Apple Shortcuts · mindstone — Claude Code MCP server: run your shortcuts
Lets the agent reach the Shortcuts app on a Mac: list what you have, open one in the editor, run it with text input. macOS only.
claude mcp add --env APPLE_SHORTCUTS_TIMEOUT_MS=<APPLE_SHORTCUTS_TIMEOUT_MS> --transport stdio apple-shortcuts -- npx -y @mindstone/mcp-server-apple-shortcutsWhat Apple Shortcuts does
This server sits on top of the macOS shortcuts command-line tool and hands the agent three tools. apple_shortcuts_list returns your shortcuts, narrowed to a folder if you want, or to the ones outside any folder. apple_shortcuts_run fires a shortcut by name and can pass text into it. apple_shortcuts_view opens a shortcut in the Shortcuts editor so you can look at its steps before letting it run.
You need a Mac with the Shortcuts app and Node.js 18+. No credentials. One optional variable, APPLE_SHORTCUTS_TIMEOUT_MS, defaults to 120000 — two minutes per CLI call. A shortcut that pops a dialog or waits for a click has nobody to answer from the terminal, so it gets cut off at that timeout.
Anything a shortcut does, it does with your logged-in user's permissions. It can message someone, remove a file, buy something, touch a device or hit a remote API. That is why apple_shortcuts_run carries the destructive hint and the host asks you to approve each call. Shortcut names and their output come back wrapped in <untrusted-content> envelopes, so the model reads them as data rather than instructions. Outside macOS there is no shortcuts CLI, and the server has nothing to talk to.
What it helps with
- run a shortcut straight from the agent chat
- see which shortcuts exist and how they are grouped into folders
- inspect a shortcut in the editor before running it
- feed text into a shortcut that expects input
- raise the timeout for a shortcut that takes a while
Example prompts for the agent
- List my shortcuts in the Work folder
- Run the shortcut named Send Report and pass it this text: done
- Open the Build Invoice shortcut in the editor, I want to see what it does
How to install Apple Shortcuts
Platform CLI
claude mcp add --env APPLE_SHORTCUTS_TIMEOUT_MS=<APPLE_SHORTCUTS_TIMEOUT_MS> --transport stdio apple-shortcuts -- npx -y @mindstone/mcp-server-apple-shortcutsReplace <…> with your own values
Platform CLI
codex mcp add apple-shortcuts --env APPLE_SHORTCUTS_TIMEOUT_MS=<APPLE_SHORTCUTS_TIMEOUT_MS> -- npx -y @mindstone/mcp-server-apple-shortcutsReplace <…> with your own values
Config file
{
"mcpServers": {
"apple-shortcuts": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@mindstone/mcp-server-apple-shortcuts"
],
"env": {
"APPLE_SHORTCUTS_TIMEOUT_MS": "<APPLE_SHORTCUTS_TIMEOUT_MS>"
}
}
}
}Replace <…> with your own values
Config file
{
"servers": {
"apple-shortcuts": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@mindstone/mcp-server-apple-shortcuts"
],
"env": {
"APPLE_SHORTCUTS_TIMEOUT_MS": "<APPLE_SHORTCUTS_TIMEOUT_MS>"
}
}
}
}Replace <…> with your own values
Platform CLI
gemini mcp add -e APPLE_SHORTCUTS_TIMEOUT_MS=<APPLE_SHORTCUTS_TIMEOUT_MS> apple-shortcuts npx -y @mindstone/mcp-server-apple-shortcutsReplace <…> with your own values
Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to add an MCP server to Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Gemini CLI and more
Questions about Apple Shortcuts
How do I install Apple Shortcuts in Claude Code?
Run claude mcp add mcp-server-apple-shortcuts -- npx -y @mindstone/mcp-server-apple-shortcuts. To set your own timeout, use the second form: `claude mcp add --env APPLE_SHORTCUTS_TIMEOUT_MS=<APPLE_SHORTCUTS_TIMEOUT_MS> --transport stdio apple-shortcuts -- npx -y @mindstone/mcp-server-apple-shortcuts`.
What does Apple Shortcuts do?
It connects the agent to the Shortcuts app on macOS through the shortcuts CLI. The agent can list shortcuts, open one in the editor, and run it with text input.
What do I need to run it?
macOS with the Shortcuts app and Node.js 18+. No keys or credentials; the only setting is the optional APPLE_SHORTCUTS_TIMEOUT_MS variable.
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