Agent skill

cloudkit

Implement, review, or improve CloudKit and iCloud sync in iOS/macOS apps. Use when working with CKContainer, CKRecord, CKQuery, CKSubscription, CKSyncEngine, CKShare, NSUbiquitousKeyValueStore, or iCloud Drive file coordination; when syncing SwiftData models via ModelConfiguration with cloudKitDatabase; when handling CKError codes for conflict resolution, network failures, or quota limits; or when checking iCloud account status before performing sync operations.

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npx add-skill https://github.com/dpearson2699/swift-ios-skills/tree/main/skills/cloudkit

SKILL.md

CloudKit

Sync data across devices using CloudKit, iCloud key-value storage, and iCloud Drive. Covers container setup, record CRUD, queries, subscriptions, CKSyncEngine, SwiftData integration, conflict resolution, and error handling. Targets iOS 26+ with Swift 6.3; older availability noted where relevant.

Contents

  • Container and Database Setup
  • CKRecord CRUD
  • CKQuery
  • CKSubscription
  • CKSyncEngine (iOS 17+)
  • SwiftData + CloudKit
  • NSUbiquitousKeyValueStore
  • iCloud Drive File Sync
  • Account Status and Error Handling
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Common Mistakes
  • Review Checklist
  • References

Container and Database Setup

Enable iCloud + CloudKit in Signing & Capabilities. A container provides three databases:

Database Scope Requires iCloud Storage Quota
Public All users Read: No, Write: Yes App quota
Private Current user Yes User quota
Shared Shared records Yes Owner quota
swift
import CloudKit

let container = CKContainer.default()
// Or named: CKContainer(identifier: "iCloud.com.example.app")

let publicDB  = container.publicCloudDatabase
let privateDB = container.privateCloudDatabase
let sharedDB  = container.sharedCloudDatabase

CKRecord CRUD

Records are key-value pairs. Max 1 MB per record (excluding CKAsset data).

swift
// CREATE
let record = CKRecord(recordType: "Note")
record["title"] = "Meeting Notes" as CKRecordValue
record["body"] = "Discussed Q3 roadmap" as CKRecordValue
record["createdAt"] = Date() as CKRecordValue
record["tags"] = ["work", "planning"] as CKRecordValue
let saved = try await privateDB.save(record)

// FETCH by ID
let recordID = CKRecord.ID(recordName: "unique-id-123")
let fetched = try await privateDB.record(for: recordID)

// UPDATE -- fetch first, modify, then save
fetched["title"] = "Updated Title" as CKRecordValue
let updated = try await privateDB.save(fetched)

// DELETE
try await privateDB.deleteRecord(withID: recordID)

Custom Record Zones (Private/Shared Only)

Custom zones support atomic commits, change tracking, and sharing.

swift
let zoneID = CKRecordZone.ID(zoneName: "NotesZone")
let zone = CKRecordZone(zoneID: zoneID)
try await privateDB.save(zone)

let recordID = CKRecord.ID(recordName: UUID().uuidString, zoneID: zoneID)
let record = CKRecord(recordType: "Note", recordID: recordID)

CKQuery

Query records with NSPredicate. Supported: ==, !=, <, >, <=, >=, BEGINSWITH, CONTAINS, IN, AND, NOT, BETWEEN, distanceToLocation:fromLocation:.

swift
let predicate = NSPredicate(format: "title BEGINSWITH %@", "Meeting")
let query = CKQuery(recordType: "Note", predicate: predicate)
query.sortDescriptors = [NSSortDescriptor(key: "createdAt", ascending: false)]

let (results, _) = try await privateDB.records(matching: query)
for (_, result) in results {
    let record = try result.get()
    print(record["title"] as? String ?? "")
}

// Fetch all records of a type
let allQuery = CKQuery(recordType: "Note", predicate: NSPredicate(value: true))

// Full-text search across string fields
let searchQuery = CKQuery(
    recordType: "Note",
    predicate: NSPredicate(format: "self CONTAINS %@", "roadmap")
)

// Compound predicate
let compound = NSCompoundPredicate(andPredicateWithSubpredicates: [
    NSPredicate(format: "createdAt > %@", cutoffDate as NSDate),
    NSPredicate(format: "tags CONTAINS %@", "work")
])

CKSubscription

Subscriptions trigger push notifications when records change server-side. CloudKit auto-enables APNs -- no explicit push entitlement needed.

swift
// Query subscription -- fires when matching records change
let subscription = CKQuerySubscription(
    recordType: "Note",
    predicate: NSPredicate(format: "tags CONTAINS %@", "urgent"),
    subscriptionID: "urgent-notes",
    options: [.firesOnRecordCreation, .firesOnRecordUpdate]
)
let notifInfo = CKSubscription.NotificationInfo()
notifInfo.shouldSendContentAvailable = true  // silent push
subscription.notificationInfo = notifInfo
try await privateDB.save(subscription)

// Database subscription -- fires on any database change
let dbSub = CKDatabaseSubscription(subscriptionID: "private-db-changes")
dbSub.notificationInfo = notifInfo
try await privateDB.save(dbSub)

// Record zone subscription -- fires on changes within a zone
let zoneSub = CKRecordZoneSubscription(
    zoneID: CKRecordZone.ID(zoneName: "NotesZone"),
    subscriptionID: "notes-zone-changes"
)
zoneSub.notificationInfo = notifInfo
try await privateDB.save(zoneSub)

Handle in AppDelegate:

swift
func application(
    _ application: UIApplication,
    didReceiveRemoteNotification userInfo: [AnyHashable: Any]
) async -> UIBackgroundFetchResult {
    let notification = CKNotification(fromRemoteNotificationDictionary: userInfo)
    guard notification?.subscriptionID == "private-db-changes" else { return .noData }
    // Fetch changes using CKSyncEngine or CKFetchRecordZoneChangesOperation
    return .newData
}

CKSyncEngine (iOS 17+)

CKSyncEngine is the recommended sync approach. It handles scheduling, transient error retries, change tokens, and push notifications automatically. Works with private and shared databases only.

swift
import CloudKit

final class SyncManager: CKSyncEngineDelegate {
    let syncEngine: CKSyncEngine

    init(container: CKContainer = .default()) {
        let config = CKSyncEngine.Configuration(
            database: container.privateCloudDatabase,
            stateSerialization: Self.loadState(),
            delegate: self
        )
        self.syncEngine = CKSyncEngine(config)
    }

    func handleEvent(_ event: CKSyncEngine.Event, syncEngine: CKSyncEngine) {
        switch event {
        case .stateUpdate(let update):
            Self.saveState(update.stateSerialization)
        case .accountChange(let change):
            handleAccountChange(change)
        case .fetchedRecordZoneChanges(let changes):
            for mod in changes.modifications { processRemoteRecord(mod.record) }
            for del in changes.deletions { processRemoteDeletion(del.recordID) }
        case .sentRecordZoneChanges(let sent):
            for saved in sent.savedRecords { markSynced(saved) }
            for fail in sent.failedRecordSaves { handleSaveFailure(fail) }
        default: break
        }
    }

    func nextRecordZoneChangeBatch(
        _ context: CKSyncEngine.SendChangesContext,
        syncEngine: CKSyncEngine
    ) -> CKSyncEngine.RecordZoneChangeBatch? {
        let pending = syncEngine.state.pendingRecordZoneChanges
        return CKSyncEngine.RecordZoneChangeBatch(
            pendingChanges: Array(pending)
        ) { recordID in self.recordToSend(for: recordID) }
    }
}

// Schedule changes
let zoneID = CKRecordZone.ID(zoneName: "NotesZone")
let recordID = CKRecord.ID(recordName: noteID, zoneID: zoneID)
syncEngine.state.add(pendingRecordZoneChanges: [.saveRecord(recordID)])

// Trigger immediate sync (pull-to-refresh)
try await syncEngine.fetchChanges()
try await syncEngine.sendChanges()

Key point: persist stateSerialization across launches; the engine needs it to resume from the correct change token.

SwiftData + CloudKit

ModelConfiguration supports CloudKit sync. CloudKit models must use optional properties and avoid unique constraints.

swift
import SwiftData

@Model
class Note {
    var title: String
    var body: String?
    var createdAt: Date?
    @Attribute(.externalStorage) var imageData: Data?

    init(title: String, body: String? = nil) {
        self.title = title
        self.body = body
        self.createdAt = Date()
    }
}

let config = ModelConfiguration(
    "Notes",
    cloudKitDatabase: .private("iCloud.com.example.app")
)
let container = try ModelContainer(for: Note.self, configurations: config)

CloudKit model rules: all relationships must be optional; avoid #Unique (unique constraints are unsupported); keep models flat; use @Attribute(.externalStorage) for large data; avoid complex relationship graphs.

NSUbiquitousKeyValueStore

Simple key-value sync. Max 1024 keys, 1 MB total, 1 MB per value. Stores locally when iCloud is unavailable.

swift
let kvStore = NSUbiquitousKeyValueStore.default

// Write
kvStore.set("dark", forKey: "theme")
kvStore.set(14.0, forKey: "fontSize")
kvStore.set(true, forKey: "notificationsEnabled")
kvStore.synchronize()

// Read
let theme = kvStore.string(forKey: "theme") ?? "system"

// Observe external changes
NotificationCenter.default.addObserver(
    forName: NSUbiquitousKeyValueStore.didChangeExternallyNotification,
    object: kvStore, queue: .main
) { notification in
    guard let userInfo = notification.userInfo,
          let reason = userInfo[NSUbiquitousKeyValueStoreChangeReasonKey] as? Int,
          let keys = userInfo[NSUbiquitousKeyValueStoreChangedKeysKey] as? [String]
    else { return }

    switch reason {
    case NSUbiquitousKeyValueStoreServerChange:
        for key in keys { applyRemoteChange(key: key) }
    case NSUbiquitousKeyValueStoreInitialSyncChange:
        reloadAllSettings()
    case NSUbiquitousKeyValueStoreQuotaViolationChange:
        handleQuotaExceeded()
    default: break
    }
}

iCloud Drive File Sync

Use FileManager ubiquity APIs for document-level sync.

swift
guard let ubiquityURL = FileManager.default.url(
    forUbiquityContainerIdentifier: "iCloud.com.example.app"
) else { return }  // iCloud not available

let docsURL = ubiquityURL.appendingPathComponent("Documents")
let cloudURL = docsURL.appendingPathComponent("report.pdf")
try FileManager.default.setUbiquitous(true, itemAt: localURL, destinationURL: cloudURL)

// Monitor iCloud files
let query = NSMetadataQuery()
query.predicate = NSPredicate(format: "%K LIKE '*.pdf'", NSMetadataItemFSNameKey)
query.searchScopes = [NSMetadataQueryUbiquitousDocumentsScope]
NotificationCenter.default.addObserver(
    forName: .NSMetadataQueryDidFinishGathering, object: query, queue: .main
) { _ in
    query.disableUpdates()
    for item in query.results as? [NSMetadataItem] ?? [] {
        let name = item.value(forAttribute: NSMetadataItemFSNameKey) as? String
        let status = item.value(
            forAttribute: NSMetadataUbiquitousItemDownloadingStatusKey) as? String
    }
    query.enableUpdates()
}
query.start()

Account Status and Error Handling

Always check account status before sync. Listen for .CKAccountChanged.

swift
func checkiCloudStatus() async throws -> CKAccountStatus {
    let status = try await CKContainer.default().accountStatus()
    switch status {
    case .available: return status
    case .noAccount: throw SyncError.noiCloudAccount
    case .restricted: throw SyncError.restricted
    case .temporarilyUnavailable: throw SyncError.temporarilyUnavailable
    case .couldNotDetermine: throw SyncError.unknown
    @unknown default: throw SyncError.unknown
    }
}

CKError Handling

Error Code Strategy
.networkFailure, .networkUnavailable Queue for retry when network returns
.serverRecordChanged Three-way merge (see Conflict Resolution)
.requestRateLimited, .zoneBusy, .serviceUnavailable Retry after retryAfterSeconds
.quotaExceeded Notify user; reduce data usage
.notAuthenticated Prompt iCloud sign-in
.partialFailure Inspect partialErrorsByItemID per item
.changeTokenExpired Reset token, refetch all changes
.userDeletedZone Recreate zone and re-upload data
swift
func handleCloudKitError(_ error: Error) {
    guard let ckError = error as? CKError else { return }
    switch ckError.code {
    case .networkFailure, .networkUnavailable:
        scheduleRetryWhenOnline()
    case .serverRecordChanged:
        resolveConflict(ckError)
    case .requestRateLimited, .zoneBusy, .serviceUnavailable:
        let delay = ckError.retryAfterSeconds ?? 3.0
        scheduleRetry(after: delay)
    case .quotaExceeded:
        notifyUserStorageFull()
    case .partialFailure:
        if let partial = ckError.partialErrorsByItemID {
            for (_, itemError) in partial { handleCloudKitError(itemError) }
        }
    case .changeTokenExpired:
        resetChangeToken()
    case .userDeletedZone:
        recreateZoneAndResync()
    default: logError(ckError)
    }
}

Conflict Resolution

When saving a record that changed server-side, CloudKit returns .serverRecordChanged with three record versions. Always merge into serverRecord -- it has the correct change tag.

swift
func resolveConflict(_ error: CKError) {
    guard error.code == .serverRecordChanged,
          let ancestor = error.ancestorRecord,
          let client = error.clientRecord,
          let server = error.serverRecord
    else { return }

    // Merge client changes into server record
    for key in client.changedKeys() {
        if server[key] == ancestor[key] {
            server[key] = client[key]           // Server unchanged, use client
        } else if client[key] == ancestor[key] {
            // Client unchanged, keep server (already there)
        } else {
            server[key] = mergeValues(          // Both changed, custom merge
                ancestor: ancestor[key], client: client[key], server: server[key])
        }
    }

    Task { try await CKContainer.default().privateCloudDatabase.save(server) }
}

Common Mistakes

DON'T: Perform sync operations without checking account status. DO: Check CKContainer.accountStatus() first; handle .noAccount.

swift
// WRONG
try await privateDB.save(record)
// CORRECT
guard try await CKContainer.default().accountStatus() == .available
else { throw SyncError.noiCloudAccount }
try await privateDB.save(record)

DON'T: Ignore .serverRecordChanged errors. DO: Implement three-way merge using ancestor, client, and server records.

DON'T: Store user-specific data in the public database. DO: Use private database for personal data; public only for app-wide content.

DON'T: Assume data is available immediately after save. DO: Update local cache optimistically and reconcile on fetch.

DON'T: Poll for changes on a timer. DO: Use CKDatabaseSubscription or CKSyncEngine for push-based sync.

swift
// WRONG
Timer.scheduledTimer(withTimeInterval: 30, repeats: true) { _ in fetchAll() }
// CORRECT
let sub = CKDatabaseSubscription(subscriptionID: "db-changes")
sub.notificationInfo = CKSubscription.NotificationInfo()
sub.notificationInfo?.shouldSendContentAvailable = true
try await privateDB.save(sub)

DON'T: Retry immediately on rate limiting. DO: Use CKError.retryAfterSeconds to wait the required duration.

DON'T: Merge conflict changes into clientRecord. DO: Always merge into serverRecord -- it has the correct change tag.

DON'T: Pass nil change token on every fetch. DO: Persist change tokens to disk and supply them on subsequent fetches.

Review Checklist

  • iCloud + CloudKit capability enabled in Signing & Capabilities
  • Account status checked before sync; .noAccount handled gracefully
  • Private database used for user data; public only for shared content
  • CKError.serverRecordChanged handled with three-way merge into serverRecord
  • Network failures queued for retry; retryAfterSeconds respected
  • CKDatabaseSubscription or CKSyncEngine used for push-based sync
  • Change tokens persisted to disk; changeTokenExpired resets and refetches
  • .partialFailure errors inspected per-item via partialErrorsByItemID
  • .userDeletedZone handled by recreating zone and resyncing
  • SwiftData CloudKit models use optionals, no #Unique, .externalStorage for large data
  • NSUbiquitousKeyValueStore.didChangeExternallyNotification observed
  • Sensitive data uses encryptedValues on CKRecord (not plain fields)
  • CKSyncEngine state serialization persisted across launches (iOS 17+)

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