Apple Shortcuts MCP Server

The Apple Shortcuts MCP server bridges the gap between Claude’s conversational AI and macOS automation, allowing developers to harness native Shortcuts directly from an AI workflow. By exposing a set of predefined shortcuts as callable tools, the server turns routine desktop tasks—such as managing shopping lists, summarizing chats, or scheduling events—into natural language commands that Claude can interpret and execute. This eliminates the need for manual scripting or third‑party integrations, streamlining productivity on macOS.

At its core, the server performs four key operations:

1. Ingredient extraction – Claude sends a YouTube recipe URL to the Gemini Video Understanding API, parses the video for ingredients, and passes that list to a Shortcut that adds each item to a “Groceries” list in the Reminders app.
2. Shopping list creation – The extracted ingredients are automatically appended to the user’s reminders, ensuring that groceries never slip through the cracks.
3. Conversation summarization – A separate Shortcut takes a chat transcript, condenses it into a concise summary, and creates a new note in the Notes app.
4. Calendar event creation – By supplying context, start and end times, Claude can trigger a Shortcut that adds an event to the user’s calendar.

These capabilities are valuable for developers building AI‑powered assistants that need to interact with the macOS ecosystem. Instead of writing custom code for each integration, developers can expose any existing Shortcut as a tool and let Claude orchestrate it through natural language. This approach also promotes modularity: new shortcuts can be added without altering the MCP server’s core logic, making it easy to extend functionality.

Typical use cases include a home‑automation assistant that adds cooking ingredients, a project manager that logs meeting notes and schedules follow‑ups, or a personal organizer that keeps reminders and calendar events in sync with conversational prompts. Because the server relies on standard macOS shortcuts, it works seamlessly across any Mac running Shortcuts and can be integrated into existing Claude Desktop setups with minimal configuration.

Unique advantages of this MCP server are its tight coupling to native macOS features, low overhead (just a lightweight Python script), and the ability to chain tools—Claude can first extract ingredients, then create a shopping list, and finally schedule a grocery‑pickup event—all in a single dialogue. This makes it an efficient bridge between AI intent and desktop automation, empowering developers to deliver richer, context‑aware experiences on macOS.