search-macos26-docs

---
name: search-macos26-docs
description: Search and inspect local macOS 26 SDK documentation and Swift interfaces, especially SwiftUI, SwiftUICore, and AppKit. Use when Codex needs current macOS 26 APIs, Liquid Glass components, window, scene, menu, toolbar, AppKit bridging, availability, signatures, deprecations, symbol docs, or SDK-only facts and should not rely on memory or public web docs being available.
license: MIT
---

# Search macOS 26 Docs

Use the local Xcode macOS SDK as the source of truth for macOS 26 APIs. Prefer this skill before web search when the task asks what is available in the current SDK, how a SwiftUI/AppKit symbol is declared, what availability it has, or whether a macOS 26 API exists.

## Quick Start

Build or refresh the cached symbol graphs:

```bash
python3 "$HOME/.codex/skills/search-macos26-docs/scripts/build_cache.py"
```

Search SwiftUI, SwiftUICore, and AppKit symbol docs:

```bash
python3 "$HOME/.codex/skills/search-macos26-docs/scripts/search_symbols.py glass button style
python3 "$HOME/.codex/skills/search-macos26-docs/scripts/search_symbols.py window toolbar --macos26
python3 "$HOME/.codex/skills/search-macos26-docs/scripts/search_symbols.py NSHostingScene --module SwiftUI --module AppKit --limit 12
```

Probe a symbol or concept with exact SDK source snippets attached:

```bash
python3 "$HOME/.codex/skills/search-macos26-docs/scripts/probe_symbol.py" ZoomNavigationTransition --module SwiftUI
python3 "$HOME/.codex/skills/search-macos26-docs/scripts/search_symbols.py" MTKView --module MetalKit --verify-interfaces --limit 12
```

Discover SDK modules before deciding where to search:

```bash
python3 "$HOME/.codex/skills/search-macos26-docs/scripts/search_symbols.py" --find-module metal
python3 "$HOME/.codex/skills/search-macos26-docs/scripts/search_symbols.py" --list-modules
```

The search script auto-builds the default cache on first use. Use `--force` on `build_cache.py` when Xcode changes or search results look stale.

## Workflow

1. Resolve the active SDK with `xcrun --sdk macosx --show-sdk-path`.
2. Use `scripts/search_symbols.py` for prose docs, symbol names, declarations, and availability. This reads cached `swift-symbolgraph-extract` output from the local SDK.
3. Add `--verify-interfaces` or use `scripts/probe_symbol.py` when exact compiler declarations, overloads, underscored symbols, generated attributes, or platform availability matter. Verification searches `.swiftinterface`, headers, and apinotes and reports source snippets plus diagnostics.
4. Use `--find-module PATTERN` or `--list-modules` to discover candidate SDK modules, then rerun with explicit `--module` values.
5. Cite findings as local SDK facts. If a symbol is not found in symbol graphs, check `sourceOnlyMatches` from `--verify-interfaces` before concluding it does not exist.

## Interface Inspection

Swift interfaces are API surfaces, not full documentation. They are still the best fallback for exact signatures and attributes:

```bash
SDK_PATH=$(xcrun --sdk macosx --show-sdk-path)
SWIFTUI="$SDK_PATH/System/Library/Frameworks/SwiftUI.framework/Modules/SwiftUI.swiftmodule/arm64e-apple-macos.swiftinterface"
SWIFTUICORE="$SDK_PATH/System/Library/Frameworks/SwiftUICore.framework/Modules/SwiftUICore.swiftmodule/arm64e-apple-macos.swiftinterface"
APPKIT="$SDK_PATH/System/Library/Frameworks/AppKit.framework/Modules/AppKit.swiftmodule/arm64e-apple-macos.swiftinterface"

rg -n "GlassButtonStyle|WindowResizability|NSHostingScene|toolbar" "$SWIFTUI" "$SWIFTUICORE" "$APPKIT"
sed -n '1200,1235p' "$SWIFTUI"
```

Use interface grep for:

- overload sets and generic constraints
- `@available`, deprecation, and rename messages
- internal-adjacent underscored declarations visible in the SDK
- declarations missing prose docs in symbol graphs
- AppKit declarations that are easier to confirm by exact interface text

## Symbol Graph Cache

The cache defaults to:

```text
${CODEX_MACOS26_DOCS_CACHE:-$HOME/.cache/codex/search-macos26-docs}/<sdk-name>/<target>/<module>/
```

Default modules are `SwiftUI`, `SwiftUICore`, and `AppKit`. Add more modules when needed:

```bash
python3 "$HOME/.codex/skills/search-macos26-docs/scripts/build_cache.py --module UniformTypeIdentifiers
python3 "$HOME/.codex/skills/search-macos26-docs/scripts/search_symbols.py pasteboard --module AppKit
```

Useful options:

- `build_cache.py --list` prints cache location and SDK details without extracting.
- `build_cache.py --force` deletes and rebuilds selected module caches.
- `search_symbols.py --json` emits machine-readable results.
- `search_symbols.py --verify-interfaces` attaches matching `.swiftinterface`, header, or apinotes snippets and diagnostics to shown results.
- `probe_symbol.py QUERY ...` is shorthand for a verified, non-deduped symbol probe with full docs.
- `search_symbols.py --find-module PATTERN` lists SDK modules with names matching a substring.
- `search_symbols.py --list-modules` lists SDK framework modules visible to the helper.
- `search_symbols.py --kind "Instance Method"` narrows result kind.
- `search_symbols.py --macos26` filters to symbols introduced in macOS 26 or later.
- `search_symbols.py --introduced macOS:26` filters by an explicit availability domain and major version.
- `search_symbols.py --no-doc` hides doc snippets for compact output.
- `search_symbols.py --no-dedupe` keeps repeated extension results when every concrete receiver matters.
- `search_symbols.py --source-limit 8 --source-context-lines 6` adjusts verified source snippets.

## Test

Run the end-to-end tests after changing the helper scripts. They use the actual installed SDK and validate symbol graph search, source-only verification, module discovery, and explicit module drill-down:

```bash
python3 "$HOME/.codex/skills/search-macos26-docs/tests/test_search_symbols_e2e.py"
```

## Interpretation Rules

- Treat symbol graph docs as extracted local Apple SDK metadata, not generated guesses.
- Treat `.swiftinterface` as the compiler-facing declaration source.
- Treat headers and apinotes as first-class fallback sources for Objective-C-backed frameworks.
- When symbol graphs and verified SDK source disagree, prefer the verified SDK source and report the mismatch.
- Do not assume public Apple Developer web pages are complete or current for macOS 26 beta/new SDK APIs.
- If symbol graph extraction fails for a module, fall back to `rg` over framework interfaces under `$SDK_PATH/System/Library/Frameworks` and `$SDK_PATH/System/Library/PrivateFrameworks`.
- Report the active SDK basename, target triple, and module when precision matters.