
core-nfc
Read and write NFC tags using CoreNFC. Use when scanning NDEF tags, reading ISO7816/ISO15693/FeliCa/MIFARE tags, writing NDEF messages, handling NFC session lifecycle, configuring NFC entitlements, or implementing background tag reading in iOS apps.
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Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/dpearson2699/swift-ios-skills --skill core-nfc- 01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
- 02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads core-nfc automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
CoreNFC
Read and write NFC tags on iPhone using the CoreNFC framework. Covers NDEF reader sessions, tag reader sessions, NDEF message construction, entitlements, and background tag reading.
Contents
- Setup
- NDEF Reader Session
- Tag Reader Session
- Writing NDEF Messages
- NDEF Payload Types
- Background Tag Reading
- Common Mistakes
- Review Checklist
- References
Setup
Project Configuration
- Add the Near Field Communication Tag Reading capability in Xcode
- Add
NFCReaderUsageDescriptionto Info.plist with a user-facing reason string - Add the
com.apple.developer.nfc.readersession.formatsentitlement with the currentTAGvalue; do not add legacyNDEF - For ISO 7816 tags, add supported application identifiers to
com.apple.developer.nfc.readersession.iso7816.select-identifiersin Info.plist - For FeliCa tags, add supported system codes to
com.apple.developer.nfc.readersession.felica.systemcodes; do not use wildcard system codes
Device Requirements
NFC reading requires iPhone 7 or later. Always check for reader session availability before creating NFC UI or sessions. Use the concrete reader session type you are about to create.
import CoreNFC
guard NFCNDEFReaderSession.readingAvailable else {
// Device does not support NFC or feature is restricted
showUnsupportedMessage()
return
}
Key Types
| Type | Role |
|---|---|
NFCNDEFReaderSession | Scans for NDEF-formatted tags |
NFCTagReaderSession | Scans for ISO7816, ISO15693, FeliCa, MIFARE tags |
NFCNDEFMessage | Collection of NDEF payload records |
NFCNDEFPayload | Single record within an NDEF message |
NFCNDEFTag | Protocol for interacting with an NDEF-capable tag |
NDEF Reader Session
Use NFCNDEFReaderSession to read NDEF-formatted data from tags. This is the
simplest path for reading standard tag content like URLs, text, and MIME data.
import CoreNFC
final class NDEFReader: NSObject, NFCNDEFReaderSessionDelegate {
private var session: NFCNDEFReaderSession?
func beginScanning() {
guard NFCNDEFReaderSession.readingAvailable else { return }
session = NFCNDEFReaderSession(
delegate: self,
queue: nil,
invalidateAfterFirstRead: false
)
session?.alertMessage = "Hold your iPhone near an NFC tag."
session?.begin()
}
// MARK: - NFCNDEFReaderSessionDelegate
func readerSessionDidBecomeActive(_ session: NFCNDEFReaderSession) {
// Session is scanning
}
func readerSession(
_ session: NFCNDEFReaderSession,
didDetectNDEFs messages: [NFCNDEFMessage]
) {
for message in messages {
for record in message.records {
processRecord(record)
}
}
}
func readerSession(
_ session: NFCNDEFReaderSession,
didInvalidateWithError error: Error
) {
let nfcError = error as? NFCReaderError
if nfcError?.code != .readerSessionInvalidationErrorFirstNDEFTagRead,
nfcError?.code != .readerSessionInvalidationErrorUserCanceled {
print("Session invalidated: \(error.localizedDescription)")
}
self.session = nil
}
}
Reading with Tag Connection
For read-write operations, use the tag-detection delegate method to connect to individual tags:
func readerSession(
_ session: NFCNDEFReaderSession,
didDetect tags: [any NFCNDEFTag]
) {
guard let tag = tags.first else {
session.restartPolling()
return
}
session.connect(to: tag) { error in
if let error {
session.invalidate(errorMessage: "Connection failed: \(error)")
return
}
tag.queryNDEFStatus { status, capacity, error in
guard error == nil else {
session.invalidate(errorMessage: "Query failed.")
return
}
switch status {
case .notSupported:
session.invalidate(errorMessage: "Tag is not NDEF compliant.")
case .readOnly:
tag.readNDEF { message, error in
if let message {
self.processMessage(message)
}
session.invalidate()
}
case .readWrite:
tag.readNDEF { message, error in
if let message {
self.processMessage(message)
}
session.alertMessage = "Tag read successfully."
session.invalidate()
}
@unknown default:
session.invalidate()
}
}
}
}
Tag Reader Session
Use NFCTagReaderSession when you need direct access to the native tag
protocol (ISO 7816, ISO 15693, FeliCa, or MIFARE).
| Polling option | Tags |
|---|---|
.iso14443 | ISO 7816-compatible and MIFARE |
.iso15693 | ISO 15693 |
.iso18092 | FeliCa |
Do not use this session for payment-related AIDs. Load nfc-patterns.md for protocol-specific connection, APDU, command, and response handling.
Writing NDEF Messages
Write NDEF data to a connected tag. Always check readWrite status first.
func writeToTag(
tag: any NFCNDEFTag,
session: NFCNDEFReaderSession,
url: URL
) {
tag.queryNDEFStatus { status, capacity, error in
guard status == .readWrite else {
session.invalidate(errorMessage: "Tag is read-only.")
return
}
guard let payload = NFCNDEFPayload.wellKnownTypeURIPayload(
url: url
) else {
session.invalidate(errorMessage: "Invalid URL.")
return
}
let message = NFCNDEFMessage(records: [payload])
tag.writeNDEF(message) { error in
if let error {
session.invalidate(
errorMessage: "Write failed: \(error.localizedDescription)"
)
} else {
session.alertMessage = "Tag written successfully."
session.invalidate()
}
}
}
}
NDEF Payload Types
Creating Common Payloads
// URL payload
let urlPayload = NFCNDEFPayload.wellKnownTypeURIPayload(
url: URL(string: "https://example.com")!
)
// Text payload
let textPayload = NFCNDEFPayload.wellKnownTypeTextPayload(
string: "Hello NFC",
locale: Locale(identifier: "en")
)
// Custom payload
let customPayload = NFCNDEFPayload(
format: .nfcExternal,
type: "com.example:mytype".data(using: .utf8)!,
identifier: Data(),
payload: "custom-data".data(using: .utf8)!
)
Parsing Payload Content
Load Parsing NDEF Payload Content for the complete type-name-format switch and multi-record handling.
Background Tag Reading
On iPhone XS and later, iOS can read NFC tags in the background without
opening your app. The NDEF message must contain a URI record
(typeNameFormat == .nfcWellKnown, type U). If there are multiple URI
records, the system uses the first one.
For app-specific routing, write a universal link to the tag and configure the Associated Domains capability for that domain. Background tag reading also supports specific system URL schemes such as web, email, SMS, telephone, FaceTime, Maps, and HomeKit setup. It does not support custom URL schemes, and the system does not route by bundle ID or arbitrary NDEF content type.
When a user taps a compatible tag, iOS displays a notification that opens
your app. Handle the tag data via NSUserActivity:
func scene(
_ scene: UIScene,
continue userActivity: NSUserActivity
) {
guard userActivity.activityType ==
NSUserActivityTypeBrowsingWeb else { return }
let message = userActivity.ndefMessagePayload
guard message.records.first?.typeNameFormat != .empty else { return }
for record in message.records {
processRecord(record)
}
}
Common Mistakes
DON'T: Use stale or missing NFC entitlements
Without the com.apple.developer.nfc.readersession.formats entitlement,
reader sessions cannot access NFC hardware. Use the current TAG value for
Core NFC reader sessions; do not copy older examples that add NDEF.
DON'T: Ignore session invalidation errors
The session invalidates for multiple reasons. Distinguishing user cancellation from real errors prevents false error alerts.
// WRONG -- shows error when user cancels
func readerSession(
_ session: NFCNDEFReaderSession,
didInvalidateWithError error: Error
) {
showAlert("NFC Error: \(error.localizedDescription)")
}
// CORRECT -- filter expected invalidation reasons
func readerSession(
_ session: NFCNDEFReaderSession,
didInvalidateWithError error: Error
) {
let nfcError = error as? NFCReaderError
switch nfcError?.code {
case .readerSessionInvalidationErrorUserCanceled,
.readerSessionInvalidationErrorFirstNDEFTagRead:
break // Normal termination
default:
showAlert("NFC Error: \(error.localizedDescription)")
}
self.session = nil
}
DON'T: Hold a strong reference to a stale session
Once a session is invalidated, it cannot be restarted. Nil out your reference and create a new session for the next scan.
// WRONG -- reusing invalidated session
func scanAgain() {
session?.begin() // Does nothing, session is dead
}
// CORRECT -- create a new session
func scanAgain() {
session = NFCNDEFReaderSession(
delegate: self, queue: nil, invalidateAfterFirstRead: false
)
session?.begin()
}
Review Checklist
- NFC capability added in Signing & Capabilities
-
NFCReaderUsageDescriptionset in Info.plist -
com.apple.developer.nfc.readersession.formatsentitlement usesTAG, not legacyNDEF -
NFCNDEFReaderSession.readingAvailableorNFCTagReaderSession.readingAvailablechecked before creating sessions - Session delegate set before calling
begin() - Session reference set to nil after invalidation
-
didInvalidateWithErrordistinguishes user cancellation from actual errors - NDEF status queried before write operations
- Tag capacity checked before writing large messages
- ISO 7816 application identifiers listed in Info.plist if using
NFCTagReaderSession - FeliCa system codes listed in Info.plist when polling
.iso18092 - Background tag reading uses a URI NDEF record and universal links or supported system URL schemes
- Custom URL schemes, bundle IDs, or arbitrary NDEF content types are not used for background routing
- Payment-related AIDs are routed away from
NFCTagReaderSession - Only one reader session active at a time
References
- Extended patterns (ISO 7816 commands, multi-tag scanning, NDEF locking): references/nfc-patterns.md
- Core NFC framework
- NFCNDEFReaderSession
- NFCTagReaderSession
- NFCNDEFMessage
- NFCNDEFPayload
- NFCNDEFTag
- NFCNDEFReaderSessionDelegate
- NFCTagReaderSessionDelegate
- Building an NFC Tag-Reader App
- Adding Support for Background Tag Reading
- Near Field Communication Tag Reader Session Formats Entitlement
- ISO7816 application identifiers for NFC Tag Reader Session
- ISO18092 system codes for NFC Tag Reader Session
FAQ
What does the core-nfc skill do?
Read and write NFC tags using CoreNFC. Use when scanning NDEF tags, reading ISO7816/ISO15693/FeliCa/MIFARE tags, writing NDEF messages, handling NFC session lifecycle, configuring NFC entitlements, or implementing background tag reading in iOS apps.
How do I install core-nfc?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/dpearson2699/swift-ios-skills --skill core-nfc in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/core-nfc/ (personal) or .claude/skills/core-nfc/ (project).
Which AI agents can use core-nfc?
Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.
Is core-nfc safe to install?
No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.
Who maintains core-nfc?
It is published by dpearson2699 in dpearson2699/swift-ios-skills. It has 3,631 recorded installs.
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