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Keyboard Shortcuts and Remote Triggers

This workflow is for simple, repeatable triggers from outside the panel.

Use it when you want to start a saved Automation Agent for Adobe Premiere script from:

What This Is Good For​

This is a good fit when you already know which automation you want to run and just want a fast trigger.

Typical examples:

  • start a recurring project cleanup script from a shortcut
  • run an import helper from Stream Deck
  • launch a utility script from Touch Portal
  • trigger a script and then answer a follow-up dialog inside Premiere if needed

How To Use It​

  1. If the script is not already in the Library, save it to a User Library.
  2. Select it in the Library panel.
  3. In the details view, open Remote Execution.
  4. Copy the generated local URL.
  5. Paste that URL into your shortcut or button tool.

When that URL is opened, the saved script runs automatically.

The URL always points to the saved library entry, not to whatever is currently open in the editor.

Before setting up a shortcut or button, make sure the local Automation Agent helper is running and that the trigger tool runs on the same computer as Premiere.

Any tool that can open a local URL or run a small HTTP GET request can trigger Automation Agent scripts.

AutoHotkey on Windows​

AutoHotkey is a practical choice when you want normal keyboard shortcuts on Windows. The ready-to-run Automation Agent preset already assigns every official Quick Timeline Action and limits those shortcuts to regular Premiere Pro and Premiere Pro (Beta).

Download the Quick Timeline Actions AutoHotkey preset

The preset requires AutoHotkey v2 and uses the following default assignments:

ShortcutQuick Timeline Action
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + 1 through 5Solo V1/A1 through V5/A5 Tracks
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + LeftSolo Previous V/A Tracks
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + RightSolo Next V/A Tracks
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + 0Unsolo All V/A Tracks
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + SSolo Tracks Containing Selected Clips
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + DDisable Selected Clips
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + EEnable Selected Clips
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + ASelect All Disabled Clips

Install and start the preset​

  1. Install AutoHotkey v2.
  2. Download the preset above and keep the .ahk file in a location where you can edit it later.
  3. Double-click the file. AutoHotkey now runs in the Windows notification area.
  4. Make sure the local Automation Agent helper is running, then focus Premiere and press one of the shortcuts in the table.

All twelve Quick Timeline Actions are ready immediately; you do not have to copy their links into the preset first. The shortcuts also continue to work after you accept an update to the official actions.

The preset automatically makes its shortcuts available only while Premiere is the active app. This works with both regular Premiere Pro and Premiere Pro (Beta). In other apps, the same key combinations keep their normal behavior.

After editing the preset, double-click it again to apply your changes. AutoHotkey automatically replaces the previous running copy. You can also right-click its notification-area icon to reload, pause, or exit it.

If none of the shortcuts starts an action, first check that the Automation Agent helper is running. Then copy any Remote Execution link on your computer. If it begins with http://127.0.0.1:53126 or http://127.0.0.1:53127, open the preset in a text editor and change the number in this line to match:

AutomationAgentPort := 53125

Start the preset automatically with Windows​

  1. Press Windows + R.
  2. Enter shell:startup and press Enter.
  3. Put a shortcut to the downloaded .ahk file into the folder that opens.

Using a Windows shortcut instead of copying the .ahk file itself means that you only have to edit one file later.

Disable or change a bundled shortcut​

Each assignment occupies one line in the preset. To disable one, add a semicolon at the beginning of its line. The semicolon starts an AutoHotkey comment:

; ^!+5::RunAutomationAgentTool("recipe-quick-timeline-activate-comparison-lane-5")

Remove the semicolon to enable it again. To change the shortcut, replace only the part at the beginning of the line, before ::. Leave everything after :: unchanged.

AutoHotkey uses compact symbols for modifier keys:

SymbolKey or behavior
^Ctrl
!Alt
+Shift
#Windows key
< or >Require the left or right version of the modifier that follows
~Also pass the keystroke through to the active application

Write letters and numbers directly. Other common keys use short names:

WriteKey
k, 7Letter K, number 7 on the top number row
Space, Enter, Tab, EscSpacebar, Enter, Tab, Escape
Left, Right, Up, DownArrow keys
Home, End, PgUp, PgDnNavigation keys
Backspace, DeleteDelete keys
F1 through F24Function keys

Combine a key name with any modifier symbols before ::. For example:

F11::        ; F11
^Space::     ; Ctrl + Spacebar
!Left::      ; Alt + Left Arrow
+Down::      ; Shift + Down Arrow
^!7::        ; Ctrl + Alt + 7
^!k::        ; Ctrl + Alt + K
^!+Enter::   ; Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Enter
#F12::       ; Windows + F12
<^Delete::   ; Left Ctrl + Delete
~^Right::    ; Ctrl + Right Arrow, also passed through to Premiere

If one of these shortcuts overlaps with a Premiere shortcut, only the Automation Agent action runs. Premiere does not also run its own command. Add the optional ~ symbol only when you deliberately want both actions to run.

There is no shortcut set that can be guaranteed unused on every computer: Premiere shortcuts can be customized, Windows reserves some combinations, and other utilities may already use shortcuts. The preset therefore starts with uncommon three-modifier combinations, and you can change any assignment that does not suit your setup.

Add any saved Automation Agent script​

The preset supports two kinds of shortcut lines:

  • The included Quick Timeline Actions use RunAutomationAgentTool(toolId). You normally do not need to edit those lines unless you want to change their shortcut.
  • Use RunAutomationAgentUrl(url) when you want to add any other saved script by pasting the link copied from its Remote Execution section.

To add your own saved script:

  1. Select the script in the Automation Agent Library.
  2. Open Remote Execution and click the copy button.
  3. Open the downloaded .ahk file in a text editor.
  4. Find the Add shortcuts for any other saved Automation Agent script here comment near the bottom.
  5. Add one line in that marked area, choose the shortcut on the left, and paste the copied URL between the quotation marks:
^!+F11::RunAutomationAgentUrl("PASTE_REMOTE_EXECUTION_URL_HERE")

After saving, reload the preset. Shortcuts added in this marked area remain limited to Premiere.

Shortcuts on macOS​

Shortcuts together with an app-specific macOS keyboard shortcut is the best built-in Mac option if you want a modern Apple-native setup without installing extra tools. This keeps the hotkey limited to Premiere instead of registering it globally.

  1. Open the Shortcuts app and create a new shortcut.
  2. Add a Get Contents of URL action and paste the copied Library URL directly into its URL field. Leave the request method set to GET.
  3. Give the shortcut a unique name that you can enter again exactly in System Settings.
  4. Open the shortcut details, enable Use as Quick Action, and make it available in the Services Menu.
  5. Do not add a keyboard shortcut in the Shortcuts app. A shortcut assigned there is global across macOS.
  6. Open System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts > App Shortcuts.
  7. Add a new app shortcut, choose Adobe Premiere Pro as the application, and enter the shortcut name exactly as the menu title. Capitalization and spacing must match.
  8. Assign the keyboard combination you want to use.

The shortcut is now exposed as a Services menu command, while macOS owns the keyboard assignment and limits it to Premiere. Pressing the same keys in another app does not run the Automation Agent script.

If the app shortcut does not run, first open the Premiere Pro > Services menu and confirm that the shortcut appears there under the exact name you entered in System Settings.

Automator remains an alternative for older workflows: create a Quick Action, restrict it to Adobe Premiere Pro, add Run Shell Script, and call the same URL with curl "YOUR_REMOTE_EXECUTION_URL".

Touch Portal​

Touch Portal is a good fit when you want the same kind of trigger button on a phone or tablet.

  1. Create a button.
  2. Add an HTTP Get action.
  3. Paste the copied Library URL.

Touch Portal example

This gives you a simple remote control surface for repetitive editing actions without needing extra hardware.

Stream Deck​

Stream Deck works well when you want a dedicated hardware button for one script.

  1. Create a new button action.
  2. Use the action that opens a website or URL.
  3. Paste the copied Library URL.
  4. If your Stream Deck setup offers a background GET option, enable it so the request runs silently instead of opening a visible browser tab.

This is especially useful for cleanup scripts, import helpers, or recurring utility actions you want on one physical key.

Keyboard Maestro on macOS​

Keyboard Maestro is the most direct Mac option when you want a reliable hotkey, app-specific activation, and richer automation later.

  1. Create a new macro.
  2. Add a Hot Key trigger.
  3. Add a Get URL action and paste the copied Library URL.
  4. Optionally put the macro into a Macro Group that is active only in Premiere.

This setup is a good fit when you want a Mac shortcut that stays neatly scoped to Premiere instead of being global all the time.

Raycast, Alfred, and similar launcher tools​

Launcher tools such as Raycast and Alfred are also a good fit.

In practice, you usually create one of these:

  • a quicklink that opens the copied local URL
  • a small shell-command action that runs curl "YOUR_REMOTE_EXECUTION_URL"
  • a hotkey that triggers one of those actions

That gives you a very lightweight keyboard-driven setup without needing a full macro package.

Icons For Quick Timeline Actions​

The official Quick Timeline Actions include a matching button icon pack for Stream Deck, Touch Portal, and other shortcut surfaces.

Download the complete icon pack (ZIP)

The ZIP contains:

  • the ready-to-run AutoHotkey v2 preset for all twelve actions
  • compact glyph and labeled variants for all twelve Quick Timeline Actions
  • editable 512 × 512 SVG masters
  • 144 × 144 PNG files for Stream Deck
  • 256 × 256 PNG files for Touch Portal
  • an installable Touch Portal icon pack (.tpi)
  • a manifest that maps every file to its stable Automation Agent Example ID

Quick Timeline Actions compact and labeled icon variants

Choose the compact variant for small or densely arranged buttons. Choose the labeled variant when the button is large enough to benefit from a short text description.

These are command icons, not live status indicators. A button assigned to Solo V2/A2 Tracks, for example, continues to show that command even if Track visibility or mute state later changes inside Premiere.

Important Behavior​

Rapid triggers run one after another​

Remote runs are serialized. If you trigger several actions quickly, each request is queued and runs in order; requests are not coalesced or executed in parallel.

For fixed-target actions, such as Solo V1/A1 Tracks followed by Solo V3/A3 Tracks, the final queued action determines the resulting state. State-relative actions can deliberately use the queue: every queued Solo Next V/A Tracks or Solo Previous V/A Tracks run reads the Track state left by the preceding run, so three rapid presses advance three lanes. Rapid presses never collapse into a single step.

The saved script is the source of truth​

Remote triggering always runs the saved library version of the script.

If the editor currently contains unsaved changes, those are not part of the remote run.

Official Examples follow accepted Library updates​

An official Example URL identifies the tool, not its current category or filename. If you accept an official Library update, every shortcut using that URL runs the newly active revision. Moving or renaming the official tool in a later release does not require replacing the URL.

Existing shortcuts copied by an older panel may still contain the previous official Library path. Those URLs continue to work through compatibility aliases, so you do not need to replace them just because the panel now copies stable tool-ID URLs.

If you want an independent version that you can modify or keep unchanged, open the official tool and use Save Current Here to save it in a User Library. That copy has its own User Library URL and does not follow official updates.

See Keep Official Examples Up To Date for update review, rollback, storage, and offline ZIP behavior.

Renaming or moving a User Library script changes its URL​

User Library URLs are derived from the current library root and location of the script.

If you rename or move the script inside your library, copy the new URL again in the Library details panel and update it in your trigger tool.

Scripts may still ask for user input​

Remote triggering does not mean fully headless execution.

A saved script may still:

  • show dialogs
  • ask for files or folders
  • require additional confirmation or interaction

That is often useful. For example, you can trigger a script from a shortcut and then answer a small follow-up prompt in the normal Premiere workflow.

Remote Triggers vs MCP​

Use remote triggers when you want:

  • one saved script
  • one predictable action
  • one local URL that another tool can call

Use MCP when you want:

  • an agent to inspect the current project state
  • multi-step decision making
  • open-ended task execution in the active project

Technical Requirements​

Remote triggers are available when the local Automation Agent helper is running.

The generated URL is local to your machine and uses 127.0.0.1, so the trigger tool needs to run on that same machine.