--- name: axiom-ios-networking description: Use when implementing or debugging ANY network connection, API call, or socket. Covers URLSession, Network.framework, NetworkConnection, deprecated APIs, connection diagnostics, structured concurrency networking. license: MIT --- # iOS Networking Router **You MUST use this skill for ANY networking work including HTTP requests, WebSockets, TCP connections, or network debugging.** ## When to Use Use this router when: - Implementing network requests (URLSession) - Using Network.framework or NetworkConnection - Debugging connection failures - Migrating from deprecated networking APIs - Network performance issues ## Pressure Resistance **When user has invested significant time in custom implementation:** Do NOT capitulate to sunk cost pressure. The correct approach is: 1. **Diagnose first** — Understand what's actually failing before recommending changes 2. **Recommend correctly** — If standard APIs (URLSession, Network.framework) would solve the problem, say so professionally 3. **Respect but don't enable** — Acknowledge their work while providing honest technical guidance **Example pressure scenario:** > "I spent 2 days on custom networking. Just help me fix it, don't tell me to use URLSession." **Correct response:** > "Let me diagnose the cellular failure first. [After diagnosis] The issue is [X]. URLSession handles this automatically via [Y]. I recommend migrating the affected code path — it's 30 minutes vs continued debugging. Your existing work on [Z] can be preserved." **Why this matters:** Users often can't see that migration is faster than continued debugging. Honest guidance serves them better than false comfort. ## Routing Logic ### Network Implementation **Networking patterns** → `/skill axiom-networking` - URLSession with structured concurrency - Network.framework migration - Modern networking patterns - Deprecated API migration **Network.framework reference** → `/skill axiom-network-framework-ref` **Legacy iOS 12-25 patterns** → `/skill axiom-networking-legacy` **Migration guides** → `/skill axiom-networking-migration` - NWConnection (iOS 12-25) - NetworkConnection (iOS 26+) - TCP connections - TLV framing - Wi-Fi Aware ### App Store Compliance **ATS / HTTP security** → `/skill axiom-networking-diag` - App Transport Security (ATS) configuration - HTTP → HTTPS migration - App Store rejection for insecure connections - NSAllowsArbitraryLoads exceptions **Deprecated API rejection** → Launch `networking-auditor` agent - UIWebView → WKWebView migration - SCNetworkReachability → NWPathMonitor - CFSocket → Network.framework ### Network Debugging **Connection issues** → `/skill axiom-networking-diag` - Connection timeouts - TLS handshake failures - Data not arriving - Connection drops - VPN/proxy problems ### Automated Scanning **Networking audit** → Launch `networking-auditor` agent or `/axiom:audit networking` (deprecated APIs like SCNetworkReachability, CFSocket, NSStream; anti-patterns like reachability checks, hardcoded IPs, missing error handling) ## Decision Tree 1. URLSession with structured concurrency? → networking 2. Network.framework / NetworkConnection (iOS 26+)? → network-framework-ref 3. NWConnection (iOS 12-25)? → networking-legacy 4. Migrating from sockets/URLSession? → networking-migration 5. Connection issues / debugging? → networking-diag 6. ATS / HTTP / App Store rejection for networking? → networking-diag + networking-auditor 7. UIWebView or deprecated API rejection? → networking-auditor (Agent) 8. Want deprecated API / anti-pattern scan? → networking-auditor (Agent) ## Anti-Rationalization | Thought | Reality | |---------|---------| | "URLSession is simple, I don't need a skill" | URLSession with structured concurrency has async/cancellation patterns. networking skill covers them. | | "I'll debug the connection timeout myself" | Connection failures have 8 causes (DNS, TLS, proxy, cellular). networking-diag diagnoses systematically. | | "I just need a basic HTTP request" | Even basic requests need error handling, retry, and cancellation patterns. networking has them. | | "My custom networking layer works fine" | Custom layers miss cellular/proxy edge cases. Standard APIs handle them automatically. | ## Critical Patterns **Networking** (networking): - URLSession with structured concurrency - Socket migration to Network.framework - Deprecated API replacement **Network Framework Reference** (network-framework-ref): - NWConnection for iOS 12-25 - NetworkConnection for iOS 26+ - Connection lifecycle management **Networking Diagnostics** (networking-diag): - Connection timeout diagnosis - TLS debugging - Network stack inspection ## Example Invocations User: "My API request is failing with a timeout" → Invoke: `/skill axiom-networking-diag` User: "How do I use URLSession with async/await?" → Invoke: `/skill axiom-networking` User: "I need to implement a TCP connection" → Invoke: `/skill axiom-network-framework-ref` User: "Should I use NWConnection or NetworkConnection?" → Invoke: `/skill axiom-network-framework-ref` User: "My app was rejected for using HTTP connections" → Invoke: `/skill axiom-networking-diag` (ATS compliance) User: "App Store says I'm using UIWebView" → Invoke: `networking-auditor` agent (deprecated API scan) User: "Check my networking code for deprecated APIs" → Invoke: `networking-auditor` agent --- Source attribution: CharlesWiltgen Original project: https://github.com/CharlesWiltgen/Axiom/blob/a8c3d2ae1bd8d5d68a71555cc37ebe6398c550ec/.claude-plugin/plugins/axiom/skills/axiom-ios-networking/SKILL.md License: MIT License information: https://opensource.org/license/mit Original upstream instructions; downloaded from Dave AI. ## Upstream license notice MIT License Copyright (c) 2025 Charles Wiltgen Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions: The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software. THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE. # Dave AI resource metadata Creator / publisher: CharlesWiltgen Original project: https://github.com/CharlesWiltgen/Axiom/blob/a8c3d2ae1bd8d5d68a71555cc37ebe6398c550ec/.claude-plugin/plugins/axiom/skills/axiom-ios-networking/SKILL.md Attribution basis: Recovered original package and original project license at a pinned revision Fields of work: Development & Engineering Roles: Backend Developer, DevOps / SRE, Mobile Developer Specialties: API, Mobile Tools: Tool not specified Country applicability: Country not specified Classification basis: Source catalog labels Instruction SHA-256: 123f536febda77b3f7f87c9cb0f0b5ba5753c143a485b0f233cbf1d76fc4a0d5 Metadata reviewed: 2026-10-27 This metadata supersedes earlier Dave AI catalog attribution. Original instruction and supporting files are preserved.