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I have a Watch Me Do automator service / quick action that uses pause and a long running loop to repeat the actions when I am away.

I have created a keyboard shortcut for the service

But since it uses mouse events and is long running, at some point I want to use a keyboard shortcut to stop it when I return to my computer and want to resume my activities.

How would I achieve this? Any alternative workflows/suggestions would also be welcome

Edit:

My goal is to record a "watch me do" action involving opening an application and doing some clicks and keep repeating it (with delays) until I want it to stop.

I should be able to stop and start this "service" using a keyboard shortcut.

Edit 2 (Details): Mac Version: macOS Big Sur (Version 11.3.1)

Here is an example service I created

  1. Watch Me Do

    Click Mail in the Dock

    Click the "fill in title" toolbar button

    Click the "fill in title" button

  2. Pause

    for 60 seconds

  3. Loop

    Loop automatically Stop after 60 minutes

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2 Answers 2

1

Try the following:

  • Create a new Automator Quick Action.
    • Workflow receives [no input] in [Mail]
  • Add a Run Shell Script action.
    • Shell: [/bin/zsh]
    • Pass input: [to stdin]
  • Add the following command to the Run Shell Script action:
    • pkill -9 com.apple.automator.runner

Notes:

In System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts > Services I assigned it a keyboard shortcut of: ⌃⌥⌘Q

I tested this in macOS Catalina, as I do not have Mail setup under macOS Big Sur, and it work for me without issue.

This will kill all Automator Service/Quick Action that are running.

1

I believe cmd + . should do the trick.

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  • Please edit your post and explain why you think this will help. What does the key combo do? Also, please take the tour to better understand how SE works. Jul 28, 2022 at 10:34

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