xcode-cloud

Xcode Cloud CI/CD

Guides configuration and optimization of Xcode Cloud workflows including build automation, testing, TestFlight distribution, App Store deployment, and custom scripts.

When This Skill Activates

Use this skill when the user:

• Asks to "set up Xcode Cloud" or "configure CI/CD"
• Mentions "Xcode Cloud workflows" or "build pipelines"
• Wants to automate TestFlight or App Store distribution
• Needs custom build scripts (ci_scripts/)
• Has Xcode Cloud build failures or signing issues
• Wants to optimize build times or compute hours
• Asks about test plans in CI/CD
• Mentions "cloud signing" or "managed certificates"
• Wants to compare Xcode Cloud with other CI/CD (GitHub Actions, Bitrise)

Pre-Configuration Checks

1. Project Detection

• [ ] Check for existing Xcode project
• [ ] Determine project type (app, framework, multi-platform)
• [ ] Check for existing CI/CD configuration
• [ ] Verify source control setup (Git required)

Glob: **/*.xcodeproj, **/*.xcworkspace, **/ci_scripts/*.sh
Grep: "CI" or "xcodebuild" or "ci_post_clone"

2. Existing CI/CD Detection

Search for other CI/CD configurations:

Glob: **/.github/workflows/*.yml, **/bitrise.yml, **/.circleci/config.yml, **/fastlane/Fastfile

If found, ask user:

• Replace with Xcode Cloud?
• Run alongside existing CI/CD?

3. Signing Requirements

Glob: **/*.entitlements, **/*.xcodeproj/project.pbxproj
Grep: "CODE_SIGN_STYLE" or "PROVISIONING_PROFILE" or "DEVELOPMENT_TEAM"

Configuration Questions

Ask user via AskUserQuestion:

1. What do you want to automate?
2. Build + Test on every PR
3. TestFlight distribution on merge to main
4. App Store submission on tag
5. All of the above

1. What triggers should start builds?
2. Push to branch (specify branch pattern)
3. Pull request (opened/updated)
4. Tag creation (version tags)
5. Schedule (nightly/weekly)

1. What tests should run?
2. Unit tests only
3. Unit + UI tests
4. Unit + UI + performance tests
5. No tests (build only)

1. What platforms do you target?
2. iOS only
3. iOS + macOS
4. iOS + watchOS
5. All Apple platforms

Workflow Configuration

Workflows are configured in Xcode

Unlike other CI/CD systems, Xcode Cloud workflows are configured in Xcode's UI or via the App Store Connect API — not YAML files. However, custom scripts provide programmatic control.

Workflow Components

1. Start Conditions — What triggers the workflow
2. Environment — Xcode version, macOS version
3. Build Actions — Build, test, analyze, archive
4. Post-Actions — TestFlight, App Store, notifications

Custom Scripts (ci_scripts/)

The primary way to customize Xcode Cloud behavior:

ci_scripts/
├── ci_post_clone.sh         # After repo clone (install deps)
├── ci_pre_xcodebuild.sh     # Before build starts
└── ci_post_xcodebuild.sh    # After build completes

Execution order:

1. ci_post_clone.sh — Install tools, resolve dependencies
2. ci_pre_xcodebuild.sh — Pre-build setup, code generation
3. Build/Test/Archive runs
4. ci_post_xcodebuild.sh — Post-build actions, notifications

Generation Process

Step 1: Create ci_scripts Directory

mkdir -p ci_scripts

Step 2: ci_post_clone.sh

Install dependencies and tools after repository clone.

Step 3: ci_pre_xcodebuild.sh

Pre-build code generation, environment setup.

Step 4: ci_post_xcodebuild.sh

Post-build notifications, artifact uploads.

Step 5: Xcode Workflow Setup Guide

Provide step-by-step instructions for configuring the workflow in Xcode.

Key Environment Variables

Xcode Cloud provides these automatically:

| Variable | Description | |----------|-------------| | CI | Always TRUE in Xcode Cloud | | CI_XCODEBUILD_ACTION | build, test, archive | | CI_WORKFLOW | Workflow name | | CI_BRANCH | Branch being built | | CI_TAG | Tag being built (if triggered by tag) | | CI_COMMIT | Full commit SHA | | CI_BUILD_NUMBER | Auto-incrementing build number | | CI_PRODUCT | Product name | | CI_XCODE_PROJECT | Project file path | | CI_XCODE_SCHEME | Scheme being built | | CI_DERIVED_DATA_PATH | Derived data location | | CI_ARCHIVE_PATH | Archive output path | | CI_RESULT_BUNDLE_PATH | Test result bundle path | | CI_PULL_REQUEST_NUMBER | PR number (if PR trigger) |

Output Format

Files Created

project/
├── ci_scripts/
│   ├── ci_post_clone.sh       # Dependency installation
│   ├── ci_pre_xcodebuild.sh   # Pre-build setup
│   └── ci_post_xcodebuild.sh  # Post-build actions

Xcode Configuration Steps

1. Open project in Xcode
2. Product → Xcode Cloud → Create Workflow
3. Configure start conditions, environment, actions
4. Set up TestFlight/App Store post-actions

Pricing Tiers

| Tier | Hours/Month | Cost | |------|-------------|------| | Free | 25 | $0 | | Tier 1 | 100 | ~$15/mo (via Apple Developer subscription) | | Tier 2 | 250 | ~$50/mo | | Tier 3 | 1,000 | ~$200/mo | | Enterprise | 10,000 | ~$4,000/mo |

References

• workflow-patterns.md — Workflow configuration, start conditions, actions
• scripts-reference.md — Complete ci_scripts/ patterns and environment variables
• testing-patterns.md — Test plans, parallel testing, UI tests in CI
• deployment-patterns.md — TestFlight, App Store, notarization
• troubleshooting.md — Common errors, signing, SPM, timeouts
• optimization.md — Build time, compute hours, caching
• Xcode Cloud Documentation
• App Store Connect API