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

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