macOS Automation Compared: Shortcuts vs Automator vs AppleScript vs Raycast
Why this comparison matters in 2026 macOS has multiple automation tools. Choosing the right one prevents wasted effort and helps you build workflows you’ll…
Practical guides, troubleshooting, and a growing library of workflows you can copy. Built for people who want fewer taps and more consistency.
Ready-to-copy workflows, organized by outcome.
Step-by-step tutorials that build skill, not hype.
Fixes for automations that don’t run (and why).
Reminders, Calendar, Notes, Files—made frictionless.
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What this site is (and isn’t).
Why this comparison matters in 2026 macOS has multiple automation tools. Choosing the right one prevents wasted effort and helps you build workflows you’ll…
Shortcuts are powerful—so permissions matter Shortcuts can access data from many apps, but only within the permissions you grant. Understanding what a shortcut can…
The problem: capture is easy, organizing is not Most people lose notes because they capture into five places: Notes, Reminders, messages to self, screenshots,…
Why Reminders + Calendar is the best “automation pair” Reminders is your task inbox, Calendar is your time budget. Shortcuts can connect the two…
Why Siri + Shortcuts is powerful (and why it sometimes fails) Siri can run any shortcut by name, which turns your best workflows into…
Symptoms An automation never runs. It runs sometimes, but not consistently. It runs, but a key action fails (no output, wrong app opens, etc.).…
What is a Shortcuts Automation? An Automation runs a shortcut when a trigger happens. Triggers include time, location, NFC tags, connecting to Bluetooth, opening…
Goal: build a useful shortcut in 10 minutes We’ll build a simple but powerful workflow: Capture anything → format it → save to a…