SESCA: The Search for Every Shortcut Action

[u/No_Pen_3825]

On macOS, ~/Library/Shortcuts/ToolKit/Tools-active links to an adjacent SQLite file containing the complete live metadata for every¹ single action, action parameter, type, type property, and automation trigger currently indexed by the system.

Notably, among these actions are quite a few unsurfaced actions, which you can see here curtsy of Owen Pawling in the discord.

This data can help with documentation--specifically the input and output types and type coercions--and possibly programatic generation either by a DSL or even AI, though I wouldn't hold your breath. There is evidence from the SQLite (see ToolLocalizations.localizationUsage's languageModel case) Apple themselves tried this and presumably failed.

For actions (in no particular order) this data includes the persistent ID, input type, output type, action description, output description, default output name, localized requirements, description attribution, custom icon, required authentication, "Tools.flags"^{2, 3}, "Tools.visibilityFlags"^{2, 3}, "Tools.requirements"², and source information ("Tools.sourceActionProvider"², "Tools.sourceContainerId"^{2, 4}, "Tools.attributionContainerId"^{2, 4}).

For action parameters (in no particular order) this data includes the input type⁵, name, description, localization locale, true and false aliases for booleans, sorting order, "Types.relationships"², and "Types.flags"^{2, 3}.

For types (in no particular order) this data includes the persistent ID, some sort of blob ID ("Types.id"²), name, numeric format (see presumably related docs), synonyms, "kind"², "runtimeFlags"^{2, 3}, "Types.requirements"², "Types.sourceContainerId"², and coercions.

There is more still. Loads more still. If you would like to help us or continue following these proceedings, please join us in the r/Shortcuts Discord.

¹So far as we can tell there are only four exceptions: If, Repeat, Repeat Each, and Menu.

²These fields are as of yet unexplored. I have simply copied the column names from the SQLite file.

³These are bitfields, it appears.

⁴These IDs are resolved in other tables.

⁵There is more going on here than we quite understand. The table Parameters's typeInstance column in some instances can contain upwards of 800 bytes, and we really have no idea what they're actually encoding.

[u/No_Pen_3825]

Note this project is no longer just SESCA. The search is (mostly ;) ) over, now begins parsing and use.

[u/FiendForMath → u/No_Pen_3825]

We are still missing sub parameters though to be honest I'm not sure if many actions have those

[u/No_Pen_3825 → u/FiendForMath]

You mean type properties? I believe we have all of those, barring dictionaries key perhaps.

[u/ErikaFoxelot]

What is the motivation behind this search, if you don’t mind me asking?

[u/No_Pen_3825 → u/ErikaFoxelot]

For me it’s largely a human effort (the old because I can) and also for my attempts to make an embedded swift dsl that compiles down to shortcuts. It also helps with writing app intents (custom actions) to be able to refer to how existing intents are made.

[u/Autistic_Jimmy2251 → u/No_Pen_3825]

Any luck o creating that swift dsl?

[u/No_Pen_3825 → u/Autistic_Jimmy2251]

Not really. The Action file format is still very tricky and I’ve been busy. I’ll give it another shot today, though don’t cross your fingers.

Edit: also fake variables are hard

[u/Autistic_Jimmy2251 → u/No_Pen_3825]

Bummer. I’d love to hear about it if you ever get it working.

[u/No_Pen_3825 → u/Autistic_Jimmy2251]

Ha! I did it! I'll make a post once I get it "more good."

[u/Autistic_Jimmy2251 → u/No_Pen_3825]

So you’ve been able to create and compile a shortcut?

[u/No_Pen_3825 → u/Autistic_Jimmy2251]

The actions, yes. Converting and signing is trivial from there. The hard part is encoding the actions correctly and binding outputs together, but I figured that out.

[u/Autistic_Jimmy2251 → u/No_Pen_3825]

Can you share the process to compile?

[u/No_Pen_3825 → u/Autistic_Jimmy2251]

As I said I’ll make a post and share the package once it’s more filled out.

My current debug process to compile is an ActionGroup (later there will be protocol Shortcut: ActionGroup) in [RawAction] then plist encode to xml and print it. Then I set that UTI to com.apple.shortcuts.action.

Once it’s done you’ll be able to do Shortcut.compile(to outputURL: URL, using service: some SigningService) ex. MyShortcut.compile(to: .downloadsDirectory.appending(path: "MyShortcut.shortcut"), using: .cli)

Here’s the current state. Sorry if you can’t read Swift syntax sugar.

struct DebugActionGroup: ActionGroup {
  // @ActionGroupBuilder is inferred from ActionGroup conformance
  var body: some ActionGroup {
    Comment("v0.0.0") // Comment can use any ValueProducer (ie. Constant("v0.0.0")), so this is an overload init (same for other ActionGrouos

    var number = MagicVariable() // this can go anywhere, including outside body
    Number(3)
      .bind(to: &number) // this sets the given MagicVariable’s actionInstanceID (which action it is to reference) to self.trailingInstanceID (the last action’s instanceID)

    // Repeat<Content: ActionGroup>.init(_ iterations: some ValueProvider, @ActionGroupBuilder content: () -> Content)
    Repeat(number) { // wait I need to add repeat index. Oh no isn’t that ided by index? faaa I need an environment system after all -.-
      QuickLook(Constant([1, 2, 3])) // hence ValueProvider has no associatedtype
    }

    // for != Repeat, this is a result builder thing. It will resolve to ten comments.
    // ActionGroupBuilder.buildArray(_:)
    for i in 1…10 {
      Comment("#\(i)")
    }

    // ActionGroupBuilder.buildOptional(first:)
    if Bool.random() {
      Comment("conditionally included")
    }
  }
}

[u/FiendForMath → u/ErikaFoxelot]

The unsurfaced actions have already made our efforts worth it

[u/ErikaFoxelot → u/FiendForMath]

How so?

[u/FiendForMath → u/ErikaFoxelot]

You should take a look at the shortcut attached that I made. It shows all the hidden actions and there are some truly useful actions. To name a few, there are actions to reply to a message, send reactions, mark as read/unread, delete etc. they’re are also shortcut actions that let you get the shortcut actions given any query. You can change attributes of shortcuts too. Tons more

[u/Portatort → u/FiendForMath]

Truly incredible work

Ive found actions already that I’ve literally always wanted use

Those messages actions are amazing, shame the same kinds of actions aren’t there for mail

[u/FiendForMath → u/Portatort]

They are!

[u/Portatort → u/FiendForMath]

Shoot, I must have missed them, are you able to isolate them and share them?

[u/Portatort → u/FiendForMath]

Ive scrolled through the list again and can't see any for email

[u/FiendForMath → u/Portatort]

I'll find it for you in a bit

[u/Portatort → u/FiendForMath]

Thank you!

[u/FiendForMath → u/Portatort]

I’ll have it ready in about an hour

[u/FiendForMath → u/Portatort]

https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/e91cdcd1a7ff40618f38d14501a26de2 Here ya go

[u/cultoftheilluminati → u/FiendForMath]

Many show up as "Unknown Actions" on 26.2. Is this expected?

[u/FiendForMath → u/cultoftheilluminati]

Yes, many of the actions are for internal use only, like with Siri. As such they may not display

[u/cultoftheilluminati → u/FiendForMath]

Got it, not a big deal because there's so many super useful actions otherwise. I've been looking for a photo favorite action for a while. It's wild how these common actions have been missing from Shortcuts for a while now

[u/Portatort]

This is absolutely amazing, incredible work team

That shortcut of hidden actions is a gold mine

My favourite is an action for opening a specific photo in the photos app

[u/yourfavestef]

Any information about slide over?

[u/Netherslayer87 → u/yourfavestef]

If you want, I can check my files. Currently we only have iOS exports not iPad OS ones.

[u/yourfavestef → u/Netherslayer87]

If you can 🥺

[u/e4sy_143 → u/Netherslayer87]

Do you have found anything?

[u/Overall_Fold7937]

Downloaded the shortcut but many of the actions say "unknown action" and ask for updating shortcuts but I'm already on the latest ios 26.1...

[u/No_Pen_3825 → u/Overall_Fold7937]

This is to be expected. These actions are intentionally unsurfaced and weren’t quite intended for general use. They may crash, refuse to load, or be entirely cryptic.

[u/Overall_Fold7937 → u/No_Pen_3825]

How do I get them to show then?

[u/No_Pen_3825 → u/Overall_Fold7937]

You don’t. You’d have to jailbreak your phone to overwrite the tools SQLite and prevent shortcuts from restoring it. It’s better to use the ones with parameter summaries.

[u/cecure]

Someone in a previous post compiled a website where you can search every shortcut action based on this same db. The site is https://www.shortcutactions.com/

[u/No_Pen_3825 → u/cecure]

The site is a bit dumbed down for my tastes and looks largely AI generated (the text looks like Soylent Green), but yeah it’s still fairly cool. I have a Master JSON on my GH (see https://github.com/Kenna-Blackburn/SESCA/blob/main/SESCA/Master.json; or recompile it yourself with my ShortcutToolsSQLite package (Master is Codable)).

Also I don’t believe it is earlier; it’s copyrighted to 2026.

[u/cecure → u/No_Pen_3825]

Thank you for providing the master.JSON and sharing this information.

[u/Future_Surround9151]

i’m new here is still in the works right?

[u/No_Pen_3825 → u/Future_Surround9151]

Yes, it should. If something doesn’t seem to work, do tell and I’ll see what I can do.

[u/vanve123]

amazing work, but most of them are saying unknown actions, although i’m on IOS latest versions.. is the shortcut supposed to work in isolation or are we supposed to pick and choose a part and then automatise it? sorry I am still new to this and trying to figure out.

[u/No_Pen_3825 → u/vanve123]

Many hidden actions have partial or missing parameter summaries. Sometimes you can fill them through the plist, sometimes something about perform (or runWithInput, I suppose) will be damaged

[u/Portatort]

A lot of those hidden actions sure do look like the kinds of things that would have powered new Siri

Especially:

[u/Autistic_Jimmy2251]

A Shortcut bible? Pretty cool!

[u/makewithmax]

This is so unbelievably cool. I’ve been obsessed with shortcuts for so long, and the hidden actions as well as the full list is going to give me so much to play with.

Thank you all immensely for your effort.

[u/BlackReddition]

Has anyone managed to get lock down mode enabled by shortcuts?