Scratchpad

ctx pad¶

Encrypted scratchpad for sensitive one-liners that travel with the project.

When invoked without a subcommand, lists all entries.

ctx pad
ctx pad <subcommand>

ctx pad add¶

Append a new entry to the scratchpad.

ctx pad add <text>
ctx pad add <label> --file <path>

Flags:

Examples:

ctx pad add "DATABASE_URL=postgres://user:pass@host/db"
ctx pad add "deploy config" --file ./deploy.yaml

ctx pad show¶

Output the raw text of an entry by number. For blob entries, prints decoded file content (or writes to disk with --out).

ctx pad show <n>
ctx pad show <n> --out <path>

Arguments:

• n: 1-based entry number

Flags:

Examples:

ctx pad show 3
ctx pad show 2 --out ./recovered.yaml

ctx pad rm¶

Remove one or more entries by stable ID. Supports individual IDs and ranges.

ctx pad rm <id> [id...]

Arguments:

• id: One or more entry IDs (e.g., 3, 1 4, 3-5)

Examples:

ctx pad rm 2
ctx pad rm 1 4
ctx pad rm 3-5

ctx pad normalize¶

Reassign entry IDs as a contiguous sequence 1..N, closing any gaps left by deletions.

Examples:

ctx pad normalize

ctx pad edit¶

Replace, append to, or prepend to an entry.

ctx pad edit <n> [text]

Arguments:

• n: 1-based entry number
• text: Replacement text (mutually exclusive with --append/--prepend)

Flags:

Examples:

ctx pad edit 2 "new text"
ctx pad edit 2 --append " suffix"
ctx pad edit 2 --prepend "prefix "
ctx pad edit 1 --file ./v2.yaml
ctx pad edit 1 --label "new name"

ctx pad mv¶

Move an entry from one position to another.

ctx pad mv <from> <to>

Arguments:

• from: Source position (1-based)
• to: Destination position (1-based)

Examples:

ctx pad mv 3 1      # promote entry 3 to the top
ctx pad mv 1 5      # bury entry 1 to position 5

ctx pad resolve¶

Show both sides of a merge conflict in the encrypted scratchpad.

Examples:

ctx pad resolve

ctx pad import¶

Bulk-import lines from a file into the scratchpad. Each non-empty line becomes a separate entry. All entries are written in a single encrypt/write cycle.

With --blob, import all first-level files from a directory as blob entries. Each file becomes a blob with the filename as its label. Subdirectories and non-regular files are skipped.

ctx pad import <file>
ctx pad import -              # read from stdin
ctx pad import --blob <dir>   # import directory files as blobs

Arguments:

• file: Path to a text file, - for stdin, or a directory (with --blob)

Flags:

Examples:

ctx pad import notes.txt
grep TODO *.go | ctx pad import -
ctx pad import --blob ./ideas/

ctx pad export¶

Export all blob entries from the scratchpad to a directory as files. Each blob's label becomes the filename. Non-blob entries are skipped.

ctx pad export [dir]

Arguments:

• dir: Target directory (default: current directory)

Flags:

When a file already exists, a unix timestamp is prepended to avoid collisions (e.g., 1739836200-label). Use --force to overwrite instead.

Examples:

ctx pad export ./ideas
ctx pad export --dry-run
ctx pad export --force ./backup

ctx pad merge¶

Merge entries from one or more scratchpad files into the current pad. Each input file is auto-detected as encrypted or plaintext. Entries are deduplicated by exact content.

ctx pad merge FILE...

Arguments:

• FILE...: One or more scratchpad files to merge (encrypted or plaintext)

Flags:

Examples:

ctx pad merge worktree/.context/scratchpad.enc
ctx pad merge notes.md backup.enc
ctx pad merge --key /path/to/other.key foreign.enc
ctx pad merge --dry-run pad-a.enc pad-b.md