Clipboard Sanitizer

Relevant source files

The following files were used as context for generating this wiki page:

• src/main/index.ts
• src/preload/index.ts
• src/preload/settings-modal.ts
• CLAUDE.md
• landing-page/src/app/HomeClient.tsx

The Clipboard Sanitizer is a privacy-focused feature within the Messenger Unleashed desktop application designed to strip tracking metadata and telemetry parameters from URLs pasted into the chat interface. By intercepting paste events, the system ensures that user-shared links do not contain identifiable tracking strings typically used by social media and marketing platforms to monitor user behavior across the web.

This system operates across the Electron main process and the preload script, leveraging a combination of IPC (Inter-Process Communication) for state management and DOM event interception for real-time sanitization.

Architecture and Data Flow

The Clipboard Sanitizer utilizes a distributed architecture where the configuration is maintained in the Main process and the execution logic resides in the Preload script.

Configuration Management

The feature is controlled by a boolean flag clipboardSanitize stored via electron-store. The Main process handles the toggle logic and synchronizes this state with the renderer via IPC.

Sanitization Logic

The core logic resides in the setupClipboardSanitizer function within the preload script. It attaches a listener to the paste event on the document. When a paste occurs, the system:

1. Extracts plain text from the clipboard data.
2. Attempts to parse the text as a URL.
3. Identifies and removes a predefined list of tracking parameters.
4. Re-inserts the "clean" URL into the target input field or content-editable element.

Sources: src/preload/index.ts:503-556

Implementation Details

Tracked Parameters

The system specifically targets common marketing and social media tracking identifiers.

Parameter	Description
utm_*	Google Analytics UTM parameters (source, medium, campaign, etc.)
fbclid	Facebook Click ID
gclid	Google Click ID
yclid	Yandex Click ID
mc_eid / mc_cid	Mailchimp identifiers
ref / ref_src	General referral source trackers

Sources: src/preload/index.ts:512-517

DOM Interaction

The sanitizer handles two types of input targets within the Messenger interface:

• Content-Editable Elements: Uses window.getSelection() and document.createTextNode() to replace the selection with the sanitized URL, then dispatches an InputEvent to trigger React state updates.
• Standard Inputs/Textareas: Uses setRangeText() or string manipulation of target.value to inject the sanitized link.

Sources: src/preload/index.ts:522-552

Sequence Diagram

The following diagram illustrates the interaction between the user, the DOM, and the sanitization logic.

Configuration and Control

Users can manage the Clipboard Sanitizer through multiple interface points provided by the application.

UI Entry Points

• Settings Modal: A toggle row in the Privacy tab of the settings UI.
• Application Menu: Located under Unleashed > Privacy & Stealth > Clipboard Sanitizer.
• Landing Page: Highlighted as a key privacy feature for stripping tracking metadata.

Sources: src/main/index.ts:1332-1337, src/preload/settings-modal.ts:252-257, landing-page/src/app/HomeClient.tsx:184-188

State Synchronization

When the user toggles the feature in the UI, the Main process updates the persistent store and notifies the renderer.

Action	Source File	Logic
Toggle Feature	src/main/index.ts:1091	Updates electron-store and calls pushRendererConfig.
Sync Config	src/main/index.ts:1145	Sends update-config IPC message to renderer.
Apply Config	src/preload/index.ts:107	Preload updates local config object.

Sources: src/main/index.ts:1091-1096, src/main/index.ts:1145-1159, src/preload/index.ts:107-109

Conclusion

The Clipboard Sanitizer serves as a transparent privacy layer within Messenger Unleashed. By neutralizing tracking parameters at the point of entry (the paste event), it prevents the leaking of cross-platform telemetry while maintaining the functional utility of link sharing. Its deep integration with both standard HTML inputs and Messenger's specific content-editable structures ensures reliable performance across the application's evolving web-based UI.