A Hundred & One Post Buttons
One of the reasons I love this setup so much is that publishing isn’t just simple – it’s fully automated with nothing more than stock Shortcuts actions on iOS and macOS. No scripts, no extra tools. Just Shortcuts and GitHub’s API.
Here’s how it works, step by step:
1. Take a Markdown file as input
The Shortcut starts by receiving a file – either from the Share Sheet or by prompting me to pick one. This file is the blog post I’ve written in plain text.
- Action: Receive Files from Share Sheet
- Why: Keeps things flexible – I can run the Shortcut from Finder on my Mac, Drafts on my iPhone, or anywhere else that can share a Markdown file.
2. Prepare the file name
Next, the Shortcut grabs the file’s name, URL-encodes it (so it’s safe for GitHub’s API), and saves it as Pretty File Name.
- Action: Get Name from Blog Post → URL Encode → Set Variable
This ensures my post shows up as my-post.md inside the Hugo content/posts/ folder.
3. Encode the post content
The raw text of the file is pulled out and converted to Base64. GitHub’s API requires files to be sent this way.
- Action: Get Text from Blog Post → Encode Text with Base64
Now I’ve got my post ready in a format GitHub understands.
4. Build the API request
The Shortcut constructs a URL to the right location in my repo:
https://api.github.com/repos/<username>/<repo>/contents/content/posts/<Pretty File Name>.md
This points GitHub’s API directly to where the Markdown file should live.
5. Check if the post exists
The Shortcut sends a GET request to that URL:
- If a file exists, GitHub’s response includes a sha value (basically the file’s unique ID).
- If it doesn’t exist, there’s no sha.
This lets the Shortcut decide whether to update an existing post or create a brand new one.
6. Update or create the post
Depending on the result, the Shortcut runs one of two PUT requests:
- Update Blog Post → PUT with the sha included
- Post New Blog Post → PUT without the sha
Both requests send JSON with:
{
"message": "Posted via Shortcuts - <Name of BlogPost>",
"content": "<Base64 Encoded Markdown>",
"branch": "main",
"sha": "<if updating>"
}
GitHub commits the file to my repo, and Hugo + GitHub Pages do the rest.
7. Done!
That’s it. Within seconds, the post appears on my live site – no browser, no dashboard, no manual uploads.
Why This Is So Good
- Cross-platform: I use it on my Mac via Finder + Service Station, as an Alfred file action, in BBEdit via AppleScript, and on my iPhone via Drafts. If I had an iPad, it would work there too.
- Minimal setup: The Shortcut is just a chain of built-in actions. No scripts, no third-party apps.
- Future-proof: The only input it needs is a Markdown file – and that’s the one thing my blog will always be built on.
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