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dpearson2699/swift-ios-skills

Agent skills for iOS, iPadOS, Swift, SwiftUI, and modern Apple framework development.

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SKILL.mdskills/eventkit/

name:
eventkit
description:
Create, read, and manage calendar events and reminders using EventKit and EventKitUI. Use when adding events to the user's calendar, creating reminders, setting recurrence rules, requesting calendar or reminders access, presenting event editors, choosing calendars, handling alarms, observing calendar changes, or working with EKEventStore, EKEvent, EKReminder, EKCalendar, EKRecurrenceRule, EKEventEditViewController, EKCalendarChooser, or EventKitUI views.

EventKit

Create, read, and manage calendar events and reminders. Covers authorization, event and reminder CRUD, recurrence rules, alarms, and EventKitUI editors. Targets Swift 6.3 / iOS 26+.

Contents

  • Setup
  • Authorization
  • Creating Events
  • Fetching Events
  • Reminders
  • Recurrence Rules
  • Alarms
  • EventKitUI Controllers
  • Observing Changes
  • Common Mistakes
  • Review Checklist
  • References

Setup

Info.plist Keys

Add the required usage description strings based on what access level you need:

KeyAccess Level
NSCalendarsFullAccessUsageDescriptionRead + write events
NSCalendarsWriteOnlyAccessUsageDescriptionWrite-only events (iOS 17+)
NSRemindersFullAccessUsageDescriptionRead + write reminders

For apps also targeting iOS 16 or earlier, also include the legacy NSCalendarsUsageDescription / NSRemindersUsageDescription keys.

Event Store

Create a single EKEventStore instance and reuse it. Do not mix objects from different event stores.

import EventKit

let eventStore = EKEventStore()

Authorization

iOS 17+ introduced granular access levels. Use the modern async methods.

Full Access to Events

func requestCalendarAccess() async throws -> Bool {
    let granted = try await eventStore.requestFullAccessToEvents()
    return granted
}

Write-Only Access to Events

Use when your app only creates events (e.g., saving a booking) and does not need to read existing events.

func requestWriteAccess() async throws -> Bool {
    let granted = try await eventStore.requestWriteOnlyAccessToEvents()
    return granted
}

Full Access to Reminders

func requestRemindersAccess() async throws -> Bool {
    let granted = try await eventStore.requestFullAccessToReminders()
    return granted
}

Checking Authorization Status

let status = EKEventStore.authorizationStatus(for: .event)

switch status {
case .notDetermined:
    // Request access
    break
case .fullAccess:
    // Read and write allowed
    break
case .writeOnly:
    // Write-only access granted (iOS 17+)
    break
case .restricted:
    // Parental controls or MDM restriction
    break
case .denied:
    // User denied -- direct to Settings
    break
@unknown default:
    break
}

Creating Events

func createEvent(
    title: String,
    startDate: Date,
    endDate: Date,
    calendar: EKCalendar? = nil
) throws {
    let event = EKEvent(eventStore: eventStore)
    event.title = title
    event.startDate = startDate
    event.endDate = endDate
    event.calendar = calendar ?? eventStore.defaultCalendarForNewEvents

    try eventStore.save(event, span: .thisEvent)
}

Setting a Specific Calendar

// List writable calendars
let calendars = eventStore.calendars(for: .event)
    .filter { $0.allowsContentModifications }

// Use the first writable calendar, or the default
let targetCalendar = calendars.first ?? eventStore.defaultCalendarForNewEvents
event.calendar = targetCalendar

Adding Structured Location

import CoreLocation

let location = EKStructuredLocation(title: "Apple Park")
location.geoLocation = CLLocation(latitude: 37.3349, longitude: -122.0090)
event.structuredLocation = location

Fetching Events

Use a date-range predicate to query events. The events(matching:) method returns occurrences of recurring events expanded within the range.

func fetchEvents(from start: Date, to end: Date) -> [EKEvent] {
    let predicate = eventStore.predicateForEvents(
        withStart: start,
        end: end,
        calendars: nil  // nil = all calendars
    )
    return eventStore.events(matching: predicate)
        .sorted { $0.startDate < $1.startDate }
}

Fetching a Single Event by Identifier

if let event = eventStore.event(withIdentifier: savedEventID) {
    print(event.title ?? "No title")
}

Reminders

Creating a Reminder

func createReminder(title: String, dueDate: Date) throws {
    let reminder = EKReminder(eventStore: eventStore)
    reminder.title = title
    reminder.calendar = eventStore.defaultCalendarForNewReminders()

    let dueDateComponents = Calendar.current.dateComponents(
        [.year, .month, .day, .hour, .minute],
        from: dueDate
    )
    reminder.dueDateComponents = dueDateComponents

    try eventStore.save(reminder, commit: true)
}

Fetching Reminders

Reminder fetches are asynchronous and return through a completion handler.

func fetchIncompleteReminders() async -> [EKReminder] {
    let predicate = eventStore.predicateForIncompleteReminders(
        withDueDateStarting: nil,
        ending: nil,
        calendars: nil
    )

    return await withCheckedContinuation { continuation in
        eventStore.fetchReminders(matching: predicate) { reminders in
            continuation.resume(returning: reminders ?? [])
        }
    }
}

Completing a Reminder

func completeReminder(_ reminder: EKReminder) throws {
    reminder.isCompleted = true
    try eventStore.save(reminder, commit: true)
}

Recurrence Rules

Use EKRecurrenceRule to create repeating events or reminders.

Simple Recurrence

// Every week, indefinitely
let weeklyRule = EKRecurrenceRule(
    recurrenceWith: .weekly,
    interval: 1,
    end: nil
)
event.addRecurrenceRule(weeklyRule)

// Every 2 weeks, ending after 10 occurrences
let biweeklyRule = EKRecurrenceRule(
    recurrenceWith: .weekly,
    interval: 2,
    end: EKRecurrenceEnd(occurrenceCount: 10)
)

// Monthly, ending on a specific date
let monthlyRule = EKRecurrenceRule(
    recurrenceWith: .monthly,
    interval: 1,
    end: EKRecurrenceEnd(end: endDate)
)

Complex Recurrence

// Every Monday and Wednesday
let days = [
    EKRecurrenceDayOfWeek(.monday),
    EKRecurrenceDayOfWeek(.wednesday)
]

let complexRule = EKRecurrenceRule(
    recurrenceWith: .weekly,
    interval: 1,
    daysOfTheWeek: days,
    daysOfTheMonth: nil,
    monthsOfTheYear: nil,
    weeksOfTheYear: nil,
    daysOfTheYear: nil,
    setPositions: nil,
    end: nil
)
event.addRecurrenceRule(complexRule)

Editing Recurring Events

When saving changes to a recurring event, specify the span:

// Change only this occurrence
try eventStore.save(event, span: .thisEvent)

// Change this and all future occurrences
try eventStore.save(event, span: .futureEvents)

Alarms

Attach alarms to events or reminders to trigger notifications.

// 15 minutes before
let alarm = EKAlarm(relativeOffset: -15 * 60)
event.addAlarm(alarm)

// At an absolute date
let absoluteAlarm = EKAlarm(absoluteDate: alertDate)
event.addAlarm(absoluteAlarm)

EventKitUI Controllers

EKEventEditViewController — Create/Edit Events

Present the system event editor for creating or editing events.

import EventKitUI

class EventEditorCoordinator: NSObject, EKEventEditViewDelegate {
    let eventStore = EKEventStore()

    func presentEditor(from viewController: UIViewController) {
        let editor = EKEventEditViewController()
        editor.eventStore = eventStore
        editor.editViewDelegate = self
        viewController.present(editor, animated: true)
    }

    func eventEditViewController(
        _ controller: EKEventEditViewController,
        didCompleteWith action: EKEventEditViewAction
    ) {
        switch action {
        case .saved:
            // Event saved
            break
        case .canceled:
            break
        case .deleted:
            break
        @unknown default:
            break
        }
        controller.dismiss(animated: true)
    }
}

EKEventViewController — View an Event

import EventKitUI

let viewer = EKEventViewController()
viewer.event = existingEvent
viewer.allowsEditing = true
navigationController?.pushViewController(viewer, animated: true)

EKCalendarChooser — Select Calendars

let chooser = EKCalendarChooser(
    selectionStyle: .multiple,
    displayStyle: .allCalendars,
    entityType: .event,
    eventStore: eventStore
)
chooser.showsDoneButton = true
chooser.showsCancelButton = true
chooser.delegate = self
present(UINavigationController(rootViewController: chooser), animated: true)

Observing Changes

Register for EKEventStoreChanged notifications to keep your UI in sync when events are modified outside your app (e.g., by the Calendar app or a sync).

NotificationCenter.default.addObserver(
    forName: .EKEventStoreChanged,
    object: eventStore,
    queue: .main
) { [weak self] _ in
    self?.refreshEvents()
}

Always re-fetch events after receiving this notification. Previously fetched EKEvent objects may be stale.

Common Mistakes

DON'T: Use the deprecated requestAccess(to:) method

// WRONG: Deprecated in iOS 17
eventStore.requestAccess(to: .event) { granted, error in }

// CORRECT: Use the granular async methods
let granted = try await eventStore.requestFullAccessToEvents()

DON'T: Save events to a read-only calendar

// WRONG: No check -- will throw if calendar is read-only
event.calendar = someCalendar
try eventStore.save(event, span: .thisEvent)

// CORRECT: Verify the calendar allows modifications
guard someCalendar.allowsContentModifications else {
    event.calendar = eventStore.defaultCalendarForNewEvents
    return
}
event.calendar = someCalendar
try eventStore.save(event, span: .thisEvent)

DON'T: Ignore timezone when creating events

// WRONG: Event appears at wrong time for traveling users
event.startDate = Date()
event.endDate = Date().addingTimeInterval(3600)

// CORRECT: Set the timezone explicitly for location-specific events
event.timeZone = TimeZone(identifier: "America/New_York")
event.startDate = startDate
event.endDate = endDate

DON'T: Forget to commit batched saves

// WRONG: Changes never persisted
try eventStore.save(event1, span: .thisEvent, commit: false)
try eventStore.save(event2, span: .thisEvent, commit: false)
// Missing commit!

// CORRECT: Commit after batching
try eventStore.save(event1, span: .thisEvent, commit: false)
try eventStore.save(event2, span: .thisEvent, commit: false)
try eventStore.commit()

DON'T: Mix EKObjects from different event stores

// WRONG: Event fetched from storeA, saved to storeB
let event = storeA.event(withIdentifier: id)!
try storeB.save(event, span: .thisEvent) // Undefined behavior

// CORRECT: Use the same store throughout
let event = eventStore.event(withIdentifier: id)!
try eventStore.save(event, span: .thisEvent)

Review Checklist

  • Correct Info.plist usage description keys added for calendars and/or reminders
  • Authorization requested with iOS 17+ granular methods (requestFullAccessToEvents, requestWriteOnlyAccessToEvents, requestFullAccessToReminders)
  • Authorization status checked before fetching or saving
  • Single EKEventStore instance reused across the app
  • Events saved to a writable calendar (allowsContentModifications checked)
  • Recurring event saves specify correct EKSpan (.thisEvent vs .futureEvents)
  • Batched saves followed by explicit commit()
  • EKEventStoreChanged notification observed to refresh stale data
  • Timezone set explicitly for location-specific events
  • EKObjects not shared across different event store instances
  • EventKitUI delegates dismiss controllers in completion callbacks

References

  • Extended patterns (SwiftUI wrappers, predicate queries, batch operations): references/eventkit-patterns.md
  • EventKit framework
  • EKEventStore
  • EKEvent
  • EKReminder
  • EKRecurrenceRule
  • EKCalendar
  • EventKit UI
  • EKEventEditViewController
  • EKCalendarChooser
  • Accessing the event store
  • Creating a recurring event

skills

eventkit

SKILL.md

CHANGELOG.md

README.md

tile.json