swiftui-expert-skill

name	swiftui-expert-skill
description	Write, review, or improve SwiftUI code following best practices for state management, view composition, performance, macOS-specific APIs, and iOS 26+ Liquid Glass adoption. Use when building new SwiftUI features, refactoring existing views, reviewing code quality, or adopting modern SwiftUI patterns.

SwiftUI Expert Skill

Overview

Use this skill to build, review, or improve SwiftUI features with correct state management, optimal view composition, and iOS 26+ Liquid Glass styling. Prioritize native APIs, Apple design guidance, and performance-conscious patterns. This skill focuses on facts and best practices without enforcing specific architectural patterns.

Workflow Decision Tree

1) Review existing SwiftUI code

• First, consult references/latest-apis.md to ensure only current, non-deprecated APIs are used
• Check property wrapper usage against the selection guide (see references/state-management.md)
• Verify view composition follows extraction rules (see references/view-structure.md)
• Check performance patterns are applied (see references/performance-patterns.md)
• Verify list patterns use stable identity (see references/list-patterns.md)
• Check animation patterns for correctness (see references/animation-basics.md, references/animation-transitions.md)
• Review accessibility: proper grouping, traits, Dynamic Type support (see references/accessibility-patterns.md)
• For macOS targets: verify correct use of macOS-specific APIs and patterns (see references/macos-scenes.md, references/macos-window-styling.md, references/macos-views.md)
• Inspect Liquid Glass usage for correctness and consistency (see references/liquid-glass.md)
• Validate iOS 26+ availability handling with sensible fallbacks

2) Improve existing SwiftUI code

• First, consult references/latest-apis.md to replace any deprecated APIs with their modern equivalents
• Audit state management for correct wrapper selection (see references/state-management.md)
• Extract complex views into separate subviews (see references/view-structure.md)
• Refactor hot paths to minimize redundant state updates (see references/performance-patterns.md)
• Ensure ForEach uses stable identity (see references/list-patterns.md)
• Improve animation patterns (use value parameter, proper transitions, see references/animation-basics.md, references/animation-transitions.md)
• Improve accessibility: use Button over tap gestures, add @ScaledMetric for Dynamic Type (see references/accessibility-patterns.md)
• For macOS targets: adopt macOS-specific APIs (MenuBarExtra, Settings, Table, Commands, etc.) where appropriate (see references/macos-scenes.md, references/macos-window-styling.md, references/macos-views.md)
• Suggest image downsampling when UIImage(data:) is used (as optional optimization, see references/image-optimization.md)
• Adopt Liquid Glass only when explicitly requested by the user

3) Implement new SwiftUI feature

• First, consult references/latest-apis.md to use only current, non-deprecated APIs for the target deployment version
• Design data flow first: identify owned vs injected state (see references/state-management.md)
• Structure views for optimal diffing (extract subviews early, see references/view-structure.md)
• Keep business logic in services and models for testability (see references/layout-best-practices.md)
• Use correct animation patterns (implicit vs explicit, transitions, see references/animation-basics.md, references/animation-transitions.md, references/animation-advanced.md)
• Use Button for tappable elements, add accessibility grouping and labels (see references/accessibility-patterns.md)
• For macOS targets: use macOS-specific scenes (see references/macos-scenes.md), window styling (see references/macos-window-styling.md), and views like HSplitView, Table (see references/macos-views.md)
• Apply glass effects after layout/appearance modifiers (see references/liquid-glass.md)
• Gate iOS 26+ features with #available and provide fallbacks

Core Guidelines

State Management

• @State must be private; use for internal view state
• @Binding only when a child needs to modify parent state
• @StateObject when view creates the object; @ObservedObject when injected
• iOS 17+: Use @State with @Observable classes; use @Bindable for injected observables needing bindings
• Use let for read-only values; var + .onChange() for reactive reads
• Never pass values into @State or @StateObject — they only accept initial values
• Nested ObservableObject doesn't propagate changes — pass nested objects directly; @Observable handles nesting fine

View Composition

• Extract complex views into separate subviews for better readability and performance
• Prefer modifiers over conditional views for state changes (maintains view identity)
• Keep view body simple and pure (no side effects or complex logic)
• Use @ViewBuilder functions only for small, simple sections
• Prefer @ViewBuilder let content: Content over closure-based content properties
• Keep business logic in services and models; views should orchestrate UI flow
• Action handlers should reference methods, not contain inline logic
• Views should work in any context (don't assume screen size or presentation style)

Performance

• Pass only needed values to views (avoid large "config" or "context" objects)
• Eliminate unnecessary dependencies to reduce update fan-out
• Consider per-item @Observable state objects in lists to narrow update/dependency scope
• Consider whether frequently-changing values belong in the environment; prefer more local state when it reduces unnecessary view updates
• Check for value changes before assigning state in hot paths
• Avoid redundant state updates in onReceive, onChange, scroll handlers
• Minimize work in frequently executed code paths
• Use LazyVStack/LazyHStack for large lists
• Use stable identity for ForEach (never .indices for dynamic content)
• Ensure constant number of views per ForEach element
• Avoid inline filtering in ForEach (prefilter and cache)
• Avoid AnyView in list rows
• Consider POD views for fast diffing (or wrap expensive views in POD parents)
• Suggest image downsampling when UIImage(data:) is encountered (as optional optimization)
• Avoid layout thrash (deep hierarchies, excessive GeometryReader)
• Gate frequent geometry updates by thresholds
• Use Self._logChanges() or Self._printChanges() to debug unexpected view updates
• Shape.path(), visualEffect, Layout, and onGeometryChange closures may run off the main thread — capture values instead of accessing @MainActor state

Animations

• Use .animation(_:value:) with value parameter (deprecated version without value is too broad)
• Use withAnimation for event-driven animations (button taps, gestures)
• Prefer transforms (offset, scale, rotation) over layout changes (frame) for performance
• Transitions require animations outside the conditional structure
• Custom Animatable implementations must have explicit animatableData (or use @Animatable macro on iOS 26+)
• iOS 26+: Use @Animatable macro to auto-synthesize animatableData; use @AnimatableIgnored to exclude properties
• Use .phaseAnimator for multi-step sequences (iOS 17+)
• Use .keyframeAnimator for precise timing control (iOS 17+)
• Animation completion handlers need .transaction(value:) for reexecution
• Implicit animations override explicit animations (later in view tree wins)

Accessibility

• Prefer Button over onTapGesture for tappable elements (free VoiceOver support)
• Use @ScaledMetric for custom numeric values that should scale with Dynamic Type
• Group related elements with accessibilityElement(children: .combine) for joined labels
• Provide accessibilityLabel when default labels are unclear or missing
• Use accessibilityRepresentation for custom controls that should behave like native ones

Liquid Glass (iOS 26+)

Only adopt when explicitly requested by the user.

• Use native glassEffect, GlassEffectContainer, and glass button styles
• Wrap multiple glass elements in GlassEffectContainer
• Apply .glassEffect() after layout and visual modifiers
• Use .interactive() only for tappable/focusable elements
• Use glassEffectID with @Namespace for morphing transitions

Quick Reference

Property Wrapper Selection

Wrapper	Use When
@State	Internal view state (must be private)
@Binding	Child modifies parent's state
@StateObject	View owns an ObservableObject
@ObservedObject	View receives an ObservableObject
@Bindable	iOS 17+: Injected @Observable needing bindings
let	Read-only value from parent
var	Read-only value watched via .onChange()

Liquid Glass Patterns

// Basic glass effect with fallback
if #available(iOS 26, *) {
    content
        .padding()
        .glassEffect(.regular.interactive(), in: .rect(cornerRadius: 16))
} else {
    content
        .padding()
        .background(.ultraThinMaterial, in: RoundedRectangle(cornerRadius: 16))
}

// Grouped glass elements
GlassEffectContainer(spacing: 24) {
    HStack(spacing: 24) {
        GlassButton1()
        GlassButton2()
    }
}

// Glass buttons
Button("Confirm") { }
    .buttonStyle(.glassProminent)

Review Checklist

Latest APIs (see references/latest-apis.md)

• No deprecated modifiers used (check against the quick lookup table)
• API choices match the project's minimum deployment target

State Management

• @State properties are private
• @Binding only where child modifies parent state
• @StateObject for owned, @ObservedObject for injected
• iOS 17+: @State with @Observable, @Bindable for injected
• Passed values NOT declared as @State or @StateObject
• Nested ObservableObject avoided (or passed directly to child views)

Sheets & Navigation (see references/sheet-navigation-patterns.md)

• Using .sheet(item:) for model-based sheets
• Sheets own their actions and dismiss internally

ScrollView (see references/scroll-patterns.md)

• Using ScrollViewReader with stable IDs for programmatic scrolling

View Structure (see references/view-structure.md)

• Using modifiers instead of conditionals for state changes
• Complex views extracted to separate subviews
• Container views use @ViewBuilder let content: Content
• .compositingGroup() before .clipShape() on layered views

Performance (see references/performance-patterns.md)

• View body kept simple and pure (no side effects)
• Passing only needed values (not large config objects)
• Eliminating unnecessary dependencies
• Consider making @Observable dependencies as granular as needed (for example, per-item data for list rows) when it helps performance
• State updates check for value changes before assigning
• Hot paths minimize state updates
• No object creation in body
• Heavy computation moved out of body
• Sendable closures capture values instead of accessing @MainActor state

List Patterns (see references/list-patterns.md)

• ForEach uses stable identity (not .indices)
• Constant number of views per ForEach element
• No inline filtering in ForEach
• No AnyView in list rows

Layout (see references/layout-best-practices.md)

• Avoiding layout thrash (deep hierarchies, excessive GeometryReader)
• Gating frequent geometry updates by thresholds
• Business logic kept in services and models (not in views)
• Action handlers reference methods (not inline logic)
• Using relative layout (not hard-coded constants)
• Views work in any context (context-agnostic)

Animations (see references/animation-basics.md, references/animation-transitions.md, references/animation-advanced.md)

• Using .animation(_:value:) with value parameter
• Using withAnimation for event-driven animations
• Transitions paired with animations outside conditional structure
• Custom Animatable has explicit animatableData (or @Animatable macro on iOS 26+)
• Preferring transforms over layout changes for animation performance
• Phase animations for multi-step sequences (iOS 17+)
• Keyframe animations for precise timing (iOS 17+)
• Completion handlers use .transaction(value:) for reexecution

Accessibility (see references/accessibility-patterns.md)

• Button used instead of onTapGesture for tappable elements
• @ScaledMetric used for custom values that should scale with Dynamic Type
• Related elements grouped with accessibilityElement(children:)
• Custom controls use accessibilityRepresentation when appropriate

macOS APIs (see references/macos-scenes.md, references/macos-window-styling.md, references/macos-views.md)

• Using Settings scene for preferences (not a custom window)
• Using MenuBarExtra for menu bar items (not AppKit NSStatusItem)
• Using Commands / CommandGroup / CommandMenu for menu bar menus
• Table adapts for compact size classes on iOS (first column shows combined info)
• Window sizing configured with defaultSize, windowResizability, and frame(minWidth:minHeight:)
• macOS-only code wrapped in #if os(macOS) conditionals
• Using NSViewRepresentable with proper makeNSView/updateNSView lifecycle
• Using NavigationSplitView (not HSplitView) for sidebar-based navigation
• HSplitView/VSplitView reserved for IDE-style equal peer panes

Liquid Glass (iOS 26+)

• #available(iOS 26, *) with fallback for Liquid Glass
• Multiple glass views wrapped in GlassEffectContainer
• .glassEffect() applied after layout/appearance modifiers
• .interactive() only on user-interactable elements
• Shapes and tints consistent across related elements

References

• references/latest-apis.md - Required reading for all workflows. Version-segmented guide of deprecated-to-modern API transitions (iOS 15+ through iOS 26+)
• references/state-management.md - Property wrappers and data flow
• references/view-structure.md - View composition, extraction, and container patterns
• references/performance-patterns.md - Performance optimization techniques and anti-patterns
• references/list-patterns.md - ForEach identity, stability, Table (iOS 16+), and list best practices
• references/layout-best-practices.md - Layout patterns, context-agnostic views, and testability
• references/accessibility-patterns.md - Accessibility traits, grouping, Dynamic Type, and VoiceOver
• references/animation-basics.md - Core animation concepts, implicit/explicit animations, timing, performance
• references/animation-transitions.md - Transitions, custom transitions, Animatable protocol
• references/animation-advanced.md - Transactions, phase/keyframe animations (iOS 17+), completion handlers (iOS 17+), @Animatable macro (iOS 26+)
• references/sheet-navigation-patterns.md - Sheet presentation, NavigationSplitView, Inspector, and navigation patterns
• references/scroll-patterns.md - ScrollView patterns and programmatic scrolling
• references/image-optimization.md - AsyncImage, image downsampling, and optimization
• references/liquid-glass.md - iOS 26+ Liquid Glass API
• references/macos-scenes.md - macOS scene types: Settings, MenuBarExtra, WindowGroup, Window, UtilityWindow, DocumentGroup
• references/macos-window-styling.md - macOS window configuration: toolbar styles, sizing, positioning, NavigationSplitView, Inspector, Commands
• references/macos-views.md - macOS views and components: HSplitView, VSplitView, Table, PasteButton, file dialogs, drag & drop, AppKit interop

Philosophy

This skill focuses on facts and best practices, not architectural opinions:

• We don't enforce specific architectures (e.g., MVVM, VIPER)
• We do encourage separating business logic for testability
• We optimize for performance and maintainability
• We follow Apple's Human Interface Guidelines and API design patterns