CI/CD Setup Generator

Generate CI/CD configuration for automated builds, tests, and distribution of iOS/macOS apps.

When This Skill Activates

• User wants to automate their build and test process
• User mentions GitHub Actions, Xcode Cloud, or fastlane
• User wants to set up TestFlight or App Store deployment
• User asks about continuous integration for their app

Pre-Generation Checks

Before generating, verify:

1. Existing CI Configuration

bash # Check for existing CI files ls -la .github/workflows/ 2>/dev/null ls -la ci_scripts/ 2>/dev/null ls -la fastlane/ 2>/dev/null

1. Project Structure

bash # Find Xcode project/workspace find . -name "*.xcodeproj" -o -name "*.xcworkspace" | head -5

1. Package Manager

bash # Check for SPM vs CocoaPods ls Package.swift 2>/dev/null ls Podfile 2>/dev/null

Configuration Questions

1. CI/CD Platform

• GitHub Actions (Recommended) - Full control, extensive marketplace
• Xcode Cloud - Native Apple integration, simpler setup
• Both - GitHub for PRs/tests, Xcode Cloud for releases

2. Distribution Method

• TestFlight - Beta testing via App Store Connect
• App Store - Production releases
• Direct (macOS only) - Notarized DMG/PKG distribution
• All - Full pipeline from dev to production

3. Include fastlane?

• Yes - Advanced automation, match for code signing
• No - Simpler setup using xcodebuild directly

4. Code Signing Approach

• Manual - Certificates in GitHub Secrets
• match (fastlane) - Git-based certificate management
• Xcode Cloud Managed - Apple handles signing

Generated Files

GitHub Actions

.github/workflows/
├── build-test.yml        # PR checks, unit tests
├── deploy-testflight.yml # TestFlight deployment
└── deploy-appstore.yml   # App Store submission

Xcode Cloud

ci_scripts/
├── ci_post_clone.sh      # Post-clone setup
└── ci_pre_xcodebuild.sh  # Pre-build configuration

fastlane

fastlane/
├── Fastfile              # Lane definitions
├── Appfile               # App configuration
└── Matchfile             # Code signing (if using match)

SwiftLint

.swiftlint.yml            # from templates/swiftlint/swiftlint.yml

Merging Skill Rule Fragments

Skills in this library may ship graduated enforcement as a rules/swiftlint.yml fragment (opt_in_rules + custom_rules) — prose rules turned into deterministic lint. When generating .swiftlint.yml:

1. Start from templates/swiftlint/swiftlint.yml.
2. For each skill the project actually uses, check for

skills/<category>/<skill>/rules/swiftlint.yml; append its custom_rules entries and union its opt_in_rules.

1. Respect fragment scoping comments — e.g. observable_object_legacy

applies only to iOS 17+/macOS 14+ deployment targets, and xctest_in_unit_tests must keep its UITests exclusion (XCUITest legitimately requires XCTest).

1. The generated build-test.yml runs the lint job automatically once

.swiftlint.yml exists (if: hashFiles('.swiftlint.yml') != '').

Current fragments: security/ (hardcoded secrets), ios/coding-best-practices (print-in-production, legacy ObservableObject, force_unwrapping/force_try), testing/tdd-feature (XCTest scoped out of unit tests), swift/concurrency (@unchecked Sendable without justification).

Integration Steps

GitHub Actions Setup

1. Add Repository Secrets (Settings > Secrets and variables > Actions):

• APP_STORE_CONNECT_API_KEY_ID - API Key ID
• APP_STORE_CONNECT_API_ISSUER_ID - Issuer ID
• APP_STORE_CONNECT_API_KEY_CONTENT - Private key (.p8 content)
• CERTIFICATE_P12 - Base64-encoded .p12 certificate
• CERTIFICATE_PASSWORD - Certificate password
• PROVISIONING_PROFILE - Base64-encoded provisioning profile

1. Create App Store Connect API Key:

• Go to App Store Connect > Users and Access > Keys
• Generate API Key with "App Manager" role
• Download the .p8 file (only available once)

1. Export Certificate:

bash # Export from Keychain as .p12, then base64 encode base64 -i certificate.p12 | pbcopy

Xcode Cloud Setup

1. Enable Xcode Cloud in Xcode:

• Product > Xcode Cloud > Create Workflow
• Connect to App Store Connect

1. Configure Workflow:

• Set start conditions (branch, PR, tag)
• Configure environment variables
• Set up post-actions (TestFlight, App Store)

1. Add ci_scripts to repository for customization

fastlane Setup

1. Install fastlane:

bash brew install fastlane

1. Initialize (if starting fresh):

bash fastlane init

1. Set up match (optional, for code signing):

bash fastlane match init fastlane match development fastlane match appstore

Best Practices

Caching

• Cache Swift Package Manager dependencies
• Cache DerivedData for faster builds
• Use selective caching to avoid stale artifacts

Secrets Management

• Never commit certificates or keys
• Use environment variables for sensitive data
• Rotate API keys periodically

Build Optimization

• Use incremental builds where possible
• Parallelize test execution
• Skip unnecessary steps on draft PRs

Notifications

• Slack/Discord integration for build status
• Email notifications for failures
• GitHub status checks for PRs

References

• GitHub Actions for Xcode
• Xcode Cloud Documentation
• fastlane Documentation
• App Store Connect API