shortcuts-generator

macOS Shortcuts Generator

Generate valid .shortcut files that can be signed and imported into Apple's Shortcuts app.

Quick Start

A shortcut is a binary plist with this structure:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>WFWorkflowActions</key>
    <array>
        <!-- Actions go here -->
    </array>
    <key>WFWorkflowClientVersion</key>
    <string>2700.0.4</string>
    <key>WFWorkflowHasOutputFallback</key>
    <false/>
    <key>WFWorkflowIcon</key>
    <dict>
        <key>WFWorkflowIconGlyphNumber</key>
        <integer>59511</integer>
        <key>WFWorkflowIconStartColor</key>
        <integer>4282601983</integer>
    </dict>
    <key>WFWorkflowImportQuestions</key>
    <array/>
    <key>WFWorkflowMinimumClientVersion</key>
    <integer>900</integer>
    <key>WFWorkflowMinimumClientVersionString</key>
    <string>900</string>
    <key>WFWorkflowName</key>
    <string>My Shortcut</string>
    <key>WFWorkflowOutputContentItemClasses</key>
    <array/>
    <key>WFWorkflowTypes</key>
    <array/>
</dict>
</plist>

Minimal Hello World

<dict>
    <key>WFWorkflowActionIdentifier</key>
    <string>is.workflow.actions.gettext</string>
    <key>WFWorkflowActionParameters</key>
    <dict>
        <key>UUID</key>
        <string>A1B2C3D4-E5F6-7890-ABCD-EF1234567890</string>
        <key>WFTextActionText</key>
        <string>Hello World!</string>
    </dict>
</dict>
<dict>
    <key>WFWorkflowActionIdentifier</key>
    <string>is.workflow.actions.showresult</string>
    <key>WFWorkflowActionParameters</key>
    <dict>
        <key>Text</key>
        <dict>
            <key>Value</key>
            <dict>
                <key>attachmentsByRange</key>
                <dict>
                    <key>{0, 1}</key>
                    <dict>
                        <key>OutputName</key>
                        <string>Text</string>
                        <key>OutputUUID</key>
                        <string>A1B2C3D4-E5F6-7890-ABCD-EF1234567890</string>
                        <key>Type</key>
                        <string>ActionOutput</string>
                    </dict>
                </dict>
                <key>string</key>
                <string></string>
            </dict>
            <key>WFSerializationType</key>
            <string>WFTextTokenString</string>
        </dict>
    </dict>
</dict>

Core Concepts

1. Actions

Every action has:

• Identifier: is.workflow.actions.<name> (e.g., is.workflow.actions.showresult)
• Parameters: Action-specific configuration in WFWorkflowActionParameters
• UUID: Unique identifier for referencing this action's output

2. Variable References

To use output from a previous action:

1. The source action needs a UUID parameter
2. Reference it using OutputUUID in an attachmentsByRange dictionary
3. Use  (U+FFFC) as placeholder in the string where the variable goes
4. Set WFSerializationType to WFTextTokenString

3. Control Flow

Control flow actions (repeat, conditional, menu) use:

• GroupingIdentifier: UUID linking start/middle/end actions
• WFControlFlowMode: 0=start, 1=middle (else/case), 2=end

Common Actions Quick Reference

Action	Identifier	Key Parameters
Text	is.workflow.actions.gettext	WFTextActionText
Show Result	is.workflow.actions.showresult	Text
Ask for Input	is.workflow.actions.ask	WFAskActionPrompt, WFInputType
Use AI Model	is.workflow.actions.askllm	WFLLMPrompt, WFLLMModel, WFGenerativeResultType
Comment	is.workflow.actions.comment	WFCommentActionText
URL	is.workflow.actions.url	WFURLActionURL
Get Contents of URL	is.workflow.actions.downloadurl	WFURL, WFHTTPMethod
Get Weather	is.workflow.actions.weather.currentconditions	(none required)
Open App	is.workflow.actions.openapp	WFAppIdentifier
Open URL	is.workflow.actions.openurl	WFInput
Alert	is.workflow.actions.alert	WFAlertActionTitle, WFAlertActionMessage
Notification	is.workflow.actions.notification	WFNotificationActionTitle, WFNotificationActionBody
Set Variable	is.workflow.actions.setvariable	WFVariableName, WFInput
Get Variable	is.workflow.actions.getvariable	WFVariable
Number	is.workflow.actions.number	WFNumberActionNumber
List	is.workflow.actions.list	WFItems
Dictionary	is.workflow.actions.dictionary	WFItems
Repeat (count)	is.workflow.actions.repeat.count	WFRepeatCount, GroupingIdentifier, WFControlFlowMode
Repeat (each)	is.workflow.actions.repeat.each	WFInput, GroupingIdentifier, WFControlFlowMode
If/Otherwise	is.workflow.actions.conditional	WFInput, WFCondition, GroupingIdentifier, WFControlFlowMode
Choose from Menu	is.workflow.actions.choosefrommenu	WFMenuPrompt, WFMenuItems, GroupingIdentifier, WFControlFlowMode
Find Photos	is.workflow.actions.filter.photos	WFContentItemFilter (see FILTERS.md)
Delete Photos	is.workflow.actions.deletephotos	photos (NOT WFInput!)

Detailed Reference Files

For complete documentation, see:

• PLIST_FORMAT.md - Complete plist structure
• ACTIONS.md - All 427 WF*Action identifiers and parameters
• APPINTENTS.md - All 728 AppIntent actions
• PARAMETER_TYPES.md - All parameter value types and serialization formats
• VARIABLES.md - Variable reference system
• CONTROL_FLOW.md - Repeat, Conditional, Menu patterns
• FILTERS.md - Content filters for Find/Filter actions (photos, files, etc.)
• EXAMPLES.md - Complete working examples

Signing Shortcuts

Shortcuts MUST be signed before they can be imported. Use the macOS shortcuts CLI:

# Sign for anyone to use
shortcuts sign --mode anyone --input MyShortcut.shortcut --output MyShortcut_signed.shortcut

# Sign for people who know you
shortcuts sign --mode people-who-know-me --input MyShortcut.shortcut --output MyShortcut_signed.shortcut

The signing process:

1. Write your plist as XML to a .shortcut file
2. Run shortcuts sign to add cryptographic signature (~19KB added)
3. The signed file can be opened/imported into Shortcuts.app

Workflow for Creating Shortcuts

1. Define actions - List what the shortcut should do
2. Generate UUIDs - Each action that produces output needs a unique UUID
3. Build action array - Create each action dictionary with identifier and parameters
4. Wire variable references - Connect outputs to inputs using OutputUUID
5. Wrap in plist - Add the root structure with icon, name, version
6. Write to file - Save as .shortcut (XML plist format is fine)
7. Sign - Run shortcuts sign to make it importable

Key Rules

1. UUIDs must be uppercase: A1B2C3D4-E5F6-7890-ABCD-EF1234567890
2. WFControlFlowMode is an integer: Use <integer>0</integer> not <string>0</string>
3. Range keys use format: {position, length} - e.g., {0, 1} for first character
4. The placeholder character:  (U+FFFC) marks where variables are inserted
5. Control flow needs matching ends: Every repeat/if/menu start needs an end action with same GroupingIdentifier