| name | watchos-code-review |
| description | Reviews watchOS code for app lifecycle, complications (ClockKit/WidgetKit), WatchConnectivity, and performance constraints. Use when reviewing code with import WatchKit, WKExtension, WKApplicationDelegate, WCSession, or watchOS-specific patterns. |
watchOS Code Review
Quick Reference
| Issue Type | Reference |
|---|
| App lifecycle, scenes, background modes, extended runtime | references/lifecycle.md |
| ClockKit, WidgetKit, timeline providers, Smart Stack | references/complications.md |
| WCSession, message passing, file transfer, reachability | references/connectivity.md |
| Memory limits, background refresh, battery optimization | references/performance.md |
Review Checklist
When to Load References
- Reviewing app lifecycle, background modes, or extended sessions -> lifecycle.md
- Reviewing complications, widgets, or timeline providers -> complications.md
- Reviewing WCSession, iPhone-Watch communication -> connectivity.md
- Reviewing memory, battery, or performance issues -> performance.md
Output Format
Report issues using: [FILE:LINE] ISSUE_TITLE
Examples:
[WatchApp.swift:18] WKExtendedRuntimeSession started while app not active
[ConnectivityManager.swift:42] WCSession.activate() before delegate assignment
[ComplicationTimeline.swift:67] Timeline has no future entries
Hard gates (before reporting)
Complete in order for each finding you intend to report. Do not advance until the pass condition is satisfied.
- Location artifact — The finding includes
[FILE:LINE] (or a line range) copied from the current file contents; the path resolves in this repo.
- Scope read — You read the full surrounding unit: the
View body, WKApplicationDelegate / scene method, TimelineProvider implementation, WCSessionDelegate callback, or workout/background task handler that owns the behavior—not only a diff hunk.
- watchOS or pairing claim (only if the finding depends on background modes, complication/timeline contracts,
WCSession reachability or transfer semantics, workout or extended runtime rules, or device-specific limits) — You name one concrete artifact you inspected (for example Info.plist / target capabilities for background modes, the WK* / WCSession call order in source, entitlements, or a subsection you read in the matching doc from Quick Reference) or you downgrade the item to an open question in Review Questions.
- Protocol — Pre-report steps in review-verification-protocol are satisfied for this item (no finding if they are not).
Use the issue format [FILE:LINE] ISSUE_TITLE for each reported finding. Hard gate 4 is the full pre-report checklist for this skill’s review type.
Review Questions
- Is the app using modern SwiftUI lifecycle with delegate adaptor?
- Are background tasks completing properly (calling
setTaskCompletedWithSnapshot)?
- Is UI update frequency reduced when
isLuminanceReduced is true?
- Are WatchConnectivity delegate callbacks dispatching to main thread?
- Is
TabView nested within another TabView? (Memory leak on watchOS)