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Quickstart

This quickstart takes you from zero to a working, compile-verified App Intent in about five minutes.

Prerequisites

  • Node.js 22 or newer
  • (Optional) Xcode 16 with the Swift toolchain — required for sandbox validation and --format. Everything else works cross-platform.

  1. Scaffold a new project.

    Terminal window
    npx -y -p @axint/compiler axint init my-intents
    cd my-intents

    You now have a ready-to-go project with a starter intent, a pre-wired .vscode/mcp.json, and an ios/Intents/ output directory.

  2. Open the starter intent.

    intents/SendMessage.intent.ts
    import { defineIntent, param } from "@axint/compiler";
    

    export default defineIntent({
      name: "SendMessageIntent",
      title: "Send Message",
      description: "Sends a message to a contact.",
      domain: "messaging",
      params: {
        recipient: param.string("Who to send the message to"),
        body: param.string("What to say"),
      },
    });

  3. Compile to Swift.

    Terminal window
    npx -y -p @axint/compiler axint compile intents/SendMessage.intent.ts \
      --out ios/Intents/SendMessageIntent.swift \
      --sandbox \
      --format

  4. Check the output.

    ios/Intents/SendMessageIntent.swift
    import AppIntents
    import Foundation
    

    struct SendMessageIntent: AppIntent {
      static var title: LocalizedStringResource = "Send Message"
      static var description = IntentDescription("Sends a message to a contact.")
    

      @Parameter(title: "Who to send the message to")
      var recipient: String
    

      @Parameter(title: "What to say")
      var body: String
    

      func perform() async throws -> some IntentResult {
        // TODO: wire to your messaging layer
        return .result()
      }
    }

  5. Drop it into Xcode. Add ios/Intents/SendMessageIntent.swift to your iOS target. Siri, Shortcuts, and Spotlight will pick it up automatically.

What just happened

Under the hood, Axint ran a four-stage pipeline:

  1. Parse — the TypeScript AST walker extracted your defineIntent() call into an Intermediate Representation (IR).
  2. Validate — Axint runs a broad diagnostic pass against Apple’s App Intents constraints and your entitlement requirements.
  3. Generate — the codegen layer emitted idiomatic Swift, complete with @Parameter attributes and a perform() stub.
  4. Sandbox-compile — (--sandbox) dropped the Swift into a throwaway SPM project and ran swift build to prove it actually compiles under the real toolchain. Cold run: ~4s. Warm run: ~1.2s.

Next steps

move from docs to workflow

Next steps after your first compile

Once the Swift file exists, the next decision is not more theory. Decide whether you need the local compiler loop, a Cloud check result, public examples, or package-level compatibility details.

Cloud Check guide See how local compile, Cloud reports, and reruns fit together without splitting the story. Run Cloud Check Use the free Cloud Check when you want a quicker Apple compatibility check on the generated output. Examples Use the examples guide when you want public product references and Registry compatibility links.