Agent-Skills.md

Agent Skills: macOS SwiftPM App Packaging (No Xcode)

Scaffold, build, and package SwiftPM-based macOS apps without an Xcode project. Use when you need a from-scratch macOS app layout, SwiftPM targets/resources, a custom .app bundle assembly script, or signing/notarization/appcast steps outside Xcode.

UncategorizedID: Dimillian/Skills/macos-spm-app-packaging

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Dimillian/Skills
DimillianLicense: MIT
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macos-spm-app-packaging/SKILL.md

Skill Metadata

Name
macos-spm-app-packaging
Description
Scaffold, build, and package SwiftPM-based macOS apps without an Xcode project. Use when you need a from-scratch macOS app layout, SwiftPM targets/resources, a custom .app bundle assembly script, or signing/notarization/appcast steps outside Xcode.

macOS SwiftPM App Packaging (No Xcode)

Overview

Bootstrap a complete SwiftPM macOS app folder, then build, package, and run it without Xcode. Use assets/templates/bootstrap/ for the starter layout and references/packaging.md + references/release.md for packaging and release details.

Two-Step Workflow

  1. Bootstrap the project folder

    • Copy assets/templates/bootstrap/ into a new repo.
    • Rename MyApp in Package.swift, Sources/MyApp/, and version.env.
    • Customize APP_NAME, BUNDLE_ID, and versions.

  2. Build, package, and run the bootstrapped app

    • Copy scripts from assets/templates/ into your repo (for example, Scripts/).
    • Build/tests: swift build and swift test.
    • Package: Scripts/package_app.sh.
    • Run: Scripts/compile_and_run.sh (preferred) or Scripts/launch.sh.
    • Release (optional): Scripts/sign-and-notarize.sh and Scripts/make_appcast.sh.
    • Tag + GitHub release (optional): create a git tag, upload the zip/appcast to the GitHub release, and publish.

Minimum End-to-End Example

Shortest path from bootstrap to a running app:

# 1. Copy and rename the skeleton
cp -R assets/templates/bootstrap/ ~/Projects/MyApp
cd ~/Projects/MyApp
sed -i '' 's/MyApp/HelloApp/g' Package.swift version.env

# 2. Copy scripts
cp assets/templates/package_app.sh Scripts/
cp assets/templates/compile_and_run.sh Scripts/
chmod +x Scripts/*.sh

# 3. Build and launch
swift build
Scripts/compile_and_run.sh

Validation Checkpoints

Run these after key steps to catch failures early before proceeding to the next stage.

After packaging (Scripts/package_app.sh):

# Confirm .app bundle structure is intact
ls -R build/HelloApp.app/Contents

# Check that the binary is present and executable
file build/HelloApp.app/Contents/MacOS/HelloApp

After signing (Scripts/sign-and-notarize.sh or ad-hoc dev signing):

# Inspect signature and entitlements
codesign -dv --verbose=4 build/HelloApp.app

# Verify the bundle passes Gatekeeper checks locally
spctl --assess --type execute --verbose build/HelloApp.app

After notarization and stapling:

# Confirm the staple ticket is attached
stapler validate build/HelloApp.app

# Re-run Gatekeeper to confirm notarization is recognised
spctl --assess --type execute --verbose build/HelloApp.app

Common Notarization Failures

| Symptom | Likely Cause | Recovery | |---|---|---| | The software asset has already been uploaded | Duplicate submission for same version | Bump BUILD_NUMBER in version.env and repackage. | | Package Invalid: Invalid Code Signing Entitlements | Entitlements in .entitlements file don't match provisioning | Audit entitlements against Apple's allowed set; remove unsupported keys. | | The executable does not have the hardened runtime enabled | Missing --options runtime flag in codesign invocation | Edit sign-and-notarize.sh to add --options runtime to all codesign calls. | | Notarization hangs / no status email | xcrun notarytool network or credential issue | Run xcrun notarytool history to check status; re-export App Store Connect API key if expired. | | stapler validate fails after successful notarization | Ticket not yet propagated | Wait ~60 s, then re-run xcrun stapler staple. |

Templates

  • assets/templates/package_app.sh: Build binaries, create the .app bundle, copy resources, sign.
  • assets/templates/compile_and_run.sh: Dev loop to kill running app, package, launch.
  • assets/templates/build_icon.sh: Generate .icns from an Icon Composer file (requires Xcode install).
  • assets/templates/sign-and-notarize.sh: Notarize, staple, and zip a release build.
  • assets/templates/make_appcast.sh: Generate Sparkle appcast entries for updates.
  • assets/templates/setup_dev_signing.sh: Create a stable dev code-signing identity.
  • assets/templates/launch.sh: Simple launcher for a packaged .app.
  • assets/templates/version.env: Example version file consumed by packaging scripts.
  • assets/templates/bootstrap/: Minimal SwiftPM macOS app skeleton (Package.swift, Sources/, version.env).

Notes

  • Keep entitlements and signing configuration explicit; edit the template scripts instead of reimplementing.
  • Remove Sparkle steps if you do not use Sparkle for updates.
  • Sparkle relies on the bundle build number (CFBundleVersion), so BUILD_NUMBER in version.env must increase for each update.
  • For menu bar apps, set MENU_BAR_APP=1 when packaging to emit LSUIElement in Info.plist.