New in Chirpy 3.3
Chirpy: Your Notification
Trigger for Shortcuts on Mac
Shortcuts can play a sound, send a text, or run a scene — it just can't tell when a notification arrives. Chirpy can. Match a rule, then hand off to any Shortcut instead of a sound.
Shortcuts on Mac has no “a notification arrived” automation trigger. It never has. You can build a Shortcut that plays a sound, shows an alert, or does almost anything else on your Mac, but nothing in Shortcuts watches Notification Center and starts one for you.
Chirpy already reads every notification that crosses your Mac and matches it against rules you write, per app, channel, person, or keyword. As of version 3.3, a rule can run a Shortcut instead of playing a sound. Chirpy becomes the trigger; your Shortcut is everything that happens next. Here's the full rundown of what Shortcuts, Automator, and AppleScript can and can't do on their own.
How does it work?
Turn it on
Chirpy → Preferences → Advanced → turn on Shortcuts actions.
Point a rule at a Shortcut
Edit any rule and choose Run a Shortcut instead of Play a sound, then pick one from your library.
It runs when the rule matches
Chirpy calls the Shortcut the moment a matching notification arrives. No polling, no scripts to maintain.
What can you point it at?
Speak the sender's name
Point a rule at a Shortcut with a Speak Text action, so a DM from your manager gets read aloud while you're heads-down in something else.
Log it without opening Slack
Append a timestamped line to a Notes or Reminders shortcut every time #incidents fires, so there's a record without switching apps to make one.
Trigger a HomeKit scene
If your Shortcuts library already talks to HomeKit, a rule can run it: a hallway light that blinks when the on-call channel pings.
Chain into anything else
Any action Shortcuts can run, a Chirpy rule can start: send a text, start a timer, open an app, or kick off a longer automation.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Shortcut still need Chirpy running?
Yes. Chirpy is what notices the notification and matches it to a rule. Shortcuts is what runs once it does. Quit Chirpy and the trigger goes with it — Shortcuts on its own still has no way to notice another app's notification.
Do I have to write a new Shortcut for this?
No. A rule can run any Shortcut already in your library, one you built yourself or downloaded. Chirpy just needs to know which one to call.
Does the Shortcut run instead of the sound, or alongside it?
Instead of. Each rule does one or the other: play a sound, or run a Shortcut. Use whichever fits — a loud alert for #prod-incidents, a Shortcut for a DM from your manager.
Where do I turn this on?
In Chirpy, open Preferences → Advanced and turn on Shortcuts actions. Then edit any rule and choose Run a Shortcut instead of Play a sound.
Isn't this just what the Shortcuts app should already do?
It's the part Shortcuts is missing. As of macOS 26 Tahoe, Shortcuts has no automation trigger for an incoming notification from another app — see the full breakdown of what it can and can't do. Chirpy reads the notification through the Accessibility API and calls your Shortcut for you, so the rule becomes the trigger Shortcuts never got.
Give Shortcuts the Trigger It's Missing
Try Chirpy free for 3 days. If running a Shortcut from a notification doesn't earn a place in your setup, just delete it.
Download for Mac