diff --git a/shortcutgen.go b/shortcutgen.go
index 10814686..80395166 100644
--- a/shortcutgen.go
+++ b/shortcutgen.go
@@ -383,6 +383,16 @@ func variableValue(variable varValue) map[string]any {
 		if variable.valueType == Variable && variableReference.valueType != "" {
 			refValueType = variableReference.valueType
 		}
+		// A reference to an action's output has value type Action, not Dict, so
+		// resolve what the action actually returns. Without this a key access on
+		// a dictionary-returning action (e.g. getDictionary()) compiles to a
+		// property lookup, which Shortcuts resolves to an empty value at
+		// runtime. makeAggrandizement() already does this for inline references.
+		if refValueType == Action {
+			if variableAction, ok := variableReference.value.(action); ok && variableAction.def != nil {
+				refValueType = variableAction.def.outputType
+			}
+		}
 		if refValueType == Dict {
 			aggrandizements = append(aggrandizements, map[string]any{
 				"Type":          "WFDictionaryValueVariableAggrandizement",
diff --git a/tests/dictionary-action-output.cherri b/tests/dictionary-action-output.cherri
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0530c232
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/dictionary-action-output.cherri
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+/*
+Subscripting a dictionary that is the output of an action (e.g. getDictionary())
+must compile to a dictionary-value aggrandizement (Type: WFDictionaryValueVariableAggrandizement),
+the same as subscripting a literal dictionary — not a property aggrandizement,
+which resolves to nothing at runtime.
+*/
+
+#include 'actions/scripting'
+
+@response = "placeholder"
+const responseDict = getDictionary(@response)
+
+// bare subscript on an action-output dictionary
+@summary = responseDict['summary']
+
+// subscript inside string interpolation (was already correct)
+const inline = "{responseDict['summary']}"
+
+alert("bare: {summary} inline: {inline}", "Dictionary action output")