Ever tried building a multi-level Dictionary action by hand in Shortcuts? It’s a slog of tapping Add, picking types, and nesting rows one at a time. This shortcut skips all of that: you write your data as plain JSON text, run the tool, and the matching native Dictionary or List action lands on your clipboard, ready to paste into any shortcut you’re editing.

What this shortcut does

It converts JSON text into native Dictionary, List, or Get Contents of URL actions, and it goes the other way too. Write and test something like {"name":"bong","happy":true} as text, then convert it once you’re happy with the shape. Arrays such as ["hello", "world"] become List actions, and you can feed it several objects at once. Crucially, it keeps your key/value order intact, which a raw Dictionary action does not guarantee at runtime. That order matters the moment you pour a dictionary into Choose from List, where keys become menu rows.

Where the JSON comes from

The tool is happy to read your data from several places, so you rarely have to retype anything:

Text or a file (text, JSON, PDF, and more) shared in through the Share Sheet
A file you pick manually through the file picker
Whatever text is currently sitting on your clipboard
A plain list of items separated by new lines, which it turns into a List action

Installing it

Tap the Get button on the Actions app card above and install it from the App Store. The shortcut needs it.
Tap Add Shortcut on this page to open the setup card in the Shortcuts app.
Review the actions if you want, then add it to your library.
On iOS 16.1 or newer (and macOS 13 Ventura), you’re ready. Older systems need the legacy build noted by the author.

Putting it to work

Copy or share the JSON you want to convert, then run the shortcut and pick the direction from the menu. For JSON to actions, it writes the finished Dictionary, List, or Get Contents of URL body straight to your clipboard so you can paste it into the shortcut you’re building. To go backward, copy a Dictionary or Get Contents of URL action first, then choose Get JSON from Copied Action; the tool extracts it, converts it, and lets you quick look, share, save, or copy the result. There’s also an Auto Mode that takes JSON passed in from another shortcut and copies the converted actions with no prompts at all.

Where your results land

Nothing gets saved to a file or sent anywhere. Every conversion lands on your clipboard, and the reverse direction adds a quick look preview before you copy. The work stays on your device.

Troubleshooting

A list inside a list crashes the shortcut. Nested arrays like [[1,2]] are not supported, so flatten them or wrap the inner list in a dictionary instead.

Numbers look strange after converting. Values such as 3.14 are rewritten to scientific notation like 314E-2 on purpose, so they parse correctly across every region’s number format.

An older iPhone won’t load it. Anything below iOS 16.1 needs version 2.3.1 plus the Shortcut Source Helper companion.

FAQ

Why bother converting text to native actions at all?

Text dictionaries are easier to read and edit while you develop, but native actions look cleaner when you share a finished shortcut with someone else. This lets you keep working in text and only switch to actions at the end.

Can it handle a list with mixed types?

Yes, and that’s one of its tricks. Something like ["text", -2.3, false, {"a":"b"}] produces a single List action holding numbers, booleans, and a dictionary together, which is awkward to build any other way.

What about merging two Dictionary actions into one?

Copy the consecutive actions with the Shortcut Source Tool, then choose Merge Copied Dictionary Actions. The tool joins them the way you’d join JSON objects, so {"a":1} and {"b":2} become {"a":1, "b":2}.