shortcuts-generator

name	shortcuts-generator
description	Generate macOS/iOS Shortcuts by creating .shortcut plist files. Use when asked to create, build, or generate Shortcuts, automate iOS/macOS workflows, or produce .shortcut files.

Shortcuts Generator

Generate valid .shortcut plist files that can be signed and imported into Apple Shortcuts.

Workflow

1. Build the plist XML with actions, UUIDs, and variable references
2. Write to <Name>.shortcut
3. Sign: shortcuts sign --mode anyone --input <Name>.shortcut --output <Name>_signed.shortcut
4. The signed file can be opened/imported into Shortcuts.app

Quick Reference

Plist 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 --></array>
    <key>WFWorkflowClientVersion</key><string>2700.0.4</string>
    <key>WFWorkflowMinimumClientVersion</key><integer>900</integer>
    <key>WFWorkflowMinimumClientVersionString</key><string>900</string>
    <key>WFWorkflowIcon</key>
    <dict>
        <key>WFWorkflowIconGlyphNumber</key><integer>59511</integer>
        <key>WFWorkflowIconStartColor</key><integer>4282601983</integer>
    </dict>
    <key>WFWorkflowHasOutputFallback</key><false/>
    <key>WFWorkflowImportQuestions</key><array/>
    <key>WFWorkflowOutputContentItemClasses</key><array/>
    <key>WFWorkflowTypes</key><array/>
    <key>WFWorkflowName</key><string>My Shortcut</string>
</dict>
</plist>

Action Structure

<dict>
    <key>WFWorkflowActionIdentifier</key>
    <string>is.workflow.actions.showresult</string>
    <key>WFWorkflowActionParameters</key>
    <dict>
        <key>UUID</key>
        <string>A1B2C3D4-E5F6-7890-ABCD-EF1234567890</string>
        <!-- action-specific params -->
    </dict>
</dict>

Variable References

Source action needs a UUID. Consumer references it via OutputUUID in attachmentsByRange. Placeholder char:  (U+FFFC). Range format: {position, 1}.

<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>SOURCE-UUID</string>
                <key>Type</key><string>ActionOutput</string>
            </dict>
        </dict>
        <key>string</key><string></string>
    </dict>
    <key>WFSerializationType</key><string>WFTextTokenString</string>
</dict>

Single variable (no text): use WFTextTokenAttachment instead of WFTextTokenString.

Control Flow

• GroupingIdentifier: UUID linking start/middle/end
• WFControlFlowMode: <integer>0</integer>=start, 1=middle (else/case), 2=end
• Must be <integer>, not <string>
• Repeat: is.workflow.actions.repeat.count / repeat.each
• Conditional: is.workflow.actions.conditional
• Menu: is.workflow.actions.choosefrommenu

Common Actions

Action	Identifier	Key Params
Text	gettext	WFTextActionText
Show Result	showresult	Text
Ask Input	ask	WFAskActionPrompt, WFInputType
AI/LLM	askllm	WFLLMPrompt, WFLLMModel, WFGenerativeResultType
URL	url	WFURLActionURL
HTTP Request	downloadurl	WFURL, WFHTTPMethod, WFHTTPBodyType
Open App	openapp	WFAppIdentifier
Alert	alert	WFAlertActionTitle, WFAlertActionMessage
Find Photos	filter.photos	WFContentItemFilter
Delete Photos	deletephotos	photos (NOT WFInput)
Shell Script	runshellscript	script text
Current Weather	weather.currentconditions	(none)

All identifiers prefixed with is.workflow.actions..

Key Rules

1. UUIDs must be uppercase
2. WFControlFlowMode is an integer
3. Range keys: {position, length} — length is always 1
4.  (U+FFFC) marks variable insertion points
5. Every control flow start needs a matching end with same GroupingIdentifier
6. Screenshots filter: use Is a Screenshot boolean, NOT Media Type = Screenshot
7. Delete photos param is photos (lowercase), not WFInput

Messages Actions

Find Message uses com.apple.MobileSMS.MessageEntity via appintentexecution:

<dict>
    <key>WFWorkflowActionIdentifier</key>
    <string>is.workflow.actions.appintentexecution</string>
    <key>WFWorkflowActionParameters</key>
    <dict>
        <key>AppIntentDescriptor</key>
        <dict>
            <key>BundleIdentifier</key><string>com.apple.MobileSMS</string>
            <key>Name</key><string>Find Message</string>
            <key>AppIntentIdentifier</key><string>MessageEntity</string>
        </dict>
        <key>WFContentItemFilter</key><!-- same filter system as Find Photos -->
        <key>WFContentItemSortProperty</key><string>date</string>
        <key>WFContentItemSortOrder</key><string>Latest First</string>
    </dict>
</dict>

Message properties: body, sender, date, conversation, isUnread, attachments, links.

Note: INSearchForMessagesIntent is deprecated. Use MessageEntity instead.

Detailed References

For complete docs on specific topics, read these files in this skill directory:

• PLIST_FORMAT.md — Full plist structure and root keys
• ACTIONS.md — All 427 WF*Action identifiers and parameters
• APPINTENTS.md — All 728 AppIntent actions
• MESSAGES.md — Messages/iMessage actions (Find Message, Find Conversation, Send Reply, etc.)
• PARAMETER_TYPES.md — All parameter value types and serialization
• VARIABLES.md — Variable reference system and aggrandizements
• CONTROL_FLOW.md — Repeat, Conditional, Menu patterns
• FILTERS.md — Content filters for Find/Filter actions
• EXAMPLES.md — Complete working examples

Only read these when you need details beyond what's in this file.