xcode-project-setup

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5. Mandatory Linker Flags for Static Frameworks (Firebase)

When setting up SPM dependencies that heavily rely on internal Objective-C categories and +load methods (such as the Firebase iOS SDK suite), the Apple linker will aggressively strip these methods out if they are linked statically.

This causes fatal runtime crashes (e.g., FirebaseAuth/Auth.swift:167: Fatal error: Unexpectedly found nil).

**The provided xcode_spm_setup Swift script automatically injects the -ObjC flag to OTHER_LDFLAGS when adding Firebase products.** However, you should still verify it is present in the build settings if you encounter issues.

• Failing to include this flag when adding Firebase dependencies is a critical error.

Empty Directory Workflow

If you are asked to build an iOS app or configure Xcode dependencies but **no .xcodeproj or .xcworkspace exists**, you MUST ask the user to create the project first:

"No Xcode project found in this directory. Please create an empty Xcode project manually and let me know when you are ready to proceed."

Wait for the user to confirm they have created the .xcodeproj via Xcode, then proceed with the Standard Xcode Workflow below.

Standard Xcode Workflow

Do not use raw text parsing, sed, or Ruby scripts to modify .pbxproj files directly.

Instead, execute the Swift configuration package bundled with this skill (scripts/xcode_spm_setup) to securely install SPM packages and link optional config files (like GoogleService-Info.plist).

CRITICAL: Always Use Latest SDK Version

To ensure access to the latest features and security fixes, always use the most recent version of the Firebase iOS SDK. Check for the latest release version at https://github.com/firebase/firebase-ios-sdk/releases.

• Use the most recent version number (e.g., 11.x.y) in your commands instead of hardcoded placeholders.

Understanding the Script's Actions

When adding a Swift Package to an Xcode project, two distinct steps must occur:

• Adding the package repository dependency (e.g., https://github.com/Alamofire/Alamofire).

• Selecting the target (e.g., MyApp), navigating to General > Frameworks, Libraries, and Embedded Content, and hitting the + button to explicitly link the specific product modules (e.g., Alamofire).

**The provided xcode_spm_setup Swift script automatically handles BOTH of these steps for you.** By passing the list of modules as arguments, it safely injects the package dependency and automatically wires those modules to the main target's Frameworks build phase. You do not need to do any manual linking.

Usage

• Locate the package path: Find the absolute path to this skill's scripts/xcode_spm_setup directory on disk.

• Execute: Run the native swift run command using the signature below:

swift run --package-path <PATH_TO_SKILL>/scripts/xcode_spm_setup xcode_spm_setup <ProjectPath.xcodeproj> <RepoURL> <VersionRequirement> [--plist <Optional/Path/To/Config.plist>] <Product1> [Product2 ...]

Example 1: Generic Package (e.g., Alamofire)

Adding Alamofire to a standard Xcode project. Notice there is no --plist flag.

swift run --package-path /Users/foo/.agents/skills/xcode-project-setup/scripts/xcode_spm_setup xcode_spm_setup MyApp.xcodeproj https://github.com/Alamofire/Alamofire 5.8.1 Alamofire

Example 2: Firebase (Requires Plist)

Adding Firebase and linking the GoogleService-Info.plist to the resources build phase automatically.

Note: Replace 11.0.0 with the actual latest version from the releases page.

swift run --package-path /Users/foo/.agents/skills/xcode-project-setup/scripts/xcode_spm_setup xcode_spm_setup MyApp.xcodeproj https://github.com/firebase/firebase-ios-sdk 11.0.0 --plist MyApp/GoogleService-Info.plist FirebaseCore FirebaseAuth FirebaseFirestore

Note: The script is idempotent. It will automatically skip linking files or packages that are already present in the project.