Building Apple Platform Products

Build, test, and archive Swift packages and Xcode projects for Apple platforms.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:

• Build an iOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS, or visionOS app
• Build a Swift package
• Run unit tests or UI tests
• Create an archive for distribution
• Discover project structure (schemes, targets, configurations)

Tool Selection

Project Type	Primary Tool	When to Use
Standalone Package.swift	swift build	Libraries, CLI tools, cross-platform Swift (no .xcodeproj)
.xcworkspace	xcodebuild -workspace	CocoaPods or multi-project setups
.xcodeproj	xcodebuild	Standard Xcode projects (including those with SPM dependencies)

Important: The swift build / swift test commands only work for standalone Swift packages. If a Swift package is embedded as a submodule within an Xcode project, you must use xcodebuild with the appropriate scheme—the Swift CLI cannot orchestrate builds in that context.

Project Discovery

Before building, discover the project structure:

# Find what project files exist
ls Package.swift *.xcworkspace *.xcodeproj 2>/dev/null

# List schemes and targets (auto-detects project)
xcodebuild -list

# Describe package (standalone SPM only)
swift package describe

Note: When an Xcode project references a local Swift package, each package target gets its own scheme (named after the target, not the package). Use these schemes to build individual targets without building the entire app.

For mixed projects, shared schemes, or detailed output parsing, see project-discovery.md.

Swift Package Manager Commands

Important: These commands only work for standalone Swift packages, not Swift Package Manager submodules in Xcode projects.

Goal	Command
Build (debug)	swift build
Build (release)	swift build -c release
Run executable	swift run [<target>]
Run tests	swift test
Run specific test	swift test --filter <TestClass.testMethod>
Show binary path	swift build --show-bin-path
Clean	swift package clean
Initialize	swift package init [--type library|executable]

For cross-compilation, Package.swift syntax, or dependency management, see swift-package-manager.md.

xcodebuild Commands

Command structure: xcodebuild [action] -scheme <name> [-workspace|-project] [options] [BUILD_SETTING=value]

Goal	Command
List schemes	xcodebuild -list
Build	xcodebuild build -scheme <name>
Test	xcodebuild test -scheme <name> -destination '<spec>'
Build for testing	xcodebuild build-for-testing -scheme <name> -destination '<spec>'
Test without build	xcodebuild test-without-building -scheme <name> -destination '<spec>'
Archive	xcodebuild archive -scheme <name> -archivePath <path>.xcarchive
Clean	xcodebuild clean -scheme <name>

Required: -scheme is always required. Add -workspace or -project when multiple exist. For tests: -destination is required for iOS/tvOS/watchOS/visionOS targets.

For build settings, SDK selection, or CI configuration, see xcodebuild-basics.md.

Common Destinations

Platform	Destination Specifier
macOS	'platform=macOS'
iOS Simulator	'platform=iOS Simulator,name=iPhone 17'
iOS Device	'platform=iOS,id=<UDID>'
tvOS Simulator	'platform=tvOS Simulator,name=Apple TV'
watchOS Simulator	'platform=watchOS Simulator,name=Apple Watch Series 11 (46mm)'
visionOS Simulator	'platform=visionOS Simulator,name=Apple Vision Pro'
Generic (build only)	'generic/platform=iOS'

Note: Simulator names change with each Xcode release. Always verify available simulators:

xcrun simctl list devices available

For all platforms, multiple destinations, or troubleshooting destination errors, see destinations.md.

Reference Files

Topic	File	When to Read
Project Discovery	project-discovery.md	Mixed projects, shared schemes
Swift Package Manager	swift-package-manager.md	Cross-compilation, Package.swift syntax
xcodebuild Basics	xcodebuild-basics.md	Build settings, SDK selection
Destinations	destinations.md	All platforms, multiple destinations
Testing	testing.md	Test filtering, parallel execution, coverage
Archiving	archiving.md	Archive creation
Troubleshooting	troubleshooting.md	Build/test failures, error recovery

Common Pitfalls

1. swift build with Xcode submodules: Only works for standalone packages. Use xcodebuild with the package's scheme instead.
2. Missing destination for iOS: Use -destination 'generic/platform=iOS' for builds, or specify a simulator for tests.
3. Unnecessary workspace flag: Only use -workspace for CocoaPods or multi-project setups. Standard projects with SPM dependencies just use .xcodeproj.
4. Case-sensitive scheme names: Run xcodebuild -list to see exact scheme names.
5. Outdated simulator names: Names change with Xcode versions. Run xcrun simctl list devices available.
6. Code signing errors: Add CODE_SIGNING_ALLOWED=NO for builds that don't require signing.