Apple Shortcuts Integration Guide
Use the "Get Contents of URL" action with Bearer auth. Build morning briefings, quick-add workflows, and Siri commands that talk to your pipeline.
At a glance
- What you get
- Siri commands, home screen buttons and calendar automations that read and write your Orbyt Jobs pipeline on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch.
- Plan required
- Orbyt Ultra. External API access is gated to the top tier, so a token made on Free or Pro returns HTTP 403 on every call.
- Protocol
- Plain REST over HTTPS. No SDK, no bridge, no extra app. The built-in Get Contents of URL action is the whole integration.
- Auth
- An Authorization header with the value Bearer followed by your token. Orbyt Jobs tokens begin with ext_ and are created in Settings, Account, API Keys.
- Base URL
- https://www.orbytlabs.ai, with pipeline routes under /api/mcp/.
- Setup time
- About five minutes for the first shortcut. Later ones are faster because you duplicate the first.
Overview
Apple Shortcuts lets you build automations that run on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch. By connecting Orbyt's REST API, you can create Siri commands and home screen shortcuts that interact with your job pipeline.
Prerequisites
- Orbyt Ultra plan
- iPhone, iPad, or Mac with the Shortcuts app
- An Orbyt API key (generate one in Settings > Account > API Keys)
Step 1: Generate an API Key
- Open Orbyt and go to Settings > Account
- Scroll to API Keys
- Click Create API Key
- Name it "Apple Shortcuts" and select the appropriate permissions
- Copy the token (starts with
ext_)
Step 2: Create Your First Shortcut
Morning Pipeline Briefing
This shortcut gives you a spoken summary of your pipeline when you say "Hey Siri, pipeline briefing."
- Open the Shortcuts app
- Tap + to create a new shortcut
- Add Get Contents of URL action:
- URL: https://www.orbytlabs.ai/api/mcp/pipeline
- Method: GET
- Headers: Add Authorization with value Bearer ext_your_token
- Add Get Dictionary Value action:
- Key: summary
- Add Speak Text action with a template like:
You have [total] jobs in your pipeline. [applied] applications sent, [interviewing] in interviews, and [offer] offers.- Name it "Pipeline Briefing" and assign it to Siri
Quick Add Job
This shortcut lets you quickly add a job from your phone:
- Create a new shortcut
- Add Ask for Input actions for:
- Company name (Text)
- Job title (Text)
- URL (URL, optional)
- Add Get Contents of URL action:
- URL: https://www.orbytlabs.ai/api/mcp/jobs
- Method: POST
- Headers: Authorization: Bearer ext_your_token
- Request Body (JSON):
{
"company": "[Company Input]",
"title": "[Title Input]",
"url": "[URL Input]",
"status": "saved"
}- Add Show Notification with "Job added to Orbyt"
Interview Reminder
Build an automation that runs 30 minutes before calendar events tagged as interviews:
- Go to Automation tab
- Create a Personal Automation triggered by Calendar Event
- Add Get Contents of URL to fetch
/api/mcp/calendar - Parse the response to find today's interviews
- Add Show Notification with interview details and company intel
Step 3: Add to Home Screen
- Open your shortcut
- Tap the share icon
- Select Add to Home Screen
- Choose an icon and name
Siri Integration
Any shortcut can be triggered by voice:
- "Hey Siri, pipeline briefing" to hear your job search status
- "Hey Siri, add a job" to run the quick-add shortcut
- "Hey Siri, what interviews do I have?" to check upcoming interviews
Available API Endpoints for Shortcuts
| Shortcut Idea | Endpoint | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Pipeline summary | /api/mcp/pipeline | GET |
| List jobs | /api/mcp/jobs | GET |
| Add a job | /api/mcp/jobs | POST |
| Today's interviews | /api/mcp/calendar | GET |
| Follow-up reminders | /api/mcp/suggestions | GET |
| Log an activity | /api/mcp/activities | POST |
| My profile | /api/mcp/me | GET |
Tips
- Use Text actions to format API responses into readable summaries before speaking or displaying
- Store your API key in a Text action at the start of the shortcut and reference it with a variable (easier to update)
- Use If actions to branch based on response data (e.g., only notify if there are stale applications)
- Apple Watch can run simple shortcuts; keep API calls to one request for best performance
- Share shortcuts with friends who also use Orbyt by exporting via iCloud link
Common questions
Do I need an app to connect Apple Shortcuts to Orbyt?
No. Orbyt exposes a plain REST API, and the Shortcuts action called Get Contents of URL speaks REST out of the box. Set the method, add one Authorization header, and paste the URL. There is nothing to install and no companion app on either side.
What Orbyt plan do I need for Apple Shortcuts?
Orbyt Ultra. External API access is one gated feature covering every machine surface of the Jobs pipeline, and it is the highest tier only. A token created on a Free or Pro account is a real token, but every request it makes comes back HTTP 403.
How do I add the Authorization header in Shortcuts?
Inside the Get Contents of URL action, expand Headers, tap Add new header, and set the key to Authorization. The value is the word Bearer, one space, then your token. Shortcuts does not add the Bearer prefix for you, and leaving it out returns a 401.
Can Siri read my job pipeline out loud?
Yes. Fetch the pipeline endpoint, pull the fields you want out of the response with Get Dictionary Value, and pass the result to the Speak Text action. Assign the shortcut a phrase and Siri answers on iPhone, HomePod, CarPlay and Apple Watch.
Which Orbyt endpoints are most useful in a shortcut?
Six cover almost everything people build. GET pipeline for a summary, GET and POST jobs to list or add one, GET calendar for upcoming interviews, GET suggestions for follow-ups, POST activities to log a call, and GET me for your profile.
Where should I store my API key in a shortcut?
Put it in a Text action at the top of the shortcut and reference that as a variable in the header. Rotating a key is then one edit rather than one edit per action. Anyone with your unlocked device can read it, so use a read-only token for anything you share.
Do these shortcuts work on Apple Watch?
Yes, with a caveat. Keep the shortcut to a single request. The watch runs shortcuts over a relay through the phone, so a chain of several calls is slow enough that people stop using it. One fetch and one Show Result is the shape that feels instant.
Can a shortcut add a job automatically when I open a listing?
Yes, through the share sheet. Turn on Show in Share Sheet in the shortcut's details, accept URLs as input, and POST that URL to the jobs endpoint. Sharing a listing from Safari then files it in Orbyt without you typing the company name.
