apple shortcut :: ｢ API storage ｣

This shortcut is useful for handling API keys which you will use in various shortcuts made by me. The keys are stored in Apple notes, so assuming you are not sharing iCloud account or not sharing the note/folder with the keys with anyone, this gives you relatively secure way of storing the keys. The shortcut is handling the note with API keys automatically, so you don’t need to modify anything manually, you only need to get the API keys from service provider and the shortcut will append it to the corresponding note.

USAGE:

0. get the API key from the service you want to use on their website.

1. run the shortcut

2. choose service you would like to add an API key for from the list (or add custom one)

3. paste your API key into the input field

4. confirm removal of the old ｢ API key ｣ note

The last step is required to avoid conflicts; if you think the note was removed by mistake - you can retrieve it from the ‘recently deleted) in your Apple Notes.

IMPORTANT NOTES AND LIMITATIONS:

1. unless you know exactly what you are doing, it’s better to not overwrite any default names and to not modify any of the created notes in the “shortcuts” folder in your Apple Notes, if you plan to use other shortcuts made by me without disruptions.

2. You CAN move shortcuts folder into another folder (nest it).

3. You should NOT create another folder with the ‘shortcuts’ name in your Apple Notes.

4. Every time you provide an API key for a service, the previous key for the service is overwritten. For example, if you have already stored an OpenAI Key already and you run the shortcut again, select OpenAI service provider and insert a new key - old key is replaced with new one.

5. If you do manually need to change the created ｢ API keys ｣ note, be advised to replace the quotation marks with plain text ones (or just disable “Substitiutions” → “smart quotes”), as otherwise Apple Notes will replace them with custom symbol which is not recognized as a valid JSON markup.

WHY IS THIS REQUIRED:

It is better praxis to store APIs outside of your code, ideally they should be stored as secret in your environment, but as we currently don’t have such concept in Apple Shortcuts, we need to at least make sure the API keys are not part of our shortcuts, as otherwise you might compormise your credentials if you would decide to share your shortcut with someone.

You do you though, feel free to hardcode API keys to whatever shortcuts you use, as the APIs you create are your property and I refrain from any liability for any inconviniences.

RECOMMENDED SETTINGS:

You don’t have to to adjust anything.

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