AppleScript

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AppleScript allows users to directly control scriptable Macintosh applications as well as parts of macOS itself.

Posts under AppleScript tag

29 Posts

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Trimming down Standard SDEF
I've heard that when a Mac app implements their version of the Standard AppleEvent suite, the developer can copy "CocoaStandard.sdef" and trim out whatever they don't need. What are the constraints on this trimming? I guess that we could remove commands wholesale, but can we remove sub-parts of a command? Can we change an enumeration? A record type?
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251
Dec ’25
Notarization wipes the "Icon?" file
In an AppleScript applet, compiling and exporting in Script Editor replaces a custom icon with the default. To retain a custom icon, it is necessary, after exporting, to use Finder's "Get info..." to copy the icon from another file and paste into the icon for the applet. The custom icon is stored in the "Icon?" file, located in the root of the applet bundle. The applet can then be signed and notarized. With macOS Tahoe, that procedure no longer works. That is because the notarization process now wipes the "Icon?" file. The file remains in place but has zero size. Thus Finder shows the default applet icon. Does anyone know of a way to provide a custom icon for a signed and notarized AppleScript applet ?
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1.2k
Jan ’26
Applescript run as a Quick Action errors out when run inside a Shortcut.
I have a Quick Action which flattens a PDF via Applescript. The code works extremely well--I right click in finder and the PDF is flattened, annotations are burned in, no other applications are opened, and the action completes in less than 2 seconds. Here is the Applescript code: I have a Shortcut which completes several operations on already-flattened PDFs. Presently 1) I run my Quick Action by right-clicking a PDF in Finder in order to flatten it, and 2) then right-click that save PDF in Finder to run my Shortcut on that now-flattened PDF. Ideally I'd like to add the Applescript code which flattens the PDF to the beginning of my Shortcut for the sake of convenience, and because sometimes I run my Shortcut having forgotten to flatten the PDF first. However I'm finding that the Applescript code, when placed into a Run Applescript action in Shortcuts, gives this error message: The exact same code when placed into a Run Applescript action in Automator and then run as a Quick Action by right-clicking the PDF in Finder, does not give an error and works perfectly. Does anybody have an explanation (and possible solution) for why this is the case?
2
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537
Jan ’26
"Show on all spaces" toggles OFF after programmatically setting wallpaper via AppleScript
I'm building an automated wallpaper updater that fetches images from an API and sets them as desktop wallpaper on macOS Tahoe. The automation uses AppleScript combined with database manipulation to ensure wallpaper applies to all spaces. Current implementation (via Apple Shortcuts): wallpaper_path="$1" osascript -e "tell application \"System Events\" to tell every desktop to set picture to POSIX file \"$wallpaper_path\"" sqlite3 ~/Library/Application\ Support/Dock/desktoppicture.db "UPDATE data SET space=NULL WHERE space IS NOT NULL;" 2>/dev/null killall -HUP Dock Issue First run: Works perfectly - sets wallpaper on all spaces/desktops, "Show on all spaces" is ON After first run: "Show on all spaces" automatically toggles OFF in System Settings Second run onwards: New wallpaper only updates on the active space, inactive spaces show old wallpaper Expected: "Show on all spaces" should remain ON after programmatic wallpaper changes Actual: System Settings automatically disables it, breaking subsequent updates Tested workarounds (all failed): UPDATE data SET space=NULL to clear per-space entries Using every desktop instead of current desktop in AppleScript killall Dock vs killall -HUP Dock vs killall -USR1 Dock Clearing space_id entries from pictures table Running DELETE FROM pictures WHERE space_id IS NOT NULL before setting The database manipulation doesn't prevent macOS from automatically creating per-space entries and disabling the "Show on all spaces" toggle. Question: Is there a way to programmatically set wallpaper while preserving the "Show on all spaces" setting on macOS Tahoe? Environment: macOS: Tahoe (latest) Architecture: Apple Silicon Use case: Daily automated wallpaper updates via Shortcuts
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339
Feb ’26
Why do random errOSAInternalTableOverflow errors return when running AppleScripts via ScriptingBridge?
We have an app that controls InDesign Desktop and InDesignServer via hundreds of AppleScripts. Some macOS security updates a while back dictated that we start communicating with other apps via ScriptingBridge. We couldn't afford to convert the hundreds of AppleScripts into direct ScriptingBridge nomenclature, so we opted to keep them as is and instead tell the external apps to: [app doScript:<the script text> language:InDesignScLgApplescriptLanguage withArguments:nil undoMode:InDesignESUMScriptRequest undoName:@"blah"] There are a handful of scripts that we did convert to direct ScriptingBridge. There are times (and under the right circumstances, it's repeatable) when a certain script will have run perfectly dozens of times, and then it will throw errOSAInternalTableOverflow. We create a new SBApplication for every job (which could be a single instance of Desktop or the multiple instances of Server). Why is this error happening seemingly randomly? Is there anything we can do to work around or prevent this?
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296
1d
Official One-Click Local LLM Deployment for 2019 Mac Pro (7,1) Dual W6900X
I am a professional user of the 2019 Mac Pro (7,1) with dual AMD Radeon Pro W6900X MPX modules (32GB VRAM each). This hardware is designed for high-performance compute, but it is currently crippled for modern local LLM/AI workloads under Linux due to Apple's EFI/PCIe routing restrictions. Core Issue: rocminfo reports "No HIP GPUs available" when attempting to use ROCm/amdgpu on Linux Apple's custom EFI firmware blocks full initialization of professional GPU compute assets The dual W6900X GPUs have 64GB combined VRAM and high-bandwidth Infinity Fabric Link, but cannot be fully utilized for local AI inference/training My Specific Request: Apple should provide an official, one-click deployable application that enables full utilization of dual W6900X GPUs for local large language model (LLM) inference and training under Linux. This application must: Fully initialize both W6900X GPUs via HIP/ROCm, establishing valid compute contexts Bypass artificial EFI/PCIe routing restrictions that block access to professional GPU resources Provide a stable, user-friendly one-click deployment experience (similar to NVIDIA's AI Enterprise or AMD's ROCm Hub) Why This Matters: The 2019 Mac Pro is Apple's flagship professional workstation, marketed for compute-intensive workloads. Its high-cost W6900X GPUs should not be locked down for modern AI/LLM use cases. An official one-click deployment solution would demonstrate Apple's commitment to professional AI and unlock significant value for professional users. I look forward to Apple's response and a clear roadmap for enabling this critical capability. #MacPro #Linux #ROCm #LocalLLM #W6900X #CoreML
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122
1w
Automating closing of iCloud Tab?
I would like to script my Mac to close a specific iCloud Tab of my choice that is open on my iPhone. This is for Accessibility reasons. Ideally, I’d prefer to do this without using GUI scripting. AppleScript methods only seem to see tabs in Windows Extensions also do not seem to have visibility of the other types of tabs I've tried many options so far, but all seem to not work and are also far too brittle even if they did. I have a feeling I'm missing something! 1. Toolbar Dropdown In Desktop Safari you can enable a toolbar button “iCloud Tabs” which when clicked shows a list of the tabs currently open on your other devices. If you hover one, an X appears which can be clicked to close the tab. When you next use Safari on the remote device that tab will be closed. If it’s already open and awake then the removal happens around one second later. It’s quick. (But I did try GUI scripting and I can get to the row in the outline in the popup, but I can’t get the cross to appear to click it) 2. Start Page they’re also listed on favorites:// “start page” but there are issues viewing all and no way to search them. There used to be a search field until Safari ~15. 3. Omnibar They’re also shown in omni/address bar, but getting the correct item to appear at all or in a predictable position is fragile. 4. Sidebar Another alternative to the favorites/"start page" layout. Same issues. 5. Modifying Safari Database directly Changes are not mirrored to the cloud. It seems Safari does a cloudd request that I can't do.
0
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171
3d
Trimming down Standard SDEF
I've heard that when a Mac app implements their version of the Standard AppleEvent suite, the developer can copy "CocoaStandard.sdef" and trim out whatever they don't need. What are the constraints on this trimming? I guess that we could remove commands wholesale, but can we remove sub-parts of a command? Can we change an enumeration? A record type?
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
251
Activity
Dec ’25
How/where do SwiftUI “App” objects handle AppleEvents
I was looking through: https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/Cocoa/Conceptual/ScriptableCocoaApplications/SApps_handle_AEs/SAppsHandleAEs.html And wondered how these are handled for SwiftUI apps. What would I add or override?
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
452
Activity
Dec ’25
Notarization wipes the "Icon?" file
In an AppleScript applet, compiling and exporting in Script Editor replaces a custom icon with the default. To retain a custom icon, it is necessary, after exporting, to use Finder's "Get info..." to copy the icon from another file and paste into the icon for the applet. The custom icon is stored in the "Icon?" file, located in the root of the applet bundle. The applet can then be signed and notarized. With macOS Tahoe, that procedure no longer works. That is because the notarization process now wipes the "Icon?" file. The file remains in place but has zero size. Thus Finder shows the default applet icon. Does anyone know of a way to provide a custom icon for a signed and notarized AppleScript applet ?
Replies
5
Boosts
0
Views
1.2k
Activity
Jan ’26
Applescript run as a Quick Action errors out when run inside a Shortcut.
I have a Quick Action which flattens a PDF via Applescript. The code works extremely well--I right click in finder and the PDF is flattened, annotations are burned in, no other applications are opened, and the action completes in less than 2 seconds. Here is the Applescript code: I have a Shortcut which completes several operations on already-flattened PDFs. Presently 1) I run my Quick Action by right-clicking a PDF in Finder in order to flatten it, and 2) then right-click that save PDF in Finder to run my Shortcut on that now-flattened PDF. Ideally I'd like to add the Applescript code which flattens the PDF to the beginning of my Shortcut for the sake of convenience, and because sometimes I run my Shortcut having forgotten to flatten the PDF first. However I'm finding that the Applescript code, when placed into a Run Applescript action in Shortcuts, gives this error message: The exact same code when placed into a Run Applescript action in Automator and then run as a Quick Action by right-clicking the PDF in Finder, does not give an error and works perfectly. Does anybody have an explanation (and possible solution) for why this is the case?
Replies
2
Boosts
0
Views
537
Activity
Jan ’26
Apple Notes API
Hey there, I’m wondering if there is a CRUD API for Apple Notes? I just saw once that it’s possible through a Apple Script on Mac. But the problem for me is that the app should also run on iOS. Does someone have an idea how to approach this?
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
282
Activity
Jan ’26
"Show on all spaces" toggles OFF after programmatically setting wallpaper via AppleScript
I'm building an automated wallpaper updater that fetches images from an API and sets them as desktop wallpaper on macOS Tahoe. The automation uses AppleScript combined with database manipulation to ensure wallpaper applies to all spaces. Current implementation (via Apple Shortcuts): wallpaper_path="$1" osascript -e "tell application \"System Events\" to tell every desktop to set picture to POSIX file \"$wallpaper_path\"" sqlite3 ~/Library/Application\ Support/Dock/desktoppicture.db "UPDATE data SET space=NULL WHERE space IS NOT NULL;" 2>/dev/null killall -HUP Dock Issue First run: Works perfectly - sets wallpaper on all spaces/desktops, "Show on all spaces" is ON After first run: "Show on all spaces" automatically toggles OFF in System Settings Second run onwards: New wallpaper only updates on the active space, inactive spaces show old wallpaper Expected: "Show on all spaces" should remain ON after programmatic wallpaper changes Actual: System Settings automatically disables it, breaking subsequent updates Tested workarounds (all failed): UPDATE data SET space=NULL to clear per-space entries Using every desktop instead of current desktop in AppleScript killall Dock vs killall -HUP Dock vs killall -USR1 Dock Clearing space_id entries from pictures table Running DELETE FROM pictures WHERE space_id IS NOT NULL before setting The database manipulation doesn't prevent macOS from automatically creating per-space entries and disabling the "Show on all spaces" toggle. Question: Is there a way to programmatically set wallpaper while preserving the "Show on all spaces" setting on macOS Tahoe? Environment: macOS: Tahoe (latest) Architecture: Apple Silicon Use case: Daily automated wallpaper updates via Shortcuts
Replies
0
Boosts
0
Views
339
Activity
Feb ’26
Why do random errOSAInternalTableOverflow errors return when running AppleScripts via ScriptingBridge?
We have an app that controls InDesign Desktop and InDesignServer via hundreds of AppleScripts. Some macOS security updates a while back dictated that we start communicating with other apps via ScriptingBridge. We couldn't afford to convert the hundreds of AppleScripts into direct ScriptingBridge nomenclature, so we opted to keep them as is and instead tell the external apps to: [app doScript:<the script text> language:InDesignScLgApplescriptLanguage withArguments:nil undoMode:InDesignESUMScriptRequest undoName:@"blah"] There are a handful of scripts that we did convert to direct ScriptingBridge. There are times (and under the right circumstances, it's repeatable) when a certain script will have run perfectly dozens of times, and then it will throw errOSAInternalTableOverflow. We create a new SBApplication for every job (which could be a single instance of Desktop or the multiple instances of Server). Why is this error happening seemingly randomly? Is there anything we can do to work around or prevent this?
Replies
8
Boosts
0
Views
296
Activity
1d
Official One-Click Local LLM Deployment for 2019 Mac Pro (7,1) Dual W6900X
I am a professional user of the 2019 Mac Pro (7,1) with dual AMD Radeon Pro W6900X MPX modules (32GB VRAM each). This hardware is designed for high-performance compute, but it is currently crippled for modern local LLM/AI workloads under Linux due to Apple's EFI/PCIe routing restrictions. Core Issue: rocminfo reports "No HIP GPUs available" when attempting to use ROCm/amdgpu on Linux Apple's custom EFI firmware blocks full initialization of professional GPU compute assets The dual W6900X GPUs have 64GB combined VRAM and high-bandwidth Infinity Fabric Link, but cannot be fully utilized for local AI inference/training My Specific Request: Apple should provide an official, one-click deployable application that enables full utilization of dual W6900X GPUs for local large language model (LLM) inference and training under Linux. This application must: Fully initialize both W6900X GPUs via HIP/ROCm, establishing valid compute contexts Bypass artificial EFI/PCIe routing restrictions that block access to professional GPU resources Provide a stable, user-friendly one-click deployment experience (similar to NVIDIA's AI Enterprise or AMD's ROCm Hub) Why This Matters: The 2019 Mac Pro is Apple's flagship professional workstation, marketed for compute-intensive workloads. Its high-cost W6900X GPUs should not be locked down for modern AI/LLM use cases. An official one-click deployment solution would demonstrate Apple's commitment to professional AI and unlock significant value for professional users. I look forward to Apple's response and a clear roadmap for enabling this critical capability. #MacPro #Linux #ROCm #LocalLLM #W6900X #CoreML
Replies
0
Boosts
0
Views
122
Activity
1w
Automating closing of iCloud Tab?
I would like to script my Mac to close a specific iCloud Tab of my choice that is open on my iPhone. This is for Accessibility reasons. Ideally, I’d prefer to do this without using GUI scripting. AppleScript methods only seem to see tabs in Windows Extensions also do not seem to have visibility of the other types of tabs I've tried many options so far, but all seem to not work and are also far too brittle even if they did. I have a feeling I'm missing something! 1. Toolbar Dropdown In Desktop Safari you can enable a toolbar button “iCloud Tabs” which when clicked shows a list of the tabs currently open on your other devices. If you hover one, an X appears which can be clicked to close the tab. When you next use Safari on the remote device that tab will be closed. If it’s already open and awake then the removal happens around one second later. It’s quick. (But I did try GUI scripting and I can get to the row in the outline in the popup, but I can’t get the cross to appear to click it) 2. Start Page they’re also listed on favorites:// “start page” but there are issues viewing all and no way to search them. There used to be a search field until Safari ~15. 3. Omnibar They’re also shown in omni/address bar, but getting the correct item to appear at all or in a predictable position is fragile. 4. Sidebar Another alternative to the favorites/"start page" layout. Same issues. 5. Modifying Safari Database directly Changes are not mirrored to the cloud. It seems Safari does a cloudd request that I can't do.
Replies
0
Boosts
0
Views
171
Activity
3d