swift-focusengine-pro

Review focus management code for correctness, modern API usage, and adherence to Apple's focus engine rules. Covers all Apple platforms. Report only genuine problems — do not nitpick or invent issues.

Review process:

1. Check for critical anti-patterns using references/anti-patterns.md.
2. Determine the target platform and load the appropriate references:
   • tvOS: references/swiftui-focus.md and references/uikit-focus.md.
   • iOS/iPadOS: references/ios-focus.md (focus groups, halo, keyboard nav).
   • watchOS: references/watchos-focus.md (Digital Crown, sequential focus).
   • visionOS: references/visionos-focus.md (gaze, hover effects) and references/realitykit-focus.md (RealityKit entities, gestures, volumes).
   • macOS: references/macos-focus.md (key view loop, focus ring, NSView focus, focusedValue for menus, Mac Catalyst).
   • For cross-platform: load all relevant references.
3. Check focus styling and visual feedback using references/focus-styling.md.
4. Verify focus restoration and data reload handling using references/focus-restoration.md.
5. Audit layout patterns for focus section isolation using references/layout-patterns.md.
6. Check async/await and data loading focus patterns using references/async-focus.md.
7. Verify accessibility integration using references/accessibility-focus.md.
8. Check debugging and testing practices using references/debugging.md.

If doing a partial review, load only the relevant reference files.

Core Instructions

tvOS

• tvOS uses a focus-based navigation model — every interactive element must be reachable via the Siri Remote's directional pad.
• Focus movement is purely geometric — the focus engine draws a rectangle from the currently focused view in the swipe direction and picks the nearest focusable view in that rectangle.
• If nothing is in the geometric path, focus does not move. Period. Use .focusSection() (SwiftUI) or UIFocusGuide (UIKit) to bridge gaps.
• Never use .disabled() on tvOS to toggle interactivity — it removes views from the focus chain entirely. .allowsHitTesting(false) is unreliable on tvOS (may map to isUserInteractionEnabled = false). Preferred: gate the action inside the button closure, or use the dual @FocusState + .disabled() gating pattern for lists (anti-pattern #25).
• prefersDefaultFocus(_:in:) does NOT work inside ScrollView on tvOS — use defaultFocus(_:_:priority:) instead. Note: defaultFocus with .userInitiated only fires on initial appearance, NOT on every re-entry.
• Prefer ScrollPosition over ScrollViewReader.scrollTo() — imperative scrollTo creates feedback loops with the focus engine (anti-pattern #26).
• Always test on real Apple TV hardware — Simulator focus behavior differs.

iOS/iPadOS

• Focus is a secondary interaction model — it only activates with a hardware keyboard connected.
• Tab moves between focus groups; arrow keys move within a group. This two-level model does NOT exist on tvOS.
• Use focusGroupIdentifier (iOS 14+, UIKit) to define custom focus groups — this API is NOT available on tvOS.
• Use UIFocusHaloEffect to customize the system focus ring — NOT available on tvOS.
• Set allowsFocus = true and selectionFollowsFocus = true on collection/table views for keyboard navigation.
• Your app must work perfectly without keyboard focus — always test with touch only.

watchOS

• Focus routes Digital Crown input to the correct view — shown by a green border.
• Focus is sequential (layout order), NOT spatial/directional.
• .focusSection() is NOT available on watchOS.
• .focusable() MUST come BEFORE .digitalCrownRotation() — reversing silently breaks crown input.
• Do NOT add .focusable() to system controls (Picker, Stepper, Toggle) — they already handle it.

visionOS

• Eye gaze = hover targeting, NOT focus. onHover(perform:) does NOT fire from gaze — only from pointer devices.
• Use .hoverEffect() for gaze visual feedback. System controls get it automatically; custom views need it explicitly.
• @FocusState only activates with keyboard (Magic Keyboard), VoiceOver, or Switch Control.
• RealityKit entities need InputTargetComponent + CollisionComponent + HoverEffectComponent for gaze interaction.
• .focusEffectDisabled() hides keyboard focus ring; .hoverEffectDisabled() disables gaze hover — they are different.

macOS

• macOS uses a key view loop — Tab/Shift-Tab moves between views in a defined sequence. This is NOT spatial like tvOS.
• Custom NSView subclasses must override acceptsFirstResponder to return true — the default is false, making the view invisible to Tab navigation.
• autorecalculatesKeyViewLoop = true on NSWindow overwrites all manual nextKeyView connections. Pick one approach.
• Focus ring customization: override focusRingType, focusRingMaskBounds, and drawFocusRingMask() on NSView.
• focusedValue / focusedSceneValue are critical on macOS for making menu bar commands respond to the current selection.
• Mac Catalyst: inherits iPad UIFocusSystem. If the iPad app doesn't support keyboard focus, the Catalyst app won't either.
• Full Keyboard Access is OFF by default — most users only Tab between text fields and lists, not all controls.

All Platforms

• Never add .focusable() to Buttons or NavigationLinks — they are already focusable. Adding it creates a double-focus wrapper.
• Do not mix @FocusState (SwiftUI) and UIKit focus APIs (setNeedsFocusUpdate) on the same view hierarchy branch.
• VoiceOver focus (@AccessibilityFocusState) is completely separate from UI focus (@FocusState).

Toolchain status (as of Xcode 27 beta, Aug 2026)

• OS 26 added exactly one new focus API — accessibilityDefaultFocus(_:_:) (SwiftUI, all platforms 26.0+, sets default VoiceOver focus; see references/accessibility-focus.md) — and no focus deprecations; the OS 27 betas add none. Verified by scanning the installed 26.5 SDK interfaces for all five platforms, not just release notes. What else changed around focus: Liquid Glass alters focused-control appearance on tvOS 26 (4K 2nd gen+ only — older devices keep pre-glass visuals), ControlSize works on tvOS 26+, .sidebarAdaptable TabView (tvOS 18+) moves the tab region to a leading sidebar, and visionOS 26 adds opt-in gaze scrolling (.scrollInputBehavior(.enabled, for: .look)).
• The 27 SDKs require the scene-based lifecycle on iOS/iPadOS/tvOS/visionOS/Mac Catalyst (apps fail to launch without it; macOS and watchOS are unaffected), and tvOS 27 adds Dynamic Type — both affect focus sample scaffolding and sizing, not focus APIs.
• Swift 6.2: new Xcode 26 projects default to module-wide MainActor isolation; keep explicit @MainActor in examples that must compile in both worlds (see references/async-focus.md).

Output Format

Organize findings by file. For each issue:

1. State the file and relevant line(s).
2. Name the rule being violated (e.g., "Do not remove ordinary controls from the tvOS focus chain — gate the action instead of using .disabled(); the deliberate dual-@FocusState entry-gating pattern in anti-pattern #25 is the one exception").
3. Show a brief before/after code fix.

Skip files with no issues. End with a prioritized summary of the most impactful changes to make first.

Example output:

TopicsView.swift

Line 49: .disabled() removes view from tvOS focus chain (anti-pattern #1).

// Before
TopicClipsGridView(...)
    .disabled(!wrapper.isGridFocusable)

// After — gate the action, not the view
TopicClipsGridView(...)
    .opacity(wrapper.isGridFocusable ? 1.0 : 0.5)
// Move the guard inside the button/action closures instead

Line 72: Missing .focusSection() on horizontal ScrollView in vertical layout.

// Before
ScrollView(.horizontal) {
    HStack { /* row items */ }
}

// After
ScrollView(.horizontal) {
    HStack { /* row items */ }
}
.focusSection()

Summary

1. Focus breakage (critical): .disabled() on line 49 removes grid from focus chain entirely.
2. Focus jumping (high): Missing .focusSection() causes cross-row focus jumps.

End of example.

References

• references/anti-patterns.md — Critical mistakes that break focus navigation: 30 numbered anti-patterns across tvOS/general and macOS-specific sections.
• references/swiftui-focus.md — SwiftUI focus APIs: @FocusState, focusSection, prefersDefaultFocus, focused, defaultFocus, onMoveCommand.
• references/uikit-focus.md — UIKit focus APIs: UIFocusEnvironment, UIFocusGuide, shouldUpdateFocus, didUpdateFocus, preferredFocusEnvironments, UIFocusDebugger.
• references/focus-styling.md — Focus visual feedback: ButtonStyle with isFocused, FocusBorder, hover effects, scale/shadow animations, macOS focus ring styling.
• references/focus-restoration.md — Handling focus after data reloads, navigation, and async updates.
• references/layout-patterns.md — Common tvOS layouts: table-of-collections, sidebar+content, tab bar, horizontal shelves.
• references/ios-focus.md — iOS/iPadOS-specific: focus groups, focusGroupIdentifier, UIFocusHaloEffect, keyboard navigation, allowsFocus, selectionFollowsFocus.
• references/watchos-focus.md — watchOS-specific: Digital Crown routing, sequential focus, digitalCrownRotation, focusable ordering.
• references/visionos-focus.md — visionOS-specific: gaze vs focus vs hover, HoverEffect, HoverEffectGroup, RealityKit HoverEffectComponent, spatial input.
• references/macos-focus.md — macOS-specific: key view loop, NSView focus (acceptsFirstResponder, canBecomeKeyView), focus ring customization, focusedValue for menus, Mac Catalyst, Full Keyboard Access.
• references/realitykit-focus.md — RealityKit entity hover: HoverEffectComponent, collision shapes, gestures, shader effects, mixed SwiftUI+RealityKit hierarchies.
• references/async-focus.md — Async focus patterns: @MainActor coordination, focus after data load, NavigationStack pop, Task cancellation, debouncing.
• references/accessibility-focus.md — Accessibility integration: @AccessibilityFocusState, VoiceOver + focus, Full Keyboard Access, Switch Control, Reduce Motion.
• references/debugging.md — UIFocusDebugger, _whyIsThisViewNotFocusable, launch arguments, Quick Look, macOS first responder debugging.