native-ios-app

name	native-ios-app
description	Build native iOS apps with SwiftUI using Xcode 26.3 MCP integration and Ralph OG autonomous development. Use when creating iOS apps, Swift development, Xcode projects, or autonomous mobile app development with visual design styles.
version	1.0.0
allowed-tools	Bash(xcrun *), Bash(xcodebuild *), Bash(npx xcodebuildmcp *), Bash(swift *), Read, Write, Edit, Glob, Grep

Native iOS App Development Skill

Build native iOS applications using SwiftUI, Xcode 26.3 MCP integration, and Ralph OG autonomous development loops.

Quick Reference

Command	Purpose
/native-ios-app init "App Name"	Initialize new iOS project
/native-ios-app ralph "objective"	Start Ralph OG autonomous loop
/native-ios-app style glassmorphism	Apply design style to project
/native-ios-app build	Build project via MCP
/native-ios-app preview	Capture SwiftUI previews
/native-ios-app status	Check build/test status

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Prerequisites

1. Xcode 26.3+ Setup

Enable MCP bridge in Xcode:

1. Xcode → Settings → Intelligence → Anthropic (configure API key)
2. Xcode → Settings → Intelligence → Model Context Protocol → Enable "Xcode Tools"

2. MCP Bridge for Claude Code

# Add Xcode MCP bridge
claude mcp add --transport stdio xcode -- xcrun mcpbridge

# Verify
claude mcp list

3. XcodeBuildMCP (Enhanced Features)

npm install -g xcodebuildmcp@beta
claude mcp add XcodeBuildMCP -- npx -y xcodebuildmcp@beta mcp

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Xcode MCP Tools Available

Once configured, these tools are available:

Category	Tools
File Ops	XcodeRead, XcodeWrite, XcodeUpdate, XcodeGlob, XcodeGrep, XcodeLS, XcodeMakeDir, XcodeRM, XcodeMV
Build	BuildProject, GetBuildLog
Testing	RunAllTests, RunSomeTests, GetTestList
Analysis	XcodeListNavigatorIssues, XcodeRefreshCodeIssuesInFile
Preview	RenderPreview (SwiftUI → PNG images)
Execute	ExecuteSnippet (Swift REPL)
Docs	DocumentationSearch (Apple docs + WWDC transcripts)
Navigation	XcodeListWindows

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Project Initialization

Create New iOS App

# Create project directory
mkdir -p ~/Developer/MyApp
cd ~/Developer/MyApp

# Initialize Xcode project (via swift package or Xcode template)
swift package init --type executable --name MyApp

Project Structure

MyApp/
├── MyApp.xcodeproj/
├── MyApp/
│   ├── MyAppApp.swift          # App entry point
│   ├── ContentView.swift       # Main view
│   ├── Views/                  # SwiftUI views
│   ├── Models/                 # Data models
│   ├── ViewModels/             # MVVM view models
│   ├── Services/               # API/data services
│   ├── Components/             # Reusable UI components
│   └── Resources/              # Assets, colors, fonts
├── MyAppTests/
├── .ralph-og/                  # Ralph OG autonomous loop
└── .design-system/             # Design tokens and styles

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Ralph OG Integration for iOS

Initialize Ralph OG for iOS Development

Creates .ralph-og/ with iOS-specific configuration:

.ralph-og/
├── PROMPT.md              # Xcode-aware loop prompt
├── init.sh                # Swift/Xcode environment setup
├── feature-list.json      # Atomic features with SwiftUI focus
├── progress.txt           # Work log
├── loop.sh                # The autonomous loop
└── learnings.md           # iOS-specific learnings

iOS-Specific PROMPT.md

The Ralph OG prompt for iOS includes:

1. Startup Ritual:

   • pwd - Confirm directory
   • Read .ralph-og/progress.txt
   • git log --oneline -10
   • Read .ralph-og/feature-list.json
   • xcodebuild -list - Verify schemes
   • Check for Xcode open via MCP

2. Visual Verification:

   • Capture SwiftUI Previews after UI changes
   • Compare with expected layouts

3. Build Verification:

   • xcodebuild build before marking complete
   • Check for warnings/errors

4. Test Verification:

   • Run tests via xcodebuild test

Starting the Loop

cd ~/Developer/MyApp
.ralph-og/loop.sh

Or in background:

nohup .ralph-og/loop.sh > .ralph-og/loop.log 2>&1 &
echo $! > .ralph-og/loop.pid

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Design Styles

Select a visual design language for your app. Each style includes SwiftUI implementation patterns.

Available Styles

See styles/README.md for complete catalog:

Style	Best For
Liquid Glass	iOS 26+ apps, modern Apple aesthetic
Glassmorphism	Overlays, cards, modals
Neumorphism	Tactile buttons, soft interfaces
Flat Design	Clean, minimal interfaces
Material Design	Android-like, cross-platform
Brutalism	Bold, high-contrast, statement apps
Neo-Brutalism	Modern brutalist with color
Minimalism	Content-focused, clean
Cyberpunk	Dark mode, neon accents
Retro/Y2K	Nostalgic, playful
Bento Box	Grid layouts, organized content

Applying a Style

/native-ios-app style glassmorphism

This creates .design-system/tokens.swift with style-specific:

• Color palette
• Typography scale
• Spacing system
• Shadow definitions
• Corner radius tokens
• Animation curves

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SwiftUI Materials & Effects

iOS 15+ Native Materials

// Available material types
.ultraThinMaterial      // Most transparent
.thinMaterial
.regularMaterial
.thickMaterial
.ultraThickMaterial     // Most opaque

// Usage
Text("Hello")
    .padding()
    .background(.ultraThinMaterial)
    .clipShape(RoundedRectangle(cornerRadius: 16))

Liquid Glass (iOS 26+)

// New in iOS 26: Liquid Glass effect
.background(.liquidGlass)
.glassEffect(style: .standard)
.glassEffect(style: .frosted, tint: .blue)

Custom Blur Effects

struct GlassCard: View {
    var body: some View {
        ZStack {
            // Background blur
            Rectangle()
                .fill(.ultraThinMaterial)

            // Content
            VStack {
                Text("Glass Card")
                    .font(.headline)
            }
            .padding()
        }
        .clipShape(RoundedRectangle(cornerRadius: 20, style: .continuous))
        .shadow(color: .black.opacity(0.1), radius: 10, y: 5)
    }
}

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Commands Reference

/native-ios-app init "App Name"

Initialize a new iOS project:

1. Create Xcode project structure
2. Set up SwiftUI app template
3. Configure build settings
4. Initialize git repository
5. Create .design-system/ with default tokens
6. Optionally initialize Ralph OG

/native-ios-app ralph "objective"

Start Ralph OG autonomous development:

1. Create .ralph-og/ directory
2. Generate iOS-specific PROMPT.md
3. Create feature-list.json from objective
4. Set up init.sh with Swift toolchain checks
5. Start the loop

/native-ios-app style <style-name>

Apply design style:

1. Read style definition from styles/<style-name>.md
2. Generate .design-system/tokens.swift
3. Create style-specific SwiftUI extensions
4. Update existing components if present

/native-ios-app build

Build via Xcode MCP:

1. Check for open Xcode project
2. Run BuildProject via MCP
3. Report build status and errors
4. Capture any warnings

/native-ios-app preview

Capture SwiftUI previews:

1. List preview providers in project
2. Render each via RenderPreview MCP tool
3. Save PNG images to .previews/
4. Report any preview failures

/native-ios-app status

Check project status:

1. Build state (last build time, success/failure)
2. Test results (passed/failed/skipped)
3. Code issues from navigator
4. Ralph OG progress (if active)

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Best Practices

SwiftUI Architecture

Use MVVM pattern:

Views/           → SwiftUI views (display only)
ViewModels/      → @Observable classes (logic)
Models/          → Data structures
Services/        → API, persistence

Design Token Usage

Always use tokens, never hardcoded values:

// Good
Text("Title")
    .font(.system(size: DesignTokens.Typography.title))
    .foregroundColor(DesignTokens.Colors.textPrimary)

// Bad
Text("Title")
    .font(.system(size: 28))
    .foregroundColor(Color(hex: "#1a1a1a"))

Accessibility

• Minimum touch target: 44×44pt
• Support Dynamic Type
• Provide accessibility labels
• Respect reduceMotion preference

@Environment(\.accessibilityReduceMotion) var reduceMotion

.animation(reduceMotion ? nil : .spring(), value: isExpanded)

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Troubleshooting

MCP Bridge Not Working

1. Verify Xcode 26.3+ installed: xcodebuild -version
2. Check MCP enabled in Xcode Settings
3. Ensure Xcode is running with project open
4. Test with: xcrun mcpbridge --help

Build Failures

1. Check scheme: xcodebuild -list
2. Clean build folder: xcodebuild clean
3. Check signing: Xcode → Project → Signing & Capabilities

Preview Not Rendering

1. Ensure preview provider exists
2. Check for compile errors
3. Verify simulator selected in Xcode

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Resources

Apple Documentation

• Human Interface Guidelines
• SwiftUI Documentation
• Xcode 26.3 Release Notes

References in This Skill

• references/xcode-mcp-tools.md - Complete MCP tool reference
• references/swiftui-patterns.md - Common SwiftUI patterns
• references/ralph-ios.md - Ralph OG iOS configuration
• styles/README.md - Design style catalog

Templates

• templates/PROMPT.ios.template.md - iOS Ralph prompt
• templates/feature-list.ios.template.json - iOS features template
• templates/init.ios.template.sh - iOS environment setup

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Skill Version: 1.0.0 Compatible with: Xcode 26.3+, iOS 17+, Swift 5.9+