Drafts AppleScript CLI

Command line interface for Drafts on macOS.

Requirements

IMPORTANT: This CLI only works on macOS with Drafts running.

Requirement	Details
Operating System	macOS only (uses AppleScript)
Drafts App	Must be installed AND running
Drafts Pro	Required for automation features
Go	1.21+ (for installation)

This CLI will NOT work if:

• You're on Linux or Windows
• Drafts app is not installed
• Drafts app is not running (it must be open)
• You don't have Drafts Pro subscription

How It Works

The CLI communicates with Drafts via AppleScript (osascript). This means:

• Drafts must be running on your Mac for any command to work
• Commands execute in the context of the running Drafts app
• All data stays local on your Mac

Install

Option 1: Go Install

go install github.com/nerveband/drafts/cmd/drafts@latest

Option 2: Build from Source

git clone https://github.com/nerveband/drafts
cd drafts
go build ./cmd/drafts

# Optionally move to PATH
mv drafts /usr/local/bin/

Option 3: Download Binary

Download from Releases (macOS only).

Quick Start

# Make sure Drafts is running first!
open -a Drafts

# Create a draft
drafts create "Hello from the CLI"

# List your drafts
drafts list

# Get a specific draft
drafts get <uuid>

Usage

$ drafts --help
Usage: drafts [--plain] <command> [<args>]

Options:
  --plain              output plain text instead of JSON
  --help, -h           display this help and exit

Commands:
  new, create          create new draft
  prepend              prepend to draft
  append               append to draft
  replace              replace content of draft
  edit                 edit draft in $EDITOR
  get                  get content of draft
  select               select active draft using fzf
  list                 list drafts
  run                  run a Drafts action
  schema               output tool-use schema for LLM integration
  upgrade              upgrade to the latest version
  version              show version information

Commands

create / new

Create a new draft.

drafts create "Content here" [options]

Options:
  -t, --tag TAG        Add tag (can be used multiple times)
  -a, --archive        Create in archive folder
  -f, --flagged        Create as flagged
  --action ACTION      Run action after creation

Examples:

drafts create "Meeting notes"
drafts create "Shopping list" -t groceries -t todo
drafts create "Important!" -f

get

Get a draft by UUID.

drafts get [UUID]      # Omit UUID to get active draft

list

List drafts with optional filtering.

drafts list [options]

Options:
  -f, --filter FILTER  Filter: inbox|archive|trash|all (default: inbox)
  -t, --tag TAG        Filter by tag (can be used multiple times)

Examples:

drafts list                    # List inbox
drafts list -f archive         # List archived
drafts list -t work            # Filter by tag

prepend / append

Add content to an existing draft.

drafts prepend "Text" -u UUID [options]
drafts append "Text" -u UUID [options]

Options:
  -u, --uuid UUID      Target draft UUID (omit to use active draft)
  -t, --tag TAG        Add tag
  --action ACTION      Run action after modification

replace

Replace entire content of a draft.

drafts replace "New content" -u UUID

edit

Open draft in your $EDITOR.

drafts edit [UUID]     # Omit UUID to edit active draft

run

Run a Drafts action.

drafts run "Action Name" "Text to process"
drafts run "Action Name" -u UUID    # Run on existing draft

schema

Output tool-use schema for LLM integration.

drafts schema          # Full schema
drafts schema create   # Schema for specific command

upgrade

Upgrade to the latest version from GitHub releases.

drafts upgrade         # Check for and install updates

version

Show version information.

drafts version         # Display current version

Output Formats

JSON (default) - Structured output for programmatic use:

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "uuid": "ABC-123",
    "content": "Note content",
    "title": "Note title",
    "tags": ["tag1"],
    "folder": "inbox"
  }
}

Plain text - Human-readable output:

drafts list --plain

LLM Integration

This CLI is designed for LLM tool use:

• JSON output by default - Easy to parse
• Structured errors - Error code, message, and recovery hints
• Tool-use schema - Get schema with drafts schema
• Full metadata - All draft properties returned

ClawdBot Skill

A ClawdBot skill is available for this CLI. Install to ~/.clawdbot/skills/drafts/SKILL.md.

Troubleshooting

"AppleScript error" or no response

1. Is Drafts running? The app must be open: open -a Drafts
2. Is Drafts Pro active? Automation requires Pro subscription
3. Permissions granted? Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Automation and ensure Terminal (or your app) can control Drafts

"command not found: drafts"

Add to your PATH:

export PATH="$PATH:$(go env GOPATH)/bin"

Commands hang or timeout

Drafts may be showing a dialog. Check the Drafts app window.

Architecture

┌─────────────┐      AppleScript      ┌─────────────┐
│  drafts CLI │ ──────────────────▶   │  Drafts.app │
└─────────────┘      (osascript)      └─────────────┘

• No network requests
• No helper apps
• No Drafts actions to install
• Pure local AppleScript communication

Development

go build ./cmd/drafts    # Build
go test ./...            # Run tests
go vet ./...             # Lint

License

MIT

Credits

Forked from ernstwi/drafts. Refactored to use AppleScript backend (no helper app required).