Apple services

What is siriactionsd?

siriactionsd is the daemon for the Shortcuts app. It runs your shortcuts and syncs them between your devices with iCloud.

Process: siriactionsdMade by AppleApplies to: macOS 14 Sonoma and later. Checked on macOS 27.2.Checked: 1 November 2026

Short answer

Part of macOS. It runs and syncs the shortcuts you make in the Shortcuts app, so iCloud sync of shortcuts can show under it.

Block with care

Blocking it stops shortcuts syncing between devices and can break shortcuts that use the internet.

Path
/System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/VoiceShortcuts.framework/Versions/A/Support/siriactionsd
launchd label
com.apple.siriactionsd
Signing identifier
com.apple.siriactionsd

What it is

The man page calls siriactionsd the “Daemon for the Shortcuts application”. It coordinates running and syncing of shortcuts created in Shortcuts, among other Shortcuts-related tasks.

It is in the VoiceShortcuts framework, started for each user as com.apple.siriactionsd. Its launchd property list includes a push service, com.apple.aps.siriactionsd.

Apple Platform Security says that shortcuts can sync across your devices with iCloud and be shared with other people through iCloud. Updated malware definitions are downloaded to identify malicious shortcuts.

Why it uses the network

  • Sync of shortcuts. With iCloud sync on, shortcuts you make or change go to your other devices.
  • Malware definitions. Apple says that macOS downloads updated malware definitions to spot malicious shortcuts when they run.
  • Shortcuts that use the network. A shortcut can fetch a web page or call an API. Those requests run on your behalf when the shortcut runs.

How much is normal

Sync traffic is small. Shortcuts are small files.

Traffic from shortcuts that you run depends on what they do. A shortcut that downloads files uses as much as it downloads.

It runs only when there is Shortcuts work to do.

Apple says that you can share shortcuts with other people through iCloud. Sharing uploads the shortcut.

When it uses a lot, and why

  • A shortcut that downloads. Actions such as Get Contents of URL download data each time the shortcut runs.
  • Automations. A shortcut that runs on a schedule or on an event can repeat its downloads often.

Is it safe to block?

Block with care

Blocking it stops shortcuts syncing between devices and can break shortcuts that use the internet.

What breaks if you block it

  • Shortcuts don't sync with your other devices.
  • Shortcuts with web actions can fail when they run.
  • Updated malware definitions for shortcuts may not arrive.

Blocking means a firewall rule that refuses its connections. Don’t quit or disable a macOS process to save data: macOS starts it again, and other features depend on it.

Reduce its use

  1. Look at the shortcuts that run on a schedule. Open Shortcuts and click Automations.

  2. Turn off automations that download data you don't need.

  3. To stop syncing shortcuts, open Shortcuts › Settings and turn off iCloud Sync.

  4. Don't quit siriactionsd in Activity Monitor. macOS starts it again.

See how much it uses

  1. Open Activity Monitor from Applications › Utilities. Click Network.

  2. Type siriactionsd in the search field. The Sent Bytes and Rcvd Bytes columns show what it moved since it started.

  3. In Terminal, watch only this process. Press d to show the change per second, and q to quit.

    nettop -p 'siriactionsd' -P

With Kilobat

  1. In the Kilobat app list, search for siriactionsd. Its row shows the live rate and what it moved today.

  2. In Connections, click the ⓘ button on one of its rows. The popover shows this page’s short answer, without going online.

  3. In Terminal, ask the same question. Add --json for scripts and agents.

    kilobat explain 'siriactionsd'

  4. Show its traffic over one day.

    kilobat bandwidth 'siriactionsd' day

  5. Through MCP, an AI agent asks explain_connection with the process name. It gets the same facts.

The live view and the explanations are free. History in the app needs Kilobat Pro. Blocking needs Pro and the network filter: see the network filter, Protection and the hotspot data saver.

Hosts it contacts

Apple and the maker document these hosts for this feature. A process can also contact others; Kilobat’s Connections tab shows what it actually opens on your Mac.

*.apple-cloudkit.comApple's CloudKit service. Apps sync their iCloud data through it, and Apple lists api.apple-cloudkit.com for app notarization on macOS.Apple →*.icloud.comApple's iCloud domain. Apple lists *.icloud.com for iCloud services; specific hosts under it have their own pages.Apple →

Questions

Are my shortcuts stored in iCloud encrypted?

Apple says that shortcuts are stored locally in an encrypted format, and that they sync through iCloud.

Why did a shortcut ask before running JavaScript?

Apple says that the first time a shortcut runs JavaScript on a domain, you are asked to allow it for that domain.

Sources

Checked on 1 November 2026.