macOS Development

You MUST use this skill for ANY macOS-specific development including windows, menus, sandboxing, distribution, AppKit bridging, and macOS SwiftUI differences.

Cursor Subagent Routing

Delegate to the appropriate Cursor subagent when this router calls for a specialized auditor.

Quick Reference

Symptom / Task	Reference
Window management (WindowGroup, Window, MenuBarExtra, DocumentGroup)	See `skills/windows.md`
Menu bar, commands, keyboard shortcuts	See `skills/menus-and-commands.md`
Table, Inspector, NavigationSplitView, focus	See `skills/swiftui-differences.md`
App Sandbox, file access, security-scoped bookmarks	See `skills/sandbox-and-file-access.md`
Another team's app or app group container access denied without a prompt (`OS27`)	See `skills/sandbox-and-file-access.md`
Developer ID, notarization, Sparkle auto-updates	See `skills/direct-distribution.md`
NSViewRepresentable, NSHostingController, AppKit bridging, @Observable in AppKit, NSHostingMenu, SwiftUI scenes from AppKit	See `skills/appkit-interop.md`
Modernizing AppKit: mouseDown replacement, control events, status-item sessions, state restoration, concentric corners (`OS27`)	See `skills/appkit-modernization.md`
Touch on a touch-display Mac or Sidecar: design rules, tracking loops → gesture recognizers, hit targets, hover, exclusivity, system gestures, non-Apple UI frameworks	See `skills/touch.md`
Automated touch-readiness scan (mouseDown overrides, tracking loops, hover-only controls, custom recognizers)	Delegate to the `touch-auditor` subagent or `/axiom-audit` touch
Screen recording, sharing, or capture (ScreenCaptureKit)	See `skills/screencapturekit.md`
SCStream / SCContentFilter / screenshots / file recording API, clip buffering, recording editor (`OS27`)	See `skills/screencapturekit-ref.md`
Bring an iOS app to Mac: Catalyst adoption, Designed for iPad, Mac availability opt-out	See `skills/ios-apps-on-mac.md`
Apple Pay on Mac / Catalyst	See `axiom-payments/skills/apple-pay.md` (Catalyst section)

Cross-Suite Routes

These topics overlap with macOS development but live in separate suites:

SwiftUI (shared iOS/macOS)

View state, data flow, @Observable → See axiom-swiftui
Navigation (NavigationStack basics) → See axiom-swiftui (skills/nav.md)
Layout (ViewThatFits, AnyLayout) → See axiom-swiftui (skills/layout.md)
Animations → See axiom-swiftui (skills/animation-ref.md)

Data & persistence

SwiftData, Core Data, GRDB → See axiom-data
CloudKit sync → See axiom-data

Concurrency

Swift 6 concurrency, actors, Sendable → See axiom-concurrency

Other

Accessibility (VoiceOver, Dynamic Type) → See axiom-accessibility
Networking (URLSession, Network.framework) → See axiom-networking
Security (Keychain, passkeys, encryption) → See axiom-security

Conflict Resolution

axiom-macos vs axiom-swiftui: When working on a macOS SwiftUI app:

Use axiom-macos for macOS-only concerns: windows, menus, commands, sandboxing, distribution, Table, Inspector, AppKit bridging
Use axiom-swiftui for cross-platform SwiftUI: navigation, layout, state management, animations
Both may apply: A macOS app using NavigationSplitView with Table needs axiom-macos for Table specifics and axiom-swiftui for NavigationSplitView basics

axiom-macos vs axiom-security: For sandbox and code signing:

Use axiom-macos for macOS App Sandbox, security-scoped bookmarks, file access entitlements, Developer ID signing
Use axiom-security for Keychain storage, encryption, passkeys, certificate management

Decision Tree

digraph macos {
    start [label="macOS development task" shape=ellipse];
    what [label="What area?" shape=diamond];

    start -> what;
    what -> "skills/windows.md" [label="windows/scenes"];
    what -> "skills/menus-and-commands.md" [label="menus/commands/shortcuts"];
    what -> "skills/swiftui-differences.md" [label="Table/Inspector/focus/macOS SwiftUI"];
    what -> "skills/sandbox-and-file-access.md" [label="sandbox/file access"];
    what -> "skills/direct-distribution.md" [label="distribution/notarization/updates"];
    what -> "skills/appkit-interop.md" [label="AppKit bridging"];
    what -> "skills/appkit-modernization.md" [label="modernize AppKit\n(input/restoration/27 look)"];
    what -> "skills/touch.md" [label="touch input\n(touch display/Sidecar)"];
    what -> "skills/ios-apps-on-mac.md" [label="iOS app to Mac\n(Catalyst / Designed for iPad)"];
    what -> "skills/screencapturekit.md" [label="screen capture/\nrecording/sharing"];
    what -> "axiom-swiftui" [label="cross-platform SwiftUI"];
    what -> "axiom-security" [label="Keychain/encryption"];
}

iOS screen capture? On iOS 27+ use ScreenCaptureKit's SCContentSharingPicker — see axiom-media (skills/screen-capture.md); ReplayKit (deprecated in the 27 SDKs) only below 27.

Resources

WWDC: 2021-10062, 2022-10061, 2022-10075, 2023-10148, 2024-10149, 2026-272, 2026-289

Tech Talks: 111456, 111468

Docs: /security/app-sandbox, /swiftui/windowgroup, /swiftui/table

Skills: axiom-swiftui, axiom-security, axiom-concurrency, axiom-uikit

axiom-macos