alarmkit

What the source does

• FilesystemNone observedNo reads or writes in the source
• NetworkNone observedNo outbound calls in the source
• ShellNone observedNo commands run in the source
• DependenciesPinnedNothing floats
• SecretsNone foundNo keys in source

Five audit layers

Gates applied: no behavioural pass.

Audit 0.4.1 · source sha 8c7069c512a0 · 23 Oct 2026Report an issue or request a re-scan

• Publisherdpearson2699 GitHub userOwner of the repository this skill is read from
• Source folderdpearson2699/swift-ios-skills/skills/alarmkitThe exact folder we audited
• LicenceNOASSERTIONAs the repository states it
• Commit pinned for this verdict8c7069c512a0A new audit runs when the source changes
• Repository statusNot archivedLast push 83 days ago
• Sandboxed runNot runSkills are read, not executed; layer L4 is skipped

Its description: Implement AlarmKit alarms and countdown timers for iOS and iPadOS with Lock Screen, Dynamic Island, StandBy, and paired Apple Watch system UI. Covers AlarmManager scheduling, AlarmAttributes and AlarmPresentation,…

---
name: alarmkit
description: "Implement AlarmKit alarms and countdown timers for iOS and iPadOS with Lock Screen, Dynamic Island, StandBy, and paired Apple Watch system UI. Covers AlarmManager scheduling, AlarmAttributes and AlarmPresentation, system Stop and AlarmButton secondary actions, authorization, state observation, countdown widget-extension handoff, and Live Activity integration. Use when building wake-up alarms, countdown timers, or alarm-style alerts that need Apple's system alarm experience."
---

# AlarmKit

Schedule prominent alarms and countdown timers that surface on the Lock Screen,
Dynamic Island, StandBy, and a paired Apple Watch when the alarm fires. AlarmKit
requires iOS 26+ / iPadOS 26+. Alarms can break through Focus and Silent mode.

AlarmKit uses ActivityKit data models for its Live Activity, but the firing alert
is system-managed alarm UI, not a general custom notification UI surface. Custom
UI belongs only to countdown and paused Live Activity states rendered by a Widget
Extension with the same `AlarmAttributes<Metadata>` and
`AlarmPresentationState` used when scheduling.

See [references/alarmkit-patterns.md](references/alarmkit-patterns.md) for complete code patterns including
authorization, scheduling, countdown timers, snooze handling, and widget setup.

```swift
import AlarmKit
```

## Contents

- [Workflow](#workflow)
- [Authorization](#authorization)
- [Alarm vs Timer Decision](#alarm-vs-timer-decision)
- [Scheduling Alarms](#scheduling-alarms)
- [Countdown Timers](#countdown-timers)
- [Alarm States](#alarm-states)
- [AlarmAttributes and AlarmPresentation](#alarmattributes-and-alarmpresentation)
- [AlarmButton](#alarmbutton)
- [Live Activity Integration](#live-activity-integration)
- [Common Mistakes](#common-mistakes)
- [Review Checklist](#review-checklist)
- [References](#references)

## Workflow

### 1. Create a new alarm or timer

1. Add `NSAlarmKitUsageDescription` to Info.plist with a user-facing string.
2. Request authorization with `AlarmManager.shared.requestAuthorization()` when the app can explain the value, or handle the first-schedule system prompt.
3. If authorization is `.denied` or not `.authorized`, show recovery UI instead of scheduling.
4. Configure `AlarmPresentation` (alert, countdown, paused states).
5. Create `AlarmAttributes` with the presentation, optional metadata, and tint color.
6. Build an `AlarmManager.AlarmConfiguration` (.alarm or .timer).
7. Schedule with `AlarmManager.shared.schedule(id:configuration:)`.
8. Observe `alarmManager.alarmUpdates` and confirm the scheduled ID reaches the expected state.
9. If using countdown, add a Widget Extension target with an `ActivityConfiguration` for the same `AlarmAttributes<Metadata>` type.

### 2. Review existing alarm code

Run through the Review Checklist at the end of this document.

## Authorization

AlarmKit requires user authorization. Request early when the app can explain the
value, or let AlarmKit prompt automatically on first schedule. If authorization
is not granted after the explicit or automatic prompt, alarms are not scheduled
and will not alert.

```swift
let manager = AlarmManager.shared

// Request authorization explicitly
let state = try await manager.requestAuthorization()
guard state == .authorized else { return }

// Check current state synchronously
let current = manager.authorizationState // .authorized, .denied, .notDetermined

// Observe authorization changes
for await state in manager.authorizationUpdates {
    switch state {
    case .authorized: print("Alarms enabled")
    case .denied:     print("Alarms disabled")
    case .notDetermined: break
    @unknown default: break
    }
}
```

## Alarm vs Timer Decision

| Feature | Alarm (`.alarm`) | Timer (`.timer`) |
|---|---|---|
| Fires at | Specific time (schedule) | After duration elapses |
| Countdown UI | Optional | Always shown |
| Recurring | Yes (weekly days) | No |
| Use case | Wake-up, scheduled reminders | Cooking, workout intervals |

Use `.alarm(schedule:...)` when firing at a clock time. Use `.timer(duration:...)`
when firing after a duration from now.

## Scheduling Alarms

### Alarm.Schedule

Use `.fixed(date)` for a one-time absolute date or `.relative` for a local clock
time with `.never` or `.weekly` repetition. Load
[Recurring Alarm Patterns](references/alarmkit-patterns.md#recurring-alarm-patterns)
for daily, weekday, weekend, and fixed-date variants.

### Schedule and Configure

```swift
let id = UUID()

let alert = AlarmPresentation.Alert(
    title: "Wake Up",
    secondaryButton: AlarmButton(
        text: "Snooze", textColor: .white, systemImageName: "bell.slash"
    ),
    secondaryButtonBehavior: .countdown
)
let presentation = AlarmPresentation(alert: alert)
struct EmptyAlarmMetadata: AlarmMetadata {}
let attributes = AlarmAttributes<EmptyAlarmMetadata>(
    presentation: presentation,
    metadata: nil,
    tintColor: .indigo
)

let snooze = Alarm.CountdownDuration(preAlert: nil, postAlert: 300)
let configuration = AlarmManager.AlarmConfiguration(
    countdownDuration: snooze,
    schedule: .relative(.init(
        time: .init(hour: 7, minute: 0),
        repeats: .never
    )),
    attributes: attributes,
    sound: .default
)

let alarm = try await AlarmManager.shared.schedule(
    id: id,
    configuration: configuration
)
```

For an authorization-gated function and metadata-bearing variant, load
[Complete Alarm Scheduling Flow](references/alarmkit-patterns.md#complete-alarm-scheduling-flow).

`stopIntent` and `secondaryIntent` default to `nil`. Omit `stopIntent` for
AlarmKit's standard system Stop behavior; provide it only when Stop must run app
cleanup, custom stop behavior, or other side effects. Omit `secondaryIntent` for
ordinary Snooze/Repeat with `secondaryButtonBehavior: .countdown` and
`Alarm.CountdownDuration.postAlert`; provide it only for `.custom` secondary
behavior or app cleanup/custom behavior.

### Alarm State Transitions

```text
cancel(id:)
    |
schedu

Excerpt, first 6,000 characters of SKILL.md, verbatim from the audited commit. It is text from someone else’s repository, quoted so you can judge it before your agent reads it.

git clone https://github.com/dpearson2699/swift-ios-skills
git -C swift-ios-skills checkout 8c7069c512a0

Works in

1. 2026-10-23
   ✓SAFE B 89 / 100

   first audit · source 8c7069c512a0

Questions about alarmkit

• github.com/dpearson2699/swift-ios-skills/tree/main/skills/alarmk — the audited source at commit 8c7069c512a0 and every finding aboveObserved · 23 Oct 2026

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