Five checks for an AI-built SwiftUI app

Define “working” before generating code

A screenshot of a populated list can look convincing while persistence or search is broken. Give your coding agent observable acceptance criteria before asking it to implement the feature. A reading-list app makes a useful small exercise because its behavior is easy to describe.

1. Add and reopen

Create a synthetic book, terminate the app and reopen it. Confirm the item survives. A list that only stays populated during one process has not demonstrated persistence. Keep this test separate from any preview data used for development.

2. Search and recover

Search for a known title, then a title that is absent. Clear the query and verify the original list returns. Decide whether matching should ignore case before implementing the test; do not silently change acceptance criteria to fit the output.

3. Check empty and error states

Use a fresh test store to exercise an empty library. Trigger a controlled storage failure through a test seam if available. The app should explain what happened and provide an appropriate next action. A happy-path screenshot does not verify an error state.

4. Inspect accessibility

Check meaningful labels, readable text and the layout with larger text settings. A screenshot helps reveal clipping, but it does not prove VoiceOver behavior or control semantics. Report visual and accessibility checks separately.

5. Keep build and test evidence

Run the build and tests on a configured Mac with Xcode. Capture the important simulator states and compare them with the acceptance criteria. The bundled MCP tools can build, test, install, launch and capture screens; the agent still needs to choose the right project and checks.

Build the Reading List project and run its tests.
Verify add, persistence after relaunch, search and empty state.
Capture the relevant simulator screens.
List any failed or unverified acceptance criteria.

The linked sample contains recorded project evidence; it does not prove that an arbitrary app or a new client session passed these checks. Start with the sample’s own instructions and do not overwrite real user data.

Run the Reading List demo · Set up the verification workflow

Decision checkpoints