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You can use Apple Shortcuts together with Craft to create workflows that enhance your productivity. Build custom automation that works across your Apple devices – iPhone, iPad, and macOS.
Apple Shortcuts is available on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. This integration is exclusive to Apple platforms.

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What Are Shortcuts?

Shortcuts is a powerful app from Apple that lets you create automated workflows. You can combine actions from different apps to create custom automation tailored to your needs. In Craft, you can use Shortcuts to:
  • Create new documents automatically
  • Add content to existing documents
  • Open specific documents or spaces
  • Build complex workflows that integrate Craft with other apps

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Available Craft Actions

Craft makes the following actions available in the Shortcuts app:
  • Add to Doc – Append or prepend content to an existing document
  • Create Craft Doc – Create a new document with title and content you provide
  • Open Craft – Open the Craft app
  • Open Document – Open a specific document
  • Open Space – Open a specific space
These actions are your building blocks. They can be used on their own to create basic shortcuts, or you can string them together with actions from other apps to create more complex workflows.

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Simple Shortcut Examples

In their simplest form, shortcuts can do things like:
  • Create a new document (with title and content you provide)
  • Add content (append or prepend) to an existing document
  • Open a specific document

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Getting Started

1
Open the Shortcuts app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac
2
Create a new shortcut by tapping the + button
3
Search for “Craft” in the actions list to see all available Craft actions
4
Add the actions you want to your shortcut and configure them
5
Test your shortcut and save it with a descriptive name
Shortcuts is a very powerful app. If you need help getting started, Apple’s documentation is a good starting point.

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Use Case Examples

Here are some ideas for what you can build with Craft Shortcuts:

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Quick Capture

Create a shortcut that prompts you for text and adds it to a specific document in Craft. Perfect for capturing ideas on the go.

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Daily Journal

Automate creating a new journal entry in your Daily Note with a pre-formatted template.

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Meeting Notes

Create a shortcut that generates a new meeting note document with attendees, agenda, and action items sections.

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Reading List

When you find an interesting article, use a shortcut to add the link and a note to your reading list document in Craft.

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Project Updates

Append status updates to a project document with timestamp and location automatically.

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Advanced Workflows

You can combine Craft actions with other apps to create powerful workflows:
  • Photo journaling: Take a photo and automatically create a new Craft document with the image and a timestamp
  • Voice notes: Use dictation to create voice notes that automatically save to Craft
  • Location-based notes: Automatically log your location to a travel journal document
  • Web clipping: Combine with Safari actions to clip and save web content
  • Task automation: Create tasks in Craft based on calendar events or reminders

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Back Tap Integration (iOS 14+)

One powerful way to trigger your Craft shortcuts is through Back Tap – an iOS accessibility feature that lets you run shortcuts by tapping the back of your iPhone. This is perfect for quick actions like opening your most-used space or jumping to a specific document with just a double or triple tap.

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Setting Up Back Tap with Craft

1
First, create a shortcut in the Shortcuts app (for example, “Open Craft” with your preferred space or document).
2
Open Settings on your iPhone.
3
Navigate to Accessibility → Touch → Back Tap.
4
Choose Double Tap or Triple Tap.
5
Scroll down to the Shortcuts section and select your Craft shortcut.
Now you can launch Craft and open your chosen space or document from anywhere on your phone with a simple tap on the back of your device.
  • Quick capture: Open Craft with a specific capture document ready
  • Daily journaling: Jump straight to today’s daily note
  • Project access: Open your current project workspace instantly
  • Task inbox: Go directly to your task inbox for quick task entry

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Tips and Tricks

  • Use variables: Pass information between actions to create dynamic content
  • Test incrementally: Build your shortcut step by step and test as you go
  • Name clearly: Give your shortcuts descriptive names so you can find them easily
  • Add to home screen: Pin frequently used shortcuts to your home screen for quick access
  • Use Siri: Run your shortcuts with voice commands for hands-free operation
  • Back Tap shortcuts: Create dedicated shortcuts optimized for quick, gesture-based access

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Additional Resources

Widgets

API