mcp -apple-shortcuts

This MCP server enables AI assistants to interact with Apple Shortcuts on macOS. You can list available shortcuts and trigger them by name, optionally passing input parameters to customize the shortcut’s behavior. The server exposes a simple interface for automation tasks, allowing Claude Desktop or other MCP-enabled AI clients to discover shortcuts and execute them safely through the MCP protocol. Typical workflows include listing shortcuts to present options to the user and then invoking a chosen shortcut with an input payload that the shortcut can consume. The integration is designed to be safe and under the user’s control, with the Shortcuts app acting as the execution environment on macOS.

To use it, configure the MCP server in your client (e.g., Claude Desktop) to point at the Apple Shortcuts server. You can start by listing available shortcuts, then invoke a specific shortcut by name, optionally supplying parameters that the shortcut expects (for example, input text, a URL, or a file reference). The server abstracts the underlying macOS Shortcuts API behind MCP, making it easier for AI models to integrate automation without directly exposing system-level commands.

Prerequisites:

• Node.js v18 or higher installed on macOS
• macOS with Shortcuts app configured
• Access to Claude Desktop or another MCP-compatible AI assistant

Installation steps:

1. Clone the repository:

git clone git@github.com:recursechat/mcp-server-apple-shortcuts.git

2. Install dependencies:

cd mcp-server-apple-shortcuts
npm install

3. Build the project (produces a build/index.js):

npm run build

4. Run locally (example using built index.js with npx in a Claude Desktop configuration):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apple-shortcuts": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["/path/to/mcp-server-apple-shortcuts/build/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Note: You can also continue to use the npm package directly in your config as shown in the initial setup.

Notes and tips:

• The MCP server name in configurations is typically the slug, e.g., apple-shortcuts.
• If you update the code, re-run npm run build and refresh any client configurations referencing the local path.
• Ensure proper permissions for the Shortcuts app and any automation that the server will trigger.
• When passing input to a shortcut, design shortcuts to accept a structured input (e.g., JSON) and parse it accordingly inside the shortcut.
• If you see issues starting the server, verify Node.js version, network access for npx, and that the build/index.js path is correct in your client config.