I’ve been experimenting with using Shortcuts as the “hands” for ChatGPT on iOS
I wanted to share a workflow idea because I think it might interest people here who like pushing Shortcuts beyond normal app automation.
I’ve built a small local loop using iOS Shortcuts + Pythonista:
ChatGPT writes a plain-text instruction bundle → I copy it → a Shortcut runs a Pythonista script → the script creates/edits/runs Python code locally → the result packet is copied back → I paste it into ChatGPT.
So instead of ChatGPT just telling me what code to write, it gives me a structured patch. My iPhone applies it locally, runs it, and sends the real result back.
A tiny example:
I asked ChatGPT to make a simple Pythonista app that counts taps.
It gave me a bundle.
I copied it, ran my Shortcut, and the app file was created.
Then I asked ChatGPT to change the app so the background colour changed on each tap.
It gave me a patch.
I copied that, ran the Shortcut again, and the local app was edited.
The interesting part to me is that this pattern is not limited to Python. The same system can also trigger named Shortcuts, so the chatbot can effectively help orchestrate local iOS automation while the phone remains the place where everything actually runs.
The loop is basically:
- Chat writes the instruction.
- Clipboard carries it.
- Shortcut/Pythonista executes it.
- Clipboard returns the result.
- Chat continues from the real output.
It feels like a lightweight way to give an AI assistant local “actions” on iOS without needing a server or cloud backend.
This is still very much a tinkerer’s project, but I’m curious: has anyone here experimented with this kind of clipboard-driven AI/Shortcut workflow?
Would this be useful to anyone building personal automation tools on iPhone/iPad?