xcode-project-analyzer

Original：🇺🇸 English

Translated

Audit Xcode project configuration, build settings, scheme behavior, and script phases to find build-time improvements with explicit approval gates. Use when a developer wants project-level build analysis, slow incremental builds, guidance on target dependencies, build settings review, run script phase analysis, parallelization improvements, or module-map and DEFINES_MODULE configuration.

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Sourceavdlee/xcode-build-optimization-agent-skill

Added on2026-03-28

NPX Install

npx skill4agent add avdlee/xcode-build-optimization-agent-skill xcode-project-analyzer

SKILL.md Content

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Xcode Project Analyzer

Use this skill for project- and target-level build inefficiencies that are unlikely to be solved by source edits alone.

Core Rules

Recommendation-first by default.
Require explicit approval before changing project files, schemes, or build settings.
Prefer measured findings tied to timing summaries, build logs, or project configuration evidence.
Distinguish debug-only pain from release-only pain.

What To Review

scheme build order and target dependencies
debug vs release build settings against the build settings best practices
run script phases and dependency-analysis settings
derived-data churn or obviously invalidating custom steps
opportunities for parallelization
explicit module dependency settings and module-map readiness
"Planning Swift module" time in the Build Timing Summary -- if it dominates incremental builds, suspect unexpected input modification or macro-related invalidation
asset catalog compilation time, especially in targets with large or numerous catalogs
```
ExtractAppIntentsMetadata
```
time in the Build Timing Summary -- if this phase consumes significant time, record it as
```
xcode-behavior
```
(report the cost and impact, but do not suggest a repo-local optimization unless there is explicit Apple guidance)
zero-change build overhead -- if a no-op rebuild exceeds a few seconds, investigate fixed-cost phases (script execution, codesign, validation, CopySwiftLibs)
CocoaPods usage -- if a
```
Podfile
```
or
```
Pods.xcodeproj
```
exists, CocoaPods is deprecated; recommend migrating to SPM and do not attempt CocoaPods-specific optimizations (see project-audit-checks.md)
Task Backtraces (Xcode 16.4+: Scheme Editor > Build > Build Debugging) to diagnose why tasks re-run unexpectedly in incremental builds

Build Settings Best Practices Audit

Every project audit should include a build settings checklist comparing the project's Debug and Release configurations against the recommended values in build-settings-best-practices.md. Present results using checkmark/cross indicators (

[x]

/

[ ]

). The scope is strictly build performance -- do not flag language-migration settings like

SWIFT_STRICT_CONCURRENCY

or

SWIFT_UPCOMING_FEATURE_*

.

Apple-Derived Checks

Review these items in every audit:

target dependencies are accurate and not missing or inflated
schemes build in
```
Dependency Order
```
run scripts declare inputs and outputs
```
.xcfilelist
```
files are used when scripts have many inputs or outputs
```
DEFINES_MODULE
```
is enabled where custom frameworks or libraries should expose module maps
headers are self-contained enough for module-map use
explicit module dependency settings are consistent for targets that should share modules

Typical Wins

skip debug-time scripts that only matter in release
add missing script guards or dependency-analysis metadata
remove accidental serial bottlenecks in schemes
align build settings that cause unnecessary module variants
fix stale project structure that forces broader rebuilds than necessary
identify linters or formatters that touch file timestamps without changing content, silently invalidating build inputs and forcing module replanning
split large asset catalogs into separate resource bundles across targets to parallelize compilation
use Task Backtraces to pinpoint the exact input change that triggers unnecessary incremental work

Reporting Format

For each issue, include:

evidence
likely scope
why it affects clean builds, incremental builds, or both
estimated impact
approval requirement

If the evidence points to package graph or build plugins, hand off to

spm-build-analysis

by reading its SKILL.md and applying its workflow to the same project context.

Additional Resources

For the detailed audit checklist, see references/project-audit-checks.md
For build settings best practices, see references/build-settings-best-practices.md
For the shared recommendation structure, see references/recommendation-format.md
For Apple-aligned source summaries, see references/build-optimization-sources.md