Apple Shortcuts
Open, search, capture, and read Octarine notes with Shortcuts and Siri
Octarine provides actions for Apple's Shortcuts app on iOS 16 and later. Use them on their own, combine them with actions from other apps, or run them with Siri.
Open Octarine at least once and select the workspace you want to use before running an action. Shortcuts always act on the current workspace.
Add an Octarine action
- Open Apple's Shortcuts app.
- Create a shortcut and tap Add Action.
- Search for Octarine, then choose an action.
- Fill in any required note path, search query, or content.
Octarine's ready-made App Shortcuts also appear in the app's section of Shortcuts and can be run with Siri using their displayed phrases.
Available actions
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Open Note | Opens a note from its workspace-relative path, such as Projects/Launch Plan. The .md extension is optional. |
| Today's Note | Opens today's Daily note, creating it when needed. |
| This Week's Note | Opens this week's note. |
| Search Notes | Opens workspace search with the supplied query. |
| Open Inbox | Opens the Inbox. |
| New Note | Creates and opens a note in the default folder configured under Settings → Files. |
| Quick Capture | Opens the Quick Capture sheet. |
| Capture to Inbox | Saves supplied text directly to the Inbox. It can accept text from the preceding shortcut action. |
| Capture to Daily Note | Appends supplied text to today's Daily note. It can accept text from the preceding shortcut action. |
| Get Daily Note | Returns today's Daily note body as text for the next shortcut action without opening Octarine. Frontmatter is omitted. |
The actions that open, search, create, or capture launch Octarine to complete the request. Get Daily Note runs without opening the app; it reports an error if today's note does not exist yet.
Example: capture dictated text
Create a shortcut with these actions:
- Dictate Text
- Capture to Inbox, using the dictated text as Content
You can then add the shortcut to the Home Screen, Action Button, Control Center, or another automation supported by iOS.
Example: use today's note in another app
Add Get Daily Note, then pass its result to an action such as Copy to Clipboard, Send Message, or Append to Note. The result is the Markdown body of today's note.
For URL-based automation and x-callback-url support, see the Octarine URI Scheme.
Quick Answers
Does Octarine work with Apple Shortcuts and Siri?
Yes. On iOS 16 and later, Octarine actions can be used in the Shortcuts app or run with Siri.
Which workspace do Shortcuts use?
They use the workspace currently selected in Octarine. Open the app and switch workspaces before running a shortcut if needed.
Can a shortcut add text without opening an editor?
Yes. Capture to Inbox saves text to Inbox, while Capture to Daily Note appends it to today's Daily note.
Can Shortcuts read today's note?
Yes. Get Daily Note returns its Markdown body without frontmatter and without opening Octarine.