core-bluetooth

The core-bluetooth skill provides comprehensive guidance for building Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) workflows using Apple's Core Bluetooth framework. It enables developers to implement both central role functionality (scanning for and connecting to BLE peripherals) and peripheral role functionality (advertising services to other devices). This skill addresses the complexity of managing BLE communication, handling state transitions, authorization flows, and the intricacies of GATT (Generic Attribute Profile) operations including service discovery, characteristic interactions, and data exchange.

The skill covers essential BLE capabilities including scanning for peripherals with service filtering, establishing connections, discovering services and characteristics, performing read/write operations, subscribing to notifications, and implementing flow control for write operations. It also addresses advanced features like background BLE modes for continued operation when the app is not in the foreground, state restoration for recovering BLE state after app termination, and proper handling of Bluetooth authorization states. The documentation emphasizes proper resource management, such as retaining peripheral references and managing delegate lifecycles.

This skill is designed for iOS developers building applications that communicate with BLE devices such as fitness trackers, medical sensors, smart home accessories, or custom hardware. It targets Swift 6.3 and iOS 26+, providing modern API usage patterns. The skill is particularly valuable when direct GATT-level communication is required, while noting that the accessorysetupkit skill should be used first for privacy-preserving accessory discovery and setup flows, with core-bluetooth handling the subsequent communication layer.