iOS Shortcuts Library

Your content research doesn't stop when you leave your desk. BlackOps Center's iOS Shortcuts library lets you capture ideas, save articles, and trigger content workflows directly from your iPhone or iPad.

Available Shortcuts

1. Save to Reservoir

Use Case: You're scrolling Twitter, find a great thread, and want to save it to your "Content Ideas" reservoir.

How It Works:

1. Share the URL from any app
2. Choose "Save to Reservoir" from the share sheet
3. Select target reservoir
4. Optionally add notes or tags
5. Content is extracted and saved to your reservoir

What Gets Saved:

• Page title and URL
• Excerpt (first 200 chars)
• OpenGraph metadata (image, description)
• Your custom notes and tags
• Timestamp and source

POST /api/admin/reservoirs/{reservoirId}/items
{
  "url": "https://twitter.com/dan_abramov/status/...",
  "title": "React 19 Performance Tips",
  "notes": "Great insights on useMemo patterns",
  "tags": ["react", "performance"],
  "source_type": "mobile_shortcut"
}

Download: Save to Reservoir.shortcut

2. Capture Idea

Use Case: A blog post idea hits you while walking the dog. Capture it before you forget.

How It Works:

1. Trigger the shortcut from the Shortcuts widget or Siri
2. Dictate or type your idea
3. Choose a category (Blog Ideas, Newsletter Topics, etc.)
4. Idea is saved to your "Quick Capture" reservoir

Pro Tip: Set up "Hey Siri, capture idea" as a voice shortcut. Hands-free capture while driving (legally parked, of course).

Download: Capture Idea.shortcut

3. Save Article with Tags

Use Case: You're reading a great article in Safari and want to save it with specific tags for later categorization.

How It Works:

1. Tap share button in Safari
2. Choose "Save Article with Tags"
3. Select reservoir
4. Choose from predefined tags or add custom ones
5. Article metadata is extracted and saved

Features:

• Smart tag suggestions based on article content
• Support for multiple tags per article
• Automatic title and image extraction
• Reading time estimation

Download: Save Article with Tags.shortcut

4. Generate Blog Outline

Use Case: You have a topic in mind and want AI to generate a quick blog post outline.

How It Works:

1. Run the shortcut
2. Enter your blog topic
3. Select target audience (optional)
4. AI generates a structured outline
5. Outline is saved as a draft in your Content Studio

Output Includes:

• Suggested title
• Hook/intro
• 3-5 main sections with bullet points
• Conclusion framework
• SEO keywords
• Estimated word count

Download: Generate Blog Outline.shortcut

5. Create Newsletter Draft

Use Case: Pull the top 3 starred items from your reservoir and create a newsletter draft.

How It Works:

1. Run the shortcut
2. Select reservoir (e.g., "Weekly Roundup")
3. Shortcut fetches your recently starred items
4. AI generates newsletter intro and item summaries
5. Draft is created in your newsletter editor

Perfect For:

• Weekly link roundups
• Curated reading lists
• Industry news digests

Download: Create Newsletter Draft.shortcut

6. Quick Bookmark

Use Case: You just want to save a URL fast without any friction. Review and tag later.

How It Works:

1. Share URL from any app
2. Choose "Quick Bookmark"
3. Saves to your default "Unsorted" reservoir
4. That's it—2 taps total

Review Later: Go to your "Unsorted" reservoir on desktop and bulk-tag, categorize, or delete items.

Download: Quick Bookmark.shortcut

Setup Instructions

Prerequisites

• iOS 15+ or iPadOS 15+
• Shortcuts app installed (comes with iOS)
• Active BlackOps Center account
• API key (generated in Settings → Developer)

Step 1: Generate Your API Key

1. Log in to BlackOps Center on desktop
2. Go to Settings → Developer → API Keys
3. Click "Create New API Key"
4. Name it "iOS Shortcuts"
5. Copy the key (you'll need it in Step 3)

Step 2: Download Shortcuts

On your iPhone or iPad:

1. Open Safari and visit blackopscenter.com/shortcuts
2. Tap on a shortcut you want to install
3. Tap "Get Shortcut"
4. Shortcuts app will open
5. Review the actions (optional but recommended for security)
6. Tap "Add Shortcut"

Step 3: Configure Shortcut

Each shortcut needs your API key and site ID on first run:

1. Run the shortcut for the first time
2. You'll be prompted for:
• API Key: Paste the key from Step 1
• Site ID: Your site identifier (find in Settings → Site Settings)
3. These values are saved in the shortcut for future runs
4. You won't be prompted again unless you update the shortcut

Step 4: Test It

1. Find an article in Safari
2. Tap the share button
3. Select your installed shortcut (e.g., "Save to Reservoir")
4. Follow the prompts
5. Check your BlackOps Center dashboard to confirm it worked

Advanced Customization

Modify Shortcuts

All shortcuts are fully editable. You can:

• Change default reservoirs: Skip the selection menu and always save to one reservoir
• Add custom tags: Pre-fill tags like "mobile-saved" for later filtering
• Adjust API endpoints: Point to different API routes for custom workflows
• Chain shortcuts: Run multiple shortcuts in sequence

Example: Modify "Save to Reservoir" to always save to your "Reading List" reservoir and auto-tag with "unread".

Create Your Own Shortcuts

BlackOps Center's API is fully accessible from iOS Shortcuts. You can build custom shortcuts using our API:

// Shortcuts API example: Fetch reservoir items
GET /api/admin/reservoirs/{reservoirId}/items?limit=10
Headers:
  Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY
  Content-Type: application/json

// Response
{
  "items": [
    {
      "id": "abc123",
      "title": "React 19 Features",
      "url": "https://...",
      "tags": ["react", "frontend"],
      "created_at": "2025-02-01T10:00:00Z"
    }
  ]
}

See API Documentation for all available endpoints.

Siri Integration

Add any shortcut to Siri for voice-activated workflows:

1. Open Shortcuts app
2. Long-press on a shortcut
3. Tap "Details"
4. Tap "Add to Siri"
5. Record a custom phrase (e.g., "Save this article")

Now you can trigger the shortcut by saying "Hey Siri, save this article" while viewing content in Safari.

Workflow Ideas

Morning Routine: Content Review

1. Shortcut: Fetch Unread Items
2. Pulls 10 unread items from your reservoir
3. Displays them in a menu
4. You select which to open
5. Opens URL in Safari
6. Marks item as read in BlackOps Center

Evening Routine: Weekly Newsletter Prep

1. Shortcut: Starred Items This Week
2. Fetches items you starred in the past 7 days
3. Groups by tag/category
4. Generates a newsletter draft
5. Saves to your newsletter queue

On-the-Go: Idea Capture

1. Widget on home screen: "Capture Idea"
2. One tap → voice dictation
3. Idea saved to "Quick Capture" reservoir
4. Tagged with location and timestamp

Troubleshooting

"Shortcut Could Not Be Opened"

Cause: Untrusted shortcut error on iOS 15+.

Fix:

1. Go to Settings → Shortcuts
2. Enable "Allow Untrusted Shortcuts"
3. You may need to toggle Airplane Mode on/off first

"Invalid API Key"

Cause: API key is incorrect, expired, or revoked.

Fix:

1. Generate a new API key in BlackOps Center
2. Edit the shortcut
3. Find the "API Key" text field
4. Replace with new key
5. Save and re-run

"Network Request Failed"

Cause: Shortcut can't reach BlackOps Center API.

Fix:

• Check your internet connection
• Verify the API endpoint URL in the shortcut
• Try running the shortcut again (temporary server issue)
• Check BlackOps Center status page for outages

Shortcut Runs But Nothing Happens

Cause: Likely a missing parameter or incorrect site ID.

Fix:

1. Edit the shortcut
2. Check that all required fields are filled
3. Verify your Site ID matches your account (Settings → Site Settings)
4. Add a "Show Result" action at the end to debug API responses

Community Shortcuts

Users have built dozens of custom shortcuts for BlackOps Center. Browse the Community Shortcuts Gallery for inspiration:

• Save YouTube Video + Transcript: Captures video URL and auto-fetches transcript
• Thread Unroller: Converts Twitter threads to single-page articles
• Reading List to Newsletter: Batch-converts Safari Reading List to newsletter draft
• Podcast Notes to Reservoir: Saves Overcast listening notes to reservoir
• Daily Content Digest: Morning push notification with top reservoir items

Privacy & Security

What Data Gets Shared?

iOS Shortcuts communicate directly with BlackOps Center's API. No data passes through Apple or third-party servers. Here's what gets transmitted:

• URLs you explicitly share
• Text you input or dictate
• Your API key (encrypted by iOS)
• Selected tags and categories

Local Processing

All shortcut logic runs locally on your device. The only network requests are to BlackOps Center's API for data storage/retrieval.

Revoking Access

To revoke shortcut access:

1. Go to Settings → Developer → API Keys
2. Find the "iOS Shortcuts" key
3. Click "Revoke"
4. Shortcuts will stop working until you configure a new key

Future Shortcuts (Coming Soon)

• Voice Memo to Reservoir: Transcribe and save voice notes
• Photo OCR to Text: Extract text from images and save
• Location-Based Capture: Auto-tag items with location metadata
• Calendar Integration: Schedule content publication from mobile
• Widget Dashboard: View reservoir stats on home screen

Vote for upcoming shortcuts in the Feature Requests forum.

Next Steps

• Mobile-First Workflows: Learn more mobile content strategies
• Offline Features: Use BlackOps Center without internet
• API Documentation: Build custom integrations
• All Integrations: Explore other ways to connect

Your best content ideas don't happen at your desk. Capture them wherever you are.