Quick start

Prerequisites

• macOS with Xcode 16+ installed (iOS 17+ deployment target)
• Homebrew (for XcodeGen)
• Node.js 20+ (only needed for Path B backend)

1. Clone the repo

git clone https://github.com/cardotrejos/launchswift.git
cd launchswift

2. Generate the Xcode project

LaunchSwift uses XcodeGen to keep the .xcodeproj machine-generated and merge-conflict-free.

brew install xcodegen
cd ios
xcodegen generate --spec project.yml
open SwiftLaunch.xcodeproj

3. Pick your deployment path

	Path A (Apple Native)	Path B (Full Stack)
Auth	Sign in with Apple	better-auth (email, social)
Database	SwiftData + CloudKit	Cloudflare D1 + Drizzle
Backend	None for core flows (AI/feedback endpoints optional)	Hono on Cloudflare Workers
Deploy	App Store only	Alchemy IaC + App Store
Best for	Solo devs, quick launches	Teams, custom APIs

New to the project? Start with Path A — you can add Path B later without rewriting your iOS code.

• Path A quickstart — backend-free core flows, plus explicit AI/feedback backend exceptions
• Path B quickstart — full stack with local backend

4. Run

In Xcode:

1. Select the SwiftLaunch scheme
2. Pick an iOS 17+ simulator (iPhone 16 Pro recommended)
3. Hit Cmd+R

The app launches with onboarding, then drops you into the main tab shell (Home + Explore + Settings).

For Path A, AI chat (Home) and feedback (Settings) are available in the UI, but their backend endpoints (/api/chat*, /api/feedback) still require backend-authenticated request context (or the debug x-test-user-id bypass used in E2E flows).

Next steps

• Architecture overview — understand the MV Observable pattern
• Configuration — set API keys, product IDs, analytics
• Features — explore auth, payments, AI chat, and more