App Intents (iOS 26+)

Implement, review, and extend App Intents to expose app functionality to Siri, Shortcuts, Spotlight, widgets, Control Center, and Apple Intelligence.

Contents

• Triage Workflow
• AppIntent Protocol
• @Parameter
• AppEntity
• EntityQuery (4 Variants)
• AppEnum
• AppShortcutsProvider
• Siri Integration
• Interactive Widget Intents
• Control Center Widgets (iOS 18+)
• Spotlight and IndexedEntity (iOS 18+)
• iOS 26 Additions
• Common Mistakes
• Review Checklist
• References

Triage Workflow

Step 1: Identify the integration surface

Determine which system feature the intent targets:

Step 2: Define the data model

• Create AppEntity shadow models (do NOT conform core data models directly).
• Create AppEnum types for fixed parameter choices.
• Choose the right EntityQuery variant for resolution.
• Mark searchable entities with IndexedEntity and @Property(indexingKey:).

Step 3: Implement the intent

• Conform to AppIntent (or a specialized sub-protocol).
• Declare @Parameter properties for all user-facing inputs.
• Implement perform() async throws -> some IntentResult.
• Add parameterSummary for Shortcuts UI.
• Register phrases via AppShortcutsProvider.

Step 4: Verify

• Build and run in Shortcuts app to confirm parameter resolution.
• Test Siri phrases with the intent preview in Xcode.
• Confirm Spotlight results for IndexedEntity types.
• Check widget configuration for WidgetConfigurationIntent intents.

AppIntent Protocol

The system instantiates the struct via init(), sets parameters, then calls perform(). Declare a title and parameterSummary for Shortcuts UI.

struct OrderSoupIntent: AppIntent {
    static var title: LocalizedStringResource = "Order Soup"
    static var description = IntentDescription("Place a soup order.")

    @Parameter(title: "Soup") var soup: SoupEntity
    @Parameter(title: "Quantity", default: 1) var quantity: Int

    static var parameterSummary: some ParameterSummary {
        Summary("Order \(\.$soup)") { \.$quantity }
    }

    func perform() async throws -> some IntentResult {
        try await OrderService.shared.place(soup: soup.id, quantity: quantity)
        return .result(dialog: "Ordered \(quantity) \(soup.name).")
    }
}

Optional members: description (IntentDescription), openAppWhenRun (Bool), isDiscoverable (Bool), authenticationPolicy (IntentAuthenticationPolicy).

@Parameter

Declare each user-facing input with @Parameter. Optional parameters are not required; non-optional parameters with a default are pre-filled.

// WRONG: Non-optional parameter without default -- system cannot preview
@Parameter(title: "Count")
var count: Int

// CORRECT: Provide a default or make optional
@Parameter(title: "Count", default: 1)
var count: Int

@Parameter(title: "Count")
var count: Int?

Supported value types

Primitives: Int, Double, Bool, String, URL, Date, DateComponents. Framework: Currency, Person, IntentFile. Measurements: Measurement<UnitLength>, Measurement<UnitTemperature>, and others. Custom: any AppEntity or AppEnum.

Common initializer patterns

// Basic
@Parameter(title: "Name")
var name: String

// With default
@Parameter(title: "Count", default: 5)
var count: Int

// Numeric slider
@Parameter(title: "Volume", controlStyle: .slider, inclusiveRange: (0, 100))
var volume: Int

// Options provider (dynamic list)
@Parameter(title: "Category", optionsProvider: CategoryOptionsProvider())
var category: Category

// File with content types
@Parameter(title: "Document", supportedContentTypes: [.pdf, .plainText])
var document: IntentFile

// Measurement with unit
@Parameter(title: "Distance", defaultUnit: .miles, supportsNegativeNumbers: false)
var distance: Measurement<UnitLength>

See references/appintents-advanced.md for all initializer variants.

AppEntity

Create shadow models that mirror app data -- never conform core data model types directly.

struct SoupEntity: AppEntity {
    static let defaultQuery = SoupEntityQuery()
    static var typeDisplayRepresentation: TypeDisplayRepresentation = "Soup"
    var id: String

    @Property(title: "Name") var name: String
    @Property(title: "Price") var price: Double

    var displayRepresentation: DisplayRepresentation {
        DisplayRepresentation(title: "\(name)", subtitle: "$\(String(format: "%.2f", price))")
    }

    init(from soup: Soup) {
        self.id = soup.id; self.name = soup.name; self.price = soup.price
    }
}

Required: id, defaultQuery (static), displayRepresentation, typeDisplayRepresentation (static). Mark properties with @Property(title:) to expose for filtering/sorting. Properties without @Property remain internal.

EntityQuery (4 Variants)

1. EntityQuery (base -- resolve by ID)

struct SoupEntityQuery: EntityQuery {
    func entities(for identifiers: [String]) async throws -> [SoupEntity] {
        SoupStore
how to use app-intents
CursorClaude CodeClineCodexWindsurfGooseGitHub CopilotVS CodeGemini CLIKiloOpencodeKimi CLIRoo ClineAiderContinueZedBolt.newLovablev0Replit AgentSweepSmol DeveloperDevinCavemanAmpAntigravity
How to use app-intents on Cursor
AI-first code editor with Composer
1
Prerequisites
Before installing skills in Cursor, ensure your development environment meets these requirements:
›Cursor installed and configured on your development machine
›Node.js version 16.0+ with npm package manager (verify with node --version)
›Active project directory or workspace where you want to add app-intents
2
Execute installation command
Execute the skills CLI command in your project's root directory to begin installation:
$npx skills add https://github.com/dpearson2699/swift-ios-skills --skill app-intentscopy
The skills CLI fetches app-intents from GitHub repository dpearson2699/swift-ios-skills and configures it for Cursor.
3
Select Cursor when prompted
The CLI will show a list of available agents. Use arrow keys to navigate and space to select Cursor:
◆ Which agents do you want to install to?
│
│ ── Universal (.agents/skills) ── always included ────
│   • Amp
│   • Antigravity
│   • Cline
│   • Codex
│ ●Cursor(selected)
│   • Cursor
│   • Windsurf
4
Verify installation
Confirm successful installation by checking the skill directory location:
.cursor/skills/app-intents
Reload or restart Cursor to activate app-intents. Access the skill through slash commands (e.g., /app-intents) or your agent's skill management interface.
⚠
Security & Verification Notice
We perform automated surface-level scans (Gen AI Scanner, Socket, Snyk) during installation. These checks detect common vulnerabilities but do not guarantee complete security. Always review skill source code and verify the publisher's reputation before production use.
Skills execute code in your development environment. Always verify the publisher's identity, review recent commits, and test in isolated environments before production deployment.
Additional Resources
›View source code on GitHub›Skills CLI documentation›Learn more about Cursor›What are agent skills?