Most backup tools for Shortcuts want you to click through Add Shortcut and a Replace-or-Keep-Both prompt for every single file you’re restoring. Backup on Mac skips that. It saves your shortcuts to a folder in Documents and can restore dozens of them in one pass, with no per-file taps required.

Inside the shortcut

Backup on Mac runs from the Shortcuts app on macOS 12 and later; it doesn’t touch iOS at all. Point it at your shortcut library and it copies everything, or just a folder you choose, into Documents → Backup on Mac, ready to sit there until you need it. Restoring works the same way in reverse: pick a backup folder and the shortcut recreates each one inside your All Shortcuts folder, in the exact order they were saved, without stopping to ask you to confirm every import.

Getting it set up

Tap Add Shortcut on this page to open Backup on Mac in the Shortcuts app on your Mac.
Scroll the preview to the bottom and tap Add Shortcut again to confirm.
Open Shortcuts → Settings → Advanced and turn on Allow Running Scripts, which the restore step needs.
Run the shortcut once and choose backup or restore from the menu that appears.

Running the shortcut

Run Backup on Mac whenever you want a snapshot of your shortcut library, or right before you plan to reinstall macOS. Choose backup, and it walks your shortcuts into a folder without asking you to confirm each one. Restoring for the first time trips an “assistive access” warning: click OK, then head to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility and enable siriactionsd from the list. After that one-time approval, restores run without interruption, and version 1.2 added a check that warns you about naming conflicts before it overwrites anything.

If you’d rather trigger a backup from outside the Shortcuts app, Terminal works too. Piping b through shortcuts run "Backup on Mac" -i - backs up everything, and adding a folder name after the b limits it to that folder alone. Command Mode also suppresses update checks and alerts, which matters if you’re calling it from a scheduled job rather than sitting in front of the screen.

Where this fits

Snapshotting your shortcut library before a macOS reinstall or moving to a new Mac.
Restoring dozens of shortcuts in one sitting after wiping a device, instead of confirming Replace or Keep Both over and over.
Scheduling periodic backups from Terminal or a launchd job using Command Mode, with nobody around to click through prompts.
Keeping one project’s shortcuts backed up separately by naming a folder when you back up.

Backup on Mac only runs on macOS 12 or later. There’s no iOS or iPadOS version, so it can’t back up a shortcut library straight from an iPhone; you’ll need a Mac in the loop either way. It also depends on the Shortcuts app being allowed to run scripts, a permission Apple hides a few menus deep, so the very first setup takes a couple of extra clicks most shortcuts don’t ask for.

FAQ

Does this back up shortcuts on my iPhone too?

No. The shortcut is Mac-only, and RoutineHub’s own compatibility notes list iOS support as unsupported.

What’s this ‘assistive access’ error about?

It shows up the first time you restore, because macOS wants explicit permission before a shortcut can simulate the clicks a batch restore needs. Approve it once under System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility and it won’t come back.

Can I automate backups without opening the Shortcuts app?

Yes, that’s what Command Mode is for. Pipe a short command through Terminal and it skips the update check and any alerts, which is exactly what you want in a scheduled task.