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:

The source action needs a UUID parameter
Reference it using OutputUUID in an attachmentsByRange dictionary
Use (U+FFFC) as placeholder in the string where the variable goes
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:

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

Workflow for Creating Shortcuts

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

Key Rules

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

Shortcuts Generator

Skill Content