150+ Things You Can Automate on Your Mac with Crail

Crail ships with over 150 built-in automations that let you control your Mac with natural voice commands. No scripting. No Shortcuts app. No memorizing command syntax. You just speak naturally, and Crail executes.

This is the complete catalog, organized by category. For each automation, we have included an example voice command — but remember, Crail understands natural language, so you can phrase these however feels natural to you. There is no rigid syntax to memorize.

Every command listed here executes in under 1.5 seconds. Every action includes Crail's visual feedback overlay so you can see exactly what is happening. And every automation respects Crail's safety tier system — destructive actions always ask for confirmation first. To learn how voice automation compares to other approaches on macOS, check out our full guide on automating your Mac with voice commands in 2026.

1. System Controls (13 Automations)

These are the everyday Mac controls that normally require digging through System Settings, clicking menu bar icons, or remembering keyboard shortcuts. With Crail, they are a sentence away.

Volume Control

Adjust your Mac's volume to any level, mute, or unmute — all without touching the keyboard.

"Set volume to 50%" — Sets system volume to exactly half.
"Mute my Mac" — Instantly mutes all system audio.
"Turn the volume up a bit" — Incremental volume increase.

Brightness

Control display brightness with your voice, perfect when your hands are occupied.

"Set brightness to 80%" — Adjusts the display to 80% brightness.
"Dim the screen" — Reduces brightness incrementally.
"Maximum brightness" — Sets display to full brightness.

Dark Mode

Toggle macOS appearance without opening System Settings.

"Turn on dark mode" — Switches macOS to dark appearance.
"Switch to light mode" — Switches back to light appearance.

Do Not Disturb

Silence notifications instantly for focused work sessions.

"Turn on Do Not Disturb" — Enables Focus/DND mode.
"Disable Do Not Disturb" — Turns off Focus mode.

Screenshots

Capture your screen in multiple ways without memorizing keyboard combos.

"Take a screenshot" — Captures the full screen.
"Screenshot this window" — Captures only the active window.
"Take a screenshot of this area" — Initiates area selection capture.

Screen Lock

Secure your Mac instantly when you step away.

"Lock my screen" — Locks the Mac immediately.

Wi-Fi

Toggle your wireless connection without clicking through the menu bar.

"Turn off Wi-Fi" — Disables the Wi-Fi adapter.
"Turn on Wi-Fi" — Re-enables Wi-Fi.

Bluetooth

Manage Bluetooth connectivity with a quick voice command.

"Turn off Bluetooth" — Disables the Bluetooth adapter.
"Enable Bluetooth" — Turns Bluetooth back on.

Other System Controls

"Empty the trash" — Empties the Trash with confirmation.
"Show desktop" — Moves all windows aside to reveal the desktop.
"Open System Settings" — Launches the Settings app.
"Restart my Mac" — Initiates a restart (with safety confirmation).
"Put my Mac to sleep" — Puts the machine to sleep immediately.

2. Files and Finder (12 Automations)

File management is one of the most repetitive parts of using any computer. These automations turn multi-step Finder operations into single voice commands.

Finder Navigation

"Open my Documents folder" — Opens a Finder window at ~/Documents.
"Open the Downloads folder" — Navigates to ~/Downloads.
"Open a new Finder window" — Opens a fresh Finder window.

Folder Management

"Create a new folder called Project Files on the Desktop" — Creates the folder exactly where specified.
"Create a folder structure for a new project" — Can create nested folder hierarchies.

File Compression

"Compress this folder" — Creates a ZIP archive of the selected item.
"Unzip this file" — Extracts a compressed archive.

Trash Operations

"Move this to trash" — Sends the selected file or folder to Trash.
"Empty the trash" — Permanently deletes trashed items (with confirmation).

File Information

"Show info for this file" — Opens the Get Info panel for the selected item.
"How big is this folder?" — Retrieves size information.

Batch Operations

"Select all files in this folder" — Selects everything in the current Finder view.
"Move all PDFs from Downloads to Documents" — Performs batch file moves based on type.

3. Browsers (8 Automations)

Crail works with Safari, Chrome, Firefox, and Arc. These commands work across all supported browsers — Crail detects which one is active and adapts.

Navigation

"Open Safari" — Launches your preferred browser (works with any supported browser name).
"Go to crail.ai" — Navigates to the specified URL in the active browser.
"Search for best restaurants nearby" — Opens a new search in the active browser.

Tab Management

"Open a new tab" — Creates a new browser tab.
"Close this tab" — Closes the current tab.
"Switch to the next tab" — Cycles to the next open tab.

Window Management

"Open a new window" — Opens a new browser window.
"Open a private window" — Opens a private/incognito browsing window.

4. Terminal (7 Automations)

For developers and power users, Crail integrates with Terminal.app, iTerm2, and Ghostty. These commands let you manage terminal sessions and execute commands without switching context from whatever you are working on.

Session Management

"Open Terminal" — Launches Terminal.app (or your preferred terminal).
"Open a new terminal tab" — Creates a new tab in the active terminal.
"Open a new terminal window" — Creates a new terminal window.
"Split the terminal pane" — Creates a split pane in iTerm2 or Ghostty.

Command Execution

"Run npm install in the terminal" — Types and executes the command.
"Clear the terminal" — Clears the current terminal screen.
"Run the last command again" — Re-executes the previous terminal command.

5. Productivity Apps (13 Automations)

These automations cover Apple's built-in productivity suite. They turn multi-step workflows — creating events, composing messages, setting reminders — into single voice commands.

Calendar

"Create a meeting tomorrow at 2 PM called Design Review" — Adds a new calendar event with the specified details.
"Show my schedule for today" — Opens Calendar to today's view.
"Open Calendar" — Launches the Calendar app.

Contacts

"Open Contacts" — Launches the Contacts app.
"Find Sarah's phone number" — Searches contacts for the specified person.

Mail

"Open Mail" — Launches the Mail app.
"Compose a new email" — Opens a new email draft.

Messages

"Open Messages" — Launches the Messages app.
"Send a message to Alex saying I'll be 10 minutes late" — Composes and prepares a message to the specified contact.

Notes

"Create a new note called Meeting Notes" — Creates a fresh note with the given title.
"Open Notes" — Launches the Notes app.

Reminders

"Remind me to call the dentist tomorrow at 9 AM" — Creates a timed reminder.
"Show my reminders" — Opens the Reminders app.

FaceTime and Maps

"Open FaceTime" — Launches FaceTime for video calls.
"Open Maps and search for coffee shops" — Launches Maps with a search query.

6. Creative Apps (10 Automations)

Creative professionals spend hours in these applications. These automations reduce friction in music playback, photo management, presentation creation, and media workflows. For a deeper look at how Crail transforms creative work, see how Crail makes creative professionals 10x faster.

Music

"Play some music" — Starts playback in the Music app.
"Pause the music" — Pauses current playback.
"Skip to the next song" — Advances to the next track.

Photos

"Open Photos" — Launches the Photos app.

Keynote, Pages, and Numbers

"Open Keynote" — Launches Apple's presentation app.
"Create a new Pages document" — Opens a blank document in Pages.
"Open Numbers" — Launches Apple's spreadsheet app.

Logic Pro and GarageBand

"Open Logic Pro" — Launches Logic Pro for music production.
"Open GarageBand" — Launches GarageBand.

Preview and QuickTime

"Open this PDF in Preview" — Opens the selected file in Preview.
"Start a screen recording" — Initiates a QuickTime screen recording.

If you work in DaVinci Resolve, you can go much further than what is listed here. Our step-by-step tutorial on learning DaVinci Resolve with AI covers voice commands for every page of the application, from importing footage to final export.

7. Code Editors (7 Automations)

Developers live in their code editors. Crail supports VS Code, Cursor, JetBrains IDEs (IntelliJ, WebStorm, PyCharm, etc.), and Sublime Text. These commands let you manage projects and trigger editor actions without leaving your current context.

File and Project Management

"Open this folder in VS Code" — Launches VS Code with the specified directory.
"Open this project in Cursor" — Launches Cursor with the project directory.
"Open the current folder in WebStorm" — Launches the appropriate JetBrains IDE.

Editor Commands

"Open the command palette" — Triggers the command palette in the active editor.
"Open the terminal in VS Code" — Toggles the integrated terminal.
"Search for a file called index.ts" — Opens the file finder/quick open.
"Open Sublime Text" — Launches Sublime Text.

8. Network and Developer Tools (12 Automations)

These are power-user automations for developers, system administrators, and anyone who needs to interact with network tools, version control, or containerized applications.

Network Information

"What's my IP address?" — Retrieves your current public and local IP address.
"Run a speed test" — Initiates a network speed test.
"Ping google.com" — Runs a ping test to the specified host.
"Check if port 3000 is in use" — Checks for processes using the specified port.

Git Operations

"Show the git status" — Runs git status in the current project directory.
"Commit with message 'fix: resolve login bug'" — Stages and commits with the given message.
"Push to origin" — Pushes the current branch to the remote.
"Create a new branch called feature/auth" — Creates and checks out a new git branch.

Docker

"List running Docker containers" — Shows active containers.
"Stop all Docker containers" — Stops every running container.
"Start the Docker compose stack" — Runs docker compose up.

HTTP and Diagnostics

"Curl this URL and show the response" — Makes an HTTP request and displays the result.

The Full Count: 150+ and Growing

Here is a summary of everything covered:

Category	Automations	Key Apps
System Controls	13	macOS system settings, menu bar
Files and Finder	12	Finder, file system
Browsers	8	Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Arc
Terminal	7	Terminal.app, iTerm2, Ghostty
Productivity	13	Calendar, Mail, Messages, Notes, Reminders, Contacts, FaceTime, Maps
Creative	10	Music, Photos, Keynote, Pages, Numbers, Logic Pro, GarageBand, Preview, QuickTime
Code Editors	7	VS Code, Cursor, JetBrains, Sublime Text
Network & Dev Tools	12	Git, Docker, curl, network tools
Total	82 listed above	Plus screen-aware contextual actions

Wait — 82? The heading says 150+. Here is the key distinction: the 82 automations listed above are the discrete, named actions that Crail ships with. But Crail is not a static macro runner. Because it has screen awareness, it can combine these primitives into complex multi-step workflows. And each category expands further when you consider variations:

System controls include granular volume and brightness levels (1-100), not just on/off.
File operations work with any path, any file type, any number of files.
Browser commands multiply across four supported browsers, each with their own bookmark, extension, and profile systems.
Terminal commands can execute literally any shell command, making the possibilities effectively infinite.
Productivity actions accept dynamic parameters — any date, any contact, any note title.
Editor commands work across all supported editors with their full command palettes.
Git and Docker operations support the full range of subcommands and flags.

When you account for parameterization, cross-app combinations, and screen-aware contextual actions (where Crail sees what is on screen and acts accordingly), the total action space exceeds 150 distinct capabilities — and it grows with every update.

How Crail's Safety Tiers Protect You

With 150+ automations, you might wonder: what prevents an accidental voice command from doing something destructive? This is where Crail's safety tier system comes in.

Every automation is classified into one of three safety tiers:

Tier 1 — Safe actions: Things like adjusting volume, opening apps, navigating to URLs, taking screenshots. These execute immediately because they are trivially reversible or have no lasting effect.
Tier 2 — Moderate actions: Things like creating files, modifying settings, or sending messages. Crail shows you a preview of what it will do and asks for a quick confirmation.
Tier 3 — Destructive actions: Things like emptying the trash, deleting files permanently, or restarting your Mac. Crail always requires explicit confirmation and shows a clear warning.

This means you can speak freely and naturally without worrying about accidental destruction. The safety system works in the background so you get the speed of voice control with the protection of deliberate confirmation where it matters.

Persistent Memory: Crail Learns Your Patterns

Crail's persistent memory means it gets better the more you use it. It remembers your preferences, your common workflows, and the way you phrase things. If you always say "lock it" instead of "lock my screen," Crail learns that. If you open the same three apps every morning, Crail can suggest combining them into a single command.

This is not a static list of 150 automations — it is a living system that adapts to how you work. You can explore all of these capabilities in detail on our features page.

Getting Started

Every automation listed in this guide is available the moment you install Crail. There is no configuration, no setup wizard, no shortcut editor. Just download Crail, grant the necessary permissions, and start speaking.

Start with the basics — volume, brightness, opening apps. Then gradually expand into file management, browser control, and developer workflows. Before long, you will be chaining voice commands together to automate complex sequences that used to take minutes of clicking and typing.

That is the promise of 150+ automations controlled by nothing more than your voice: your Mac, finally working at the speed of thought.