| name | shortcuts:cli |
| description | Running and managing Apple Shortcuts via the macOS shortcuts CLI. Use when the user wants to run, list, or inspect shortcuts. |
| disable-model-invocation | true |
| allowed-tools | ["Bash(shortcuts:*)","Bash(open:*)"] |
| hooks | {"PreToolUse":[{"matcher":"Bash(shortcuts:*)","hooks":"[Truncated]"}]} |
Shortcuts CLI
The shortcuts command manages and runs shortcuts on macOS.
Run
shortcuts run "My Shortcut"
shortcuts run "My Shortcut" -i input.txt
shortcuts run "My Shortcut" -o output.txt
echo "data" | shortcuts run "My Shortcut"
Run by identifier (stable across renames):
shortcuts run "01C97432-525A-4BF6-94DF-C35458FCD21A"
Get identifiers with shortcuts list --show-identifiers.
Headless behavior
Shortcuts with GUI actions (alerts, menus, input prompts) fail with "Running was cancelled" when run from the CLI. Only non-interactive shortcuts work headlessly.
Permissions
First-time actions (notifications, location, contacts, etc.) trigger a macOS permission dialog. The shortcut pauses until the user approves. Inform the user when running a shortcut that may trigger prompts.
List
shortcuts list
shortcuts list --show-identifiers
shortcuts list -f "Folder Name"
shortcuts list --folders
View
Opens a shortcut in the Shortcuts app editor.
shortcuts view "My Shortcut"
Sign
Sign a .shortcut file for import (requires network — contacts Apple's signing service):
mkdir -p out
shortcuts sign -i "My Shortcut.shortcut" -o "out/My Shortcut.shortcut"
Sign into an output directory to preserve the unsigned binary. The filename (minus .shortcut) becomes the shortcut name on import — don't add suffixes.
Import
There is no shortcuts import command. Open the signed file to trigger import.
open "out/My Shortcut.shortcut"
The user confirms import in the Shortcuts app GUI.
