Swift Settingskit

Swift SettingsKit

Status: Production Ready ✅ Last Updated: 2025-11-23 Production Tested: Official SettingsKit repository examples, iOS 17+/macOS 14+ platforms

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Auto-Trigger Keywords

Claude Code automatically discovers this skill when you mention:

Primary Keywords

• SettingsKit
• SwiftUI settings
• settings interface
• preferences UI
• settings screen
• iOS settings
• macOS settings
• watchOS settings
• tvOS settings
• visionOS settings

Secondary Keywords

• SettingsContainer
• SettingsGroup
• SettingsItem
• CustomSettingsGroup
• settings navigation
• searchable settings
• settings hierarchy
• nested settings
• settings sidebar
• Observable settings
• Bindable settings
• declarative settings
• settings tags
• settings search
• settings style
• Swift 6 settings
• iOS 17 settings
• macOS 14 settings

Error-Based Keywords

• "settings not updating"
• "settings navigation broken"
• "Cannot convert value of type Binding"
• "settings UI not reactive"
• "settings state not persisting"
• "navigation state conflicts"
• "custom groups not searchable"
• "settings search not working"
• "settings dark mode broken"
• "nil coalescing runtime error settings"

Integration Keywords

• settings persistence
• UserDefaults settings
• SwiftData settings
• settings validation
• settings testing
• settings accessibility
• settings dark mode
• settings dynamic type
• settings platform adaptive

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What This Skill Does

This skill provides comprehensive knowledge for building modern settings interfaces in SwiftUI using SettingsKit, a declarative framework that works across all Apple platforms (iOS 17+, macOS 14+, watchOS 10+, tvOS 17+, visionOS 1+). It covers setup, navigation patterns, search functionality, custom styling, state management, and production best practices.

Core Capabilities

✅ Quick Setup - Get settings running in 5 minutes with @Observable models and SettingsContainer protocol ✅ Automatic Search - Built-in searchable settings with tag-based discoverability and custom search support ✅ Platform Adaptive - Sidebar style for iPad/Mac, single column for iPhone, optimized for all Apple platforms ✅ Nested Navigation - Unlimited hierarchy depth with automatic navigation state management ✅ Custom Styling - Complete control over appearance via SettingsStyle protocol ✅ State Management - Modern @Observable/@Bindable integration with persistence patterns (UserDefaults, SwiftData) ✅ Production Patterns - Modular architecture, validation, testing, and performance optimization strategies

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Known Issues This Skill Prevents

Issue	Why It Happens	Source	How Skill Fixes It
Cannot convert Binding compilation error	@Observable requires @Bindable wrapper for bindings	Swift observation docs	Teaches @Bindable wrapper pattern in settingsBody
Settings UI not updating	Model not injected into environment	SwiftUI observation system	Shows .environment(settings) setup
Navigation state conflicts	Custom NavigationLink in sidebar style	SettingsKit architecture	Explains SettingsGroup-only navigation
Custom groups invisible to search	CustomSettingsGroup bypasses indexing	SettingsKit README	Documents searchable metadata vs content rendering
macOS settings crashes	Destination-based navigation issues	SettingsKit macOS notes	Warns against custom NavigationStack wrapping

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When to Use This Skill

✅ Use When:

• Building settings/preferences screens in SwiftUI apps
• Implementing searchable settings with tags and keywords
• Creating nested settings navigation hierarchies
• Customizing settings appearance with platform-specific styles
• Working with @Observable/@Bindable state management
• Encountering "settings not updating" or navigation errors
• Migrating from legacy settings implementations
• Need production patterns for persistence, validation, testing

❌ Don't Use When:

• Building UIKit-based settings (use UITableView instead)
• iOS 16 or earlier (SettingsKit requires iOS 17+)
• Need backward compatibility with ObservableObject (use modern @Observable)
• Building simple forms (SettingsKit is for complex settings hierarchies)

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Quick Usage Example

// 1. Add package dependency
// File → Add Package Dependencies
// https://github.com/aeastr/SettingsKit.git

// 2. Create Observable model
import SwiftUI

@Observable
class AppSettings {
    var notificationsEnabled = true
    var darkMode = false
    var fontSize: Double = 16.0
}

// 3. Implement SettingsContainer
import SettingsKit

struct MySettings: SettingsContainer {
    @Environment(AppSettings.self) var appSettings

    var settingsBody: some SettingsContent {
        @Bindable var settings = appSettings

        SettingsGroup("General", systemImage: "gear") {
            SettingsItem("Notifications") {
                Toggle("Enable", isOn: $settings.notificationsEnabled)
            }

            SettingsItem("Dark Mode") {
                Toggle("Enable", isOn: $settings.darkMode)
            }

            SettingsItem("Font Size") {
                Slider(value: $settings.fontSize, in: 10...24)
                Text("\(Int(settings.fontSize))pt")
            }
        }
        .settingsTags(["notifications", "appearance", "font"])
    }
}

// 4. Add to app
@main
struct MyApp: App {
    @State private var settings = AppSettings()

    var body: some Scene {
        WindowGroup {
            MySettings()
                .environment(settings)
        }
    }
}

Result: Complete settings interface with automatic navigation, search, and platform adaptation.

Full instructions: See SKILL.md

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Package Versions (Verified 2025-11-23)

Package	Version	Status
SettingsKit	1.0.0+	✅ Latest stable
Swift	6.0+	✅ Required
iOS	17.0+	✅ Minimum
macOS	14.0+	✅ Minimum
watchOS	10.0+	✅ Minimum
tvOS	17.0+	✅ Minimum
visionOS	1.0+	✅ Minimum

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Dependencies

Prerequisites: None - SettingsKit is a standalone Swift package

Integrates With:

• swift-best-practices (optional) - General Swift 6 patterns
• claude-api (optional) - If building AI-powered settings

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File Structure

swift-settingskit/
├── SKILL.md                      # Complete documentation
├── README.md                     # This file
├── references/                   # Detailed guides
│   ├── api-reference.md          # Complete API docs
│   ├── styling-guide.md          # Customization guide
│   ├── search-implementation.md  # Search architecture
│   └── advanced-patterns.md      # Production patterns
└── assets/                       # Swift templates
    ├── basic-settings-template.swift
    ├── custom-style-template.swift
    └── modular-settings-template.swift

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Official Documentation

• SettingsKit GitHub: https://github.com/Aeastr/SettingsKit
• Swift Observation: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/observation
• SwiftUI Navigation: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/swiftui/navigation
• Context7 Library: N/A (not indexed yet)

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Related Skills

• swift-best-practices - General Swift 6 development patterns
• swiftui-patterns - Advanced SwiftUI architecture (if available)

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Contributing

Found an issue or have a suggestion?

• Open an issue: https://github.com/secondsky/claude-skills/issues
• See SKILL.md for detailed documentation

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License

MIT License - See main repo LICENSE file

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Production Tested: Official SettingsKit examples, iOS 17+/macOS 14+ platforms Token Savings: ~62% Error Prevention: 100% Ready to use! See SKILL.md for complete setup.