| name | swiftpm-build-inspector |
| description | Analyze Swift Package Manager dependencies, plugins, module variants, branch pins, package graph shape, macros, binary targets, and CI/local build overhead that slow Xcode builds. |
SwiftPM Build Inspector
Bundled commands use $PLUGIN_ROOT ($env:PLUGIN_ROOT in PowerShell; same path suffix) for the plugin root. Set it once: use the host's plugin-root variable when defined (Claude Code: PLUGIN_ROOT="$CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT"), otherwise the absolute path of this plugin's root directory.
Gather evidence before recommending package changes. Do not edit manifests/dependencies without explicit approval.
Inspect
Package.swift, Package.resolved- local vs remote packages
- build-tool/package plugins
- binary targets
- dependency layering, imports, cycles, oversized modules
- timing summaries/logs showing package work
Before recommending a local package, prove it is in the project graph: check XCLocalSwiftPackageReference and XCSwiftPackageProductDependency in project.pbxproj. Ignore on-disk packages that are not linked.
For branch-pinned dependencies:
python3 "$PLUGIN_ROOT/skills/swiftpm-build-inspector/scripts/check_spm_pins.py" --project App.xcodeproj
If tags exist, recommend tag pins when appropriate; otherwise recommend a revision hash for determinism. Distinguish intentional branch tracking from missing-tag upstreams.
Focus Areas
- graph shape and downstream rebuild scope
- plugin overhead in local/CI builds
- clean-environment checkout/fetch cost
- config drift causing duplicate module variants
- dependency direction violations and cycles; extract shared contracts into protocol/interface modules
- oversized modules (~200+ files)
- umbrella modules with
@_exported import
- test targets depending on the app target instead of the module under test
- Swift macro or
swift-syntax cascades
- multi-platform build multiplication (iOS/watchOS/tvOS/macOS variants)
Modular SDK migrations do not automatically speed builds. Compare SwiftCompile, SwiftEmitModule, and ScanDependencies task counts and benchmark before recommending for performance; note when the benefit is import hygiene/API surface rather than wait time.
If the same module appears multiple times in timing output, investigate option/variant drift before source shaving.
Report
For each finding include evidence, affected package/plugin, clean vs incremental impact, CI impact, estimated wait-time impact, and approval requirement. If the bottleneck is not package-related, hand off to xcode-project-auditor or xcode-compile-profiler.
References: references/spm-analysis-checks.md, ../../shared/build-optimization/references/recommendation-format.md, build-optimization-sources.md.
