Apple Shortcuts handles automation that needs to cross devices (Mac ↔ iPhone ↔ iPad) or integrate with Siri and the share sheet. iCloud-synced so shortcuts built on iPhone are available on Mac and vice versa.
When to Use Shortcuts
Use Shortcuts (over KM or BTT) when:
- The automation needs to run on iPhone or iPad
- It needs a Siri voice trigger
- It appears in the share sheet (e.g., process selected text/files from any app)
- It involves Apple-specific services (Health, HomeKit, Focus modes, Messages)
Running Shortcuts from Other Tools
From terminal:
shortcuts run "Shortcut Name"
From Keyboard Maestro:
Use the “Execute Shell Script” action with the shortcuts run command.
From Hammerspoon:
hs.task.new("/usr/bin/shortcuts", nil, {"run", "Shortcut Name"}):start()