macos-file-system

What problem does it solve?

macOS sandboxed applications face significant barriers when accessing files outside their container, coordinating file access with other processes, and integrating Spotlight search functionality, leading to broken document workflows, permission errors, and poor user experience for file-heavy apps.

Core Features & Use Cases

• Persistent File Access: Security-scoped bookmarks let apps re-access user-selected files across launches without re-granting permissions.
• Cross-Process Coordination: NSFileCoordinator and NSFilePresenter serialize file operations across processes to prevent data corruption during concurrent edits.
• Spotlight Integration: NSMetadataQuery enables in-app search for files by metadata, content, and tags without leaving your app.
• Use Case: A macOS document editor can use this skill to let users open files, save changes across launches, sync edits with iCloud, and search for recent documents directly in the app.

Quick Start

Use the macos-file-system skill to implement persistent security-scoped file access, cross-process file coordination, and in-app Spotlight search for your macOS document editor app.