SKILL.md

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Setup and Entitlements

Requirements

Managed entitlement -- request com.apple.developer.financekit from Apple via the FinanceKit entitlement request form. This is a managed capability; Apple reviews each application.

Organization-level Apple Developer account (individual accounts are not eligible).

Account Holder role required to request the entitlement.

Project Configuration

Add the FinanceKit entitlement through Xcode managed capabilities after Apple approves the request.

Add NSFinancialDataUsageDescription to Info.plist -- this string is shown to the user during the authorization prompt.

<key>NSFinancialDataUsageDescription</key>

<string>This app uses your financial data to track spending and provide budgeting insights.</string>

Data Availability

Check whether the device supports FinanceKit before making any API calls. This value is constant across launches and iOS versions.

import FinanceKit

guard FinanceStore.isDataAvailable(.financialData) else {

    // FinanceKit not available -- do not call any other financial data APIs.

    // The framework terminates the app if called when unavailable.

    return

}

For Wallet orders:

guard FinanceStore.isDataAvailable(.orders) else { return }

Data availability returning true does not guarantee data exists on the device. Data access can also become temporarily restricted (e.g., Wallet unavailable, MDM restrictions). Restricted access throws FinanceError.dataRestricted rather than terminating.

Authorization

Request authorization to access user-selected financial accounts. The system presents an account picker where the user chooses which accounts to share and the earliest transaction date to expose.

let store = FinanceStore.shared

let status = try await store.requestAuthorization()

switch status {

case .authorized:    break  // Proceed with queries

case .denied:        break  // User declined

case .notDetermined: break  // No meaningful choice made

@unknown default:    break

}

Checking Current Status

Query current authorization without prompting:

let currentStatus = try await store.authorizationStatus()

Once the user grants or denies access, requestAuthorization() returns the cached decision without showing the prompt again. Users can change access in Settings > Privacy & Security > Financial Data.

Querying Accounts

Accounts are modeled as an enum with two cases: .asset (e.g., Apple Cash, Savings) and .liability (e.g., Apple Card credit). Both share common properties (id, displayName, institutionName, currencyCode) while liability accounts add credit-specific fields.

func fetchAccounts() async throws -> [Account] {

    let query = AccountQuery(

        sortDescriptors: [SortDescriptor(\Account.displayName)],

        predicate: nil,

        limit: nil,

        offset: nil

    )

    return try await store.accounts(query: query)

}

Working with Account Types

switch account {

case .asset(let asset):

    print("Asset account, currency: \(asset.currencyCode)")

case .liability(let liability):

    if let limit = liability.creditInformation.creditLimit {

        print("Credit limit: \(limit.amount) \(limit.currencyCode)")

    }

}

Account Balances

Balances represent the amount in an account at a point in time. A CurrentBalance is one of three cases: .available (includes pending), .booked (posted only), or .availableAndBooked.

func fetchBalances(for accountID: UUID) async throws -> [AccountBalance] {

    let predicate = #Predicate<AccountBalance> { balance in

        balance.accountID == accountID

    }

    let query = AccountBalanceQuery(

        sortDescriptors: [SortDescriptor(\AccountBalance.id)],

        predicate: predicate,

        limit: nil,

        offset: nil

    )

    return try await store.accountBalances(query: query)

}

Reading Balance Amounts

Amounts are always positive decimals. Use creditDebitIndicator to determine the sign:

func formatBalance(_ balance: Balance) -> String {

    let sign = balance.creditDebitIndicator == .debit ? "-" : ""

    return "\(sign)\(balance.amount.amount) \(balance.amount.currencyCode)"

}

// Extract from CurrentBalance enum:

switch balance.currentBalance {

case .available(let bal):       formatBalance(bal)

case .booked(let bal):          formatBalance(bal)

case .availableAndBooked(let available, _): formatBalance(available)

@unknown default: "Unknown"

}

Querying Transactions

Use TransactionQuery with Swift predicates, sort descriptors, limit, and offset.

let predicate = #Predicate<Transaction> { $0.accountID == accountID }

let query = TransactionQuery(

    sortDescriptors: [SortDescriptor(\Transaction.transactionDate, order: .reverse)],

    predicate: predicate,

    limit: 50,

    offset: nil

)

let transactions = try await store.transactions(query: query)

Reading Transaction Data

let amount = transaction.transactionAmount

let direction = transaction.creditDebitIndicator == .debit ? "spent" : "received"

print("\(transaction.transactionDescription): \(direction) \(amount.amount) \(amount.currencyCode)")

// merchantName, merchantCategoryCode, foreignCurrencyAmount are optional

Built-In Predicate Helpers

FinanceKit provides factory methods for common filters:

// Filter by transaction status

let bookedOnly = TransactionQuery.predicate(forStatuses: [.booked])

// Filter by transaction type

let purchases = TransactionQuery.predicate(forTransactionTypes: [.pointOfSale, .directDebit])

// Filter by merchant category

let groceries = TransactionQuery.predicate(forMerchantCategoryCodes: [

    MerchantCategoryCode(rawValue: 5411)  // Grocery stores

])

Transaction Properties Reference

Property

Type

Notes

id

UUID

Unique per device

accountID

UUID

Links to parent account

transactionDate

Date

When the transaction occurred

postedDate

Date?

When booked; nil if pending

transactionAmount

CurrencyAmount

Always positive

creditDebitIndicator

CreditDebitIndicator

.debit or .credit

transactionDescription

String

Display-friendly description

originalTransactionDescription

String

Raw institution description

merchantName

String?

Merchant name if available

merchantCategoryCode

MerchantCategoryCode?

ISO 18245 code

transactionType

TransactionType

.pointOfSale, .transfer, etc.

status

TransactionStatus

.authorized, .pending, .booked, .memo, .rejected

foreignCurrencyAmount

CurrencyAmount?

Foreign currency if applicable

foreignCurrencyExchangeRate

Decimal?

Exchange rate if applicable

Long-Running Queries and History

Use AsyncSequence-based history APIs for live updates or resumable sync. These return FinanceStore.Changes (inserted, updated, deleted items) plus a HistoryToken for resumption.

func monitorTransactions(for accountID: UUID) async throws {

    let history = store.transactionHistory(

        forAccountID: accountID,

        since: loadSavedToken(),

        isMonitoring: true  // true = keep streaming; false = terminate after catch-up

    )

    for try await changes in history {

        // changes.inserted, changes.updated, changes.deleted

        saveToken(changes.newToken)

    }

}

History Token Persistence

HistoryToken conforms to Codable. Persist it to resume queries without reprocessing data:

func saveToken(_ token: FinanceStore.HistoryToken) {

    if let data = try? JSONEncoder().encode(token) {

        UserDefaults.standard.set(data, forKey: "financeHistoryToken")

    }

}

func loadSavedToken() -> FinanceStore.HistoryToken? {

    guard let data = UserDefaults.standard.data(forKey: "financeHistoryToken") else { return nil }

    return try? JSONDecoder().decode(FinanceStore.HistoryToken.self, from: data)

}

If a saved token points to compacted history, the framework throws FinanceError.historyTokenInvalid. Discard the token and start fresh.

Account and Balance History

let accountChanges = store.accountHistory(since: nil, isMonitoring: true)

let balanceChanges = store.accountBalanceHistory(forAccountID: accountID, since: nil, isMonitoring: true)

Transaction Picker

For apps that need selective, ephemeral access without full authorization, use TransactionPicker from FinanceKitUI. Access is not persisted -- transactions are passed directly for immediate use.

import FinanceKitUI

struct ExpenseImportView: View {

    @State private var selectedTransactions: [Transaction] = []

    var body: some View {

        if FinanceStore.isDataAvailable(.financialData) {

            TransactionPicker(selection: $selectedTransactions) {

                Label("Import Transactions", systemImage: "creditcard")

            }

        }

    }

}

Wallet Orders

FinanceKit supports saving and querying Wallet orders (e.g., purchase receipts, shipping tracking).

Saving an Order

let result = try await store.saveOrder(signedArchive: archiveData)

switch result {

case .added:        break  // Saved

case .cancelled:    break  // User cancelled

case .newerExisting: break // Newer version already in Wallet

@unknown default:   break

}

Checking for an Existing Order

let orderID = FullyQualifiedOrderIdentifier(

    orderTypeIdentifier: "com.merchant.order",

    orderIdentifier: "ORDER-123"

)

let result = try await store.containsOrder(matching: orderID, updatedDate: lastKnownDate)

// result: .exists, .newerExists, .olderExists, or .notFound

Add Order to Wallet Button (FinanceKitUI)

import FinanceKitUI

AddOrderToWalletButton(signedArchive: orderData) { result in

    // result: .success(SaveOrderResult) or .failure(Error)

}

Background Delivery

iOS 26+ supports background delivery extensions that notify your app of financial data changes outside its lifecycle. Requires App Groups to share data between the app and extension.

Enabling Background Delivery

try await store.enableBackgroundDelivery(

    for: [.transactions, .accountBalances],

    frequency: .daily

)

Available frequencies: .hourly, .daily, .weekly.

Disable selectively or entirely:

try await store.disableBackgroundDelivery(for: [.transactions])

try await store.disableAllBackgroundDelivery()

Background Delivery Extension

Create a background delivery extension target in Xcode (Background Delivery Extension template). Both the app and extension must belong to the same App Group.

import FinanceKit

struct MyFinanceExtension: BackgroundDeliveryExtension {

    var body: some BackgroundDeliveryExtensionProviding { FinanceDataHandler() }

}

struct FinanceDataHandler: BackgroundDeliveryExtensionProviding {

    func didReceiveData(for dataTypes: [FinanceStore.BackgroundDataType]) async {

        for dataType in dataTypes {

            switch dataType {

            case .transactions:    await processNewTransactions()

            case .accountBalances: await updateBalanceCache()

            case .accounts:        await refreshAccountList()

            @unknown default:      break

            }

        }

    }

    func willTerminate() async { /* Clean up */ }

}

Common Mistakes

1. Calling APIs when data is unavailable

DON'T -- skip availability check:

let store = FinanceStore.shared

let status = try await store.requestAuthorization() // Terminates if unavailable

DO -- guard availability first:

guard FinanceStore.isDataAvailable(.financialData) else {

    showUnavailableMessage()

    return

}

let status = try await FinanceStore.shared.requestAuthorization()

2. Ignoring the credit/debit indicator

DON'T -- treat amounts as signed values:

let spent = transaction.transactionAmount.amount // Always positive

DO -- apply the indicator:

let amount = transaction.transactionAmount.amount

let signed = transaction.creditDebitIndicator == .debit ? -amount : amount

3. Not handling data restriction errors

DON'T -- assume authorized access persists:

let transactions = try await store.transactions(query: query) // Fails if Wallet restricted

DO -- catch FinanceError:

do {

    let transactions = try await store.transactions(query: query)

} catch let error as FinanceError {

    if case .dataRestricted = error { showDataRestrictedMessage() }

}

4. Requesting full snapshots instead of resumable queries

DON'T -- fetch everything on every launch:

let allTransactions = try await store.transactions(query: TransactionQuery(

    sortDescriptors: [SortDescriptor(\Transaction.transactionDate)],

    predicate: nil, limit: nil, offset: nil

))

DO -- use history tokens for incremental sync:

let history = store.transactionHistory(

    forAccountID: accountID,

    since: loadSavedToken(),

    isMonitoring: false

)

for try await changes in history {

    processChanges(changes)

    saveToken(changes.newToken)

}

5. Not persisting history tokens

DON'T -- discard the token:

for try await changes in history {

    processChanges(changes)

    // Token lost -- next launch reprocesses everything

}

DO -- save every token:

for try await changes in history {

    processChanges(changes)

    saveToken(changes.newToken)

}

6. Misinterpreting credit/debit on liability accounts

Both asset and liability accounts use .debit for outgoing money. But .credit means different things: on an asset account it means money received; on a liability account it means a payment or refund that increases available credit. See references/financekit-patterns.md for a full interpretation table.

Review Checklist

FinanceStore.isDataAvailable(.financialData) checked before any API call

com.apple.developer.financekit entitlement requested and approved by Apple

NSFinancialDataUsageDescription set in Info.plist with a clear, specific message

Organization-level Apple Developer account used

Authorization status handled for all cases (.authorized, .denied, .notDetermined)

FinanceError.dataRestricted caught and handled gracefully

CreditDebitIndicator applied correctly to amounts (not treated as signed)

History tokens persisted for resumable queries

FinanceError.historyTokenInvalid handled by discarding token and restarting

Long-running queries use isMonitoring: false when live updates are not needed

Transaction picker used when full authorization is unnecessary

Only data the app genuinely needs is queried

Deleted data from history changes is removed from local storage

Background delivery extension in same App Group as the main app (iOS 26+)

Financial data deleted when user revokes access

References

Extended patterns (predicates, sorting, pagination, currency formatting, background updates): references/financekit-patterns.md

FinanceKit framework

FinanceKitUI framework

FinanceStore

Transaction

Account

AccountBalance

FinanceKit entitlement

Implementing a background delivery extension

Meet FinanceKit (WWDC24)

financekit