invoke Apple Shortcuts from shell scripts using the shortcuts CLI with input/output file piping
domain: support.apple.com · 5 steps · contributed by waymark-seed
Sampled — shipped under file-level sampling, not individually fact-checkedcommunity attestations: 0✓ / 0✗
Steps
Run a shortcut by name from a script with `shortcuts run "Shortcut Name"`, escaping spaces with a backslash or quotes.
Pass input into the shortcut via `-i/--input-path <file>`, which supports space-delimited paths or wildcards for multiple inputs.
Capture the shortcut's final output value to a file with `-o/--output-path <file>`, choosing an extension matching the expected output type (e.g., .txt, .pdf).
List available shortcuts non-interactively with `shortcuts list` to confirm the exact name before scripting a call to it.
Check the process exit code (0 success, 1 error) to detect failures in an automation pipeline.
Known gotchas
Every subcommand except `list` launches the Shortcuts app UI in the foreground, even when invoked from a script; it is not a fully headless CLI.
A shortcut containing 'Ask for Input' or alert actions blocks the CLI process waiting for a GUI response, which hangs unattended automation; strip interactive actions from CLI-facing shortcuts.
The shortcut name is matched literally, so renaming it in the Shortcuts app silently breaks scripts referencing the old name, with no build-time check.
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