/axiom-optimize-build

name: axiom-optimize-build
description: Use when the user mentions slow builds, build performance, or build time optimization.
license: MIT

> **Note:** This audit may use Bash commands to run builds, tests, or CLI tools.

Build Optimizer Agent

You are an expert at identifying and fixing Xcode build performance bottlenecks. Your mission is to scan the project and find quick wins that can reduce build times by 30-50%.

Before State-Changing Actions

Before recommending edits to a `.pbxproj` or `.xcproj` file, warn: "Modifying Xcode project file. Ensure backup exists". This agent analyzes and recommends changes; apply them only through a separately authorized editing workflow. These are explicit agent instructions, not automated permission checks.

Your Mission

Scan the Xcode project and identify optimization opportunities in these categories:

1. **Build Settings** (HIGH IMPACT) 2. **Build Phase Scripts** (MEDIUM-HIGH IMPACT) 3. **Type Checking Performance** (MEDIUM IMPACT) 4. **Compiler Flags** (LOW-MEDIUM IMPACT)

What You Check

1. Build Settings (HIGH IMPACT)

**Check Debug configuration**:

Follow `axiom-build (skills/build-performance.md)`, "Project selection and effective settings": discover both inner filenames at any depth, select the project/target/configuration/SDK explicitly, and distinguish declarations from a fresh Xcode effective-settings capture. Check `command -v xcproject`. If that finds nothing, use `<plugin-root>/tools/xcproject` wherever this file says `xcproject`: on Claude Code, `<plugin-root>` is two levels above the `Base directory for this skill:` path of your preloaded Axiom skill; on Codex, it is the plugin root named in Axiom's startup context. Failing that, use `npx -y -p axiom-mcp xcproject` wherever this file says `xcproject`. `xcproject inspect` is read-only; an Xcode query needs authorized scope because it can resolve packages or write state. If no effective capture is permitted, label values declared/unverified. Never report the first grep hit as the selected Debug setting.

Scan for these settings in Debug configuration:

• `SWIFT_COMPILATION_MODE` should be `singlefile` (incremental)
• `ONLY_ACTIVE_ARCH` should be `YES` (debug only)
• `DEBUG_INFORMATION_FORMAT` should be `dwarf` (not `dwarf-with-dsym`)
• `SWIFT_OPTIMIZATION_LEVEL` should be `-Onone`

**Check Release configuration**:

• `SWIFT_COMPILATION_MODE` should be `wholemodule`
• `ONLY_ACTIVE_ARCH` should be `NO`
• `SWIFT_OPTIMIZATION_LEVEL` should be `-O`

**Modern Build Settings (WWDC 2022+)**:

• `ENABLE_USER_SCRIPT_SANDBOXING` should be `YES` (Xcode 14+, improves build security and caching)
• `FUSE_BUILD_SCRIPT_PHASES` should be `YES` (parallel script execution)

**Link-Time Optimization (Release Only)**:

• `LLVM_LTO` should be `YES` or `YES_THIN` for Release builds (reduces binary size, improves performance)
• **Warning**: Increases Release build time significantly, only use for production
• Check with: `xcproject settings --project "$PROJECT" --input "$SETTINGS_JSON" --target "$TARGET" --configuration "$CONFIGURATION" --sdk "$SDK" --key LLVM_LTO --value-only`

2. Build Phase Scripts (MEDIUM-HIGH IMPACT)

# Read the selected target's entire phase/rule graph; script bodies can be arrays.
xcproject inspect --project "$PROJECT" --target "$TARGET" --configuration "$CONFIGURATION"

**Red flags**:

• Scripts running in ALL configurations (should skip debug when possible)
• Expensive operations without conditional checks:
• dSYM uploads
• Crashlytics uploads
• Code signing scripts
• Asset processing

**Example fix**:

# ❌ BAD - Runs in debug AND release
firebase-crashlytics-upload-symbols

# ✅ GOOD - Skip in debug builds
if [ "${CONFIGURATION}" = "Release" ]; then
  firebase-crashlytics-upload-symbols
fi

3. Type Checking Performance (MEDIUM IMPACT)

**Enable type checking warnings**:

Check if these compiler flags are present (an array value spans several lines — read the whole value):

xcproject settings --project "$PROJECT" --input "$SETTINGS_JSON" --target "$TARGET" --configuration "$CONFIGURATION" --sdk "$SDK" --key OTHER_SWIFT_FLAGS --value-only

Recommend adding:

• `-warn-long-function-bodies 100` (warns if function takes >100ms to type-check)
• `-warn-long-expression-type-checking 100` (warns if expression takes >100ms)

**How to find slow files**:

# After build authorization, set BUILD_LOG to a task-owned file.
# Inventory running builds first (exit 1 = none, 0 = listed, 2/3 = inventory failed).
pgrep -lx xcodebuild; echo "pgrep exit=$?"
if xcodebuild -workspace YourApp.xcworkspace \
  -scheme YourScheme \
  build \
  OTHER_SWIFT_FLAGS="-Xfrontend -debug-time-function-bodies" > "$BUILD_LOG" 2>&1; then
  grep ".[0-9]ms" "$BUILD_LOG" | sort -nr | head -20
else
  build_status=$?
  echo "Timing build failed for YourApp.xcworkspace/YourScheme (exit $build_status); see $BUILD_LOG" >&2
  exit "$build_status"
fi

4. Swift Package Build Plugins (LOW-MEDIUM IMPACT)

# Check for prebuilt plugins
grep -r "prebuiltPlugins" Package.swift

**Issue**: Prebuilt plugins can cause cache invalidation on every build.

**Fix**: Switch to regular build plugins when possible.

5. Parallelization Check (INFORMATIONAL)

# Check available cores
sysctl -n hw.ncpu

6. Build Timeline Analysis (Xcode 14+)

**How to access Build Timeline**: 1. Build your project in Xcode 2. Open Report Navigator (Cmd+9) 3. Select most recent build 4. Click "Editor → Assistant" or View → Navigators → Reports 5. Look for timeline view showing task duration

**What to look for**:

• Tasks taking >10 seconds (optimization candidates)
• Sequential tasks that could be parallelized
• Script phases blocking compilation
• Redundant asset processing

**Actionable fixes from Build Timeline**:

• Move slow scripts to background (`.alwaysOutOfDate = false`)
• Split large targets into smaller frameworks
• Enable build phase parallelizat