How To Initiate Sidecar From iOS
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Sidecar is wonderful and adds a huge amount of functionality to an already awesome iPad Pro 12.9" - but let’s say that I want to connect to a headless Macbook Pro (or Mac Mini) in the future. How can I initiate Sidecar from the iPad end of the equation?
After much searching I concluded that Sidecar does not have a CLI, or at least not one I can find discussed at all.
The Solution - AppleScript & SSH
While old and not overly well maintained, AppleScript has a huge amount to offer with regards to MacOS automation. Simply create a file initiateSidecar.scpt wherever suits you.
activate application "SystemUIServer"
tell application "System Events"
tell process "SystemUIServer"
set displayMenu to (menu bar item 1 of menu bar 1 whose description contains "Displays")
tell displayMenu
click
delay 1
tell (menu item "iPad" of menu 1)
click
end tell
end tell
end tell
end tell
You can call AppleScript on the commandline with osascript yourScriptName.scpt. Just be aware that the first time you run it you will need to grant some extra permissions, so it will not work on first-run.
Then, from your iPad end, create a Shortcut that runs a SSH command on your Mac and add it to your homescreen widget - download it here! Easy!
This has already been a huge improvement for me. Enjoy!