Apple Shortcut Text Automation with OpenAI GPT

Overview

This workflow lets you trigger AI-powered text transformations directly from any app on your Apple devices using an Apple Shortcut. You select text, run the shortcut, and the workflow returns the processed version – whether that's translating, correcting grammar, shortening, or expanding the content. It's a bridge between your everyday writing and the power of OpenAI's language models, removing the need to copy-paste or switch apps.

How It Works – Step by Step

The workflow consists of a Webhook trigger, a Switch router, five OpenAI nodes (one per transformation type), and a Respond to Webhook node. Here's the full list:

• Webhook from Shortcut (No auth) – Listens for POST requests from your Apple Shortcut on a unique endpoint. Receives JSON with body.type (e.g., "spanish", "english", "grammar", "shorter", "longer") and body.content (the selected text). Responds using the dedicated response node.
• Switch (No auth) – Routes incoming requests based on the value of $json.body.type. Each possible value connects to the corresponding OpenAI node.
• OpenAI - To Spanish (API Key auth) – Sends the text to GPT-4o-mini with a system prompt: "Translate this message to Spanish. Output a JSON with a single field: output".
• OpenAI - To English (API Key auth) – Same pattern, but translates to English.
• OpenAI - Correct Grammar (API Key auth) – System prompt: "Correct grammar only, don't change the actual contents. Output a JSON with a single field: output".
• OpenAI - Make Shorter (API Key auth) – System prompt: "Summarize this content a little bit (5% shorter). Output a JSON with a single field: output".
• OpenAI - Make Longer (API Key auth) – System prompt: "Make this content a little longer (5% longer). Output a JSON with a single field: output".
• Respond to Shortcut (No auth) – Takes the message.content.output from the OpenAI node and replaces newlines with <br/> before sending the final text back to the Apple Shortcut.

Setup Instructions

1. Create an OpenAI account and generate an API key. In n8n, add a credential of type OpenAI and paste your key.
2. Activate the workflow in n8n. Copy the Webhook URL (the one shown in the Webhook node, usually made of your n8n instance URL + /webhook/shortcut-global-as).
3. Install the Apple Shortcut by downloading the template from this link. Open it in the Shortcuts app.
4. Edit the shortcut – in step 2, replace the existing URL with the Webhook URL from step 2.
5. Assign a keyboard shortcut (e.g., Ctrl+Shift+T) in Shortcut details to trigger it from anywhere.
6. Enable "Allow Running Scripts" in Settings > Shortcuts > Advanced.
7. Once done, select any text in any app, run your keyboard shortcut, and the transformed text will replace the original.

Use Cases & Adaptations

This template is a starting point for a whole class of text automations. You can:

• Add a new transformation type (e.g., "summarize", "rewrite as bullet points") by duplicating an OpenAI node, updating its system prompt, and adding a new rule to the Switch.
• Change the OpenAI model to gpt-4 for higher quality (or gpt-3.5-turbo for lower cost).
• Replace the Webhook trigger with a different input (e.g., a Slack slash command or an email) to process text from other sources.
• Adapt the response formatting – if your target app uses Markdown, use replaceAll('\n', '\n\n') or similar.
• Add authentication to the Webhook (e.g., Header Auth) if you want to secure it from unwanted calls.

The Apple Shortcut can also be modified to send additional fields, such as language pairs or custom prompts, giving you limitless flexibility.

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        "content": "## Workflow: Text automations using Apple Shortcuts\n\n**Overview**\n- This workflow answers user requests sent via Apple Shortcuts\n- Several Shortcuts call the same webhook, with a query and a type of query\n- Types of query are:\n - translate to english\n - translate to spanish\n - correct grammar (without changing the actual content)\n - make content shorter\n - make content longer\n\n\n**How it works**\n- Select a text you are writing\n- Launch the shortcut\n- The text is sent to the webhook\n- Depending on the type of request, a different prompt is used\n- Each request is sent to an OpenAI node\n- The workflow responds to the request with the response from GPT\n- Shortcut replace the selected text with the new one\n\n**How to use it**\n- Activate the workflow\n- Download [this Shortcut template](https://drive.usercontent.google.com/u/0/uc?id=16zs5iJX7KeX_4e0SoV49_KfbU7-EF0NE&export=download)\n- Install the shortcut\n- In step 2 of the shortcut, change the url of the Webhook\n- In Shortcut details, \"add Keyboard Shortcut\" with the key you want to use to launch the shortcut\n- Go to settings, advanced, check \"Allow running scripts\"\n- You are ready to use the shortcut. Select a text and hit the keyboard shortcut you just defined\n\n\n**Notes**\n- If you use rich formatting, you'll have to test multiple ways to replace characters in the output. For example, you might use `{{ $json.message.content.output.replaceAll('\\n', \"<br/>\") }}` in the \"Respond to Shortcut\" node depending on the app you use most.\n- This is a basic example that you can extend and modify at your will\n- You can duplicate and modify the example shortcut based on your need, as well as making new automations in this workflow."
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// ... truncated (copy to see full JSON)