
macos-native
Native macOS development with AppKit, Catalyst, and macOS-specific APIs. Use when building Mac-native apps, menu bar apps, system extensions, or macOS-specific features.
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Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/travisjneuman/.claude --skill macos-native- 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 macos-native 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.
macOS Native Development
Comprehensive guide for building native macOS applications with AppKit and modern macOS APIs.
Framework Overview
| Framework | Use Case | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| AppKit | Traditional Mac apps | Full control, mature |
| SwiftUI | Modern Mac apps | Cross-platform, declarative |
| Catalyst | iPad apps on Mac | Quick port, limitations |
| AppKit + SwiftUI | Hybrid approach | Best of both worlds |
AppKit Fundamentals
Application Structure
// AppDelegate.swift
import Cocoa
@main
class AppDelegate: NSObject, NSApplicationDelegate {
var mainWindow: NSWindow?
func applicationDidFinishLaunching(_ notification: Notification) {
setupMainWindow()
setupMainMenu()
}
func applicationWillTerminate(_ notification: Notification) {
// Cleanup
}
func applicationShouldTerminateAfterLastWindowClosed(_ sender: NSApplication) -> Bool {
return true
}
private func setupMainWindow() {
let contentRect = NSRect(x: 0, y: 0, width: 800, height: 600)
let styleMask: NSWindow.StyleMask = [
.titled, .closable, .miniaturizable, .resizable
]
mainWindow = NSWindow(
contentRect: contentRect,
styleMask: styleMask,
backing: .buffered,
defer: false
)
mainWindow?.title = "My Mac App"
mainWindow?.contentViewController = MainViewController()
mainWindow?.center()
mainWindow?.makeKeyAndOrderFront(nil)
}
}
View Controller
import Cocoa
class MainViewController: NSViewController {
private let tableView = NSTableView()
private let scrollView = NSScrollView()
private var items: [String] = []
override func loadView() {
view = NSView(frame: NSRect(x: 0, y: 0, width: 800, height: 600))
}
override func viewDidLoad() {
super.viewDidLoad()
setupUI()
loadData()
}
private func setupUI() {
// Setup scroll view
scrollView.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
scrollView.hasVerticalScroller = true
scrollView.documentView = tableView
view.addSubview(scrollView)
// Setup table view
let column = NSTableColumn(identifier: NSUserInterfaceItemIdentifier("main"))
column.title = "Items"
column.width = 200
tableView.addTableColumn(column)
tableView.delegate = self
tableView.dataSource = self
// Constraints
NSLayoutConstraint.activate([
scrollView.topAnchor.constraint(equalTo: view.topAnchor, constant: 20),
scrollView.leadingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: view.leadingAnchor, constant: 20),
scrollView.trailingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: view.trailingAnchor, constant: -20),
scrollView.bottomAnchor.constraint(equalTo: view.bottomAnchor, constant: -20),
])
}
private func loadData() {
items = ["Item 1", "Item 2", "Item 3"]
tableView.reloadData()
}
}
extension MainViewController: NSTableViewDataSource, NSTableViewDelegate {
func numberOfRows(in tableView: NSTableView) -> Int {
return items.count
}
func tableView(_ tableView: NSTableView, viewFor tableColumn: NSTableColumn?, row: Int) -> NSView? {
let identifier = NSUserInterfaceItemIdentifier("cell")
var cell = tableView.makeView(withIdentifier: identifier, owner: nil) as? NSTextField
if cell == nil {
cell = NSTextField(labelWithString: "")
cell?.identifier = identifier
}
cell?.stringValue = items[row]
return cell
}
}
Menu Bar Apps
Status Item
import Cocoa
class StatusBarController {
private var statusItem: NSStatusItem?
private var popover: NSPopover?
init() {
setupStatusItem()
setupPopover()
}
private func setupStatusItem() {
statusItem = NSStatusBar.system.statusItem(withLength: NSStatusItem.variableLength)
if let button = statusItem?.button {
button.image = NSImage(systemSymbolName: "star.fill", accessibilityDescription: "App")
button.action = #selector(togglePopover)
button.target = self
}
}
private func setupPopover() {
popover = NSPopover()
popover?.contentViewController = PopoverViewController()
popover?.behavior = .transient
}
@objc private func togglePopover() {
guard let button = statusItem?.button, let popover = popover else { return }
if popover.isShown {
popover.performClose(nil)
} else {
popover.show(relativeTo: button.bounds, of: button, preferredEdge: .minY)
NSApp.activate(ignoringOtherApps: true)
}
}
}
class PopoverViewController: NSViewController {
override func loadView() {
view = NSView(frame: NSRect(x: 0, y: 0, width: 300, height: 200))
}
override func viewDidLoad() {
super.viewDidLoad()
let label = NSTextField(labelWithString: "Menu Bar App Content")
label.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
view.addSubview(label)
NSLayoutConstraint.activate([
label.centerXAnchor.constraint(equalTo: view.centerXAnchor),
label.centerYAnchor.constraint(equalTo: view.centerYAnchor),
])
}
}
Menu Construction
func setupMainMenu() {
let mainMenu = NSMenu()
// App Menu
let appMenu = NSMenu()
let appMenuItem = NSMenuItem()
appMenuItem.submenu = appMenu
appMenu.addItem(withTitle: "About My App", action: #selector(NSApplication.orderFrontStandardAboutPanel(_:)), keyEquivalent: "")
appMenu.addItem(NSMenuItem.separator())
appMenu.addItem(withTitle: "Preferences...", action: #selector(showPreferences), keyEquivalent: ",")
appMenu.addItem(NSMenuItem.separator())
appMenu.addItem(withTitle: "Quit My App", action: #selector(NSApplication.terminate(_:)), keyEquivalent: "q")
mainMenu.addItem(appMenuItem)
// File Menu
let fileMenu = NSMenu(title: "File")
let fileMenuItem = NSMenuItem()
fileMenuItem.submenu = fileMenu
fileMenu.addItem(withTitle: "New", action: #selector(newDocument), keyEquivalent: "n")
fileMenu.addItem(withTitle: "Open...", action: #selector(openDocument), keyEquivalent: "o")
fileMenu.addItem(NSMenuItem.separator())
fileMenu.addItem(withTitle: "Save", action: #selector(saveDocument), keyEquivalent: "s")
mainMenu.addItem(fileMenuItem)
// Edit Menu
let editMenu = NSMenu(title: "Edit")
let editMenuItem = NSMenuItem()
editMenuItem.submenu = editMenu
editMenu.addItem(withTitle: "Undo", action: Selector(("undo:")), keyEquivalent: "z")
editMenu.addItem(withTitle: "Redo", action: Selector(("redo:")), keyEquivalent: "Z")
editMenu.addItem(NSMenuItem.separator())
editMenu.addItem(withTitle: "Cut", action: #selector(NSText.cut(_:)), keyEquivalent: "x")
editMenu.addItem(withTitle: "Copy", action: #selector(NSText.copy(_:)), keyEquivalent: "c")
editMenu.addItem(withTitle: "Paste", action: #selector(NSText.paste(_:)), keyEquivalent: "v")
mainMenu.addItem(editMenuItem)
NSApp.mainMenu = mainMenu
}
Document-Based Apps
Document Controller
import Cocoa
import UniformTypeIdentifiers
class MyDocument: NSDocument {
var content: String = ""
override class var autosavesInPlace: Bool { true }
override func makeWindowControllers() {
let storyboard = NSStoryboard(name: "Main", bundle: nil)
let windowController = storyboard.instantiateController(
withIdentifier: "Document Window Controller"
) as! NSWindowController
addWindowController(windowController)
}
override func data(ofType typeName: String) throws -> Data {
guard let data = content.data(using: .utf8) else {
throw NSError(domain: NSOSStatusErrorDomain, code: unimpErr)
}
return data
}
override func read(from data: Data, ofType typeName: String) throws {
guard let content = String(data: data, encoding: .utf8) else {
throw NSError(domain: NSOSStatusErrorDomain, code: unimpErr)
}
self.content = content
}
}
// Info.plist Document Types
/*
<key>CFBundleDocumentTypes</key>
<array>
<dict>
<key>CFBundleTypeName</key>
<string>My Document</string>
<key>CFBundleTypeRole</key>
<string>Editor</string>
<key>LSHandlerRank</key>
<string>Owner</string>
<key>LSItemContentTypes</key>
<array>
<string>com.example.mydocument</string>
</array>
</dict>
</array>
*/
System Integration
Services
// Providing a service
class ServiceProvider: NSObject {
@objc func processText(_ pboard: NSPasteboard, userData: String, error: AutoreleasingUnsafeMutablePointer<NSString?>) {
guard let text = pboard.string(forType: .string) else { return }
let processed = text.uppercased()
pboard.clearContents()
pboard.setString(processed, forType: .string)
}
}
// Register in Info.plist
/*
<key>NSServices</key>
<array>
<dict>
<key>NSMenuItem</key>
<dict>
<key>default</key>
<string>Process with My App</string>
</dict>
<key>NSMessage</key>
<string>processText</string>
<key>NSPortName</key>
<string>MyApp</string>
<key>NSSendTypes</key>
<array>
<string>NSStringPboardType</string>
</array>
<key>NSReturnTypes</key>
<array>
<string>NSStringPboardType</string>
</array>
</dict>
</array>
*/
Drag and Drop
class DropView: NSView {
override init(frame frameRect: NSRect) {
super.init(frame: frameRect)
registerForDraggedTypes([.fileURL, .string])
}
required init?(coder: NSCoder) {
super.init(coder: coder)
registerForDraggedTypes([.fileURL, .string])
}
override func draggingEntered(_ sender: NSDraggingInfo) -> NSDragOperation {
return .copy
}
override func performDragOperation(_ sender: NSDraggingInfo) -> Bool {
let pasteboard = sender.draggingPasteboard
if let urls = pasteboard.readObjects(forClasses: [NSURL.self]) as? [URL] {
for url in urls {
handleDroppedFile(url)
}
return true
}
if let strings = pasteboard.readObjects(forClasses: [NSString.self]) as? [String] {
for string in strings {
handleDroppedText(string)
}
return true
}
return false
}
private func handleDroppedFile(_ url: URL) {
print("Dropped file: \(url)")
}
private func handleDroppedText(_ text: String) {
print("Dropped text: \(text)")
}
}
Notifications
import UserNotifications
class NotificationManager {
static let shared = NotificationManager()
func requestAuthorization() {
UNUserNotificationCenter.current().requestAuthorization(options: [.alert, .sound, .badge]) { granted, error in
if granted {
print("Notification permission granted")
}
}
}
func scheduleNotification(title: String, body: String, delay: TimeInterval = 5) {
let content = UNMutableNotificationContent()
content.title = title
content.body = body
content.sound = .default
let trigger = UNTimeIntervalNotificationTrigger(timeInterval: delay, repeats: false)
let request = UNNotificationRequest(
identifier: UUID().uuidString,
content: content,
trigger: trigger
)
UNUserNotificationCenter.current().add(request)
}
}
Sandboxing & Entitlements
Common Entitlements
<!-- MyApp.entitlements -->
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
<!-- App Sandbox -->
<key>com.apple.security.app-sandbox</key>
<true/>
<!-- Network -->
<key>com.apple.security.network.client</key>
<true/>
<key>com.apple.security.network.server</key>
<true/>
<!-- File Access -->
<key>com.apple.security.files.user-selected.read-write</key>
<true/>
<key>com.apple.security.files.downloads.read-write</key>
<true/>
<!-- Hardware -->
<key>com.apple.security.device.camera</key>
<true/>
<key>com.apple.security.device.microphone</key>
<true/>
<!-- Hardened Runtime -->
<key>com.apple.security.cs.allow-jit</key>
<true/>
<key>com.apple.security.cs.allow-unsigned-executable-memory</key>
<true/>
</dict>
</plist>
Security-Scoped Bookmarks
class BookmarkManager {
private let bookmarksKey = "securityScopedBookmarks"
func saveBookmark(for url: URL) throws {
let bookmarkData = try url.bookmarkData(
options: .withSecurityScope,
includingResourceValuesForKeys: nil,
relativeTo: nil
)
var bookmarks = UserDefaults.standard.dictionary(forKey: bookmarksKey) ?? [:]
bookmarks[url.path] = bookmarkData
UserDefaults.standard.set(bookmarks, forKey: bookmarksKey)
}
func resolveBookmark(for path: String) -> URL? {
guard let bookmarks = UserDefaults.standard.dictionary(forKey: bookmarksKey),
let bookmarkData = bookmarks[path] as? Data else {
return nil
}
var isStale = false
guard let url = try? URL(
resolvingBookmarkData: bookmarkData,
options: .withSecurityScope,
relativeTo: nil,
bookmarkDataIsStale: &isStale
) else {
return nil
}
if isStale {
try? saveBookmark(for: url)
}
return url
}
func accessSecurityScopedResource(_ url: URL, action: (URL) throws -> Void) rethrows {
guard url.startAccessingSecurityScopedResource() else {
return
}
defer { url.stopAccessingSecurityScopedResource() }
try action(url)
}
}
Checklist
Mac App Store Submission
- App Sandbox enabled
- Hardened Runtime enabled
- All entitlements justified
- Privacy descriptions in Info.plist
- App icon (all sizes)
- Screenshots for App Store
- No private API usage
Best Practices
- Support keyboard navigation
- Respect system appearance (dark/light)
- Support Full Screen
- Handle window restoration
- Implement proper undo/redo
- Support standard keyboard shortcuts
FAQ
What does the macos-native skill do?
Native macOS development with AppKit, Catalyst, and macOS-specific APIs. Use when building Mac-native apps, menu bar apps, system extensions, or macOS-specific features.
How do I install macos-native?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/travisjneuman/.claude --skill macos-native 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/macos-native/ (personal) or .claude/skills/macos-native/ (project).
Which AI agents can use macos-native?
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 macos-native 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 macos-native?
It is published by travisjneuman in travisjneuman/.claude. It has 292 recorded installs.
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