Xcode tips & tricks, Swift, SwiftUI, Firebase, computing and internet history, and - of course - some fun stuff.
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Hi, everyone!
This week, the big news is undoubtedly the arrival of agentic coding in Xcode 26.3. It seems Apple is finally giving us the tools to integrate AI deeper into our workflows, and the community is already building on top of it with MCP servers and CLIs.
Speaking of agentic coding, I’m doing a livestream today where I’ll be implementing several features in parallel using Antigravity’s agent manager. If you’re reading this in your inbox, you might have missed it, but you can still catch the replay!
But we’re not just looking at AI. We have a fantastic Swift Concurrency reading list from Alex Ozun that takes you from zero to hero.
On the maker side, Sören Gade reverse-engineered his desk (and controls it with Swift!), and Ursa Wright built the Star Trek control panel of her dreams.
Let’s dive in!
As always, I’m curious to hear from you. Just hit reply (or @ me on social media) and let me know what you think.
Peter
by Peter Friese
This is happening today! Join me for a livestream where I’ll be implementing several features in parallel using Antigravity’s agent manager and making use of git worktrees.
by Sören Gade
Swift is everywhere - on your phone, on the server, and now - it can even control your desk! Sören even wrote an article about how he reverse-engineered the low-level protocol: Desktopia Pro X Smart Control
by Alex Ozun
This reading list, compiled by Alex, contains a a bunch of articles I’ve covered in this newsletter before, and a couple of articles I hadn’t come across before - definitely worth checking out to brush up on your understanding of Swift Concurrency.
by NonStrict
How to think about errors when building SDKs. Errors designed for an SDK are different than errors for an app, because errors become API contracts.
Also - SwiftRecordKit looks like something that would be useful for anyone wanting to build a native screen recording app.
Xcode 26.3 now includes an MCP server that allows you to get screenshots of your previews. This project here takes a different approach and makes taking screenshots of previews accessible for Claude Code and other coding agents.
Joe argues that iOS developers haven’t jumped on the agentic coding train mostly because of the lack of support in Xcode.
I’ll be honest - I like Xcode better than VS Code - it has a much more pleasant UI. So I can understand why some people might hesitate to use other tools like Cursor or Antigravity which are built on VS Code.
Let’s see how this changes the dynamic now that agentic coding has arrived in Xcode 26.3.
Jordan provides a quick overview of how Xcode’s new agentic coding feature works, and then dives deep into how to add your own skills and even MCP servers. This is a must-read for anyone wanting to use Xcode for agentic coding.
In this deep dive, Rudrank shows how to set up Cursor, Claude Code, and Codex to work with Xcode’s MCP servers. Including a script that fixes a known issue with Xcode’s structured output.
BTW, if you want to learn how to use Xcode’s agentic coding feature with Gemini and Antigravity, check out my blog post.
Want to teach your agent skills how to control iOS and Android devices, but don’t want to use MCP servers? Well, here is a CLI just for you.
by Cameron
I’ve always found working with XcodeBuildMCP a bit slow, and got the impression that agents have a hard time figuring out how to use it. One of the reasons might be the huge context load that adding a multi-tool MCP server incurs.
Version 2.0 addresses this with a new CLI that allows you to use all tools directly from the terminal. It also adds a configuration file to manage project settings, and proxies tools from Xcode 26.3’s built-in MCP bridge, giving agents access to Previews, the Issue Navigator, and Documentation Search.
Oh, and did I mention LLDB debugging support? You can now attach a debugger to your simulator app, set breakpoints, and inspect variables. This is a massive update!
When recording videos for the Firebase YouTube channel, we read our scripts off of a teleprompter. Typically, we’ll have a producer / director and a technician in the room, and then technician operates both the camera and the teleprompter. Which means that they are responsible for scrolling the script at exactly the right speed.
This tool by Fatih sounds like an amazing addition for anyone who needs to read a script or any other notes while maintaining eye contact with the audience, and I’ll definitely give it a try!
Natalia is a very prolific author - ever wondered how she works? Now you can see her desk setup on the new Dev Workspaces series.
I’m looking forward to seeing the setup of other people from around the Swift community!
If you’re into this, you might also like Workspaces.xyz.
Last week, I shared OpenRunde alternative for the popular Inter font. This week, a deep dive into how Google Sans Flex was created. Oh, this font is open source now, so you can use it in your slide decks, documents, and apps!
Create beautiful slides on the web using Claude’s frontend skills. This project lets you generate stunning, animation-rich HTML presentations from scratch or by converting PowerPoint files, all without needing deep design skills.
by Ursa Wright
I’ve been meaning to build an “on air” sign for my home office, and using an LCARS UI sounds like a fun project for a cold winter afternoon.
by Peter Friese
I’m excited to be back in Warsaw! I’ll be giving a talk at Mobile Warsaw #104 about hybrid AI with Apple’s Foundation Models and Firebase AI Logic.
If you’re in the area, come say hi!