# Swift Ask

> Use this skill for expert Swift/iOS architectural guidance and best practices. It provides a senior mentor layer to validate patterns before implementation. Use when asking "how should I architect X", "what are tradeoffs of Y", "SwiftUI best practices", "Swift concurrency patterns", or any general Swift/iOS design question — even if they don't explicitly mention "Swift" or "iOS" but describe mobile app architecture concerns.

- Skill: `swiftzilla/swift-ask` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 3 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add swiftzilla/swift-ask`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/swiftzilla/swift-ask/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- License: Proprietary
- Author: swiftzilla (https://skillmd.com/u/swiftzilla)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/swiftzilla/swift-ask

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# Swift Ask: Senior Swift Mentor

Run this tool BEFORE implementing complex patterns to validate your architectural approach against senior-level standards.

## Tool Usage

Execute the `swift_ask` wrapper script from the skill's `scripts/` folder:

```bash
scripts/swift_ask "<NATURAL_LANGUAGE_QUESTION>"
```

### Constraints

- **API Key**: Mandatory `SWIFTZILLA_API_KEY` environment variable.
- **Scope**: Use ONLY for general Swift/iOS questions. For project-specific questions (local codebase analysis, file locations, dependency mapping), use `swift_context` instead.

## Gotchas

- The tool returns general Swift/iOS guidance — it has NO knowledge of your local codebase. Always cross-reference suggestions against your project's actual architecture.
- If the question is about where something lives in your codebase or what depends on what, use `swift_context` instead — this skill cannot answer local code questions.
- API key errors are fatal — check `SWIFTZILLA_API_KEY` is set before running.

## Workflow

1. Formulate your architectural question in natural language
2. Run `scripts/swift_ask "<question>"`
3. Review the guidance returned by the tool
4. Use the guidance to inform your implementation approach