IOS App Intents

iOS App Intents

Overview

Expose the smallest useful action and entity surface to the system. Start with the verbs and objects people would actually want outside the app, then implement a narrow App Intents layer that can deep-link or hand off cleanly into the main app when needed.

Read these references as needed:

• references/first-pass-checklist.md for choosing the first intent and entity surface
• references/example-patterns.md for concrete example shapes to copy and adapt
• references/code-templates.md for generalized App Intents code templates
• references/system-surfaces.md for how to think about Shortcuts, Siri, Spotlight, widgets, and other system entry points

Core workflow

1) Start with actions, not screens

• Identify the requested high-value actions that should work outside the app UI.
• Prefer verbs like compose, open, find, filter, continue, inspect, or start.
• Do not mirror the entire app navigation tree as intents.

2) Define a small entity surface

• Add AppEntity types only for the objects the system needs to understand or route.
• Keep the entity shape narrower than the app's persistence model.
• Add EntityQuery or other query types only where disambiguation or suggestions are genuinely useful.

3) Decide whether the action completes in place or opens the app

• Use non-opening intents for actions that can complete directly from the system surface.
• Use openAppWhenRun or open-style intents when the user should land in a specific in-app workflow.
• When the app must react inside the main scene, add one clear runtime handoff path instead of scattering ad hoc routing logic.
• If the action can work in both modes, consider shipping both an inline version and an open-app version rather than forcing one compromise.

4) Make the actions discoverable

• Add AppShortcutsProvider entries for the first set of high-value intents.
• Choose titles, phrases, and symbols that make sense in Shortcuts, Siri, and Spotlight.
• Keep shortcut phrases direct and task-oriented.
• Reuse the same action model for widgets and controls when a widget configuration or intent-driven control already needs the same parameters.

5) Validate the runtime handoff

• Build the app and confirm the intents target compiles cleanly.
• Verify the app opens or routes to the expected place when an intent runs.
• Summarize which actions are now exposed, which entities back them, and how the app handles invocation.

Strong defaults

• Keep the system-facing layer isolated within the existing structure; add a dedicated target only when required.
• Keep intent types thin; business logic should stay in app services or domain models.
• Keep app entities small and display-friendly.
• Use AppEnum for fixed app choices such as tabs, modes, or visibility levels before reaching for a full entity type.
• Prefer one predictable app-intent routing surface in the main app scene or root router.
• Treat App Intents as system integration infrastructure, not only as a Shortcuts feature.

Anti-patterns

• Exposing every screen or tab as its own intent without a real user value.
• Mirroring the entire model graph as AppEntity types.
• Hiding runtime handoff in global side effects with no clear app entry path.
• Adding App Shortcuts with vague phrases or generic titles.
• Treating the first App Intents pass as a broad taxonomy project instead of a small useful release.

Notes

• Apple documentation to use as primary references:
  • https://developer.apple.com/documentation/appintents/making-actions-and-content-discoverable-and-widely-available
  • https://developer.apple.com/documentation/appintents/creating-your-first-app-intent
  • https://developer.apple.com/documentation/appintents/adopting-app-intents-to-support-system-experiences
• In addition to the links above, use web search to consult current Apple Developer documentation when App Intents APIs or platform behavior may have changed.
• A good first pass often includes one open-app intent, one action intent, one or two entity types, and a small AppShortcutsProvider.
• Good example families to cover are:
  • open a destination or editor in the app
  • perform a lightweight action inline without opening the app
  • choose from a fixed enum such as a tab or mode
  • resolve one or more entities through EntityQuery
  • power widget configuration or controls from the same entity surface