11 Apple Shortcuts recipes for Tesla and Apple Home
Exact recipes to rebuild in the Shortcuts app. Personal automations: Shortcuts > Automation > +. Regular shortcuts: Shortcuts > +. Recipes only, no iCloud links.
⬇ Download free PDF: 10 Shortcuts Recipes
Verification note: Tesla action names (Precondition Vehicle (some app versions show it as "Start Preconditioning"), Set Temperature, Defrost, Lock/Unlock, Open Frunk, Open/Close Rear Trunk, Set Charge Limit, Sentry Mode, Dog Mode) come from the Tesla app 4.24 Shortcuts list as reported by MacRumors. Tesla's Owner's Manual doesn't publish the exact names, so check the "Tesla" section in your Shortcuts app. Apple names (Control Home, Get Current Weather, If, Wait, Show Notification, and the triggers) match Apple's Shortcuts docs.
1. Warm Up Tesla
Trigger: Siri / Home Screen (regular shortcut)
Actions
- Tesla: Precondition Vehicle: On, Vehicle: your car
- Tesla: Set Temperature: 70 °F
- Show Notification: "Cabin warming"
Run without asking: Regular shortcuts run when you tap them or ask Siri.
Tip: Say "Hey Siri, Warm Up Tesla".
2. Cold Morning Pre-Heat
Trigger: Personal automation: Time of Day, 7:00 AM, Weekdays
Actions
- Get Current Weather: Current Location
- Get Details of Weather Conditions: Temperature
- If: Temperature is less than 40
- Tesla: Precondition Vehicle: On
- Tesla: Defrost: On
- End If
Run without asking: Time of Day can run without asking: turn off Ask Before Running.
Tip: Pair with Scheduled Precondition for regular commutes.
3. Arrive Home: Garage
Trigger: Personal automation: Arrive, Home
Actions
- Control Home: Set Scenes and Accessories, Garage Door: Open
- Control Home: Garage and Porch Lights: On
Run without asking: Arrive automations have a Run Immediately option (iOS 17+). Garage doors may still ask for confirmation.
Tip: Or build it as a Home app "People Arrive" automation for the whole household.
4. Leave Home: Lock Up
Trigger: Personal automation: Leave, Home
Actions
- Tesla: Lock
- Control Home: Garage Door: Closed
- Control Home: Scene "Away"
Run without asking: Use Run Immediately (iOS 17+).
Tip: Needs a home hub to control accessories remotely.
5. CarPlay Connected: Leaving Lights
Trigger: Personal automation: CarPlay, Connects
Actions
- Control Home: Driveway Lights: On
- Wait: 300 seconds
- Control Home: Driveway Lights: Off
Run without asking: CarPlay automations can run without asking.
Tip: Limit it to evenings with an If on Current Date (optional).
6. CarPlay Disconnected: Plug-In Reminder
Trigger: Personal automation: CarPlay, Disconnects
Actions
- Show Notification: "Plug in the car?"
Run without asking: CarPlay automations can run without asking.
Tip: If your car doesn't use CarPlay, use Bluetooth > your Tesla > Disconnects (Run Immediately on iOS 17+).
7. Groceries: Open Trunk
Trigger: Siri / Back Tap / Action button
Actions
- Tesla: Open/Close Rear Trunk: Vehicle: your car
Run without asking: Runs when triggered.
Tip: Assign it to Back Tap: Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Back Tap.
8. Garage NFC Tag: Good Night
Trigger: Personal automation: NFC (scan a tag by the garage door)
Actions
- Tesla: Lock
- Tesla: Sentry Mode: On
- Control Home: Garage Door: Closed
- Control Home: Scene "Good Night"
Run without asking: NFC automations can run without asking.
Tip: Stick the NFC tag at hand height by the door into the house.
9. Off-Peak Charge Limit
Trigger: Personal automation: Time of Day, Sunday 8:00 PM
Actions
- Tesla: Set Charge Limit: 80%
- Show Notification: "Charge limit set to 80%"
Run without asking: Time of Day can run without asking.
Tip: Before road trips, make a matching "Trip Mode" shortcut that sets 100%.
10. Pet Safe Stop
Trigger: Siri / Home Screen
Actions
- Tesla: Dog Mode: On
- Show Notification: "Dog Mode on"
Run without asking: Runs when triggered.
Tip: Always check the cabin temperature in the Tesla app before leaving a pet.
11. Leave Work: Pre-Heat the House
Trigger: Personal automation > Leave > your Work location (add a time range, like weekdays after work, so a lunch run doesn’t set it off)
Actions
- Control Home: your thermostat, Mode: Heat, Target: 70 °F (or run a “Heading Home” scene you made in the Home or ecobee app)
- Tesla: Precondition Vehicle: On, Vehicle: your car (optional, if you’re about to walk to the car)
- Show Notification: “House warming up”
Run without asking: Choose Run Immediately for the automation. Location triggers need Location Services turned on for Shortcuts.
Tip: Pair it with a Home app “first person arrives” automation that resumes your thermostat schedule, because the house won’t switch back on its own. Gear: ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium on Amazon
Real-world examples
Summarized in our own words. Links go to the original posts.
An r/HomeKit user asked how to start heating the house before getting home. Commenters suggested a “Heading Home” scene triggered by a Shortcuts automation for leaving work, or by arriving at a spot you always pass on the drive. Recipe 11 is based on that idea.
Before "Hey Siri, unlock my Tesla" works, one owner says you need to allow Siri for the Tesla app: Settings > Siri > App Access > Tesla > Use with Siri.
An owner shows off a "Hey Siri, open Tesla trunk" voice shortcut built on the Tesla app's Shortcuts actions.
A blogger suggests building the logic as a regular shortcut first and calling it from automations, so you can reuse it with different schedules. In their Tesla app version the action is called "Start Preconditioning".
One HomeKit user uses a location-based Focus as the trigger, because its radius can be smaller than the Home app's. A Shortcut then asks whether to open the garage, runs Control Home, waits 100 seconds and closes it again.
Source: r/HomeKit threadMeross Smart Garage Door Opener (HomeKit) on Amazon
Checked against: Apple: run automations without asking · Apple: Shortcuts in iOS 17 · Apple: scenes & automations · Tesla: mobile app