Shortcut Variables

Copy/paste helper for building Apple Shortcuts that send Flow commands consistently.

1) Recommended Shortcut Variables

Define these Text variables at the top of each Shortcut:

• FLOW_OWNER
  • iMessage target (your own number/email used by Flow allowlist).
• FLOW_CHANNEL
  • One of: text, calendar, reminder, note.
• FLOW_COMMAND
  • Exact command from a card's Flow Command block.
• FLOW_LABEL
  • Human-readable label for this automation run.
• FLOW_FREQUENCY
  • For documentation inside note/log output.

Optional:

• FLOW_WORKSPACE_ALIAS
  • Example: @api, @web-app, @docs
• FLOW_CONTEXT
  • Extra context line injected in note-based prompts.

2) Normalized Payload Template

Use this for text-based execution:

{{FLOW_COMMAND}}

Use this for note-based execution where you want metadata in the body:

# {{FLOW_LABEL}} !!agent

{{FLOW_COMMAND}}

Context:
- Frequency: {{FLOW_FREQUENCY}}
- Workspace: {{FLOW_WORKSPACE_ALIAS}}
- Note: {{FLOW_CONTEXT}}

3) Channel Wrappers

A) iMessage (text channel)

Actions:

1. Text -> value: {{FLOW_COMMAND}}
2. Send Message -> recipient: {{FLOW_OWNER}}

Best for:

• Immediate prompts and control commands (health, status, usage, system: mute).

B) Calendar trigger (calendar channel)

Use when recurring schedule should drive execution.

Event Title Template:

!!agent {{FLOW_COMMAND}}

Optional Event Notes Template:

Automation: {{FLOW_LABEL}}
Frequency: {{FLOW_FREQUENCY}}

Best for:

• Recurring plan: prompts with structured emoji output.

C) Reminders trigger (reminder channel)

Reminder Title Template:

!!agent {{FLOW_COMMAND}}

Reminder Notes Template (optional):

Automation: {{FLOW_LABEL}}

Best for:

• Due-date driven prompts and lightweight checks.

D) Notes trigger (note channel)

Note Title Template:

{{FLOW_LABEL}} !!agent

Note Body Template:

{{FLOW_COMMAND}}

Additional context:
{{FLOW_CONTEXT}}

Best for:

• Long-form prompts and richer context payloads.

4) Prefix Guardrails

Use this decision tree when composing FLOW_COMMAND:

• Use idea: for ideation/exploration only.
• Use plan: by default for upkeep automations.
• Use task: only when you intentionally want mutation + approval.
• Use project: for multi-step mutation workflows with approval.
• Use plain command for built-ins (health, status, usage today, system: mute).

5) Required Fallback Clause

For all non-built-in prompts, append this line in command text if missing:

If data unavailable, report `No signal` and list what was missing.

6) Output Contract Snippet (for recurring prompts)

Copy/paste this block into recurring prompt commands:

Output sections:
🏷️ Section 1
🏷️ Section 2
🏷️ Section 3
➡️ First Action
Max length: 4-8 bullets.

7) Workspace Routing Snippet

When routing to a specific workspace alias:

task: {{FLOW_WORKSPACE_ALIAS}} <instruction>

Examples:

task: @api implement the top safe refactor candidate from today's triage

plan: @web-app propose dependency drift mitigation steps for this week

8) Example Shortcut Configurations

Example 1: Morning Repo Snapshot (recurring)

• FLOW_LABEL: Morning Health Snapshot
• FLOW_CHANNEL: calendar
• FLOW_COMMAND:

plan: Produce an engineering morning snapshot for this repo.
Output sections:
🏥 Health
📊 Usage Today
⏳ Pending Approvals
🚨 Immediate Risks
➡️ First Action
Max length: 9 bullets.
If data unavailable, report `No signal` and list what was missing.

Event title in Calendar:

!!agent {{FLOW_COMMAND}}

Example 2: Inbox Triage (daily)

• FLOW_LABEL: Inbox Triage Sweep
• FLOW_CHANNEL: calendar
• FLOW_COMMAND:

plan: Triage agent-office inbox entries into Keep, Do, Delegate, Archive candidates.
Output sections:
📥 Keep
⚙️ Do
🤝 Delegate
🗄️ Archive Candidates
➡️ First Action
Max length: 9 bullets.
If data unavailable, report `No signal` and list what was missing.

Example 3: Focus Mute/Unmute Pair

Mute command:

system: mute

Unmute command:

system: unmute

Schedule these as two separate recurring Calendar events with !!agent prefix.

9) Sanity Checklist Before Enabling

• FLOW_COMMAND is copied exactly from card.
• !!agent exists for Calendar/Reminder/Note channels.
• Prefix choice matches intent (plan default for upkeep).
• Recurring prompt includes emoji output sections + max length.
• Fallback clause present.
• Avoid overlapping schedules that spam iMessage.