xcode-project-setup

Adds an outside library to an iPhone app project and wires it into the build properly, without anyone hand-editing the Xcode project file.

WHEN TO USE

SCOPE

USE FOR

Add a Swift Package dependency to an Xcode project and link it to your app target.
Add the Firebase iOS SDK to a project and get its config file linked in correctly.
Fix a Firebase crash caused by a missing linker flag on a static framework.

This is a saved copy of the skill's SKILL.md instructions. It may differ from the upstream file or the version you install.

In this document (5)

Xcode Project Setup

⛔️ CRITICAL RULES & ENVIRONMENT CHECKS

Before performing any Xcode setup or file manipulation, you MUST adhere to the following rules. A hefty fee will be applied if you violate them.

1. The Anti-Ruby Mandate

You are strictly forbidden from using Ruby, Rails, or any Ruby gems (including the xcodeproj gem). Under no circumstances may you write or execute Ruby scripts.

2. Modern Xcode Folder Synchronization

Modern Xcode projects support folder synchronization. When adding new source code (.swift) or resource files, simply write them to the correct directory on disk. They will be automatically included in the Xcode project. Never manually modify the .pbxproj file to add files.

3. Allowed Scripting Languages

If you absolutely must write a script to manipulate the project environment (e.g., configuring SPM packages beyond what the provided xcode_spm_setup script does), you must use Swift. Only as an absolute last resort, if Swift is completely unviable, may you use Node.js or TypeScript.

4. Toolchain Verification

Because this skill relies entirely on a native Swift script, you must verify the environment:

Run swift --version before proceeding.
If the Swift command is not found, you must stop and recommend the user install the Swift toolchain (e.g., via xcode-select --install on macOS), or ask if you can attempt to install it for them. Do not attempt to proceed without Swift.

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.

Local tool required

2 FOR YOU

All items below are required.

01
Have an Xcode project created first
If no .xcodeproj or .xcworkspace exists yet, create an empty Xcode project in Xcode first — this skill only modifies an existing project.
02
Have the Swift toolchain installed
Run swift --version to confirm the Swift toolchain is installed (e.g. via xcode-select --install) before running the setup script.
```
swift --version
```

Listed as free: Connected services may require an account or charge fees.
Installation: One command — usually under 2 minutes.

This skill ships inside the Firebase Agent Skills plugin. Listed package contents include 1 agent and an MCP server. Installed components and skill versions may vary by AI tool.

Install just this skill

Run this outside your AI tool, using Node.js 22.20.0 or newer. Skills CLI 1.7.2 skips skill selection; prompts cancel installation without an interactive terminal. If choosing Project when asked about installation scope, open your project's folder before running this.

Install checklist

Check selected tools if a picker appears; Claude Code may be unchecked under Additional agents. ↑/↓ moves, Space toggles selections, Enter confirms.
Without a tool picker, check Installing to: for your intended tool. Stop if it names a different tool.
If asked, choose Symlink (Recommended) for shared files or Copy to all agents for separate copies; review the summary before confirming installation.
Install the find-skills skill? defaults to Yes, adding another skill for all projects. Choose No if you don't want that extra installation.

Skills CLI 1.7.2 sends install data to skills.sh by default, including the source, skill names, target tools and file details; GitHub sources are reported only when GitHub confirms the repository is public, while other remote sources can also be reported. Confirmed-public GitHub sources also trigger a security-audit request. Before installing, set the environment variable DO_NOT_TRACK=1 or DISABLE_TELEMETRY=1 to disable both.

npx skills add firebase/agent-skills --skill "xcode-project-setup" --full-depth

After installing for Claude Code, open it in the installation project if you chose Project; Global makes the skill available across projects on this computer. Once Claude Code loads the skill, its description helps Claude decide when to use it.

If installation created a top-level skills folder that did not exist when your Claude Code session started, run /reload-skills in that session. Run it again after later changes in that folder.

Install the whole plugin

This route installs the Firebase Agent Skills plugin package selected for your AI tool.

Add the plugin's marketplace, then install it

Install Claude Code first to get the claude command, then run the commands below in your terminal, outside a Claude Code session.

claude plugin marketplace add firebase/agent-skills
claude plugin install firebase@firebase

Add Firebase's marketplace, then install the plugin

Run both lines in a terminal. They add Firebase's marketplace, which is this repository, and install the firebase plugin: Firebase's skills plus the Firebase MCP server.

01

codex plugin marketplace add firebase/agent-skills

02
```
codex plugin add firebase@firebase
```

Installation and loading

Start a new Codex session before using it.

Good to know

Plugins work in Codex CLI and the ChatGPT desktop app, not in the Codex IDE extension.
For the desktop app, Firebase has you run the first line, fully restart the app, then install Firebase from Plugins.

Run it in a terminal, not inside a Gemini CLI session. It installs this repository as a Gemini CLI extension with Firebase's skills and the Firebase MCP server.

Install checklist

Installing from GitHub needs git on your computer.
Node.js, because the Firebase MCP server starts through npx.

gemini extensions install https://github.com/firebase/skills

Installation and loading

Restart Gemini CLI if it is already open.

Good to know

The address uses the repository's earlier name, firebase/skills, which GitHub forwards to firebase/agent-skills.

Open plugin page ↗

What's inside

Files included with this skill.

View on GitHub

The repository is licensed under Apache-2.0 — use, modification, and redistribution are allowed under that license’s terms.

View the repository’s license file on GitHub →