PigeonPost is a lightweight Windows 11 tray application that provides a local HTTP API for securely transferring files and clipboard content from any network-connected device to your PC. Designed as a simple yet powerful tool, it enables seamless communication between devices without requiring cloud services or additional setup beyond the app itself.
Key Features:
Local HTTP API on port 2560: Transfer files and clipboard data directly from any HTTP-capable client, including automation tools like Android Tasker, command-line utilities like curl, scripts, or custom applications.
mDNS/Bonjour auto-discovery: Automatically detect the app on your local network, allowing iOS companion apps to connect without manual IP configuration.
Bearer token authentication (optional): Enhance security by enforcing authenticated access for file and clipboard operations.
Tray integration with live status indicators: Minimize to the system tray with a green/amber indicator reflecting operational status.
Auto-update via GitHub Releases: Stay up-to-date with the latest features and improvements without manual intervention.
Audience & Benefit:
Ideal for developers, automation enthusiasts, and users who need direct file and clipboard transfers between devices. PigeonPost simplifies cross-device communication by offering a secure, local HTTP API that eliminates the need for cloud services or complex configurations. It is particularly beneficial for those integrating with automation tools or seeking a lightweight solution for device-to-PC data transfer.
Install PigeonPost via winget (Windows Package Manager) to enjoy its features immediately.
PigeonPost is a lightweight Windows 11 tray application that exposes a simple
local HTTP API for transferring files and clipboard content from any network-connected
device to your Windows PC.
Any HTTP-capable client can use it — automation tools like Android Tasker,
command-line utilities like curl, scripts, or custom apps.
No cloud service, no account, no setup beyond the app itself.
Settings dialog (⚙️ gear button) — split into basic and advanced sections. The "Show advanced settings"ToggleSwitch sits at the very top of the Settings window so it is always reachable. Basic covers: downloads folder, theme, autostart, notifications, features, and updates. Advanced (revealed by the toggle) covers: Security (bearer token, IP allowlist, token rotation), Keep Awake, Network (port, virtual adapter filtering), and Webhook. Advanced settings are hidden by default so standard users see only what they need
Feature toggles (Settings → Features) — individually show or hide the Peers menu button, the Clipboard history panel, and the File transfer history panel (all default to false); individually show or hide each of the four stat cards — Files received, Clipboard sends, Clipboard reads, and Uptime (all default to true); the main window height adjusts automatically whenever a panel or card section is toggled
Bearer token authentication — optional; generate a random token once, copy it to any client, toggle enforcement on/off without restarting the server
Configurable HTTP port (Settings → Network) — choose any port from 1024 to 65535 (default 2560); the listener restarts automatically on save
Maximum file size limit (Settings → Files) — reject oversized uploads with HTTP 413 before buffering; set to 0 for unlimited
Subfolder routing — received files can be saved into subdirectories automatically; path traversal is sanitised
IP allowlist (Settings → Security) — block requests from unlisted IPs using exact addresses or CIDR ranges; empty list accepts all
Server token rotation reminder (Settings → Security) — configure a reminder interval in days; an amber ⚠ warning appears when the token is overdue for rotation
Toast notification on receive (Settings → General) — Windows toast fires whenever a clipboard item or file is received
Clipboard history panel — collapsible panel in the main window; keeps the last 50 received clipboard texts with timestamp, source IP, and preview; enable in Settings → Features → Show Clipboard history
Image clipboard support — receive images via clipboard: send with an image Content-Type; supports JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF, HEIF
File transfer history panel — collapsible panel in the main window; keeps the last 100 received files with time, filename, size, and source IP; Open and 📁 Show in Folder buttons per entry; Clear button; enable in Settings → Features → Show File transfer history
Help button (❓) — opens the GitHub repository documentation in your default browser
Minimize to tray — the close button hides the window; left-click the icon to restore
Start with Windows — optional autostart toggle; app launches hidden to tray
Smart network monitoring — detects WiFi ↔ LAN switches, IP changes, and offline events; restarts the listener automatically on relevant changes; shows interface type (Wi-Fi) / (Ethernet) / (Offline) next to the listen address
Virtual adapter filtering — automatically excludes Hyper-V, VMware, and VirtualBox virtual adapters from IP selection; configurable in Settings → Network
mDNS / Bonjour auto-discovery — advertises the server as _pigeonpost._tcp on the local network so the iOS companion app can find your PC automatically without typing an IP address
PC-to-PC Peers — push clipboard text or files directly to other PigeonPost instances on the same network; peers are auto-discovered via mDNS, optionally secured with a bearer token, and saved for quick reuse; supports broadcast to all peers, send text directly to a peer, and peer groups
Keep Awake — allow trusted peer PCs to prevent sleep / screensaver via keepawake: ping; configurable whitelist in Settings → Keep-awake; supports scheduled keep-awake windows so the PC stays awake automatically during configured time windows (e.g. Mon-Fri 09:00-18:00)
Webhook on receive (Settings → Webhook) — fire a JSON POST to a configured URL on every file or clipboard receive; fire-and-forget so webhook failures never delay the operation; includes a Test webhook button
Auto-update — checks GitHub Releases on startup and every 24 hours; shows an in-app banner when a new version is available; one click installs and restarts
Multi-language UI — fully localised in 7 languages: English (en-US), German (de-DE), French (fr-FR), Spanish (es-ES), Italian (it-IT), Hindi (hi-IN), and Simplified Chinese (zh-CN); auto-detects Windows display language or lets you choose a different language manually in Settings → Appearance → Language; restart required to apply
Demo / Presentation Mode — two-PC presentation tool; the sender PC loads a .txt script and pushes each line to the receiver's clipboard one by one; the receiver shows an always-on-top overlay with the current and next line; navigation via buttons or Ctrl+Shift+←/→/R on both windows
PC-to-PC Peer Sharing
PigeonPost can push clipboard content and files directly to other PigeonPost instances running on the same network — no cloud relay, no account.
Open the Peers window (🖥️ button in the main window — enable via Settings → Features → Show Peers menu) to:
Discover — nearby PigeonPost PCs appear automatically via mDNS/Bonjour while the window is open
Save — click Add to Peers on a discovered machine (or fill in the form manually) and optionally add a bearer token for authenticated endpoints; assign an optional group tag (e.g. Home, Work) for filtering
Edit — update the name, host, port, token, or group of any saved peer at any time with the ✏️ button
Send — click Send Clipboard or Send File on any saved peer to push content instantly; use the ✉ button to send text directly to a peer without touching the local clipboard
Broadcast — click Send Clipboard to All to push the current clipboard to every saved peer at once; use the group filter and Send to Group to target a specific group
PigeonPost includes optional bearer token authentication — disabled by default.
Full details (setup, client usage, curl examples, status codes) are in the
HTTP API Reference → Authentication wiki page.
Localization
PigeonPost is fully localised. Every label, tooltip, and message is available in
7 languages:
Language
Locale
English
en-US
German
de-DE
French
fr-FR
Spanish
es-ES
Italian
it-IT
Hindi
hi-IN
Simplified Chinese
zh-CN
Go to Settings → Appearance → Language to switch. Choose Auto-detect (follows
your Windows display language) or select a language manually. A restart is required
to apply the change.
Want to contribute a translation? See the
Adding a New Language
wiki page. All translations are .resw resource files — no coding required.
Demo / Presentation Mode
Demo Mode turns two PigeonPost PCs into a presentation script runner:
Sender PC (PC 2) — loads a .txt file (one line per slide/clip), then sends
each line to the receiver's clipboard on demand.
Receiver PC (PC 1) — an always-on-top overlay shows the current clipboard
content and a preview of the next line.
Navigation works via buttons in either window or with keyboard shortcuts —
Ctrl+Shift+→ (next), Ctrl+Shift+← (back), Ctrl+Shift+R (resend) — on both
the sender and receiver.
Install via Windows Package Manager from the command line:
winget install HolgerImbery.PigeonPost
To upgrade later:
winget upgrade HolgerImbery.PigeonPost
Option 3 — GitHub Releases (direct installer)
Download the installer for your architecture from the latest GitHub Release and run it.
> ⚠️ Beta releases (versions with a -beta.* suffix) are development and testing builds published for early feedback. They may contain bugs, incomplete features, or breaking changes. For production use, always install the latest stable release. Beta builds are clearly marked on the Releases page.
Architecture
Installer
Intel / AMD 64-bit (most PCs)
PigeonPost-win-x64-Setup.exe
ARM 64-bit (Snapdragon X, Surface Pro X, …)
PigeonPost-win-arm64-Setup.exe
> ⚠️ Note: The installer downloaded from GitHub is not code-signed. Your browser may show a security warning when downloading, and Windows SmartScreen may prompt you before running it. This is expected behaviour for unsigned executables — the file is safe. To avoid these warnings, prefer the Microsoft Store or winget options above.
The installer is built by Velopack and handles installation, Start Menu shortcuts, and future auto-updates.
Each architecture has its own update feed (releases.win-x64.json / releases.win-arm64.json).
Velopack stamps the channel into the installation so the in-app updater always fetches the correct feed automatically — no configuration required.
minimal layout
maximal layout
