/swift-macos

name: swift-macos
description: Comprehensive macOS app development with Swift 6.3, SwiftUI, SwiftData, Swift Concurrency, Foundation Models, Swift Testing, ScreenCaptureKit, and app distribution. Use when building native Mac apps, implementing windows/scenes/navigation/menus/toolbars, SwiftData models and queries, modern concurrency, on-device AI, testing, screen/audio capture, menu bar apps, AppKit bridges, login items, process monitoring, or App Store and Developer ID distribution. Triggers on macOS app, SwiftUI macOS, SwiftData, Swift concurrency, Foundation Models, Swift Testing, ScreenCaptureKit, screen capture, screen recording, AVFoundation, MenuBarExtra, NSViewRepresentable, notarize, login item, and process monitoring.
metadata:
  version: "0.7.0"
  upstream: "swift@6.3.3, xcode@26.6, macos@26.6"
  openclaw:
    homepage: https://github.com/tenequm/skills/tree/main/skills/swift-macos
    emoji: "🍎"
    os:
      - macos

macOS App Development - Swift 6.3

Build native macOS apps with Swift 6.3 (latest: 6.3.3, bundled in Xcode 26.6, Jun 2026), SwiftUI, SwiftData, and macOS 26 Tahoe (26.6 current). Target macOS 14+ for SwiftData/@Observable, macOS 15+ for latest SwiftUI, macOS 26 for Liquid Glass and Foundation Models. Note Xcode 26.6 still bundles the macOS **26.5** SDK, so 26.6-only API is not yet buildable. For the WWDC 2026 beta stack (macOS 27, Xcode 27, Swift 6.4, shipping fall 2026), see `references/fall-2026-releases.md`.

Quick Start

import SwiftUI
import SwiftData

@Model
final class Project {
    var name: String
    var createdAt: Date
    // Named ProjectTask, not Task - `Task` would shadow `Swift.Task`
    @Relationship(deleteRule: .cascade) var tasks: [ProjectTask] = []

    init(name: String) {
        self.name = name
        self.createdAt = .now
    }
}

@Model
final class ProjectTask {
    var title: String
    var isComplete: Bool
    var project: Project?

    init(title: String) {
        self.title = title
        self.isComplete = false
    }
}

@main
struct MyApp: App {
    var body: some Scene {
        WindowGroup("Projects") {
            ContentView()
        }
        .modelContainer(for: [Project.self, ProjectTask.self])
        .defaultSize(width: 900, height: 600)

        #if os(macOS)
        Settings { SettingsView() }

        MenuBarExtra("Status", systemImage: "circle.fill") {
            MenuBarView()
        }
        .menuBarExtraStyle(.window)
        #endif
    }
}

struct ContentView: View {
    @Query(sort: \Project.createdAt, order: .reverse)
    private var projects: [Project]

    @Environment(\.modelContext) private var context
    @State private var selected: Project?

    var body: some View {
        NavigationSplitView {
            List(projects, selection: $selected) { project in
                NavigationLink(value: project) {
                    Text(project.name)
                }
            }
            .navigationSplitViewColumnWidth(min: 200, ideal: 250)
        } detail: {
            if let selected {
                DetailView(project: selected)
            } else {
                ContentUnavailableView("Select a Project",
                    systemImage: "sidebar.left")
            }
        }
    }
}

Scenes & Windows

| Scene | Purpose | |-------|---------| | `WindowGroup` | Resizable windows (multiple instances) | | `Window` | Single-instance utility window | | `Settings` | Preferences (Cmd+,) | | `MenuBarExtra` | Menu bar with `.menu` or `.window` style | | `DocumentGroup` | Document-based apps |

Open windows: `@Environment(\.openWindow) var openWindow; openWindow(id: "about")`

For complete scene lifecycle, see `references/app-lifecycle.md`.

Menus & Commands

.commands {
    CommandGroup(replacing: .newItem) {
        Button("New Project") { /* ... */ }
            .keyboardShortcut("n", modifiers: .command)
    }
    CommandMenu("Tools") {
        Button("Run Analysis") { /* ... */ }
            .keyboardShortcut("r", modifiers: [.command, .shift])
    }
}

Table (macOS-native)

Table(items, selection: $selectedIDs, sortOrder: $sortOrder) {
    TableColumn("Name", value: \.name)
    TableColumn("Date") { Text($0.date, format: .dateTime) }
        .width(min: 100, ideal: 150)
}
.contextMenu(forSelectionType: Item.ID.self) { ids in
    Button("Delete", role: .destructive) { delete(ids) }
}

For forms, popovers, sheets, inspector, and macOS modifiers, see `references/swiftui-macos.md`.

@Observable

@Observable
final class AppState {
    var projects: [Project] = []
    var isLoading = false

    func load() async throws {
        isLoading = true
        defer { isLoading = false }
        projects = try await ProjectService.fetchAll()
    }
}

// Use: @State var state = AppState()          (owner)
// Pass: .environment(state)                    (inject)
// Read: @Environment(AppState.self) var state  (child)

SwiftData

@Query & #Predicate

@Query(filter: #Predicate<Project> { !$0.isArchived }, sort: \Project.name)
private var active: [Project]

// Dynamic predicate
func search(_ term: String) -> Predicate<Project> {
    #Predicate { $0.name.localizedStandardContains(term) }
}

// FetchDescriptor (outside views)
var desc = FetchDescriptor<Project>(predicate: #Predicate { $0.isArchived })
desc.fetchLimit = 50
let results = try context.fetch(desc)
let count = try context.fetchCount(desc)

Relationships

@Model final class Author {
    var name: String
    @Relationship(deleteRule: .cascade, inverse: \Book.author)
    var books: [Book] = []
}

@Model final class Book {
    var title: String
    var author: Author?
    @Relationship var tags: [Tag] = []  // many-to-many
}

Delete rules: `.cascade`, `.nullify` (default), `.deny`, `.noAction`.

Schema Migration

enum SchemaV1: VersionedSchema { /* ... */ }
enum SchemaV2: VersionedSchema { /* ... */ }

enum MigrationPlan: SchemaMigrati