DockLock Plus Shortcuts Integration

For URL scheme integration, see URL Scheme Guide.

This guide explains how to use macOS Shortcuts and Terminal commands to interact with DockLock Plus via custom App Intents.

1. Prerequisites

• macOS 13.0 or later
• DockLock Plus must be installed and launched at least once.
• Enable Accessibility for DockLock Plus in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Accessibility.

2. Overview of Available Intents

DockLock Plus provides the following App Intents for Shortcuts and scripting:

If you have multiple displays that share the same name, it is recommended to use coordinate-based intents to ensure the Dock moves to the correct display.

Coordinates use (0,0) at the top-left corner of the main display; X increases to the right, and Y increases downward.

3. Installing Intents in Shortcuts

1. Open the Shortcuts app.
2. Click "+" to create a new shortcut.
3. In the Actions sidebar, search for DockLock Plus.
4. Expand the DockLock Plus section to view the available App Intents.
5. Drag the desired Intent into your workflow.
6. If the Intent has parameters (e.g. Move Dock to Display, Move Dock to Adjacent Display, Move Dock to Display at Coordinate), fill in the fields.
7. Name and save your shortcut.

4. Example Shortcuts

Here are a few representative shortcut workflows to demonstrate how to combine DockLock Plus intents:

1. Lock and Unlock Dock

   • Enable: Drag Enable DockLock Plus intent into your shortcut to lock the Dock.
   • Disable: Drag Disable DockLock Plus intent to restore default behavior.

2. Toggle Dock Follows Mouse

   • Drag Enable Dock Follows Mouse and Disable Dock Follows Mouse intents into a single shortcut to quickly switch the feature on or off.

3. Move Dock by Display Name

   • Add Move Dock to Display intent.
   • Set Display Name to your target monitor (e.g. “External Monitor”).

4. Move Dock to Adjacent Screen

   • Add Move Dock to Adjacent Display intent.
   • Choose Direction (Left/Right/Up/Down) to shift the Dock one screen over.

5. Coordinate‑based Move

   • Add Move Dock to Display at Coordinate intent.
   • Enter X Coordinate and Y Coordinate to target a specific pixel on your combined desktop.

6. Enable/Disable DockLock Plus on Specific Displays

   • Enable by Name: Drag the Allow Dock on Display intent, set Display Name.
   • Disable by Name: Drag the Disallow Dock on Display intent, set Display Name.

   For coordinate-based control, you can drag the corresponding Allow Dock on Display at Coordinate and Disallow Dock on Display at Coordinate intents, specifying X/Y.

Feel free to combine these steps in any order to create custom workflows that suit your needs.

5. Automations

You can trigger these shortcuts automatically via the Automation tab in Shortcuts:

1. Switch to Automation.
2. Click Create Personal Automation.
3. Choose a trigger (e.g. App Launch, Time of Day, When Display Changes).
4. Add a Run Shortcut action and select your DockLock sequence.
5. Toggle Ask Before Running as desired.
6. Save.

You can also use Automations to automatically switch single-screen Dock hiding mode on or off.
To do this, use the Allow Dock on Display at Coordinate or Disallow Dock on Display at Coordinate intents, specifying coordinates like X=1, Y=1 to allow or disallow the Dock on the main screen.
This can be useful to automatically hide the Dock when starting a meeting or showing it again afterward.
See FAQ: Hide Dock During Meetings or Screen Sharing for more details.

Menu Bar & Tray Integration

You can pin any shortcut you create to the menu bar (or system tray) for one‑click access:

1. Open the Shortcuts app and locate your custom DockLock Plus shortcut.
2. Right‑click (or Control‑click) the shortcut and choose Pin in Menu Bar.
3. The shortcut’s icon will appear in the menu bar—click it anytime to run your DockLock Plus action directly.

This allows you to trigger DockLock Plus shortcuts without opening the Shortcuts app.

6. Terminal Usage

The built‑in shortcuts CLI lets you run your DockLock shortcuts from scripts:

# List your shortcuts
shortcuts list

# Run "Lock My Dock"
shortcuts run "Lock My Dock"

Integrate into shell scripts, launchd, or other automation tools.

Note: Before assigning a hotkey, make sure you have already created the shortcut using the steps in Installing Intents in Shortcuts.

7. Triggering Shortcuts via Hotkey

1. In the Shortcuts app, open the shortcut you want to assign.
2. Click the “(i)” icon in the top right corner to open Details.
3. Under Run with, click the key field and press your desired hotkey.
4. Uncheck Provide Output.
5. Set Receive input from to None.
6. Close the Details pane.

Note: Choose a unique hotkey combination. If another app uses the same hotkey and is active, it will take priority and your shortcut will not run.

8. Siri Integration

You can also trigger any of your DockLock Plus shortcuts using Siri. Just say:

“Hey Siri, Move Dock Left”

For the first time ever, DockLock Plus lets you move the Dock using Siri-an action that was never possible before on macOS.

Note: Before using Siri to trigger a shortcut, ensure you have already created the shortcut using the steps in Installing Intents in Shortcuts.

9. Troubleshooting

• Permissions: Verify DockLock Plus is granted Accessibility in System Settings.
• Intent Availability: Restart the Shortcuts app after installing/updating DockLock Plus.
• Parameter Validation: Confirm display names and coordinates match your setup.
• Logs: Enable debug logging in DockLock Plus Preferences to diagnose failures.

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