence. It is sent only when you click, never in the background.

Pause, disconnect, forget

• Pause: in Clipper's Desktop tab, press Pause to stop Desktop using your browser, then Resume.
• Disconnect: in the same tab, press Disconnect to unpair from the browser side.
• Forget: in Desktop, Paired browsers lists each browser with a Forget button, plus Forget all browsers. A forgotten browser must be paired again.
• Recent: the Desktop tab lists the latest requests, with the site, the time and the result.

Clipper and the hosted Reddit Connector

Clipper has two separate Reddit paths. The Desktop tab feeds your local app and works with Basic, Pro or the Desktop add-on. The Reddit tab feeds the hosted BigIdeasDB MCP and stays Pro only. Read Reddit Connector for the difference.