ScreenDiary Shortcuts Documentation

Overview

ScreenDiary app intents are designed to chain together.

Many ScreenDiary intents are meant to work together. A search intent can give you a Media Result, Person, Season, or Video, and you can pass that straight into another ScreenDiary intent instead of starting again each time.

The intents fall into four main groups:

Library

Wishlist, watched state, recent activity, and random picks grounded in your ScreenDiary library.

Media

Search, collections, watch providers, videos, and title info.

People

Search for actors, directors, and crew, then open their details or credits.

TV

Season and episode lookups, plus upcoming and next-episode checks.

Chaining

Working with ScreenDiary values in Shortcuts

Some of the best shortcuts come from passing one ScreenDiary result into the next ScreenDiary intent.

Search Media returns Media Result items that work with Get Media Info, Get Videos for Media, Open Media in ScreenDiary, and the watched or wishlist intents.
Search People returns Person items that flow into Get Person Info, Get Credits for Person, and Open Person in ScreenDiary.
Get Videos for Media returns Video items that can be handed straight into Open URLs or any step expecting a link.
Get Seasons for Series returns Season items that can be passed to Get Episodes for Season.
Get Next Episode and Get Latest Episode return Episode values that can be flattened by Get Episode Details.
Whenever an intent asks for Media, Person, Collection, Season, Episode, or Video, the best input is usually the typed value returned by an earlier ScreenDiary intent.

Types

Common result types

These are the reusable values returned by ScreenDiary intents. The field lists below focus on the parts you are most likely to use in later shortcuts, filters, and text steps.

Media Result

Used by search, recommendations, collections, custom lists, recents, and many library intents.

Identifier: Internal value used to pass the item between intents.
TMDB ID: Numeric TMDB identifier for the title.
Title: Movie or series title.
Media Type: movie or tv.
Year / Summary / Poster URL / Runtime: Compact fields for list display and downstream filters.

Person

Used by people search plus cast and crew lookups.

Identifier / TMDB ID / Name: Core lookup and display fields.
Profile URL: Profile image when available.
Known For Department: Acting, Directing, and similar department labels.
Biography / Birthday / Deathday / Place of Birth: Richer profile fields when available.
Role / Job: Character or crew-role context on cast and crew results.

Collection

Used by collection search and collection-to-media flows.

Identifier / TMDB ID / Name: Core collection identity fields.
Overview: Collection summary text.
Poster URL / Backdrop URL: Artwork links when available.

Video

Used by Get Videos for Media when you want a playable trailer, teaser, clip, or featurette.

Identifier / Name / Type: Video identity and category.
Site / URL / Site Key: Host information and playable destination.
Official / Published: TMDB metadata useful for sorting or filtering.

Season

Used by Get Seasons for Series and then passed into episode retrieval.

Identifier / Series TMDB ID: Internal identity plus the parent series ID.
Season Number / Name: Core season context.
Overview / Poster URL / Air Date: Helpful display fields.
Episode Count: Total episodes in the season.

Episode

Used by episode and upcoming-TV intents.

Identifier / Series TMDB ID / Series Name: Parent-series context.
Season Number / Episode Number / Name: Core episode identity.
Overview / Still URL / Runtime: Display-ready detail fields.
Air Date / Air Date Value: Both text and typed date representations.

Watch Provider

Used by Get Watch Providers for Media.

Identifier / Provider ID / Name: Core provider identity.
Logo URL: Provider artwork link.
Offer Type: stream, rent, buy, free, or ads.
Region / Deep Link: Region scope and provider destination when available.

Library Update

Used by write intents such as wishlist and watched-state updates.

Title / Media Type / Action / Outcome: Human-readable summary of what ran.
Change Type / Summary / Final State: Useful fields if you want to check what changed or show a result in another step.
Saved / Watched / Wishlist / Favorite: Final booleans after the write completes.
Last Watched: Most recent watch date when available.

Search Results and Episode Details

Two specialised value types used by a smaller set of intents.

Search Results: Separate media and people arrays plus count fields for Search Anything.
Episode Details: Flattened episode fields such as Episode Code, Air Date Value, and Event Title for reminders and calendar flows.

Options

Common option sets

These option sets show up across multiple ScreenDiary intents. Knowing them up front makes the rest of the docs easier to scan.

Media Type

All: Include both movies and series.
Movie: Restrict results to movies.
Series: Restrict results to TV series.

Result Limits

Result Limit: 20 or 40.
Watched Result Limit: 10 or 20.

Watch State Options

Watch Date: Today or No Date.
TV Watch Scope: First Episode or Full Series.
Liked: Liked or Not Liked.

Save Destinations

Wishlist: Save to the wishlist.
Existing Custom List: Save into an existing list.
New Custom List: Create a list and save into it.

Source and Filters

Watch Source: Wishlist or All Saved.
Saved Media Filter: All, Watched, Wishlist, Favorites, or Custom List.
Upcoming Episodes Filter: Watching or Wishlist.

Credits

All: Include cast and crew.
Cast: Include cast only.
Crew: Include crew only.

Video Category

All: Include every supported video type.
Trailer / Teaser / Clip / Featurette: Narrow to a specific category.
Behind the Scenes: Include behind-the-scenes videos only.

Image Kind

All: Include posters and backdrops.
Poster / Backdrop: Restrict to one type.
Still: Present in the picker, but not currently supported for title-level shortcuts.

Recommendation Mode

Recommended: Use TMDB recommendation data.
Similar: Use TMDB similar-title data.

Library

Library app intents

Add to Wishlist Returns Library Update

Add a movie or TV series to your ScreenDiary wishlist.

Parameter	Type	Description
Media	`Media Result`	The movie or series to add.

Returns: A Library Update value.

Requires authentication.
If the title is already on the wishlist, the intent returns a no-change Library Update instead of failing.
If the title already exists in an incompatible state, the returned Library Update can describe a validation failure.

Bulk Save to List Returns dialog summary

Save multiple titles to the wishlist, an existing custom list, or a brand new custom list.

Parameter	Type	Description
Items	List of `Media Result`	The titles to save.
Destination	Enum	`Wishlist`, `Existing Custom List`, or `New Custom List`. Default: `Wishlist`.
Custom List	`Custom List`	Used when the destination is an existing custom list.
New List Name	Text	Used when the destination is a new custom list.

Returns: No typed value. The intent shows a dialog summary.

Duplicate titles are deduplicated before saving.
Saving to custom lists is movie-only in the current implementation. TV series are skipped for custom-list destinations.
If Custom List or New List Name is missing, the intent can prompt for it at runtime.

Get Media in Custom List Returns list of Media Result

Get the titles stored inside one of your ScreenDiary custom lists.

Parameter	Type	Description
Custom List	`Custom List`	The custom list to inspect.

Returns: A list of Media Result items.

Returns up to 100 items.
Includes both legacy movie-linked items and newer list-backed items when present.

Get Recently Added Titles Returns list of Media Result

Get recently added titles from your ScreenDiary library.

Parameter	Type	Description
Count	Enum	`20` or `40`. Default: `20`.
Filter	Enum	`All`, `Watched`, `Wishlist`, `Favorites`, or `Custom List`. Default: `All`.
Media Type	Enum	`All`, `Movie`, or `Series`. Default: `All`.

Returns: A list of Media Result items.

Results are ordered by the most recent library add date across movies and series.
The merged result is trimmed to the selected count after sorting.

Get Recently Watched Titles Returns list of Media Result

Get recently watched titles from your ScreenDiary library.

Parameter	Type	Description
Count	Enum	`10` or `20`. Default: `10`.
Media Type	Enum	`All`, `Movie`, or `Series`. Default: `All`.

Returns: A list of Media Result items.

Results are ordered by most recent watch date across movies and series.
Wishlist items are excluded.

Is Watched? Returns boolean

Return whether a title has been marked as watched in your ScreenDiary library.

Parameter	Type	Description
Media	`Media Result`	The title to evaluate.

Returns: true or false.

Designed for direct use inside Shortcuts If actions.

Is Caught Up? Returns boolean

Return whether a saved series is currently marked as caught up in your ScreenDiary library.

Parameter	Type	Description
Media	`Media Result`	The series to evaluate.

Returns: true or false.

Designed for direct use inside Shortcuts If actions.
If the input is not a TV series, the intent returns false with a clarifying dialog.
If the series is not yet saved in your library, the intent returns false.

Mark Movie as Watched Returns Library Update

Mark a movie as watched in ScreenDiary, including watch date, liked state, and a 0 to 5 rating.

Parameter	Type	Description
Movie	`Media Result`	The movie to update.
Watch Date	Enum	`Today` or `No Date`. Default: `Today`.
Liked	Enum	`Liked` or `Not Liked`. Default: `Not Liked`.
Rating (0-5)	Integer	Default: `0`. Allowed range: `0` through `5`.

Returns: A Library Update value.

Requires authentication.
The intent validates that the rating stays between 0 and 5.
The returned Library Update is the clearest way to see what changed.

Mark Series as Watched Returns Library Update

Mark a TV series as watched in ScreenDiary, with watch date, watch scope, and liked state.

Parameter	Type	Description
Series	`Media Result`	The series to update.
Watch Date	Enum	`Today` or `No Date`. Default: `Today`.
TV Watch Scope	Enum	`First Episode` or `Full Series`. Default: `First Episode`.
Liked	Enum	`Liked` or `Not Liked`. Default: `Not Liked`.

Returns: A Library Update value.

Requires authentication.
If the series is already watched, the intent may ask for confirmation before updating it again.

Pick Something to Watch Returns list of Media Result

Pick one or more titles from your saved library, with optional filters for genre, runtime, decade, and randomness.

Parameter	Type	Description
Source	Enum	`Wishlist` or `All Saved`. Default: `Wishlist`.
Genre	Text	Optional genre text filter.
Max Runtime (minutes)	Integer	Optional runtime ceiling in minutes.
Decade	Integer	Optional decade such as `1990` for the 1990s.
Random Pick	Boolean	When `true`, return one random result. Default: `true`.

Returns: A list of Media Result items.

Genre matching is text-based and case-insensitive.
Runtime filtering keeps titles whose runtime is less than or equal to the supplied number.
Decade filtering checks release year inside that ten-year span.
If Random Pick is false, the intent returns all matching titles instead of a single one.

What Can I Watch Right Now? Returns list of Media Result

Find titles from your wishlist that are currently available to stream in a chosen region.

Parameter	Type	Description
Check Up To	Enum	`20` or `40`. Default: `20`.
Region	Text	Optional 2-letter region code such as `US`, `AU`, or `GB`. Leave blank to use app preference or locale.

Returns: A list of Media Result items.

The intent checks wishlist titles only.
It looks specifically for streaming availability, not rent or buy availability.
If Region is blank, ScreenDiary resolves the region from the saved app preference, then current locale, then falls back to US.

Media

Media app intents

Get Cast for Media Returns list of Person

Get cast members for a movie or series.

Parameter	Type	Description
Media	`Media Result`	The title to inspect.

Returns: A list of Person items.

Returns up to 100 cast members.

Get Collection for Media Returns list of Collection

Get the TMDB movie collection for a movie.

Parameter	Type	Description
Media	`Media Result`	The movie to inspect.

Returns: A list of Collection items.

Collections are movie-only. Supplying a series results in an error.
When a movie belongs to a collection, the intent returns a one-item list containing that collection.
When a movie does not belong to a collection, the intent returns an empty list.

Get Crew for Media Returns list of Person

Get crew members for a movie or series, optionally narrowed by department and job.

Parameter	Type	Description
Media	`Media Result`	The title to inspect.
Department	Text	Optional crew department filter such as `Directing` or `Writing`.
Job	Text	Optional crew job filter such as `Director` or `Screenplay`.

Returns: A list of Person items.

Returns up to 100 crew members.
You can use Department, Job, or both.

Get Images for Media Returns list of files

Download posters and backdrops for a title.

Parameter	Type	Description
Media	`Media Result`	The title to inspect.
Image Kind	Enum	`All`, `Poster`, `Backdrop`, or `Still`. Default: `All`.
Max Images	Integer	Maximum number of images to return. Default: `5`.
Save to Photos	Boolean	When `true`, save the downloaded images to Photos as well as returning them. Default: `false`.

Returns: A list of files (IntentFile values).

Max Images is clamped to a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 100.
Still is currently not supported for title-level shortcuts and returns an empty result with a dialog.
When Save to Photos is enabled, the intent requests add-only Photos permission.

Get Media in Collection Returns list of Media Result

Get the movie titles inside a TMDB collection.

Parameter	Type	Description
Collection	`Collection`	The collection to inspect.

Returns: A list of Media Result items.

Returns up to 100 movies.

Get Media Info Returns text

Get one specific field for a movie or series.

Parameter	Type	Description
Media	`Media Result`	The title to inspect.
Field	Enum	The field to return.

Returns: A single text value.

Field options: ID, Title, Overview, Media Type, Year, Summary, Poster URL, Backdrop URL, Status, Genres, TMDB Score, User Score, Release Date, Runtime, Tagline, IMDb ID, Original Language, Vote Count, Watched, Saved, Wishlist, and Favorite.

This intent returns text, not a structured object.
When the title is already in your library, ScreenDiary overlays local saved-state information such as watched, wishlist, favorite, and user score.
Missing values are returned as an empty string.
Boolean-like fields such as Watched and Saved return true or false as text.

Get Recommendations for Media Returns list of Media Result

Get recommended or similar titles for a movie or series.

Parameter	Type	Description
Media	`Media Result`	The seed title.
Mode	Enum	`Recommended` or `Similar`. Default: `Recommended`.

Returns: A list of Media Result items.

Returns up to 100 titles.

Get Videos for Media Returns list of Video

Get trailers and related videos for a movie or series. Each returned Video already behaves like a link in Shortcuts, so you can pass it straight into Open URLs.

Parameter	Type	Description
Media	`Media Result`	Use this when you already have a title from another ScreenDiary step.
Media Type	Enum	`Movie` or `Series`. Use this with `TMDB ID` if you are not passing a `Media Result`.
TMDB ID	Integer	The TMDB ID to resolve before fetching videos.
Category	Enum	`All`, `Trailer`, `Teaser`, `Clip`, `Featurette`, or `Behind the Scenes`. Default: `All`.

Returns: A list of Video items.

You can either pass a Media Result or use Media Type plus TMDB ID to resolve the title first.
Only playable videos with a usable URL are returned.
Returned Video items include Name, Type, Site, URL, Official, Published, and Site Key.
Returns up to 100 videos after filtering.

Get Watch Providers for Media Returns list of Watch Provider

Get streaming, rental, and purchase providers for a title.

Parameter	Type	Description
Media	`Media Result`	The title to inspect.
Region	Text	Optional 2-letter region code such as `US`, `AU`, or `GB`.

Returns: A list of Watch Provider items.

Results are flattened by provider and offer type.
Offer types can include stream, rent, buy, free, and ads.

Open Media in ScreenDiary Opens the app

Open a movie or series inside the ScreenDiary app.

Parameter	Type	Description
Media	`Media Result`	The title to open.

Returns: No typed value. The app opens immediately.

openAppWhenRun is enabled.

Search Anything Returns Search Results

Search ScreenDiary for movies, series, and people in a single intent.

Parameter	Type	Description
Search Text	Text	The query to search for.

Returns: A Search Results value containing separate media and people arrays.

Returns up to 20 media results and up to 20 people results.
This is the easiest ScreenDiary intent to use when you want one search that can lead to either titles or people.

Search Collections Returns list of Collection

Search TMDB movie collections.

Parameter	Type	Description
Search Text	Text	The collection query.

Returns: A list of Collection items.

Returns up to 100 collections.
This intent searches movie collections only.

Search Media Returns list of Media Result

Search ScreenDiary for a movie or series.

Parameter	Type	Description
Search Text	Text	The query to search for.
Media Type	Enum	`All`, `Movie`, or `Series`. Default: `All`.
Result Limit	Enum	`20` or `40`. Default: `20`.

Returns: A list of Media Result items.

This intent queries remote TMDB-backed results, not only your local library.
Results are capped to the selected limit.

People

People app intents

Get Credits for Person Returns list of Media Result

Get movie and series credits for a person.

Parameter	Type	Description
Person	`Person`	The person to inspect.
Credits	Enum	`All`, `Cast`, or `Crew`. Default: `All`.
Department	Text	Optional crew department filter.
Job	Text	Optional crew job filter.

Returns: A list of Media Result items.

Returns up to 100 credits.
Department and Job are most useful when you want to narrow crew results.

Get Person Info Returns text

Get one specific field for a person.

Parameter	Type	Description
Person	`Person`	The person to inspect.
Field	Enum	The field to return.

Returns: A single text value.

Field options: ID, Name, Biography, Known For Department, Birthday, Deathday, Place of Birth, and Profile Image URL.

This intent returns text, not a structured object.
Missing values are returned as an empty string.

Open Person in ScreenDiary Opens the app

Open a person page inside the ScreenDiary app.

Parameter	Type	Description
Person	`Person`	The person to open.

Returns: No typed value. The app opens immediately.

openAppWhenRun is enabled.

Search People Returns list of Person

Search for actors, directors, writers, and other people.

Parameter	Type	Description
Search Text	Text	The query to search for.

Returns: A list of Person items.

Returns up to 20 people.
After the initial search, ScreenDiary attempts to fetch fuller details for each result so fields like birthday are populated when possible.

TV app intents

Get Episodes for Season Returns list of Episode

Get episodes for a specific TV season.

Parameter	Type	Description
Season	`Season`	The season to inspect.
Result Limit	Enum	`20` or `40`. Default: `20`.

Returns: A list of Episode items.

Results are capped to the selected limit.

Get Latest Episode Returns Episode

Get the latest aired episode for a series.

Parameter	Type	Description
Series	`Media Result`	The series to inspect.

Returns: A single Episode value.

If no aired episode is available, the intent fails with a clear not-found message.

Get Next Episode Returns optional Episode

Get the next upcoming episode for a series.

Parameter	Type	Description
Series	`Media Result`	The series to inspect.

Returns: An optional Episode value.

If no upcoming episode is available, the intent returns nil with a friendly dialog instead of throwing an error.

Get Episode Details Returns Episode Details

Turn an episode into simpler fields that work well with Calendar, Reminders, and other shortcuts.

Parameter	Type	Description
Episode	`Episode`	The episode to flatten.

Returns: An Episode Details value.

This is especially useful when you need a typed Date via Air Date Value.
Event Title works well in Calendar and Reminders steps.

Get Seasons for Series Returns list of Season

Get seasons for a TV series.

Parameter	Type	Description
Series	`Media Result`	The series to inspect.

Returns: A list of Season items.

Supplying a movie causes the intent to fail because seasons are TV-only.

Upcoming Episodes Returns list of Episode

Get upcoming episodes for series you follow in ScreenDiary within a chosen date window.

Parameter	Type	Description
Within Days	Integer	How many days ahead to search. Default: `7`. Allowed range: `1` through `90`.
Filter	Enum	`Watching` or `Wishlist`. Default: `Watching`.

Returns: A list of Episode items.

The intent also produces a date-grouped dialog summary for quick reading.
Watching looks at followed watched-series records. Wishlist looks at wishlist series.
The intent uses locally known next-air dates to narrow the candidate set before fetching full episode details.

Want step-by-step examples?

If you have found the action you need and want to see it in a real shortcut, open the recipe book.

Open Recipe Book

Notes

Important behavior to know

A few details that are easy to miss

Get Media Info and Get Person Info return plain text, not rich objects.
Get Videos for Media returns playable Video items, so you can hand the chosen result straight into Open URLs.
Get Collection for Media returns a list containing zero or one collection, not a single collection value.
Get Next Episode can legitimately return nil.
Get Images for Media returns files and can optionally save them to Photos.
Write intents return a rich Library Update value, which is helpful if you want to check the result or use it in later steps.

Shortcuts Documentation index.

How the intents fit together

Typed results and chaining

Diary and save-state updates

Search, info, videos, and providers

ScreenDiary app intents are designed to chain together.

Library

Media

People

TV

Working with ScreenDiary values in Shortcuts

Common result types

Media Result

Person

Collection

Video

Season

Episode

Watch Provider

Library Update

Search Results and Episode Details

Common option sets

Media Type

Result Limits

Watch State Options

Save Destinations

Source and Filters

Credits

Video Category

Image Kind

Recommendation Mode

Library app intents

Media app intents

People app intents

TV app intents

Want step-by-step examples?

Important behavior to know

A few details that are easy to miss