Automation & Scripting

RSS for tag

Learn about scripting languages and automation frameworks available on the platform to automate repetitive tasks.

Automation & Scripting Documentation

Posts under Automation & Scripting subtopic

Post

Replies

Boosts

Views

Activity

OSLog is not working when launching the app with Siri.
I am implementing AppIntent into my application as follows: // MARK: - SceneDelegate var window: UIWindow? private var observer: NSObjectProtocol? func scene(_ scene: UIScene, willConnectTo session: UISceneSession, options connectionOptions: UIScene.ConnectionOptions) { guard let windowScene = (scene as? UIWindowScene) else { return } // Setup window window = UIWindow(windowScene: windowScene) let viewController = ViewController() window?.rootViewController = viewController window?.makeKeyAndVisible() setupUserDefaultsObserver() checkShortcutLaunch() } private func setupUserDefaultsObserver() { // use NotificationCenter to receive notifications. NotificationCenter.default.addObserver( forName: NSNotification.Name("ShortcutTriggered"), object: nil, queue: .main ) { notification in if let userInfo = notification.userInfo, let appName = userInfo["appName"] as? String { print("📱 Notification received - app is launched: \(appName)") } } } private func checkShortcutLaunch() { if let appName = UserDefaults.standard.string(forKey: "shortcutAppName") { print("🚀 App is opened from a Shortcut with the app name: \(appName)") } } func sceneDidDisconnect(_ scene: UIScene) { if let observer = observer { NotificationCenter.default.removeObserver(observer) } } } // MARK: - App Intent struct StartAppIntent: AppIntent { static var title: LocalizedStringResource = "Start App" static var description = IntentDescription("Launch the application with the command") static var openAppWhenRun: Bool = true @MainActor func perform() async throws -> some IntentResult { UserDefaults.standard.set("appName", forKey: "shortcutAppName") UserDefaults.standard.set(Date(), forKey: "shortcutTimestamp") return .result() } } // MARK: - App Shortcuts Provider struct AppShortcutsProvider: AppShortcutsProvider { static var appShortcuts: [AppShortcut] { AppShortcut( intent: StartAppIntent(), phrases: [ "let start \(.applicationName)", ], shortTitle: "Start App", systemImageName: "play.circle.fill" ) } } the app works fine when starting with shortcut. but when starting with siri it seems like the log is not printed out, i tried adding a code that shows a dialog when receiving a notification from userdefault but it still shows the dialog, it seems like the problem here is when starting with siri there is a problem with printing the log. I tried sleep 0.5s in the perform function and the log was printed out normally try? await Task.sleep(nanoseconds: 500_000_000) // 0.5 seconds I have consulted some topics and they said that when using Siri, Intent is running completely separately and only returns the result to Siri, never entering the Main App. But when set openAppWhenRun to true, it must enter the main app, right? Is there any way to find the cause and completely fix this problem?
7
0
711
Dec ’25
applescript vs. keynote
hello, i'm having a strange problem with applescript+keynote. when i try to use system events to invoke menu commands via a script like click menu item "Copy Animation" of menu bar item "Format" of menu bar 1 (inside of enough tell...-brackets). the problem seems to boil down to the fact that (at least on my computer) the following script returns {} tell application "System Events" tell process "Keynote" return entire contents of menu bar 1 click menu item "Copy Animation" of menu bar item "Format" of menu bar 1 end tell end tell this script works for every app i've tried it for, but not keynote, where it always returns {} i see two possibilities: keynote is fundamentally broken in a way that its menu bar circumvents the canonical process to make a menu bar, or keynote is broken on my machine, in which case (i already reinstalled) i'm wondering what i can do to restore a good version. thanks for any help in advance peter purgathofer
3
0
224
Dec ’25
AppIntent ignores registered dependencies when awaited
App intent has a perform method that is async and can throw an error, but I can't find a way to actually await the result and catch the error if needed. If I convert this working but non-waiting, non-catching code: Button("Go", intent: MyIntent()) to this (so I can control awaiting and error handling): Button("Go") { Task { do { try await MyIntent().perform() // 👈 } catch { print(error) } } } It crashes: AppDependency with key "foo" of type Bar.Type was not initialized prior to access. Dependency values can only be accessed inside of the intent perform flow and within types conforming to _SupportsAppDependencies unless the value of the dependency is manually set prior to access. Although it is invalid since the first version is working like a charm and dependencies are registered in the @main App init method and it is in the perform flow. So how can we await the result of the AppIntent and handle the errors if needed in the app? Should I re-invent the Dependency mechanism?
1
0
270
Dec ’25
Cannot make my app appear in “Share with App” action in Shortcuts – How to allow receiving images from Shortcuts?
Hi, I’m trying to integrate my iOS app with Shortcuts. My goal is: In the Shortcuts app → Create a shortcut → Select an image → Share the image directly to my app for analysis. However, when I try to add the “Share with App” / “Open in App” / “Send to App” action in Shortcuts: My app does NOT appear in the list of available apps. I want my app to be selectable so that Shortcuts can send an image (UIImage / file) to my app. What I have tried My app supports receiving images using UIActivityViewController and Share Extension. I created an App Intents extension (AppIntent + @Parameter(file)...) but the app still does not appear in Shortcuts “Share with App”. I also checked the Info.plist but didn’t find any permission related to Shortcuts. The app is installed on the device and works normally. My question What permission, Info.plist entry, or capability is required so that my app becomes visible in the Shortcuts app as a target for image sharing? More specifically: Which extension type should be used for receiving images from Shortcuts? App Intents Extension? Share Extension? Intent Extension? Do I need a specific NSExtensionPointIdentifier for Shortcuts integration? Do I need to declare a custom Uniform Type Identifier (UTI) or add supported content types so Shortcuts knows my app can handle images? Are there any required entitlements / capabilities to make the app appear inside the “Share with App” action? Goal Summary I simply want: Shortcuts → Pick Image → Send to My App → App receives the image and processes it. But currently my app cannot be selected in Shortcuts. Thanks in advance for any guidance!
3
0
399
Dec ’25
SetFocusFilterIntent app cannot be copied to another Mac
I have recently added a SetFocusFilterIntent target extension to my app which is a system utility which goes into the menu bar(Application is agent = YES). I have followed the approach in the WWDC22 video introducing Focus Intent and I have created an App Groups to being able to make the Extension to communicate with my main app, however from when I did this sometimes when I run the app I do get this log line: Couldn't read values in CFPrefsPlistSource<0x97cd34700> (Domain: group.xxx.xxx.MyApp, User: kCFPreferencesAnyUser, ByHost: Yes, Container: (null), Contents Need Refresh: Yes): Using kCFPreferencesAnyUser with a container is only allowed for System Containers, detaching from cfprefsd Despite this the Focus mode integration is working correctly on my development Mac. However I used to Archive the app and then Copy the app to my MacBook but when I do that now my other Mac cannot open the app and it is giving me an error. If I revert this change then I can bring the app back to my other Mac as usual following the procedure: Product -> Archive. Then from the archiver: Distribute App -> Copy App. After that I copy the app generated to the App folder of my other MacBook but it doesn't open anymore. During the archival phase now I am even getting this warning: MyAppFocus.appex is an ExtensionKit extension and must be embedded in the parent app bundle's Extensions directory, but is embedded in the parent app bundle's ../../../BuildProductsPath/Release/MyApp.app/Contents/Extensions directory. How can I solve this issue? If I rollback the commit related to this SetFocusFilterIntent new feature the app can be Copied and moved to the other Mac as before. Is this related to the extension or to the fact that I had to use this new entitlement: com.apple.security.application-groups ?
0
1
263
Dec ’25
Trimming down Standard SDEF
I've heard that when a Mac app implements their version of the Standard AppleEvent suite, the developer can copy "CocoaStandard.sdef" and trim out whatever they don't need. What are the constraints on this trimming? I guess that we could remove commands wholesale, but can we remove sub-parts of a command? Can we change an enumeration? A record type?
1
0
305
Dec ’25
How to properly localize AppIntent dialogs for Siri?
Hi! I have defined the following app intent. It returns a result with a dialog to confirm that the intent has been executed. Naturally, that dialog needs to be localized properly. But the String interpolation with the provided format doesn't do that. I specified wide for the width parameter and expect spelled-out unit names. However, in the textual output, Siri always uses the abbreviated unit (e.g. "min" or "s"), in all languages I tested. In the audio output, Siri says "minutes" in English where the textual representation is "min". In German, Siri says "min", so it basically reads the textual representation aloud and that's not quite understandable to the user. struct StartTimerIntent: AppIntent { static let title: LocalizedStringResource = "Start New Timer" static var description = IntentDescription("Starts a timer with a custom duration.") @Parameter(title: "Duration", description: "The duration of the timer.") var duration: Measurement<UnitDuration> func perform() async throws -> some IntentResult & ProvidesDialog { // [code to execute intent goes here] return .result( dialog: .init( full: "\(duration, format: .measurement(width: .wide, usage: .asProvided)) timer started.", systemImageName: "timer" ) ) } } As this SwiftUI-style formatter doesn't seem to work with localization, I tried a different approach with a MeasurementFormatter: extension Measurement where UnitType == UnitDuration { func localized() -> String { let formatter = MeasurementFormatter() formatter.locale = .autoupdatingCurrent formatter.unitOptions = .providedUnit formatter.unitStyle = .long return formatter.string(from: self) } } Usage with String interpolation: "\(duration.localized()) timer started." This works great as long as these two languages are set to the same language on the user's device: [UI language] Settings → General → Language & Region → Preferred Language [Siri langauge] Settings → Apple Intelligence & Siri → Language However, when they differ, even this method doesn't yield correct results. For example, I have my general (UI) language set to English, but my Siri language set to German. Then Siri replies in German, but the unit is formatted in English and Siri speaks it in English, so the result is a messed up sentence that's half German, half English. What is the proper way to localize parameters in dialogs for Siri? How can I make sure that parameters are localized to match Siri's language?
3
0
791
Feb ’26
Applescript run as a Quick Action errors out when run inside a Shortcut.
I have a Quick Action which flattens a PDF via Applescript. The code works extremely well--I right click in finder and the PDF is flattened, annotations are burned in, no other applications are opened, and the action completes in less than 2 seconds. Here is the Applescript code: I have a Shortcut which completes several operations on already-flattened PDFs. Presently 1) I run my Quick Action by right-clicking a PDF in Finder in order to flatten it, and 2) then right-click that save PDF in Finder to run my Shortcut on that now-flattened PDF. Ideally I'd like to add the Applescript code which flattens the PDF to the beginning of my Shortcut for the sake of convenience, and because sometimes I run my Shortcut having forgotten to flatten the PDF first. However I'm finding that the Applescript code, when placed into a Run Applescript action in Shortcuts, gives this error message: The exact same code when placed into a Run Applescript action in Automator and then run as a Quick Action by right-clicking the PDF in Finder, does not give an error and works perfectly. Does anybody have an explanation (and possible solution) for why this is the case?
2
0
777
Jan ’26
macOS Shortcuts App Needs an Export to PDF Feature
I am very new to the macOS Shortcuts application. In my opinion, the documentation is sparse and totally inadequate. The internet seems to be the only method of figuring out how to use this application. I have recently created a shortcut that is working well for me. It has several steps and is too large to fit in the Shortcuts editor window, so I cannot grab a screenshot of it for documenation purposes. I also cannot copy the contents of the editor window and paste them anywhere, such as in a new Note or TextEdit document. I do think Apple should add a means to create a PDF document of the Shortcuts editor window's contents. I went to the official Apple feedback page to leave comments but, irony of ironies, the Shortcuts app is not listed there! I have no idea what I am doing at this point but am excited to learn how to use Shortcuts to automate and simplify tasks that I have to perform frequently. Here's hoping the documentation and features for this application will one day be comprehensive, comprehensible, and complete.
2
0
272
Jan ’26
Siri spawns multiple processes that don't die
When asking Siri to run a shortcut, it will spawn two processes called BackgroundShortcutRunner that do not die when the shortcut is done running. If the Siri window is on screen when I speak to have the shortcut run it does not spawn those two processes. However if the Siri window is not on screen when I speak, the Siri window appears and spawns these two processes. The two processes do not terminate once the shortcut is done running. I now have over 200 these processes since rebooting three days ago to install 26.4. FB22015192
2
1
246
Feb ’26
Bug: Finder/AppleScript interaction
I have created a simple AppleScript that makes a folder named with today’s date. For many years, it has worked fine except: If I run the script (from a script app in the menu bar), then dump files into the folder, then change the colored “Tag” on the folder, I get a Finder error - An unexpected error occurred (error code -8076) - and I have to force-quit the Finder to complete the color tagging. If it change the tag before dumping the files, no error occurs. (Please hold the “Doctor, it hurts when I do this …” jokes.) This error has persisted through many macOS major iterations, including Tahoe 26.4.1. Prolly a Finder bug, but not sure. Here’s the source, for anyone interested. set dateStr to getDate() --display dialog dateStr tell application "Finder" activate try --set thisFolder to (the target of the front window) as alias set thisFolder to (the target of the front window) as string make new folder at thisFolder with properties {name:dateStr as string} on error errMsg display dialog "ERROR: " & errMsg end try end tell on getDate() set theDate to current date set theYear to year of theDate as string set theNewYear to third character of theYear & fourth character of theYear set theMonth to month of theDate as number as string if length of theMonth = 1 then set theMonth to "0" & theMonth as string end if set theDay to day of theDate as string if length of theDay = 1 then set theDay to "0" & theDay as string end if return theNewYear & " " & theMonth & " " & theDay as string end getDate
3
0
167
2w
iOS 18.4 - HomeKit actions from AppIntent fail when triggered from Widget
Hi all, Since updating to iOS 18.4, I'm experiencing a regression with AppIntents triggered from Widgets. In my app, I use AppIntents inside a WidgetKit extension to control HomeKit devices. This setup was working perfectly up to iOS 18.3. However, starting with iOS 18.4, when the AppIntent is triggered from the widget and the main app is not running, the action fails with this error: Error Domain=HMErrorDomain Code=80 "Missing entitlement for API." UserInfo={ NSLocalizedFailureReason=Handler does not support background access, NSLocalizedDescription=Missing entitlement for API. } Interestingly, the exact same AppIntent works fine if the app is still alive in the background — it seems like the failure only occurs when the intent is handled by the widget process. This looks like a behavior change or new restriction introduced in iOS 18.4. Has anyone experienced the same? Is there a new entitlement needed, or a recommended workaround? Thanks in advance!
3
2
518
Jun ’25
macOS 26: Automator 3rd party actions cannot be configured
After installing my notarized 3rd party app in a Tahoe VM, its embedded Automator actions can not be configured in Automator while defining a workflow: After adding the actions (enabling 3rd party extensions), their views / UI elements do not respond to any mouse event. When enabling „show this action when running“, the options can be changed during execution of the workflow. Needless to say: Adjusting these action settings in Automator was working for years, macOS 12 - 15 and before. Reported via Feedback Assistent (FB19015185). Can anybody confirm this issue with Automator actions?
4
0
393
Sep ’25
Debugging updateAppShortcutParameters not adding shortcuts to Shortcuts App
So I'm developing an ios application which should be showing shortcuts, but its not. I'm not sure how to debug why the functionality isnt working. Believe I'm correctly calling AppShortcutsProvider's updateAppShortcutParameters, but I dont see any errors in the console showing me a problem. And in fact, I made a simplified just swift version that works before I tried to integrate it into a more complex project. But now I'm at a loss as to what is going wrong or what debug tools I can use to figure it out. Any help would be appreciated. When building my project I see: 025-08-18 14:07:49.371 appintentsmetadataprocessor[57506:35387547] Starting appintentsmetadataprocessor export 2025-08-18 14:07:49.414 appintentsmetadataprocessor[57506:35387547] Writing Metadata.appintents 2025-08-18 14:07:49.414 appintentsmetadataprocessor[57506:35387547] Metadata root: /Users/jpetersen/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/Unity-iPhone-dtnhxevagfkzsjdavesziaqrwisr/Build/Products/ReleaseForRunning-iphoneos/UnityFramework.framework/Metadata.appintents AppIntentsSSUTraining (in target 'UnityFramework' from project 'Unity-iPhone') cd /Users/jpetersen/no_doc_repos/payments_ios_investigation/SpotlightSearch/client/Build /Applications/Xcode_16.1.app/Contents/Developer/Toolchains/XcodeDefault.xctoolchain/usr/bin/appintentsnltrainingprocessor --infoplist-path /Users/jpetersen/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/Unity-iPhone-dtnhxevagfkzsjdavesziaqrwisr/Build/Products/ReleaseForRunning-iphoneos/UnityFramework.framework/Info.plist --temp-dir-path /Users/jpetersen/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/Unity-iPhone-dtnhxevagfkzsjdavesziaqrwisr/Build/Intermediates.noindex/Unity-iPhone.build/ReleaseForRunning-iphoneos/UnityFramework.build/ssu --bundle-id com.unity3d.framework --product-path /Users/jpetersen/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/Unity-iPhone-dtnhxevagfkzsjdavesziaqrwisr/Build/Products/ReleaseForRunning-iphoneos/UnityFramework.framework --extracted-metadata-path /Users/jpetersen/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/Unity-iPhone-dtnhxevagfkzsjdavesziaqrwisr/Build/Products/ReleaseForRunning-iphoneos/UnityFramework.framework/Metadata.appintents --archive-ssu-assets 2025-08-18 14:07:49.436 appintentsnltrainingprocessor[57507:35387550] Parsing options for appintentsnltrainingprocessor 2025-08-18 14:07:49.437 appintentsnltrainingprocessor[57507:35387550] Starting AppIntents SSU YAML Generation 2025-08-18 14:07:49.444 appintentsnltrainingprocessor[57507:35387550] Training 'Start ${+applicationName}' for English 2025-08-18 14:07:49.444 appintentsnltrainingprocessor[57507:35387550] Training 'Play ${ShortcutEntity}|Play ${ShortcutEntity} on ${+applicationName}' for English 2025-08-18 14:07:49.444 appintentsnltrainingprocessor[57507:35387550] Training Negative Phrases '' for English 2025-08-18 14:07:49.444 appintentsnltrainingprocessor[57507:35387550] Application name 'UnityFramework' for English 2025-08-18 14:07:49.449 appintentsnltrainingprocessor[57507:35387550] Generated AppIntents SSU YAML files in file:///Users/jpetersen/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/Unity-iPhone-dtnhxevagfkzsjdavesziaqrwisr/Build/Intermediates.noindex/Unity-iPhone.build/ReleaseForRunning-iphoneos/UnityFramework.build/ssu/ 2025-08-18 14:07:49.449 appintentsnltrainingprocessor[57507:35387550] Copied AppIntents SSU YAML files to file:///Users/jpetersen/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/Unity-iPhone-dtnhxevagfkzsjdavesziaqrwisr/Build/Products/ReleaseForRunning-iphoneos/UnityFramework.framework/Metadata.appintents/ So I think it should be making the required app intent data :shrug:
4
0
378
Sep ’25
Apple Music ScriptingBridge Broken in macOS Tahoe 26
l’m trying to automate Apple Music on macOS Tahoe 26 using ScriptingBridge. Scripts that previously worked for controlling playback, fetching track info, or manipulating playlists no longer function. For example, code like this used to work: `import ScriptingBridge let music = SBApplication(bundleIdentifier: "com.apple.Music") as! MusicApplication print(music.currentTrack?.name ?? "No track playing")` But now it fails, returning nil for track info and failing to send playback commands. Questions: Has ScriptingBridge been deprecated or broken in Tahoe 26 for Apple Music? Any guidance or example code would be appreciated.
2
2
433
Oct ’25
Activating application from Terminal occasionally fails on macOS 26
On macOS Tahoe 26 activating GUI apps from command-line often fails. It launches the app but not brings to the foreground as expected. For example, running the following commands in Terminal is expected to launch Pages and bring it to the foreground. open /Applications/Pages.app or osascript -e `tell application "Pages" to activate` Moreover, they sometimes not return in Terminal. These commands worked as expected until macOS 15 but no more in macOS 26. The tricky part is that this failure doesn't happen 100% of the time; it occurs randomly. However, since multiple users of my app have reported the same symptoms, and I can reproduce it not only with my app but also with apps bundled to macOS, I don't believe this is an issue specific to my environment alone. I’ve already filed this issue: FB21087054 Open version: https://github.com/1024jp/AppleFeedback/issues/87 However, I’d like to know if any workaround exists or my understanding is wrong, especially for case with osascript.
3
1
616
Nov ’25
Customizing section titles in the Shortcuts app (Favorites / Recents style)
Hi everyone, I’m currently experimenting with App Intents and I’m trying to customize the section titles that appear at the top of groups of intents inside the Shortcuts app UI. For example, in the Phone shortcut, there are built-in sections such as “Call Favorite Contacts” and “Call Recent Contacts” (see screenshot attached). Apple’s own system apps such as Phone, Notes, and FaceTime seem to have fully custom section headers inside Shortcuts with icon. My question is: 👉 Is there an API available that allows third-party apps to define these titles (or sections) programmatically? I went through the AppIntents and Shortcuts documentation but couldn’t find anything. From what I can tell, this might be private / Apple-only behavior, but I’d be happy to know if anybody has found a supported solution or a recommended alternative. Has anyone dealt with this before? Thanks! Mickaël 🇫🇷
3
0
605
Dec ’25
'openAppWhenRun' property causing AppIntentsExtension to fail
I have added an "App Intents Extension" target to my main application in macOS. This generated the below two files: TWAppIntent.swift import AppIntents struct TWAppIntent: AppIntent { static var title: LocalizedStringResource = "TWAppIntentExtension" static var parameterSummary: some ParameterSummary { Summary("Get information on \(\.$TWType)") } //launch app on running action static var openAppWhenRun: Bool = true // we can have multiple parameter of diff types @Parameter(title: "TWType") var TWType: String func perform() async throws -> some IntentResult & ReturnsValue<String> & ProvidesDialog { return .result(value: TWType, dialog: "Logged break.") } } TWAppIntentExtension.swift import AppIntents @main struct TWAppIntentExtension: AppIntentsExtension { } I m able to build the extension target and I my intent action is available in the shortcuts app. However, on launching a shortcut with the above created intent action. I m getting the below popups: I have identified what is causing this error. Setting the openAppWhenRun to true is causing this error. I don't get this when it is set to false. This property is supposed to launch the application, but can someone help me understand why is it happening? This is only causing the error when using this property for AppIntent Extension and not for In app handling for the AppIntent. Can we not launch our application from AppIntent extension?
3
3
1k
Oct ’25
@IntentParameterDependency Always Returns nil in iOS 18
The following code works perfectly fine in iOS 17, where I can retrieve the desired dependency value through @IntentParameterDependency as expected. However, in iOS 18, addTransaction always returns nil. struct CategoryEntityQuery: EntityStringQuery { @Dependency private var persistentController: PersistentController @IntentParameterDependency<AddTransactionIntent>( \.$categoryType ) var addTransaction func entities(matching string: String) async throws -> [CategoryEnitity] { guard let addTransaction else { return [] } // ... } func entities(for identifiers: [CategoryEnitity.ID]) async throws -> [CategoryEnitity] { guard let addTransaction else { return [] } // ... } func suggestedEntities() async throws -> [CategoryEnitity] { guard let addTransaction else { return [] } // ... } } Has anyone else encountered the same issue? Any insights or potential workarounds would be greatly appreciated. iOS: 18.0 (22A3354) Xcode 16.0 (16A242d)
4
3
1.1k
Jan ’26
AppEntity / EntityQuery returns multiple results but Shortcuts only displays a single item on newest iOS 26.4
We are observing a regression in iOS 26.4 related to AppIntents, specifically AppEntity + EntityQuery. When using a single AppIntent with a parameter backed by AppEntity and EntityQuery, the query correctly returns multiple entities (e.g. ~50 items). However, in the Shortcuts app UI, only a single item is displayed. This behavior differs from iOS 26.3 and earlier, where all returned entities are correctly displayed in the selection list. This issue significantly impacts dynamic configuration use cases where AppEntity is used to represent server-driven or runtime-generated options.(The screenshots below illustrate the difference in shortcut presentation between iOS 26.4 and earlier versions.)
1
2
225
2w
OSLog is not working when launching the app with Siri.
I am implementing AppIntent into my application as follows: // MARK: - SceneDelegate var window: UIWindow? private var observer: NSObjectProtocol? func scene(_ scene: UIScene, willConnectTo session: UISceneSession, options connectionOptions: UIScene.ConnectionOptions) { guard let windowScene = (scene as? UIWindowScene) else { return } // Setup window window = UIWindow(windowScene: windowScene) let viewController = ViewController() window?.rootViewController = viewController window?.makeKeyAndVisible() setupUserDefaultsObserver() checkShortcutLaunch() } private func setupUserDefaultsObserver() { // use NotificationCenter to receive notifications. NotificationCenter.default.addObserver( forName: NSNotification.Name("ShortcutTriggered"), object: nil, queue: .main ) { notification in if let userInfo = notification.userInfo, let appName = userInfo["appName"] as? String { print("📱 Notification received - app is launched: \(appName)") } } } private func checkShortcutLaunch() { if let appName = UserDefaults.standard.string(forKey: "shortcutAppName") { print("🚀 App is opened from a Shortcut with the app name: \(appName)") } } func sceneDidDisconnect(_ scene: UIScene) { if let observer = observer { NotificationCenter.default.removeObserver(observer) } } } // MARK: - App Intent struct StartAppIntent: AppIntent { static var title: LocalizedStringResource = "Start App" static var description = IntentDescription("Launch the application with the command") static var openAppWhenRun: Bool = true @MainActor func perform() async throws -> some IntentResult { UserDefaults.standard.set("appName", forKey: "shortcutAppName") UserDefaults.standard.set(Date(), forKey: "shortcutTimestamp") return .result() } } // MARK: - App Shortcuts Provider struct AppShortcutsProvider: AppShortcutsProvider { static var appShortcuts: [AppShortcut] { AppShortcut( intent: StartAppIntent(), phrases: [ "let start \(.applicationName)", ], shortTitle: "Start App", systemImageName: "play.circle.fill" ) } } the app works fine when starting with shortcut. but when starting with siri it seems like the log is not printed out, i tried adding a code that shows a dialog when receiving a notification from userdefault but it still shows the dialog, it seems like the problem here is when starting with siri there is a problem with printing the log. I tried sleep 0.5s in the perform function and the log was printed out normally try? await Task.sleep(nanoseconds: 500_000_000) // 0.5 seconds I have consulted some topics and they said that when using Siri, Intent is running completely separately and only returns the result to Siri, never entering the Main App. But when set openAppWhenRun to true, it must enter the main app, right? Is there any way to find the cause and completely fix this problem?
Replies
7
Boosts
0
Views
711
Activity
Dec ’25
applescript vs. keynote
hello, i'm having a strange problem with applescript+keynote. when i try to use system events to invoke menu commands via a script like click menu item "Copy Animation" of menu bar item "Format" of menu bar 1 (inside of enough tell...-brackets). the problem seems to boil down to the fact that (at least on my computer) the following script returns {} tell application "System Events" tell process "Keynote" return entire contents of menu bar 1 click menu item "Copy Animation" of menu bar item "Format" of menu bar 1 end tell end tell this script works for every app i've tried it for, but not keynote, where it always returns {} i see two possibilities: keynote is fundamentally broken in a way that its menu bar circumvents the canonical process to make a menu bar, or keynote is broken on my machine, in which case (i already reinstalled) i'm wondering what i can do to restore a good version. thanks for any help in advance peter purgathofer
Replies
3
Boosts
0
Views
224
Activity
Dec ’25
AppIntent ignores registered dependencies when awaited
App intent has a perform method that is async and can throw an error, but I can't find a way to actually await the result and catch the error if needed. If I convert this working but non-waiting, non-catching code: Button("Go", intent: MyIntent()) to this (so I can control awaiting and error handling): Button("Go") { Task { do { try await MyIntent().perform() // 👈 } catch { print(error) } } } It crashes: AppDependency with key "foo" of type Bar.Type was not initialized prior to access. Dependency values can only be accessed inside of the intent perform flow and within types conforming to _SupportsAppDependencies unless the value of the dependency is manually set prior to access. Although it is invalid since the first version is working like a charm and dependencies are registered in the @main App init method and it is in the perform flow. So how can we await the result of the AppIntent and handle the errors if needed in the app? Should I re-invent the Dependency mechanism?
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
270
Activity
Dec ’25
Cannot make my app appear in “Share with App” action in Shortcuts – How to allow receiving images from Shortcuts?
Hi, I’m trying to integrate my iOS app with Shortcuts. My goal is: In the Shortcuts app → Create a shortcut → Select an image → Share the image directly to my app for analysis. However, when I try to add the “Share with App” / “Open in App” / “Send to App” action in Shortcuts: My app does NOT appear in the list of available apps. I want my app to be selectable so that Shortcuts can send an image (UIImage / file) to my app. What I have tried My app supports receiving images using UIActivityViewController and Share Extension. I created an App Intents extension (AppIntent + @Parameter(file)...) but the app still does not appear in Shortcuts “Share with App”. I also checked the Info.plist but didn’t find any permission related to Shortcuts. The app is installed on the device and works normally. My question What permission, Info.plist entry, or capability is required so that my app becomes visible in the Shortcuts app as a target for image sharing? More specifically: Which extension type should be used for receiving images from Shortcuts? App Intents Extension? Share Extension? Intent Extension? Do I need a specific NSExtensionPointIdentifier for Shortcuts integration? Do I need to declare a custom Uniform Type Identifier (UTI) or add supported content types so Shortcuts knows my app can handle images? Are there any required entitlements / capabilities to make the app appear inside the “Share with App” action? Goal Summary I simply want: Shortcuts → Pick Image → Send to My App → App receives the image and processes it. But currently my app cannot be selected in Shortcuts. Thanks in advance for any guidance!
Replies
3
Boosts
0
Views
399
Activity
Dec ’25
SetFocusFilterIntent app cannot be copied to another Mac
I have recently added a SetFocusFilterIntent target extension to my app which is a system utility which goes into the menu bar(Application is agent = YES). I have followed the approach in the WWDC22 video introducing Focus Intent and I have created an App Groups to being able to make the Extension to communicate with my main app, however from when I did this sometimes when I run the app I do get this log line: Couldn't read values in CFPrefsPlistSource<0x97cd34700> (Domain: group.xxx.xxx.MyApp, User: kCFPreferencesAnyUser, ByHost: Yes, Container: (null), Contents Need Refresh: Yes): Using kCFPreferencesAnyUser with a container is only allowed for System Containers, detaching from cfprefsd Despite this the Focus mode integration is working correctly on my development Mac. However I used to Archive the app and then Copy the app to my MacBook but when I do that now my other Mac cannot open the app and it is giving me an error. If I revert this change then I can bring the app back to my other Mac as usual following the procedure: Product -> Archive. Then from the archiver: Distribute App -> Copy App. After that I copy the app generated to the App folder of my other MacBook but it doesn't open anymore. During the archival phase now I am even getting this warning: MyAppFocus.appex is an ExtensionKit extension and must be embedded in the parent app bundle's Extensions directory, but is embedded in the parent app bundle's ../../../BuildProductsPath/Release/MyApp.app/Contents/Extensions directory. How can I solve this issue? If I rollback the commit related to this SetFocusFilterIntent new feature the app can be Copied and moved to the other Mac as before. Is this related to the extension or to the fact that I had to use this new entitlement: com.apple.security.application-groups ?
Replies
0
Boosts
1
Views
263
Activity
Dec ’25
Trimming down Standard SDEF
I've heard that when a Mac app implements their version of the Standard AppleEvent suite, the developer can copy "CocoaStandard.sdef" and trim out whatever they don't need. What are the constraints on this trimming? I guess that we could remove commands wholesale, but can we remove sub-parts of a command? Can we change an enumeration? A record type?
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
305
Activity
Dec ’25
How to properly localize AppIntent dialogs for Siri?
Hi! I have defined the following app intent. It returns a result with a dialog to confirm that the intent has been executed. Naturally, that dialog needs to be localized properly. But the String interpolation with the provided format doesn't do that. I specified wide for the width parameter and expect spelled-out unit names. However, in the textual output, Siri always uses the abbreviated unit (e.g. "min" or "s"), in all languages I tested. In the audio output, Siri says "minutes" in English where the textual representation is "min". In German, Siri says "min", so it basically reads the textual representation aloud and that's not quite understandable to the user. struct StartTimerIntent: AppIntent { static let title: LocalizedStringResource = "Start New Timer" static var description = IntentDescription("Starts a timer with a custom duration.") @Parameter(title: "Duration", description: "The duration of the timer.") var duration: Measurement<UnitDuration> func perform() async throws -> some IntentResult & ProvidesDialog { // [code to execute intent goes here] return .result( dialog: .init( full: "\(duration, format: .measurement(width: .wide, usage: .asProvided)) timer started.", systemImageName: "timer" ) ) } } As this SwiftUI-style formatter doesn't seem to work with localization, I tried a different approach with a MeasurementFormatter: extension Measurement where UnitType == UnitDuration { func localized() -> String { let formatter = MeasurementFormatter() formatter.locale = .autoupdatingCurrent formatter.unitOptions = .providedUnit formatter.unitStyle = .long return formatter.string(from: self) } } Usage with String interpolation: "\(duration.localized()) timer started." This works great as long as these two languages are set to the same language on the user's device: [UI language] Settings → General → Language & Region → Preferred Language [Siri langauge] Settings → Apple Intelligence & Siri → Language However, when they differ, even this method doesn't yield correct results. For example, I have my general (UI) language set to English, but my Siri language set to German. Then Siri replies in German, but the unit is formatted in English and Siri speaks it in English, so the result is a messed up sentence that's half German, half English. What is the proper way to localize parameters in dialogs for Siri? How can I make sure that parameters are localized to match Siri's language?
Replies
3
Boosts
0
Views
791
Activity
Feb ’26
Applescript run as a Quick Action errors out when run inside a Shortcut.
I have a Quick Action which flattens a PDF via Applescript. The code works extremely well--I right click in finder and the PDF is flattened, annotations are burned in, no other applications are opened, and the action completes in less than 2 seconds. Here is the Applescript code: I have a Shortcut which completes several operations on already-flattened PDFs. Presently 1) I run my Quick Action by right-clicking a PDF in Finder in order to flatten it, and 2) then right-click that save PDF in Finder to run my Shortcut on that now-flattened PDF. Ideally I'd like to add the Applescript code which flattens the PDF to the beginning of my Shortcut for the sake of convenience, and because sometimes I run my Shortcut having forgotten to flatten the PDF first. However I'm finding that the Applescript code, when placed into a Run Applescript action in Shortcuts, gives this error message: The exact same code when placed into a Run Applescript action in Automator and then run as a Quick Action by right-clicking the PDF in Finder, does not give an error and works perfectly. Does anybody have an explanation (and possible solution) for why this is the case?
Replies
2
Boosts
0
Views
777
Activity
Jan ’26
macOS Shortcuts App Needs an Export to PDF Feature
I am very new to the macOS Shortcuts application. In my opinion, the documentation is sparse and totally inadequate. The internet seems to be the only method of figuring out how to use this application. I have recently created a shortcut that is working well for me. It has several steps and is too large to fit in the Shortcuts editor window, so I cannot grab a screenshot of it for documenation purposes. I also cannot copy the contents of the editor window and paste them anywhere, such as in a new Note or TextEdit document. I do think Apple should add a means to create a PDF document of the Shortcuts editor window's contents. I went to the official Apple feedback page to leave comments but, irony of ironies, the Shortcuts app is not listed there! I have no idea what I am doing at this point but am excited to learn how to use Shortcuts to automate and simplify tasks that I have to perform frequently. Here's hoping the documentation and features for this application will one day be comprehensive, comprehensible, and complete.
Replies
2
Boosts
0
Views
272
Activity
Jan ’26
Siri spawns multiple processes that don't die
When asking Siri to run a shortcut, it will spawn two processes called BackgroundShortcutRunner that do not die when the shortcut is done running. If the Siri window is on screen when I speak to have the shortcut run it does not spawn those two processes. However if the Siri window is not on screen when I speak, the Siri window appears and spawns these two processes. The two processes do not terminate once the shortcut is done running. I now have over 200 these processes since rebooting three days ago to install 26.4. FB22015192
Replies
2
Boosts
1
Views
246
Activity
Feb ’26
Bug: Finder/AppleScript interaction
I have created a simple AppleScript that makes a folder named with today’s date. For many years, it has worked fine except: If I run the script (from a script app in the menu bar), then dump files into the folder, then change the colored “Tag” on the folder, I get a Finder error - An unexpected error occurred (error code -8076) - and I have to force-quit the Finder to complete the color tagging. If it change the tag before dumping the files, no error occurs. (Please hold the “Doctor, it hurts when I do this …” jokes.) This error has persisted through many macOS major iterations, including Tahoe 26.4.1. Prolly a Finder bug, but not sure. Here’s the source, for anyone interested. set dateStr to getDate() --display dialog dateStr tell application "Finder" activate try --set thisFolder to (the target of the front window) as alias set thisFolder to (the target of the front window) as string make new folder at thisFolder with properties {name:dateStr as string} on error errMsg display dialog "ERROR: " & errMsg end try end tell on getDate() set theDate to current date set theYear to year of theDate as string set theNewYear to third character of theYear & fourth character of theYear set theMonth to month of theDate as number as string if length of theMonth = 1 then set theMonth to "0" & theMonth as string end if set theDay to day of theDate as string if length of theDay = 1 then set theDay to "0" & theDay as string end if return theNewYear & " " & theMonth & " " & theDay as string end getDate
Replies
3
Boosts
0
Views
167
Activity
2w
iOS 18.4 - HomeKit actions from AppIntent fail when triggered from Widget
Hi all, Since updating to iOS 18.4, I'm experiencing a regression with AppIntents triggered from Widgets. In my app, I use AppIntents inside a WidgetKit extension to control HomeKit devices. This setup was working perfectly up to iOS 18.3. However, starting with iOS 18.4, when the AppIntent is triggered from the widget and the main app is not running, the action fails with this error: Error Domain=HMErrorDomain Code=80 "Missing entitlement for API." UserInfo={ NSLocalizedFailureReason=Handler does not support background access, NSLocalizedDescription=Missing entitlement for API. } Interestingly, the exact same AppIntent works fine if the app is still alive in the background — it seems like the failure only occurs when the intent is handled by the widget process. This looks like a behavior change or new restriction introduced in iOS 18.4. Has anyone experienced the same? Is there a new entitlement needed, or a recommended workaround? Thanks in advance!
Replies
3
Boosts
2
Views
518
Activity
Jun ’25
macOS 26: Automator 3rd party actions cannot be configured
After installing my notarized 3rd party app in a Tahoe VM, its embedded Automator actions can not be configured in Automator while defining a workflow: After adding the actions (enabling 3rd party extensions), their views / UI elements do not respond to any mouse event. When enabling „show this action when running“, the options can be changed during execution of the workflow. Needless to say: Adjusting these action settings in Automator was working for years, macOS 12 - 15 and before. Reported via Feedback Assistent (FB19015185). Can anybody confirm this issue with Automator actions?
Replies
4
Boosts
0
Views
393
Activity
Sep ’25
Debugging updateAppShortcutParameters not adding shortcuts to Shortcuts App
So I'm developing an ios application which should be showing shortcuts, but its not. I'm not sure how to debug why the functionality isnt working. Believe I'm correctly calling AppShortcutsProvider's updateAppShortcutParameters, but I dont see any errors in the console showing me a problem. And in fact, I made a simplified just swift version that works before I tried to integrate it into a more complex project. But now I'm at a loss as to what is going wrong or what debug tools I can use to figure it out. Any help would be appreciated. When building my project I see: 025-08-18 14:07:49.371 appintentsmetadataprocessor[57506:35387547] Starting appintentsmetadataprocessor export 2025-08-18 14:07:49.414 appintentsmetadataprocessor[57506:35387547] Writing Metadata.appintents 2025-08-18 14:07:49.414 appintentsmetadataprocessor[57506:35387547] Metadata root: /Users/jpetersen/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/Unity-iPhone-dtnhxevagfkzsjdavesziaqrwisr/Build/Products/ReleaseForRunning-iphoneos/UnityFramework.framework/Metadata.appintents AppIntentsSSUTraining (in target 'UnityFramework' from project 'Unity-iPhone') cd /Users/jpetersen/no_doc_repos/payments_ios_investigation/SpotlightSearch/client/Build /Applications/Xcode_16.1.app/Contents/Developer/Toolchains/XcodeDefault.xctoolchain/usr/bin/appintentsnltrainingprocessor --infoplist-path /Users/jpetersen/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/Unity-iPhone-dtnhxevagfkzsjdavesziaqrwisr/Build/Products/ReleaseForRunning-iphoneos/UnityFramework.framework/Info.plist --temp-dir-path /Users/jpetersen/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/Unity-iPhone-dtnhxevagfkzsjdavesziaqrwisr/Build/Intermediates.noindex/Unity-iPhone.build/ReleaseForRunning-iphoneos/UnityFramework.build/ssu --bundle-id com.unity3d.framework --product-path /Users/jpetersen/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/Unity-iPhone-dtnhxevagfkzsjdavesziaqrwisr/Build/Products/ReleaseForRunning-iphoneos/UnityFramework.framework --extracted-metadata-path /Users/jpetersen/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/Unity-iPhone-dtnhxevagfkzsjdavesziaqrwisr/Build/Products/ReleaseForRunning-iphoneos/UnityFramework.framework/Metadata.appintents --archive-ssu-assets 2025-08-18 14:07:49.436 appintentsnltrainingprocessor[57507:35387550] Parsing options for appintentsnltrainingprocessor 2025-08-18 14:07:49.437 appintentsnltrainingprocessor[57507:35387550] Starting AppIntents SSU YAML Generation 2025-08-18 14:07:49.444 appintentsnltrainingprocessor[57507:35387550] Training 'Start ${+applicationName}' for English 2025-08-18 14:07:49.444 appintentsnltrainingprocessor[57507:35387550] Training 'Play ${ShortcutEntity}|Play ${ShortcutEntity} on ${+applicationName}' for English 2025-08-18 14:07:49.444 appintentsnltrainingprocessor[57507:35387550] Training Negative Phrases '' for English 2025-08-18 14:07:49.444 appintentsnltrainingprocessor[57507:35387550] Application name 'UnityFramework' for English 2025-08-18 14:07:49.449 appintentsnltrainingprocessor[57507:35387550] Generated AppIntents SSU YAML files in file:///Users/jpetersen/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/Unity-iPhone-dtnhxevagfkzsjdavesziaqrwisr/Build/Intermediates.noindex/Unity-iPhone.build/ReleaseForRunning-iphoneos/UnityFramework.build/ssu/ 2025-08-18 14:07:49.449 appintentsnltrainingprocessor[57507:35387550] Copied AppIntents SSU YAML files to file:///Users/jpetersen/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/Unity-iPhone-dtnhxevagfkzsjdavesziaqrwisr/Build/Products/ReleaseForRunning-iphoneos/UnityFramework.framework/Metadata.appintents/ So I think it should be making the required app intent data :shrug:
Replies
4
Boosts
0
Views
378
Activity
Sep ’25
Apple Music ScriptingBridge Broken in macOS Tahoe 26
l’m trying to automate Apple Music on macOS Tahoe 26 using ScriptingBridge. Scripts that previously worked for controlling playback, fetching track info, or manipulating playlists no longer function. For example, code like this used to work: `import ScriptingBridge let music = SBApplication(bundleIdentifier: "com.apple.Music") as! MusicApplication print(music.currentTrack?.name ?? "No track playing")` But now it fails, returning nil for track info and failing to send playback commands. Questions: Has ScriptingBridge been deprecated or broken in Tahoe 26 for Apple Music? Any guidance or example code would be appreciated.
Replies
2
Boosts
2
Views
433
Activity
Oct ’25
Activating application from Terminal occasionally fails on macOS 26
On macOS Tahoe 26 activating GUI apps from command-line often fails. It launches the app but not brings to the foreground as expected. For example, running the following commands in Terminal is expected to launch Pages and bring it to the foreground. open /Applications/Pages.app or osascript -e `tell application "Pages" to activate` Moreover, they sometimes not return in Terminal. These commands worked as expected until macOS 15 but no more in macOS 26. The tricky part is that this failure doesn't happen 100% of the time; it occurs randomly. However, since multiple users of my app have reported the same symptoms, and I can reproduce it not only with my app but also with apps bundled to macOS, I don't believe this is an issue specific to my environment alone. I’ve already filed this issue: FB21087054 Open version: https://github.com/1024jp/AppleFeedback/issues/87 However, I’d like to know if any workaround exists or my understanding is wrong, especially for case with osascript.
Replies
3
Boosts
1
Views
616
Activity
Nov ’25
Customizing section titles in the Shortcuts app (Favorites / Recents style)
Hi everyone, I’m currently experimenting with App Intents and I’m trying to customize the section titles that appear at the top of groups of intents inside the Shortcuts app UI. For example, in the Phone shortcut, there are built-in sections such as “Call Favorite Contacts” and “Call Recent Contacts” (see screenshot attached). Apple’s own system apps such as Phone, Notes, and FaceTime seem to have fully custom section headers inside Shortcuts with icon. My question is: 👉 Is there an API available that allows third-party apps to define these titles (or sections) programmatically? I went through the AppIntents and Shortcuts documentation but couldn’t find anything. From what I can tell, this might be private / Apple-only behavior, but I’d be happy to know if anybody has found a supported solution or a recommended alternative. Has anyone dealt with this before? Thanks! Mickaël 🇫🇷
Replies
3
Boosts
0
Views
605
Activity
Dec ’25
'openAppWhenRun' property causing AppIntentsExtension to fail
I have added an "App Intents Extension" target to my main application in macOS. This generated the below two files: TWAppIntent.swift import AppIntents struct TWAppIntent: AppIntent { static var title: LocalizedStringResource = "TWAppIntentExtension" static var parameterSummary: some ParameterSummary { Summary("Get information on \(\.$TWType)") } //launch app on running action static var openAppWhenRun: Bool = true // we can have multiple parameter of diff types @Parameter(title: "TWType") var TWType: String func perform() async throws -> some IntentResult & ReturnsValue<String> & ProvidesDialog { return .result(value: TWType, dialog: "Logged break.") } } TWAppIntentExtension.swift import AppIntents @main struct TWAppIntentExtension: AppIntentsExtension { } I m able to build the extension target and I my intent action is available in the shortcuts app. However, on launching a shortcut with the above created intent action. I m getting the below popups: I have identified what is causing this error. Setting the openAppWhenRun to true is causing this error. I don't get this when it is set to false. This property is supposed to launch the application, but can someone help me understand why is it happening? This is only causing the error when using this property for AppIntent Extension and not for In app handling for the AppIntent. Can we not launch our application from AppIntent extension?
Replies
3
Boosts
3
Views
1k
Activity
Oct ’25
@IntentParameterDependency Always Returns nil in iOS 18
The following code works perfectly fine in iOS 17, where I can retrieve the desired dependency value through @IntentParameterDependency as expected. However, in iOS 18, addTransaction always returns nil. struct CategoryEntityQuery: EntityStringQuery { @Dependency private var persistentController: PersistentController @IntentParameterDependency<AddTransactionIntent>( \.$categoryType ) var addTransaction func entities(matching string: String) async throws -> [CategoryEnitity] { guard let addTransaction else { return [] } // ... } func entities(for identifiers: [CategoryEnitity.ID]) async throws -> [CategoryEnitity] { guard let addTransaction else { return [] } // ... } func suggestedEntities() async throws -> [CategoryEnitity] { guard let addTransaction else { return [] } // ... } } Has anyone else encountered the same issue? Any insights or potential workarounds would be greatly appreciated. iOS: 18.0 (22A3354) Xcode 16.0 (16A242d)
Replies
4
Boosts
3
Views
1.1k
Activity
Jan ’26
AppEntity / EntityQuery returns multiple results but Shortcuts only displays a single item on newest iOS 26.4
We are observing a regression in iOS 26.4 related to AppIntents, specifically AppEntity + EntityQuery. When using a single AppIntent with a parameter backed by AppEntity and EntityQuery, the query correctly returns multiple entities (e.g. ~50 items). However, in the Shortcuts app UI, only a single item is displayed. This behavior differs from iOS 26.3 and earlier, where all returned entities are correctly displayed in the selection list. This issue significantly impacts dynamic configuration use cases where AppEntity is used to represent server-driven or runtime-generated options.(The screenshots below illustrate the difference in shortcut presentation between iOS 26.4 and earlier versions.)
Replies
1
Boosts
2
Views
225
Activity
2w