App Discoverability

Discipline-enforcing skill for making your app discoverable system-wide. The core rule: no single API is sufficient. Feed the system metadata across App Intents, App Shortcuts, Core Spotlight, and NSUserActivity, then let iOS surface your app based on context and actual usage.

When to Use

Use this skill when:

• Making your app appear in Spotlight search results
• Enabling Siri suggestions in relevant contexts
• Adding app actions to the Action Button (iPhone, Apple Watch Ultra)
• Indexing app content so the system can surface it
• Planning a discoverability architecture before writing code
• Troubleshooting "why isn't my app being suggested?"

Do NOT use this skill when:

• You just need the App Intents API surface — use app-intents-ref
• You're configuring a single AppShortcut — use app-shortcuts-ref
• You're working on Core Spotlight indexing details — use core-spotlight-ref

Example Prompts

• "How do I make my app's content show up in Spotlight?"
• "What's the minimum implementation for Siri to suggest my coffee-ordering action?"
• "Why isn't the system surfacing my App Intent?"
• "We added App Intents but no shortcuts are appearing — what's missing?"
• "I want my orders to be searchable from the home screen. Which API?"
• "How do I get my app on the Action Button?"
• "I'm indexing 10,000 items in Core Spotlight and launch is slow. What's the fix?"

What This Skill Provides

• Six-step discoverability strategy — App Intents first (everything builds on them), App Shortcuts second (instant availability without user setup), Core Spotlight third (content indexing), NSUserActivity fourth (high-value screens), clear metadata fifth, usage-based boosting sixth
• API decision tree — which framework to use for actions vs. content vs. screens vs. entity linkage
• "One evening" implementation pattern — define 1-3 core intents, add an AppShortcutsProvider, index top-level content, attach NSUserActivity to detail screens, test in Spotlight and Shortcuts
• Batch indexing discipline — never index everything; batch in 100s during background processing; use beginBatch()/endBatch() for atomic updates on 50,000+ items
• Spotlight debugging checklist — verification steps, common indexing mistakes table (missing title, no keywords, stale unique identifiers, quota issues)
• Six anti-patterns — implementing intents without AppShortcutsProvider, indexing everything, generic intent metadata, no SiriTipView promotion, marking every screen isEligibleForPrediction, leaving NSUserActivity disconnected from App Intent entities
• Code review checklist — App Intents, App Shortcuts, Core Spotlight, NSUserActivity, user education, testing
• Phrase-pattern discipline — every AppShortcut phrase must include \(.applicationName) for Siri to recognize it

Related

• app-intents-ref — complete App Intents API surface
• app-shortcuts-ref — AppShortcutsProvider, suggested phrases, SiriTipView, ShortcutsLink
• core-spotlight-ref — Core Spotlight indexing API and NSUserActivity reference
• eventkit-contacts — if your discoverable content includes calendar events or contacts