ai-docs/docs/ai/ios.md

iOS AI Setup

Setup Path A: Xcode + GitHub Copilot for Xcode

Prerequisites

• Xcode installed and up to date.
• GitHub account with Copilot Enterprise access.

Install and Sign In (High-Level)

1. Install the GitHub Copilot for Xcode plugin.
2. Sign in with your GitHub account.
3. Confirm Copilot is enabled in Xcode.
4. Run a simple prompt to verify suggestions appear.

Example Prompt (Xcode)

Type this in a Swift file comment, then wait for a suggestion:

Example prompt:

// Create a function that validates an email string.

Verification Steps

• Open a Swift file and start a small function.
• Confirm inline suggestions appear.
• Open the Copilot chat panel and ask a short question.

Setup Path B: VS Code + GitHub Copilot Extension

When to Use VS Code on iOS

• Editing shared docs or configs.
• Rapid refactors or explorations.
• Working on multi-platform files.

Install and Sign In (High-Level)

1. Install VS Code and the GitHub Copilot extension.
2. Sign in with your GitHub account.
3. Confirm Copilot is enabled in VS Code.
4. Run a simple prompt to verify suggestions appear.

Example Prompt (VS Code)

Open a Swift file and add:

Example prompt:

// Create a Swift struct for a user profile with name and email.

Verification Steps

• Open a Swift file and type a short function signature.
• Confirm inline suggestions appear.
• Open Copilot Chat and request a short summary.

iOS-Specific Guidance

• Ask for Swift/SwiftUI patterns with small, bounded tasks.
• Request tests or sample usages for view models.
• Favor refactor or patch requests over full rewrites.

Example Request

Example prompt:

Refactor this SwiftUI view to reduce duplication. Do not change behavior. Provide a short diff summary.

Starter Prompts

Example prompts:

Create a SwiftUI view model for this screen and list its inputs and outputs.
Write unit tests for this view model using XCTest.
Refactor this view to reduce duplication without changing behavior.

MCP For iOS

The detailed MCP setup and XcodeBuildMCP guidance is in a dedicated page:

• XcodeBuildMCP (iOS)

iOS Troubleshooting

• If suggestions are missing, confirm sign-in and access.
• If the plugin is not visible, verify extension compatibility.
• If responses are blocked, check network or policy constraints.

Common Setup Gaps

• Copilot access not provisioned for the GitHub account.
• Xcode plugin disabled after update.
• Multiple AI plugins competing for suggestions.