A specialized skill for programmatically generating signed macOS and iOS .shortcut files using structured plist configurations.
Install & Download
1. ClawHub CLI
The fastest way to install a skill directly from the registry.
npx clawhub@latest install shortcuts-skill
2. Manual Installation
Copy the skill folder to one of these locations
~/.openclaw/skills/ <project>/skills/ Priority: Workspace > Local > Bundled
3. Prompt Installation
Copy this prompt to OpenClaw to install it automatically.
Help me install shortcuts-skill using Clawhub. If Clawhub is not installed, install it first (npm i -g clawhub).
Prefer to download?
Get the raw skill files in a ZIP archive.
What is macOS Shortcuts Generator?
The macOS Shortcuts Generator is a high-performance skill designed to automate the creation of Apple Shortcuts by generating valid .shortcut files. By leveraging a comprehensive library of over 1,150 actions—including 427 WFActions and 728 AppIntents—this Openclaw Skills integration allows developers to build complex workflows, handle precise variable references, and implement intricate control flows programmatically. It transforms the manual, UI-driven process of shortcut creation into a scriptable and scalable operation.
This skill is particularly valuable for developers who need to generate shortcuts with a high volume of actions or those who want to integrate shortcut generation into larger automation pipelines. By following the standard Apple plist format, it ensures that generated files are compatible with the Shortcuts app on both macOS and iOS, provided they are correctly signed using the native CLI tools.
macOS Shortcuts Generator Use Cases
- Automating the creation of repetitive macOS and iOS tasks through programmatically generated workflows.
- Building complex .shortcut files that require hundreds of actions or precise, multi-step variable mapping.
- Generating custom, pre-configured shortcuts for distribution or team-wide workflow standardization.
- Integrating dynamic, AI-driven shortcut generation into existing Openclaw Skills automation suites.
- Managing large-scale deployments of productivity shortcuts across Apple device fleets.
How macOS Shortcuts Generator Works
- The user defines the sequence of actions and logical operations required for the target shortcut.
- The system generates unique, uppercase UUIDs for every action that produces an output to be used later in the sequence.
- An action array is constructed using specific action identifiers (e.g., is.workflow.actions.gettext) and their associated parameters.
- Variable references are wired together by connecting OutputUUIDs to input fields using the U+FFFC placeholder character.
- The action array is wrapped in a standardized XML plist root structure, including metadata such as icons, names, and version strings.
- The resulting data is saved as a .shortcut file in XML format.
- Finally, the macOS shortcuts CLI is invoked to sign the file, making it ready for secure importation into the Shortcuts app.
macOS Shortcuts Generator Setup
To utilize this skill within your Openclaw Skills environment, ensure you are operating on a macOS system to access the necessary signing utilities.
# Install or verify the presence of the shortcuts CLI on macOS.
# To sign a generated shortcut for distribution:
shortcuts sign --mode anyone --input MyShortcut.shortcut --output MyShortcut_signed.shortcut
Ensure your development environment is configured to handle XML plist generation and that you have mapped the required UUIDs as uppercase strings.
macOS Shortcuts Generator Data Schema & Taxonomy
The skill organizes data according to the Apple Property List (plist) specification. Below is the primary metadata taxonomy used:
| Key | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| WFWorkflowActions | Array | A collection of dictionaries, each representing a discrete shortcut action. |
| WFWorkflowIcon | Dictionary | Contains WFWorkflowIconGlyphNumber and WFWorkflowIconStartColor for UI customization. |
| WFWorkflowClientVersion | String | Specifies the version of the Shortcuts client (e.g., 2700.0.4). |
| UUID | String | A unique, uppercase identifier used for action output referencing. |
| WFControlFlowMode | Integer | Defines the logical state: 0 for start, 1 for middle (else), and 2 for end. |
| WFSerializationType | String | Set to WFTextTokenString for complex variable interpolation. |
macOS Shortcuts Generator Advanced Features
- Comprehensive support for 1,155 unique actions including native Apple actions and third-party AppIntents.
- Advanced variable reference system using attachmentsByRange for precise placement within strings.
- Full implementation of control flow patterns including Repeat (count/each), If/Otherwise conditionals, and Menus.
- Built-in support for specialized actions like askllm for integrating generative AI models into shortcuts.
- Dynamic content filtering for photos, files, and calendar events using complex WFContentItemFilter logic.
- Support for multiple signing modes via the macOS CLI to ensure compatibility across different Openclaw Skills deployment scenarios.
SKILL.md
Loading
Related Openclaw Skills
Gitea
A powerful skill for interacting with Gitea instances using the tea CLI for full repository lifecycle management.
Show My IP
A utility to instantly retrieve the public IPv4 and IPv6 address of the environment running your AI agent.
SerpAPI Search
A high-performance search skill for querying Google Search, News, and Local listings with precise regional and language targeting.
Perplexity Deep Search
An AI-powered web search tool providing three levels of depth—quick search, logical reasoning, and exhaustive research—directly through the Perplexity API.
Health-Git Workflow Manager
An AI-driven framework that applies Git version control principles like commits, PRs, and merges to medical interventions and health data tracking.
openclaw-for-doctor
A clinical decision support assistant providing evidence-based reasoning, differential diagnosis analysis, and medical deliverable generation.
Featured*
