Swift Architecture

Choose the smallest architecture that makes state ownership, dependencies, side effects, and tests explicit. Default new SwiftUI features to MV; escalate only for observed complexity.

Contents

• Scope Boundary
• Decision Workflow
• Pattern Selection
• MV Default
• Escalation Signals
• Migration
• Common Mistakes
• Review Checklist
• References

Scope Boundary

This skill owns pattern selection, module boundaries, dependency direction, migration strategy, and architecture-level test seams. Route SwiftUI property-wrapper wiring and view composition to swiftui-patterns, navigation APIs and route models to swiftui-navigation, isolation diagnostics to swift-concurrency, and test syntax/fixtures to swift-testing.

Decision Workflow

1. Record the feature's state owner, inputs, outputs, dependencies, side effects, navigation handoffs, and current tests.
2. Identify the concrete pressure: complex state machine, shared derived state, dependency control, feature composition, team ownership, or UIKit navigation.
3. Select the smallest pattern that addresses that pressure; write down what it adds and what remains unchanged.
4. Implement one vertical slice with injected dependencies and observable state transitions.
5. Run existing behavior tests plus state-transition and dependency-failure tests. If behavior changes, restore the fixture, fix the smallest boundary, and rerun before migrating another slice.

Pattern Selection

Pattern	Choose when	Main cost
MV	SwiftUI feature has straightforward state and orchestration	Logic can drift into large views without decomposition
MVVM	Presentation logic needs an independently testable adapter	Extra layer can become a forwarding shell
MVI	A feature is best modeled as explicit state + intents + reducer/effects	Boilerplate and centralized transition design
TCA	Many composable features need deterministic effects, dependencies, and testing	Framework learning and architectural commitment
Clean Architecture	Large product needs strict dependency direction across domain/data/UI	Protocol and mapping overhead
Coordinator	UIKit or hybrid navigation needs a separate flow owner	Another lifecycle and routing owner
VIPER	Maintaining an existing UIKit module with established VIPER boundaries	Very high ceremony; poor default for new SwiftUI work

Use Coordinator alongside another state pattern when navigation complexity is the pressure; it is not a replacement for domain/state architecture.

MV Default

Keep views as state expressions and put business operations in observable models and injected services:

@MainActor
@Observable
final class TripStore {
    private let client: TripClient
    var trips: [Trip] = []
    var error: Error?

    init(client: TripClient) { self.client = client }

    func load() async {
        do { trips = try await client.fetchTrips() }
        catch { self.error = error }
    }
}

struct TripList: View {
    @State private var store: TripStore

    init(client: TripClient) {
        _store = State(initialValue: TripStore(client: client))
    }

    var body: some View {
        List(store.trips) { Text($0.name) }
            .task { await store.load() }
    }
}

Load Architecture Pattern Recipes for MVVM, MVI, TCA, Clean Architecture, Coordinator, and VIPER structure.

Escalation Signals

• Choose MVVM when substantial presentation transformation must be tested without rendering and the adapter has real behavior.
• Choose MVI when transitions, invalid states, and effects need one auditable reducer-like path.
• Choose TCA when feature composition, dependency overrides, cancellation, and deterministic effect tests recur across modules.
• Choose Clean Architecture when independent domain rules and dependency direction matter across multiple delivery/data layers.
• Add Coordinator for UIKit/hybrid route ownership, deep flow composition, or conditional navigation outside view controllers.
• Keep VIPER for compatible legacy modules or deliberate migrations; do not start a new SwiftUI feature with it by habit.

Do not escalate merely because a view is long. First extract subviews, services, and focused observable models.

Migration

Migrate one feature boundary at a time:

1. Freeze behavior with tests and a dependency/state inventory.
2. Introduce the target boundary around existing operations.
3. Move one state transition or dependency at a time without rewriting UI and persistence simultaneously.
4. Compare behavior, navigation, cancellation, error, and persistence results after each slice.
5. Remove the old path only after no callers or tests depend on it.

For ObservableObject to Observation, preserve the same owner and mutation isolation before replacing wrappers. For MVVM to MV, delete forwarding view-model members only after views bind to the same model/service behavior. For TCA adoption, wrap one feature's state/actions/effects and migrate dependencies incrementally.

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Fix
Pattern chosen by popularity	Tie it to an observed feature pressure.
View model only forwards properties	Remove it and use MV.
One object owns navigation, networking, formatting, persistence, and UI state	Split by responsibility and dependency direction.
TCA or Clean Architecture applied to trivial screens	Start with MV and preserve an escalation seam.
Coordinator used as a state architecture	Keep it focused on route/lifecycle ownership.
Multiple patterns mixed inside one feature	Define one local state/effect model and migrate at feature boundaries.
Big-bang migration	Move one tested vertical slice and rerun the same proof matrix.

Review Checklist

• Choice is justified by concrete feature/team pressures
• State owner, mutation path, dependencies, effects, and navigation owner are explicit
• Dependencies are injected and replaceable in tests
• Pattern cost is proportional to feature complexity
• UI mechanics, navigation APIs, isolation, and test syntax route to sibling skills
• Migration preserves behavior one vertical slice at a time
• Failure, cancellation, navigation, and persistence behavior are verified after each slice
• No forwarding-only layers or god objects remain

References

• Detailed pattern structures: references/architecture-patterns.md
• Apple: Observation · Migrating from ObservableObject to Observable
• TCA: ComposableArchitecture