The official iPhone Shortcuts route
Apple describes personal automation as a shortcut that starts from an event instead of a manual launch. Its communication trigger guide says a Message trigger can react to messages from selected senders, messages containing selected text, or both. This feature is documented for iPhone and iPad.
- Open Shortcuts on iPhone, choose Automation, and create a new personal automation.
- Select Message as the trigger. Choose a sender, a phrase, or both. If you select one sender, use that same contact as the recipient in your send action.
- Add a Text action with your away message, then add the Messages Send Message action and set its recipient.
- Test with a trusted contact. Check every recipient and condition before allowing automatic runs.
- Open the automation settings and choose the automatic option if it is available for your configuration.
Apple's automation settings guide lists Message among triggers that can run without asking, while warning that individual actions may also need to be configured to run automatically. Apple also says a personal automation is specific to one device. It can be backed up, but does not sync as a live automation to other devices. Interface wording can vary by system version, so test the complete path before depending on it.
Where a fixed Shortcut works well
Trigger: A selected family member messages while you are driving.
Fixed reply: I am driving right now and will reply when I stop.
Trigger: A message contains "appointment" from a selected client.
Fixed reply: Thanks, I saw this. I will check my schedule and get back to you.
Trigger: A selected contact messages during a planned break.
Fixed reply: I am away from my phone for a bit and will text you later.
Fixed text is predictable, easy to audit, and often safer than generative text. Its weakness is context. The same line may feel awkward when the incoming message is a yes-or-no question, a simple update, or something emotional. Separate automations can reduce that mismatch, but every condition adds maintenance.
What changes on a Mac
Apple's current Shortcuts guide for working on a Mac documents launching shortcuts from places such as Quick Actions, Services, the Dock, and a keyboard shortcut. The incoming Message personal automation is documented in the iPhone and iPad guide, not the Mac guide.
A Mac shortcut can still send a prepared message when you run it. That is useful for a repeated check-in, a manual away response, or a keyboard-driven template. It is not the same workflow as a process that continuously listens for new iMessages on the Mac and decides whether and how to answer each conversation.
Shortcut vs GhostReply
| Need | Basic Shortcut | GhostReply |
|---|---|---|
| Predictable fixed wording | Strong fit | Not guaranteed |
| Context from recent conversation | Requires custom logic | Built in |
| Match a contact's texting style | Not in a basic template | Uses local history |
| Run from incoming message on iPhone | Apple documents Message triggers | Mac only |
| Auto-send from a running Mac | Not the documented personal automation path | Built in |
Choose the Shortcut when you want a known sentence and can define the sender in advance. Consider GhostReply when the response must address the message, sound closer to the relevant conversation, and run from your Mac. The tradeoff is that generative replies can be wrong.
GhostReply requirements and data path
GhostReply needs an awake, online Mac with Messages signed in, Full Disk Access for the terminal app that reads the local Messages database, and Automation permission for that terminal app to control Messages. Contacts access helps resolve names. You also provide a Groq API key.
iMessage history is read locally. GhostReply stores its configuration, reply profile, and statistics under ~/.ghostreply. Relevant context goes directly from your Mac to Groq for inference using your key. Message content does not pass through GhostReply's servers, although trial, license, and analytics data can reach those services. Read Groq's data documentation and the GhostReply privacy page.
GhostReply runs only while the Mac is awake and the app is open. It can target one person or all one-to-one chats; group chats are skipped. After GhostReply has replied, your manual message stops one-person mode or pauses that contact for 30 minutes in all-contacts mode. Urgent and sensitive controls are keyword heuristics, not guarantees.
Try the contextual Mac workflow
Use 10 GhostReply replies free. If it fits better than a fixed template, pay $4.99 once with no subscription.
curl -sL ghostreply.lol/install.sh | bash
iMessage auto-reply Shortcut FAQ
Apple documents a Message communication trigger for personal automations on iPhone and iPad, and lists Message among automations that can run without asking. Individual actions can still require their own permission or setup.
Apple's Mac Shortcuts guide describes manual launch points such as Quick Actions, Services, the Dock, the menu bar, the share sheet, and a keyboard shortcut. Apple's personal Message trigger documentation is for iPhone and iPad.
A basic Message automation normally sends text you define. Matching each conversation requires more context and model logic than a fixed template provides.
No. GhostReply runs on a Mac, reads eligible iMessage history locally, sends relevant context directly to Groq with your API key, and controls Messages after you grant macOS permission.