ios-development

name	ios-development
description	iOS development standards for AI agent implementation. Swift-first, SwiftUI, MVVM + Clean Architecture, async/await, comprehensive security, testing, and performance patterns. Use when building or reviewing iOS applications, generating Swift...
metadata	{"portable":true,"compatible_with":["Codex","codex"]}

Platform Notes

• Optional helper plugins may help in some environments, but they must not be treated as required for this skill.

iOS Development Standards

Acknowledgement: Shared by Peter Bamuhigire, techguypeter.com, [phone].

Use When

• iOS development standards for AI agent implementation. Swift-first, SwiftUI, MVVM + Clean Architecture, async/await, comprehensive security, testing, and performance patterns. Use when building or reviewing iOS applications, generating Swift...
• The task needs reusable judgment, domain constraints, or a proven workflow rather than ad hoc advice.

Do Not Use When

• The task is unrelated to ios-development or would be better handled by a more specific companion skill.
• The request only needs a trivial answer and none of this skill's constraints or references materially help.

Required Inputs

• Gather relevant project context, constraints, and the concrete problem to solve; load references only as needed.
• Confirm the desired deliverable: design, code, review, migration plan, audit, or documentation.

Workflow

• Read this SKILL.md first, then load only the referenced deep-dive files that are necessary for the task.
• Apply the ordered guidance, checklists, and decision rules in this skill instead of cherry-picking isolated snippets.
• Produce the deliverable with assumptions, risks, and follow-up work made explicit when they matter.

Quality Standards

• Keep outputs execution-oriented, concise, and aligned with the repository's baseline engineering standards.
• Preserve compatibility with existing project conventions unless the skill explicitly requires a stronger standard.
• Prefer deterministic, reviewable steps over vague advice or tool-specific magic.

Anti-Patterns

• Treating examples as copy-paste truth without checking fit, constraints, or failure modes.
• Loading every reference file by default instead of using progressive disclosure.

Outputs

• A concrete result that fits the task: implementation guidance, review findings, architecture decisions, templates, or generated artifacts.
• Clear assumptions, tradeoffs, or unresolved gaps when the task cannot be completed from available context alone.
• References used, companion skills, or follow-up actions when they materially improve execution.

Evidence Produced

Category	Artifact	Format	Example
Correctness	iOS feature test plan	Markdown doc covering unit, UI, and snapshot tests	docs/ios/feature-tests-checkout.md
UX quality	Accessibility audit	Markdown doc covering VoiceOver, Dynamic Type, and contrast	docs/ios/a11y-checkout.md

References

• Use the references/ directory for deep detail after reading the core workflow below.
• references/ios-project-setup.md for Xcode project structure, SPM, schemes, build settings, and environment configuration.
• references/ios-swift-recipes.md for production Swift recipes, safe conversions, dates, Codable, hashing, and validation.
• references/apple-platform-compatibility-wwdc26.md for Xcode 27, Swift 6.4, iOS/iPadOS/macOS 27 SDK, Device Hub, coding agents, availability gates, and macOS/Safari watch items.

Load Order

1. Load world-class-engineering for shared production gates.
2. Load system-architecture-design when the app participates in broader service or module architecture.
3. Load this skill for iOS implementation details.
4. Load ios-ui-ux-design for every user-facing iOS/iPadOS screen, especially premium, dashboard, onboarding, reporting, form, or revenue-critical flows.
5. Load ios-security-and-rbac, ios-platform-capabilities, or other focused parent skills as needed.

Production-grade Apple-platform development standards for AI-assisted implementation. Swift-first with SwiftUI, latest-SDK aware, and availability-gated for older deployment targets.

Current Toolchain: Xcode 27 on Apple Silicon | Swift 6.4 | latest iOS/iPadOS/macOS SDKs Core Stack: Swift 6.4-ready | SwiftUI (default UI) | MVVM + Clean Architecture | Swift Concurrency Deployment Policy: project-specific floor; iOS 17+ remains acceptable only when the app must support that fleet Compatibility: Must run on both the declared minimum deployment target and the latest Apple OS, with availability gates for SDK-only features Reference App: Apple's sample code gallery and WWDC sessions — canonical examples of modern SwiftUI patterns

Backend Environments

iOS apps connect to a PHP/MySQL backend deployed across three environments:

Environment	Base URL Pattern	Database	Notes
Development	http://{LAN_IP}:{port}/DMS_web/api/	MySQL 8.4.7 (Windows WAMP)	Use host machine LAN IP
Staging	https://staging.{domain}/api/	MySQL 8.x (Ubuntu VPS)	For QA and TestFlight
Production	https://{domain}/api/	MySQL 8.x (Debian VPS)	App Store release

Configure base URLs using Xcode build configurations and .xcconfig files so each scheme targets the correct backend. All backends use utf8mb4_unicode_ci collation and MySQL 8.x.

Additional Guidance

Extended guidance for ios-development was moved to references/skill-deep-dive.md to keep this entrypoint compact and fast to load.

Use that deep dive for:

• Swift Language Standards
• Architecture: MVVM + Clean Architecture
• Project Structure
• State Management (iOS 17+ — No Legacy Patterns)
• Networking Layer
• Build Configuration (3 Environments)
• WWDC26 Apple Platform Compatibility
• Security Standards
• Testing Strategy
• Performance Rules
• Release Gate
• Navigation (iOS 17+)
• Minimum Requirements
• Additional deep-dive sections continue in the reference file.

For screen quality, visual polish, native interaction, Dynamic Type, VoiceOver, iPad adaptation, and premium UX gates, load ios-ui-ux-design alongside this implementation skill.