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User profile for user: marquinho78
marquinho78 Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Shortcut App permissions (Folders)

Being unable to answer an existing thread from 2022 that was closed, I am reposting the question, together with the solution I've found.

The problem has bothered me from some time, but I can't seem to find an explicit solution elsewhere, so I'd like to share mine, for future reference to others.


(Original thread here: Shortcut App permissions - Apple Community)


I've created a Shortcut that adds a timestamp to the name of a file. The issue I have is when I run the shortcut on a file that is in a folder that I haven't used the shortcut in before, it pauses the action with an alert asking "Allow [shortcut name] to access your '[folder name]' folder?" With the options of "Cancel" and "OK".

Is there a way to give Shortcuts access to all folders, so I don't have to answer this alert every time?

(credit to GreatApe for the question)


Other details from the discussion:

[I have already given Shortcut access to my files and folders on my Mac. In fact, I have given Shortcuts full disk access (System preferences > Security and privacy > Privacy) and restarted my Mac.]
...
This is a part of a more extensive series of actions that will be hamstrung by this type of interruption.


(Shortcuts 5.0 on Monterey 12.6.6)

iMac 27″, macOS 12.6

Posted on Jun 10, 2023 11:25 PM

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User profile for user: marquinho78
marquinho78 Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Posted on Jun 10, 2023 11:36 PM

You need to give Shortcuts permission to change data in all folders (f.i. overwriting data in folders).


However, this isn't done via System preferences > Security and privacy > Privacy > Full disk access.


Instead, there is a specific setting of Shortcuts itself:


Shortcuts > Preferences > Advanced > Check “Allow Deleting Without Confirmation”


This gives Shortcuts implicit permission to delete, or overwrite, the existing contents of folders and (in the case of recursive folder actions) any number of subfolders, without having to pause for confirmation.


I cannot test whether this solves OP's specific issue, but the description seems to match.

Hopefully, it will help others in a similar situation.


For the record: My own shortcut involves the automatic scaling and resizing of .jpg files in a folder and all its subfolders, recursively. There are hundreds of subfolders.

Using this solution allows me to get the work done with a single click, without the disruption of hundreds of alerts.

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User profile for user: marquinho78
marquinho78 Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Jun 10, 2023 11:36 PM in response to marquinho78

You need to give Shortcuts permission to change data in all folders (f.i. overwriting data in folders).


However, this isn't done via System preferences > Security and privacy > Privacy > Full disk access.


Instead, there is a specific setting of Shortcuts itself:


Shortcuts > Preferences > Advanced > Check “Allow Deleting Without Confirmation”


This gives Shortcuts implicit permission to delete, or overwrite, the existing contents of folders and (in the case of recursive folder actions) any number of subfolders, without having to pause for confirmation.


I cannot test whether this solves OP's specific issue, but the description seems to match.

Hopefully, it will help others in a similar situation.


For the record: My own shortcut involves the automatic scaling and resizing of .jpg files in a folder and all its subfolders, recursively. There are hundreds of subfolders.

Using this solution allows me to get the work done with a single click, without the disruption of hundreds of alerts.

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Shortcut App permissions (Folders)

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