Share terminal output

Workflow

Capture one command, keep stderr, and publish a short-lived paste with syntax and title metadata.

When to use it

Use this when

A failing build or deploy needs a durable link instead of a chat paste.
The output is plaintext and safe to share with the selected audience.

Steps

Do this

Capture both streams Redirect stderr to stdout so the transcript preserves the failure context.
Choose a narrow lifetime Use an expiry that matches the debugging window. Anonymous pastes must expire; signed-in CLI users can omit expiry when appropriate.
Share the view URL Use the returned paste URL for people and raw_url for tools that need plain text.

Examples

Copyable commands

CLI

npm test 2>&1 | pbca new --expires 7d --syntax log --title "npm test output"

REST

npm test > build.log 2>&1 || true
python3 - <<'PY' > payload.json
import json, pathlib
print(json.dumps({
  "visibility": "unlisted",
  "access": "public",
  "expires_in_seconds": 604800,
  "syntax_hint": "log",
  "title": "npm test output",
  "body": pathlib.Path("build.log").read_text(errors="replace")
}))
PY
curl -sS https://pastebin.ca/api/v1/pastes \
  -H 'content-type: application/json' \
  --data-binary @payload.json

Operational notes

Keep in mind

Do not paste credentials or private keys. The create path rejects obvious secret material, but you should still scrub first.
Use unlisted for links shared with a known group; use public only when the transcript belongs on the public feed.