Issues triggering shortcut from apple shortcuts app

Bugs or Unexpected Behavior
1

Describe the bug
I have setup a shortcut on the shortcuts app on my mac that works when i click on it. I want to trigger it using a keyboard shortcut from better touch tool. However when i do the keyboard shortcut it does not trigger the shortcut.
(Is there any way i could check some logs?)

Affected input device (e.g. MacBook Trackpad, Magic Mouse/Trackpad, Touch Bar, etc.): Keyboard input

Device information:

  • Type of Mac: M1 Max
  • macOS version: 15.3
  • BetterTouchTool version: (please post the exact version - not just "the latest one"): 5.160

Additional information (e.g. crash logs, related issues, etc.):
If I export the shortcut to dock, then launch it via the "launch app/file" action it does work as intended

2

Hi @andresk, could you share the Shortcut and the BTT trigger to help diagnose the issue?

You can find some log files here:
~/Library/Application Support/BetterTouchTool/Logs

3

The shortcut uses an api call with a sensitive API key so i've attached screenshots of the shortcut as well as the trigger in BTT

Screenshot 2025-02-12 at 11.50.14 PM
Screenshot 2025-02-12 at 11.50.14 PM2032×1167 253 KB

Screenshot 2025-02-12 at 11.50.59 PM
Screenshot 2025-02-12 at 11.50.59 PM1327×1167 193 KB

Screenshot 2025-02-12 at 11.51.01 PM
Screenshot 2025-02-12 at 11.51.01 PM1327×1167 196 KB

4

If you go to System Settings and then → Privacy & Security → scroll down and then click on Automation → click on BetterTouchTool, do you see Shortcuts, Shortcut Events, System Events and your default browser (e.g. Chrome, Safari, Firefox, etc.) toggled on?

image
image974×1838 122 KB

Also, does your Apple Shortcut have sufficient permissions? Look under Shortcut Details → Privacy, what do you see? Do you see something like this?

image
image570×758 48.2 KB

5

Also, could you toggle on the "HUD Overlay – Show when shortcut is triggered" tick box in your Keyboard Shortcut trigger in BTT to confirm when it's being triggered?

Similarly, could you add a "Show Notification" action as the first action in your Shortcut to confirm when it's triggered and starts executing?

6

Yes.
I don't see the default browser however? It has never prompted me to use it - it just opens safari and that is ok on my end

Yes

I did do both to confirm that being triggered and indeed it was. I ended up "exporting" the shortcut to my dock and launching it using the "Open app" action instead using the same trigger and this way it works. But executing the shortcut directly is still not working

7

I don't have any idea why it wouldn't work, but two tests you can do:

1.) Does your shortcut run if you run it from terminal?

shortcuts run yourShortcutName

2.) Does your shortcut run when called from Apple's Script Editor app?
tell application "Shortcuts Events" to run shortcut "Shortcut Name"

8

Yes to both! But still not triggering if ran from btt :sweat_smile:

9

This is what the log say

2025/02/13 11:09:55:406|ASL|triggering action Run Shortcut from Shortcuts App - 62CBA9BB-DFBB-44F3-9962-43F1629E4FB7|
2025/02/13 11:09:55:406|SHORTCUT|running shortcut Today's journal|
2025/02/13 11:09:55:410|ASL|already replied 103|
2025/02/13 11:09:55:410|ASL|not triggering reply again|
2025/02/13 11:09:55:418|ASL|not refreshing root triggers because window is not visible|
2025/02/13 11:09:55:425|ASL|not refreshing root triggers because window is not visible|
2025/02/13 11:09:55:430|ASL|not refreshing root triggers because window is not visible|
2025/02/13 11:09:55:435|ASL|not refreshing root triggers because window is not visible|
2025/02/13 11:09:55:438|ASL|not refreshing root triggers because window is not visible|
2025/02/13 11:09:55:440|ASL|not refreshing root triggers because window is not visible|
2025/02/13 11:09:55:443|ASL|not refreshing root triggers because window is not visible|
2025/02/13 11:09:55:446|ASL|not refreshing root triggers because window is not visible|
2025/02/13 11:09:55:449|ASL|not refreshing root triggers because window is not visible|
2025/02/13 11:09:55:451|ASL|not refreshing root triggers because window is not visible|
2025/02/13 11:09:55:454|ASL|not refreshing root triggers because window is not visible|
2025/02/13 11:09:55:456|ASL|not refreshing root triggers because window is not visible|
10

Maybe the problem is related to the single quote in the title?

Anyhow if you want you can use either use the run terminal command or run apple script actions in BTT if the standard way doesn't work for whatever reason :slight_smile:

11

I've removed it and still nothing, i don't know if you saw but i shared what the logs say when i trigger the shortcut.
I guess i'll just keep triggering it as an app - but i figured it would be worth it to you to try and figure it out why it won't work in case the issue persists on someone else :sweat_smile:

12

The logs look fine, seems like BTT is triggering correctly but the system ignores it for whatver reason.