If you’re facing problems when sharing automations via the Shortcuts app, or when trying to access shortcuts shared with you, you’re not alone. A bizarre issue has surfaced that causes the Shortcuts app to throw an error message when trying to open a shared shortcut.

This problem has been noted by a variety of prominent shortcuts users and creators, including Federico Viticci of MacStories and Matthew Cassinelli. For example, in the case of Viticci, the entire MacStories Shortcuts Archive is broken because of this issue.

iCloud shortcut sharing is designed to make it easy for creators to share shortcuts with readers and followers. You can create an iCloud sharing link in the Shortcuts app, and share that link with other users so they can add it to their Shortcuts library.

Unfortunately, this is the process that is completely broken for some reason. When a user goes to add a shortcut that has been shared via iCloud, they’re presented with an error message that reads: “Shortcut Not Found. The shortcut link may be invalid, or it may have been deleted.”

Shortcuts that have already been saved to the Shortcuts app are still functioning, with this problem affecting adding new automations to your Shortcuts app. This problem has also been widely reported on Reddit by Shortcuts users there as well.

Additionally, if you create a new link in the Shortcuts app today, it works properly, but existing links that are already available on the web are what’s completely broken.

YouTuber Chris Lawley is optimistic this is something Apple can fix:

It’s unclear exactly what’s happening here, but the issue is clearly on Apple’s side because it’s affecting iCloud shortcut links of all types, made by all different creators. Ideally, this is something that Apple can quickly fix on the backend, but the company has not yet commented.

Putting back on my enterprise IT hat for a hot minute. It looks like the Shortcuts gallery is also broken. So I’m guessing this was a bug. So they should be able to restore the database from a backup. Here’s hoping this is a bug and they can fix it!

This issue obviously goes beyond @macstoriesnet – entire communities and Shortcuts creators have years of links entirely wiped out right now.

A quick list:

– r/Shortcuts– @routinehub – @mattcassinelli – @automatorsfm (podcast + forum)– @chris_lawley

— Federico Viticci (@viticci) March 24, 2021

— Christopher Lawley (@chris_lawley) March 24, 2021

It seems shortcuts’ links dating as far as last week have all been invalidated. Tested on iOS 14.4, 14.5b4 and 14.5b5. Links created today seem to work, though.@mattcassinelli @mralexhay @viticci, have you noticed that? Do any of you know any faster way to export 160 shortcuts?

— Rodrigo Araujo (@rodrigoaraujo) March 24, 2021

This is such a huge bummer. Shortcuts is the first time I’ve been excited about a first party iOS app in so long, and this year it’s felt like a Jenga tower, and this morning the whole thing fell down. https://t.co/t8uBUMDwYB

— Alex Cox (@AlexCox) March 24, 2021

These are the major problems with this – the actual people who rely on this tool.

I’m especially an idiot for having all my eggs in one basket but everyone else is just left in the dark https://t.co/2QrFf1cVUU

— Matthew Cassinelli (@mattcassinelli) March 24, 2021