Project 12: OSC Sequences (Clipboard, Hyperlinks)

Support for OSC (Operating System Command) sequences that enable clipboard integration, clickable hyperlinks, and window title changes.

Quick Reference

Attribute Value
Primary Language C
Alternative Languages Rust, Go
Difficulty Level 2: Intermediate (The Developer)
Time Estimate 1-2 weeks
Knowledge Area Terminal Extensions / OSC
Tooling OSC Handler
Prerequisites Project 7

What You Will Build

Support for OSC (Operating System Command) sequences that enable clipboard integration, clickable hyperlinks, and window title changes.

Why It Matters

This project builds core skills that appear repeatedly in real-world systems and tooling.

Core Challenges

  • OSC parsing → Different format than CSI
  • Clipboard integration → Reading and writing system clipboard
  • Hyperlink detection → OSC 8 protocol
  • Security concerns → Clipboard can be exploited!
  • Window title → OSC 0, 1, 2

Key Concepts

Real-World Outcome

$ ./osc_terminal

# Window title
$ echo -e "\x1b]0;My Terminal Title\x07"
# Title bar changes!

# Clipboard (read)
$ printf "\x1b]52;c;?\x07"
# Terminal responds with clipboard contents in base64

# Clipboard (write)
$ printf "\x1b]52;c;$(echo -n "Hello" | base64)\x07"
# "Hello" is now in clipboard!

# Hyperlinks
$ echo -e "\x1b]8;;https://example.com\x07Click Here\x1b]8;;\x07"
# "Click Here" is a clickable link!

Implementation Guide

  1. Reproduce the simplest happy-path scenario.
  2. Build the smallest working version of the core feature.
  3. Add input validation and error handling.
  4. Add instrumentation/logging to confirm behavior.
  5. Refactor into clean modules with tests.

Milestones

  • Milestone 1: Minimal working program that runs end-to-end.
  • Milestone 2: Correct outputs for typical inputs.
  • Milestone 3: Robust handling of edge cases.
  • Milestone 4: Clean structure and documented usage.

Validation Checklist

  • Output matches the real-world outcome example
  • Handles invalid inputs safely
  • Provides clear errors and exit codes
  • Repeatable results across runs

References

  • Main guide: TERMINAL_EMULATOR_DEEP_DIVE_PROJECTS.md
  • N/A (xterm documentation)