home / skills / rshankras / claude-code-apple-skills / tipkit-generator

tipkit-generator skill

/skills/generators/tipkit-generator

This skill generates a complete TipKit setup for contextual tips and feature discovery in iOS/macOS apps, including tips, rules, and testing utilities.

npx playbooks add skill rshankras/claude-code-apple-skills --skill tipkit-generator

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SKILL.md
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---
name: tipkit-generator
description: Generate TipKit infrastructure with inline/popover tips, rules, display frequency, and testing utilities. Use when adding contextual tips or feature discovery to an iOS/macOS app.
allowed-tools: [Read, Write, Edit, Glob, Grep, Bash, AskUserQuestion]
---

# TipKit Generator

Generate a complete TipKit setup for contextual tips and feature discovery, including tip definitions, rules, display frequency, inline and popover presentation, and testing utilities.

## When This Skill Activates

Use this skill when the user:
- Asks to "add tips" or "add TipKit"
- Mentions "contextual tips" or "feature discovery"
- Wants "popover tips" or "inline tips"
- Asks about "coach marks" or "user education"
- Mentions "onboarding hints" or "tip prompts"
- Wants to "highlight new features" or "guide users"

## Pre-Generation Checks

### 1. Project Context Detection
- [ ] Check deployment target (TipKit requires iOS 17+ / macOS 14+)
- [ ] Identify if SwiftUI or UIKit project
- [ ] Find App entry point location for Tips.configure()
- [ ] Check for existing TipKit implementations

### 2. Conflict Detection
Search for existing TipKit usage:
```
Glob: **/*Tip*.swift
Grep: "import TipKit" or "Tips.configure"
```

If found, ask user:
- Extend existing tip infrastructure?
- Replace existing tips?

## Configuration Questions

Ask user via AskUserQuestion:

1. **What features need tips?**
   - List the features or UI elements that should have tips
   - Example: "search bar, filter button, swipe-to-delete gesture"

2. **Tip presentation style?** (per tip or general preference)
   - Inline (TipView embedded in layout)
   - Popover (attached to a control)
   - Both

3. **Rule types needed?**
   - Parameter-based (show after user meets condition, e.g., has viewed a screen 3 times)
   - Event-based (show after user performs an action N times)
   - Both

4. **Display frequency?**
   - Immediate (tips show as soon as eligible)
   - Hourly
   - Daily
   - Weekly
   - Monthly

5. **Tip ordering?**
   - Independent (tips show whenever eligible)
   - Ordered (use TipGroup to show tips in sequence)

## Generation Process

### Step 1: Read Templates

Read the templates file for code patterns:
```
Read("skills/generators/tipkit-generator/templates.md")
```

### Step 2: Create Core Files

Generate these files based on configuration:
1. `Tips/` directory with one file per tip (e.g., `SearchTip.swift`, `FilterTip.swift`)
2. `Tips/TipEvents.swift` - Centralized event definitions
3. `Tips/TipsConfiguration.swift` - Tips.configure() setup and testing utilities

### Step 3: Determine File Location

Check project structure:
- If `Sources/` exists -> `Sources/Tips/`
- If `App/` exists -> `App/Tips/`
- Otherwise -> `Tips/`

### Step 4: Integrate Tips

- Add `Tips.configure()` call in App entry point
- Add `TipView` or `.popoverTip()` at the appropriate view locations
- Wire up event donation at action sites
- Wire up tip invalidation where appropriate

## Output Format

After generation, provide:

### Files Created
```
Sources/Tips/
├── SearchTip.swift            # Tip with rules and options
├── FilterTip.swift            # Another tip definition
├── TipEvents.swift            # Centralized event definitions
└── TipsConfiguration.swift    # Tips.configure() + testing helpers
```

### Integration Steps

**App Entry Point (Required):**
```swift
import TipKit

@main
struct MyApp: App {
    var body: some Scene {
        WindowGroup {
            ContentView()
                .task {
                    try? Tips.configure([
                        .displayFrequency(.daily),
                        .datastoreLocation(.applicationDefault)
                    ])
                }
        }
    }
}
```

**Inline Tip:**
```swift
import TipKit

struct SearchView: View {
    let searchTip = SearchTip()

    var body: some View {
        VStack {
            TipView(searchTip)
            SearchBar()
        }
    }
}
```

**Popover Tip:**
```swift
import TipKit

struct ToolbarView: View {
    let filterTip = FilterTip()

    var body: some View {
        Button("Filter", systemImage: "line.3.horizontal.decrease.circle") {
            // action
        }
        .popoverTip(filterTip)
    }
}
```

**Event Donation (at action site):**
```swift
Button("Search") {
    performSearch()
    SearchTip.searchPerformed.donate()
}
```

**Tip Invalidation (when tip is no longer relevant):**
```swift
func onFeatureUsed() {
    // User discovered the feature, invalidate the tip
    searchTip.invalidate(reason: .actionPerformed)
}
```

### Testing Instructions

1. **Reset DataStore between runs:**
   ```swift
   // Add to a debug menu or call in preview
   try? Tips.resetDatastore()
   ```

2. **Show all tips for testing:**
   ```swift
   // Ignores rules and frequency -- shows everything
   Tips.showAllTipsForTesting()
   ```

3. **Show specific tips for testing:**
   ```swift
   Tips.showTipsForTesting([SearchTip.self])
   ```

4. **Test scenarios:**
   - Launch app fresh -- eligible tips should appear per display frequency
   - Perform actions that donate events -- event-based tips should appear when thresholds met
   - Tap tip close button -- tip should not reappear
   - Invalidate tip programmatically -- tip should dismiss and not reappear

## Common Gotchas

1. **Forgetting Tips.configure()** -- Tips will never appear if you do not call `Tips.configure()` before any tip is displayed. This must happen early, typically in the App `body` or `.task`.

2. **Rules not evaluating** -- Parameter-based rules require you to set the parameter value explicitly. If you define `@Parameter static var hasSeenFeature = false` but never set it to `true`, the rule never passes.

3. **DataStore conflicts in tests** -- If you run unit tests and the app simultaneously, they may share the same DataStore. Use `.datastoreLocation(.url(...))` to isolate them.

4. **Display frequency blocking tips** -- If you set `.displayFrequency(.daily)` and a tip was already shown today, no new tips will appear until tomorrow. Use `.immediate` during development.

5. **Tips not dismissing after invalidation** -- You must hold a reference to the tip instance and call `.invalidate(reason:)` on that instance. Creating a new instance and invalidating it does nothing to the displayed tip.

6. **TipGroup ordering ignored** -- Tips in a TipGroup only show in order if their rules are all satisfied. If Tip B's rules pass but Tip A's do not, neither will show (Tip A blocks Tip B).

## Patterns

### Good Patterns

- One tip struct per file for clarity
- Centralize event definitions in a single file
- Use `.actionPerformed` invalidation reason when the user completes the action the tip describes
- Use `TipGroup` when tips should appear in a logical sequence
- Provide a debug/testing menu that calls `Tips.resetDatastore()`
- Use meaningful tip IDs that describe the feature

### Bad Patterns

- Defining all tips in a single massive file
- Forgetting to call `Tips.configure()` in the App entry point
- Using `.immediate` display frequency in production (overwhelming users)
- Hardcoding tip text instead of using localized strings for shipped apps
- Creating a new tip instance to invalidate instead of using the displayed instance
- Placing `TipView` inside a `ScrollView` without considering layout impact

## References

- **templates.md** - Code templates for tips, rules, configuration, and TipGroup

Overview

This skill generates a complete TipKit infrastructure for iOS/macOS apps, including tip definitions, rules, display frequency settings, inline and popover presentation, and testing utilities. It scaffolds Tip files, centralized event definitions, and a Tips.configure() entry so tips appear reliably. Use it to add contextual tips, coach marks, or feature-discovery flows with minimal manual wiring.

How this skill works

The generator inspects project context (deployment target, SwiftUI vs UIKit, app entry point) and detects existing TipKit usage to avoid conflicts. It creates a Tips/ directory with one file per tip, a TipEvents file, and a TipsConfiguration file that calls Tips.configure(). It also outputs integration snippets for embedding TipView or .popoverTip(), donating events, and resetting/testing the datastore.

When to use it

  • Adding contextual tips or coach marks for new or complex features
  • Implementing inline hints or popover feature discovery in a SwiftUI app
  • Creating event-based or parameter-based rules for tip eligibility
  • Setting up ordered tip flows (TipGroup) for sequenced tutorials
  • Preparing debug/testing utilities to validate tip behavior

Best practices

  • Call Tips.configure() early in the App entry point (body or .task)
  • Create one tip struct per file and centralize event definitions
  • Use TipGroup for ordered flows and parameter/event rules for eligibility
  • Provide testing utilities: reset datastore, showAllTipsForTesting, and showTipsForTesting
  • Use localized strings for tip content and avoid .immediate in production

Example use cases

  • Add a SearchTip with inline TipView above the search bar and a rule to show after three searches
  • Attach a FilterTip as a popover on a toolbar button and donate an event when filters are applied
  • Sequence onboarding tips with TipGroup to guide first-time users through core actions
  • Add a debug menu entry that calls Tips.resetDatastore() and Tips.showAllTipsForTesting()
  • Invalidate a tip programmatically when the user completes the described action (use .actionPerformed)

FAQ

What deployment targets are required?

TipKit requires iOS 17+ or macOS 14+, so the generator checks the project deployment target before scaffolding.

How do I test tips without waiting for frequency rules?

Use Tips.showAllTipsForTesting() to bypass rules and frequency, or Tips.showTipsForTesting([YourTip.self]) to show specific tips.