Data Storage

mahpastes stores all data locally on your machine. Nothing is sent to the cloud.

Storage Locations

Database

The SQLite database contains all clips and settings.

Platform	Path
macOS	~/Library/Application Support/mahpastes/clips.db
Windows	%APPDATA%\mahpastes\clips.db
Linux	~/.config/mahpastes/clips.db

The data directory can be overridden with the MAHPASTES_DATA_DIR environment variable. This is used for testing.

The database uses WAL journal mode, a 5-second busy timeout, and foreign keys enabled. These pragmas are set via the DSN string for connection-pool safety.

Temporary Files

Temp files are created for clipboard copy-as-file and drag-out transfers. Managed by TempClipStore.

Platform	Path
macOS	~/Library/Application Support/mahpastes/clip_temp_files/
Windows	%APPDATA%\mahpastes\clip_temp_files\
Linux	~/.config/mahpastes/clip_temp_files/

Temp files have a 60-minute lease. A prune job runs every 10 minutes to remove stale and orphaned files. All temp files are also deleted on app exit.

What's Stored

In the Database

Data	Storage
Clip content	Full binary data as BLOB
Content type	MIME type string
Content hash	SHA-256 hash for deduplication
Filename	Original name (if available)
Timestamps	Creation time, expiration time
Archive status	Boolean flag
Metadata	JSON key-value pairs per clip
Tags	Name and color
Clip-tag associations	Many-to-many relationship
Watch folders	Path, filter settings, auto-archive, auto-tag
Plugins	Filename, name, version, status, source URL
Plugin permissions	Permission type, path, pending reconfirm flag (re-confirmation required after restore)
Plugin storage	Plugin-scoped key-value data
API keys	Name, hashed key, role, optional tag scope, revocation status
Settings	Key-value pairs (e.g., hidden_tags, global_watch_paused)
App settings	Internal service settings (e.g., plugin_update_interval)

File Sizes

• Each clip stores the full content
• Images are stored as-is (PNG, JPG, etc.)
• Text is stored as UTF-8
• No compression applied

Content Hashes

Every clip has a SHA-256 content hash computed at upload time. Existing clips without hashes are backfilled automatically on startup. These hashes power the deduplication feature.

Backup

Built-in Backup (Recommended)

mahpastes has a built-in backup feature that creates portable, version-independent backups:

1. Go to Settings > Backup & Restore
2. Click Create Backup
3. Choose a location for the ZIP file

This backs up clips, tags, plugins, watch folders, and settings. See Backup & Restore for full details.

Manual Backup (Advanced)

For direct database backup, copy the database file. The example below shows the macOS path -- substitute your platform's path from the table above.

# macOS
cp ~/Library/Application\ Support/mahpastes/clips.db ~/backup/clips.db

warning

Quit mahpastes before copying the database file. Copying while the app is running may produce a corrupt backup due to WAL journaling.

Restore

From built-in backup: Go to Settings > Backup & Restore > Restore from Backup.

From manual backup:

1. Quit mahpastes
2. Copy backup file to the data directory
3. Restart mahpastes

# macOS
cp ~/backup/clips.db ~/Library/Application\ Support/mahpastes/clips.db

Data Management

Database Size

The database grows with each clip added. To check size:

ls -lh ~/Library/Application\ Support/mahpastes/clips.db

Reducing Size

To reduce database size:

1. Delete unwanted clips in mahpastes
2. Use expiration for temporary clips
3. Periodically review and clean up archive

After deleting clips, the database file doesn't automatically shrink. To reclaim space:

sqlite3 ~/Library/Application\ Support/mahpastes/clips.db "VACUUM"

Complete Reset

To start fresh:

1. Quit mahpastes
2. Delete the data directory
3. Restart mahpastes

rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/mahpastes/

Migration

Moving to New Computer

The recommended approach is to use the built-in backup:

1. Create a backup via Settings > Backup & Restore > Create Backup
2. Transfer the ZIP file to your new machine
3. Install mahpastes on the new machine
4. Restore via Settings > Backup & Restore > Restore from Backup

Alternatively, you can copy the database file directly:

1. Quit mahpastes on the old machine
2. Copy clips.db to the new machine's data directory
3. Start mahpastes on the new machine

Version Compatibility

• Database schema may change between versions
• Migrations run automatically on startup
• Backup before major version upgrades

Security Considerations

Local Storage

• All data stored unencrypted
• Protected by OS file permissions
• Accessible to any process running as your user

Sensitive Data

For sensitive content:

• Use expiration (auto-delete)
• Don't rely on mahpastes for secrets
• Delete sensitive clips when done
• Consider disk encryption at OS level

Clipboard Security

• Clipboard is shared with all apps
• Other apps can read clipboard content
• Be cautious with passwords and tokens

WAL Files

SQLite uses Write-Ahead Logging (WAL) mode. You may see additional files:

clips.db         # Main database
clips.db-wal     # Write-ahead log
clips.db-shm     # Shared memory file

These are normal and managed automatically. Don't delete while mahpastes is running.

Inspecting the Database

View database contents with SQLite tools:

# Command line
sqlite3 ~/Library/Application\ Support/mahpastes/clips.db

# Common commands
.schema           # Show table structure
.tables           # List tables
SELECT COUNT(*) FROM clips;
SELECT id, filename, content_type FROM clips LIMIT 10;

GUI tools:

• DB Browser for SQLite
• TablePlus
• DBeaver