ios-scaffold

iOS Scaffold

Create a new iOS app project that is submission-safe from the first commit — so it doesn't hit the TestFlight/App Store blockers ios-testflight-release and the pre-flight checker exist to catch. Belongs to the sdlc-team-ios plugin; pairs with swiftui-architect (structure) and swift-language-expert (language).

Arguments

• app-name — the app / bundle name (defaults to asking).

Steps

1. Choose the project-generation approach

Prefer a diffable, mergeable project definition over a hand-managed .xcodeproj:

• Swift Package Manager (an app built as a package + a thin app target) for library-first / simple apps.
• Tuist or XcodeGen to generate the .xcodeproj from a committed manifest (Tuist's Project.swift, or an XcodeGen YAML manifest) that is committed, so project changes review cleanly and don't cause merge conflicts.

Ask which the team prefers; default to XcodeGen/Tuist for an app that needs a real Xcode project.

2. Establish structure

• App target + unit-test target (Swift Testing) + optional UI-test target (XCUITest).
• A SwiftPM feature-module layout if the app is non-trivial (feature packages + Core/DesignSystem/ Models; thin app composition root) — see swiftui-architect.
• .gitignore covering *.xcodeproj (if generated), DerivedData/, .build/, *.xcuserstate, .DS_Store, and any secrets file.

3. Wire submission-safe Info.plist defaults (this is the point of the skill)

Pre-set the keys the pre-flight checker looks for, so uploads don't stall or get rejected later:

• ITSAppUsesNonExemptEncryption = false (if the app uses only exempt encryption such as standard HTTPS) — skips the export-compliance questionnaire on every upload.
• A NS…UsageDescription placeholder-with-a-real-sentence for each capability the app will use (add them as you add frameworks; the pre-flight check maps CoreMotion→NSMotionUsageDescription, etc.). Leave a comment reminding that these must be real human sentences.
• Set the deployment target to the team's minimum-supported iOS per policy (and keep it consistent across targets and Package.swift).

4. Git-stamped, monotonic build number

• Keep MARKETING_VERSION fixed pre-1.0 (e.g. 1.0.0) and stamp CFBundleVersion from git rev-list --count HEAD (optionally plus the short SHA and date) in a build-phase script, so every build is unique, monotonic, and traceable to a commit.
• On the target that runs that script, set ENABLE_USER_SCRIPT_SANDBOXING = NO (leave it YES elsewhere) — a script that reads git/the environment fails to archive under the sandbox otherwise.

5. Release-default safety

• Gate debug menus, feature flags, verbose logging, and staging endpoints behind a build config or a flag that is OFF in Release unless explicitly enabled.
• No secrets/API keys in the repo or the bundle — use .xcconfig/build settings + a secrets mechanism.

6. CI and privacy manifest

• Offer to run ios-ci to generate the GitHub Actions workflow (which gates on the pre-flight checks).
• Add a PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy stub if the app will use required-reason APIs or bundle third-party SDKs.

7. Verify

• Build once; run the unit-test target; and run the pre-flight checker (python -m ios_preflight.cli <project>) — it should be clean (or only INFO) on a fresh scaffold.

8. Report

Summarise what was generated, the generation approach chosen, the build-number policy, and confirm the pre-flight checker is clean. Note anything the user must fill in (real purpose strings, signing team).

Notes

• The goal is a project that passes ios-testflight-release pre-flight on day one — don't leave the export-compliance key or build-number policy "for later".
• For app architecture choices (state, navigation, persistence), hand off to swiftui-architect; for idiomatic Swift, to swift-language-expert.