MCPInstall

natural-language

Tokenize, tag, and analyze natural language text using Apple's NaturalLanguage framework and translate between languages with the Translation framework. Use when adding language identification, sentiment analysis, named entity recognition, part-of-speech tagging, text embeddings, or in-app translation to iOS/macOS/visionOS apps.

Installs
3.7K
Last 24h
+15
Trending rank
#6941
Security
Not audited

Install

Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.

npx skills add https://github.com/dpearson2699/swift-ios-skills --skill natural-language
  1. 01

    Install

    Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.

  2. 02

    Describe the task

    Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads natural-language automatically when relevant.

  3. 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.

NaturalLanguage + Translation

Analyze natural language text for tokenization, part-of-speech tagging, named entity recognition, sentiment analysis, language identification, and word/sentence embeddings. Translate text between languages with the Translation framework.

This skill covers two related frameworks: NaturalLanguage (NLTokenizer, NLTagger, NLEmbedding) for on-device text analysis, and Translation (TranslationSession, LanguageAvailability) for language translation.

Scope boundary: Use this skill after you already have text. It owns tokenization, language identification, POS/NER tagging, sentiment, embeddings, custom NLModel classifiers/taggers, and in-app translation. Hand off OCR to vision-framework, speech-to-text to speech-recognition, UI strings and locale formatting to ios-localization, and generative summarization or Apple Intelligence workflows to apple-on-device-ai.

Contents

Setup

Import NaturalLanguage for text analysis and Translation for language translation. No special entitlements or capabilities are required for NaturalLanguage. Translation has split availability: system translation presentation is iOS 17.4+ / macOS 14.4+, while TranslationSession, .translationTask(), LanguageAvailability, and batch translation require iOS 18+ / macOS 15+. Direct TranslationSession(installedSource:target:) is the non-UI option, but only when the source and target languages are already installed on device.

import NaturalLanguage
import Translation

NaturalLanguage classes (NLTokenizer, NLTagger) are not thread-safe. Use each instance from one thread or dispatch queue at a time.

Tokenization

Segment text into words, sentences, or paragraphs with NLTokenizer.

import NaturalLanguage

func tokenizeWords(in text: String) -> [String] {
    let tokenizer = NLTokenizer(unit: .word)
    tokenizer.string = text

    let range = text.startIndex..<text.endIndex
    return tokenizer.tokens(for: range).map { String(text[$0]) }
}

Token Units

UnitDescription
.wordIndividual words
.sentenceSentences
.paragraphParagraphs
.documentEntire document

Enumerating with Attributes

Use enumerateTokens(in:using:) to detect numeric or emoji tokens.

let tokenizer = NLTokenizer(unit: .word)
tokenizer.string = text

tokenizer.enumerateTokens(in: text.startIndex..<text.endIndex) { range, attributes in
    if attributes.contains(.numeric) {
        print("Number: \(text[range])")
    }
    return true // continue enumeration
}

Language Identification

Detect the dominant language of a string with NLLanguageRecognizer.

func detectLanguage(for text: String) -> NLLanguage? {
    NLLanguageRecognizer.dominantLanguage(for: text)
}

// Multiple hypotheses with confidence scores
func languageHypotheses(for text: String, max: Int = 5) -> [NLLanguage: Double] {
    let recognizer = NLLanguageRecognizer()
    recognizer.processString(text)
    return recognizer.languageHypotheses(withMaximum: max)
}

Constrain the recognizer to expected languages for better accuracy on short text.

let recognizer = NLLanguageRecognizer()
recognizer.languageConstraints = [.english, .french, .spanish]
recognizer.processString(text)
let detected = recognizer.dominantLanguage

Part-of-Speech Tagging

Identify nouns, verbs, adjectives, and other lexical classes with NLTagger.

func tagPartsOfSpeech(in text: String) -> [(String, NLTag)] {
    let tagger = NLTagger(tagSchemes: [.lexicalClass])
    tagger.string = text

    var results: [(String, NLTag)] = []
    let range = text.startIndex..<text.endIndex
    let options: NLTagger.Options = [.omitPunctuation, .omitWhitespace]

    tagger.enumerateTags(in: range, unit: .word, scheme: .lexicalClass, options: options) { tag, tokenRange in
        if let tag {
            results.append((String(text[tokenRange]), tag))
        }
        return true
    }
    return results
}

Common Tag Schemes

SchemeOutput
.lexicalClassPart of speech (noun, verb, adjective)
.nameTypeNamed entity type (person, place, organization)
.nameTypeOrLexicalClassCombined NER + POS
.lemmaBase form of a word
.languagePer-token language
.sentimentScoreSentiment polarity score

Named Entity Recognition

Extract people, places, and organizations.

func extractEntities(from text: String) -> [(String, NLTag)] {
    let tagger = NLTagger(tagSchemes: [.nameType])
    tagger.string = text

    var entities: [(String, NLTag)] = []
    let options: NLTagger.Options = [.omitPunctuation, .omitWhitespace, .joinNames]

    tagger.enumerateTags(
        in: text.startIndex..<text.endIndex,
        unit: .word,
        scheme: .nameType,
        options: options
    ) { tag, tokenRange in
        if let tag, tag != .other {
            entities.append((String(text[tokenRange]), tag))
        }
        return true
    }
    return entities
}
// NLTag values: .personalName, .placeName, .organizationName

Sentiment Analysis

Score text sentiment from -1.0 (negative) to +1.0 (positive).

func sentimentScore(for text: String) -> Double? {
    let tagger = NLTagger(tagSchemes: [.sentimentScore])
    tagger.string = text

    let (tag, _) = tagger.tag(
        at: text.startIndex,
        unit: .paragraph,
        scheme: .sentimentScore
    )
    return tag.flatMap { Double($0.rawValue) }
}

Text Embeddings

Measure semantic similarity between words or sentences with NLEmbedding.

func wordSimilarity(_ word1: String, _ word2: String) -> Double? {
    guard let embedding = NLEmbedding.wordEmbedding(for: .english) else { return nil }
    return embedding.distance(between: word1, and: word2, distanceType: .cosine)
}

func findSimilarWords(to word: String, count: Int = 5) -> [(String, Double)] {
    guard let embedding = NLEmbedding.wordEmbedding(for: .english) else { return [] }
    return embedding.neighbors(for: word, maximumCount: count, distanceType: .cosine)
}

Sentence embeddings compare entire sentences.

func sentenceSimilarity(_ s1: String, _ s2: String) -> Double? {
    guard let embedding = NLEmbedding.sentenceEmbedding(for: .english) else { return nil }
    return embedding.distance(between: s1, and: s2, distanceType: .cosine)
}

Translation

System Translation Overlay

Show the built-in translation UI with .translationPresentation().

import SwiftUI
import Translation

struct TranslatableView: View {
    @State private var showTranslation = false
    let text = "Hello, how are you?"

    var body: some View {
        Button { showTranslation = true } label: {
            Text(text)
        }
        .buttonStyle(.plain)
        .translationPresentation(
            isPresented: $showTranslation,
            text: text
        )
    }
}

Programmatic Translation

Use .translationTask() for programmatic translations within a view context.

struct TranslatingView: View {
    @State private var translatedText = ""
    @State private var translationErrorMessage: String?
    @State private var configuration: TranslationSession.Configuration?

    var body: some View {
        VStack {
            Text(translatedText)
            Button("Translate") {
                configuration = .init(source: Locale.Language(identifier: "en"),
                                      target: Locale.Language(identifier: "es"))
            }
        }
        .translationTask(configuration) { session in
            do {
                let response = try await session.translate("Hello, world!")
                await MainActor.run {
                    translatedText = response.targetText
                    translationErrorMessage = nil
                }
            } catch {
                let message = error.localizedDescription
                await MainActor.run {
                    translationErrorMessage = message
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

Batch Translation

Translate multiple strings in a single session.

.translationTask(configuration) { session in
    do {
        let requests = texts.enumerated().map { index, text in
            TranslationSession.Request(sourceText: text,
                                       clientIdentifier: "\(index)")
        }
        let responses = try await session.translations(from: requests)
        for response in responses {
            print("\(response.sourceText) -> \(response.targetText)")
        }
    } catch {
        // Handle cancellation, unsupported languages, or download refusal.
    }
}

Checking Language Availability

let availability = LanguageAvailability()
let status = await availability.status(
    from: Locale.Language(identifier: "en"),
    to: Locale.Language(identifier: "ja")
)
switch status {
case .installed: break    // Ready to translate offline
case .supported: break    // Needs download
case .unsupported: break  // Language pair not available
}

Common Mistakes

DON'T: Share NLTagger/NLTokenizer across threads

These classes are not thread-safe and will produce incorrect results or crash.

// WRONG
let sharedTagger = NLTagger(tagSchemes: [.lexicalClass])
DispatchQueue.concurrentPerform(iterations: 10) { _ in
    sharedTagger.string = someText  // Data race
}

// CORRECT
await withTaskGroup(of: Void.self) { group in
    for _ in 0..<10 {
        group.addTask {
            let tagger = NLTagger(tagSchemes: [.lexicalClass])
            tagger.string = someText
            // process...
        }
    }
}

DON'T: Confuse NaturalLanguage with Core ML

NaturalLanguage provides built-in linguistic analysis. Use Core ML for custom trained models. They complement each other via NLModel.

// WRONG: Trying to do NER with raw Core ML
let coreMLModel = try MLModel(contentsOf: modelURL)

// CORRECT: Use NLTagger for built-in NER
let tagger = NLTagger(tagSchemes: [.nameType])

// Or load a custom Core ML model via NLModel
let nlModel = try NLModel(mlModel: coreMLModel)
tagger.setModels([nlModel], forTagScheme: .nameType)

DON'T: Assume embeddings exist for all languages

Not all languages have word or sentence embeddings available on device.

// WRONG: Force unwrap
let embedding = NLEmbedding.wordEmbedding(for: .japanese)!

// CORRECT: Handle nil
guard let embedding = NLEmbedding.wordEmbedding(for: .japanese) else {
    // Embedding not available for this language
    return
}

DON'T: Create a new tagger per token

Creating and configuring a tagger is expensive. Reuse it for the same text.

// WRONG: New tagger per word
for word in words {
    let tagger = NLTagger(tagSchemes: [.lexicalClass])
    tagger.string = word
}

// CORRECT: Set string once, enumerate
let tagger = NLTagger(tagSchemes: [.lexicalClass])
tagger.string = fullText
tagger.enumerateTags(in: fullText.startIndex..<fullText.endIndex,
                     unit: .word, scheme: .lexicalClass, options: []) { tag, range in
    return true
}

DON'T: Ignore language hints for short text

Language detection on short strings (under ~20 characters) is unreliable. Set constraints or hints to improve accuracy.

// WRONG: Detect language of a single word
let lang = NLLanguageRecognizer.dominantLanguage(for: "chat")  // French or English?

// CORRECT: Provide context
let recognizer = NLLanguageRecognizer()
recognizer.languageHints = [.english: 0.8, .french: 0.2]
recognizer.processString("chat")

Review Checklist

  • NLTokenizer and NLTagger instances used from a single thread
  • Tagger created once per text, not per token
  • Language detection uses constraints/hints for short text
  • NLEmbedding availability checked before use (returns nil if unavailable)
  • Translation LanguageAvailability checked before attempting translation
  • .translationTask() used within a SwiftUI view hierarchy
  • Batch translation uses clientIdentifier to match responses to requests
  • Sentiment scores handled as optional (may return nil for unsupported languages)
  • .joinNames option used with NER to keep multi-word names together
  • Custom ML models loaded via NLModel, not raw Core ML

References

FAQ

What does the natural-language skill do?

Tokenize, tag, and analyze natural language text using Apple's NaturalLanguage framework and translate between languages with the Translation framework. Use when adding language identification, sentiment analysis, named entity recognition, part-of-speech tagging, text embeddings, or in-app translation to iOS/macOS/visionOS apps.

How do I install natural-language?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/dpearson2699/swift-ios-skills --skill natural-language 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/natural-language/ (personal) or .claude/skills/natural-language/ (project).

Which AI agents can use natural-language?

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 natural-language 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 natural-language?

It is published by dpearson2699 in dpearson2699/swift-ios-skills. It has 3,690 recorded installs.

More from dpearson2699/swift-ios-skills

View all →

swiftui-animation

dpearson2699/swift-ios-skills

Implement, diagnose, or review SwiftUI motion using explicit and scoped implicit animations, springs, transitions, PhaseAnimator, KeyframeAnimator, matched geometry or navigation zoom, SF Symbol effects, and custom Animation types. Use when views should animate on state changes, insertion, removal, navigation, or multi-step choreography, or when motion must respect Reduce Motion and Swift concurrency.

Mobile5.5K installs

ios-accessibility

dpearson2699/swift-ios-skills

Build and audit SwiftUI, UIKit, and AppKit accessibility for VoiceOver, Voice Control, Switch Control, Full Keyboard Access, Dynamic Type, focus restoration, labels/traits/actions, traversal, custom rotors, NSAccessibility, XCTest checks, adaptive system preferences, and App Store accessibility declarations. Use when implementing accessible UI, fixing an accessibility audit, testing assistive-technology behavior, or substantiating App Store Accessibility Nutrition Labels.

Mobile5K installs

swiftui-performance

dpearson2699/swift-ios-skills

Profile, diagnose, and remediate SwiftUI runtime performance using code review, Instruments, and repeatable measurements. Use when a SwiftUI screen renders slowly, scrolling or animations hitch, view bodies update excessively, list identity churns, layout work spikes, or broad Observation dependencies raise CPU cost. Covers evidence-based triage, SwiftUI Instruments lanes, lazy-container guardrails, state lifetime, and before/after verification.

Mobile4.6K installs

swiftui-patterns

dpearson2699/swift-ios-skills

Builds and reviews SwiftUI views with modern MV architecture, state, composition, isolated previews, and migration guidance. Covers @Observable ownership, @State/@Bindable/@Environment wiring, view decomposition, ViewModifiers, environment values, .task loading, iOS 26+ handoffs, Writing Tools, clipboard availability, and performance. Use when structuring SwiftUI state, managing @Observable, composing views, previewing meaningful UI states, or correcting SwiftUI patterns.

Mobile4.6K installs

app-store-review

dpearson2699/swift-ios-skills

Audits App Store submission readiness and rejection risk across current review guidelines, PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy and required-reason APIs, privacy labels, ATT, StoreKit payments, metadata, entitlements, widgets, and Live Activities. Use when preparing a submission, responding to rejection, reconciling privacy evidence, or separating upload blockers from cleanup.

Mobile4.6K installs

ios-networking

dpearson2699/swift-ios-skills

Build, review, or improve networking code in iOS/macOS apps using URLSession with async/await, structured concurrency, and modern Swift patterns. Use when working with REST APIs, downloading files, uploading data, WebSocket connections, pagination, retry logic, request middleware, caching, background transfers, or network reachability monitoring. Also use when handling HTTP requests, API clients, network error handling, or data fetching in Swift apps.

Mobile4.4K installs

Popular mobile skills

View category →

design-mobile-apps

designed-by-ai/skills

Design mobile app screens with Sleek, edit Sleek projects, and implement their designs in React Native or HTML.

Mobile1.1M installs

ios-design

uizze.sh

Design and review iOS UI/UX for iPhone apps in SwiftUI, UIKit, or React Native. Use for mobile app design, screen redesigns, navigation flows, typography, forms, keyboard and safe-area layout, and accessibility checks. Apply Apple Human Interface Guidelines and consult real product references through the optional Uizze connection.

Mobile416.5K installs

vercel-react-native-skills

vercel-labs/agent-skills

React Native and Expo best practices for building performant mobile apps. Use when building React Native components, optimizing list performance, implementing animations, or working with native modules. Triggers on tasks involving React Native, Expo, mobile performance, or native platform APIs.

OfficialMobile256.7K installs

animate-expo

emilkowalski/skills

Build animations in React Native and Expo, making the decisions in the order that determines whether they feel right — should it animate, which thread it runs on, which properties, spring or timing, how the gesture hands off, how it degrades. Writes the implementation with Reanimated, Gesture Handler, Expo Router and expo-haptics. Use when animating anything in an Expo app, adding gestures, sheets, screen transitions, press feedback or haptics, or fixing motion that stutters on device. For web animation use animate.

Mobile140.1K installs

xcode-project-setup

firebase/agent-skills

Safely modifies Xcode projects (.pbxproj) to add Swift Packages and link files. Use this skill whenever an iOS project needs dependencies installed (e.g. Firebase, Alamofire).

OfficialMobile131.2K installs

firebase-remote-config-basics

firebase/agent-skills

Manages Firebase Remote Config templates, feature flags, loading strategies, and SDKs (Android, iOS). Use when downloading/deploying remoteconfig JSON templates, managing version history/feature flags, setting in-app defaults, fetchAndActivate(), real-time listeners, or SDK setup. Don't use for Firebase Hosting, Auth, Firestore, Data Connect, Crashlytics, or App Hosting.

OfficialMobile121.7K installs