Macos Native

Solid reference if you're building native Mac apps with AppKit instead of going the SwiftUI-only route. Covers the fundamentals you actually need: proper AppDelegate setup, NSTableView with delegates, menu bar apps with NSStatusItem and popovers, and document-based architecture. The code examples are practical and show real patterns like handling window lifecycle, building menus programmatically, and mixing AppKit with SwiftUI when you need it. It's focused on the traditional Mac development path, so if you're porting an iPad app or need deep system integration beyond basic UI, you'll want this loaded.

skills.sh installs: 295
GitHub stars: 108
last updated: Aug 21, 2026

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Install

$ npx -y skills add travisjneuman/.claude --skill macos-native --agent claude-code

Installs into .claude/skills of the current project.

Files

macOS Native Development

Comprehensive guide for building native macOS applications with AppKit and modern macOS APIs.

Framework Overview

Framework	Use Case	Notes
AppKit	Traditional Mac apps	Full control, mature
SwiftUI	Modern Mac apps	Cross-platform, declarative
Catalyst	iPad apps on Mac	Quick port, limitations
AppKit + SwiftUI	Hybrid approach	Best of both worlds

AppKit Fundamentals

Application Structure

// AppDelegate.swift
import Cocoa

@main
class AppDelegate: NSObject, NSApplicationDelegate {
    var mainWindow: NSWindow?

    func applicationDidFinishLaunching(_ notification: Notification) {
        setupMainWindow()
        setupMainMenu()
    }

    func applicationWillTerminate(_ notification: Notification) {
        // Cleanup
    }

    func applicationShouldTerminateAfterLastWindowClosed(_ sender: NSApplication) -> Bool {
        return true
    }

SKILL.md on GitHub

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