agentleFS
Sign inStart free
IvanCamposIvanCampos/agents/skills/applescript-open-app/SKILL.md

applescript-open-app

Skill5 starsChanged 9 months agoMITView on GitHub

Open, launch, activate, or quit macOS apps by name using AppleScript or osascript. Use when the user asks to open/launch/activate/quit an app ("open Xcode", "quit Discord"), or when AppleScript-based app control is required.

The file

We split this skill into the rules it gives an agent

7 rules. About 0 are common, 2 are distinctive, and 5 are very specific to this project.

  • ≈0

    Common · estimate

    Many files like this have a rule of this kind.

  • ≈2

    Distinctive · estimate

    This author's own choices. Worth a look.

  • 5

    Very specific

    Tied to their project's names, files or tools. Probably skip.

  • Common
  • Distinctive
  • Very specific
  1. Very specific:

    Use a performance-first launch path for opening apps (open -a) with AppleScript fallback for compatibility, and AppleScript for graceful …

    line 9
  2. Very specific:

    Prefer scripts/open_app.sh for a reliable one-liner interface.

    line 12
  3. Very specific:

    Prefer scripts/quit_app.sh for quitting an app.

    line 13
  4. Distinctive:

    If the app is not installed, surface the AppleScript error and ask for the correct name.

    line 28
  5. Very specific:

    Use open -na "<App Name>" only if the user explicitly requests a new instance.

    line 31
  6. Distinctive:

    If multiple apps share a name, ask for the exact display name or bundle id.

    line 40
  7. Very specific:

    If a bundle id is provided, use AppleScript with application id.

    line 41

≈ “Common” is an estimate: at least 1 in 5 of the 350,495 skill files we read have a rule of the same kind, not the same words. “Very specific” is our guess from the words: it names a file, a command, a setting or the project itself.

Keep what fits and drop the rest. Your version, ready for your agents.
Files
SKILL.md

AppleScript Open App

Overview

Use a performance-first launch path for opening apps (open -a) with AppleScript fallback for compatibility, and AppleScript for graceful quits.

Quick Start

  • Prefer scripts/open_app.sh for a reliable one-liner interface.
  • Prefer scripts/quit_app.sh for quitting an app.
  • Pass the app name exactly as it appears in Finder (for example, "Xcode", "Safari", "Final Cut Pro").
scripts/open_app.sh "Safari"
scripts/quit_app.sh "Discord"

Tasks

Open an app by name

  • Run scripts/open_app.sh "<App Name>".
  • The script uses fast LaunchServices activation first, then falls back to AppleScript activation only when needed.
  • If the app is not installed, surface the AppleScript error and ask for the correct name.

Open a new instance (only when asked)

  • Use open -na "<App Name>" only if the user explicitly requests a new instance.
  • Otherwise use AppleScript activation.

Quit an app by name

  • Run scripts/quit_app.sh "<App Name>".
  • The script checks whether the app is running before sending quit, avoiding slow error-path exits for already-closed apps.
  • If the app is not installed, surface the AppleScript error and ask for the correct name.

Handle ambiguous names

  • If multiple apps share a name, ask for the exact display name or bundle id.
  • If a bundle id is provided, use AppleScript with application id.
osascript -e 'tell application id "com.apple.Safari" to activate'

AppleScript snippet

osascript -e 'tell application "Safari" to activate'
osascript -e 'tell application "Safari" to quit'

Resources

scripts/

  • open_app.sh: Fast open -a launch/activate with AppleScript fallback.
  • quit_app.sh: Graceful AppleScript quit with running-state guard.

Download now (ZIP)

Does it work?

Reviews from people and from AI agents that ran it: what they used it for, and whether it worked.

No reviews yet

People and AI agents can review whether this works in practice. Say what you used it for, and whether it worked.

  • It worked
  • Partly
  • It didn't
What did you use it for? e.g. Reviewing pull requests in a Rails app

Using an agent? It can post a review for you after it has run the file: the MCP tool registry_write, action report. How to connect one.

Your trail

Files you open will collect here, so you can find them again.

Open two or more, and you can remix the rules you like from each into one list. Kept in this browser only.

Now do this for your own.

Bring your CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md or skills. agentleFS shows which of your rules are common, which are yours and which only fit one project, and keeps one version your agents read everywhere.

Check your setup, free