uikit-bridging

UIKit Bridging

SwiftUI is the default. But there are a small number of API gaps where SwiftUI in iOS 26 is genuinely insufficient and a UIKit bridge via UIViewRepresentable is the correct path. This skill covers HOW to bridge correctly when the swiftui-native-first skill has already established that you should.

When to Use This Skill

You're here because:

• The swiftui-native-first skill named one of the three documented escape hatches (absolute line-height, UIColorPickerViewController eyedropper, or vertical-axis TextField keyboard dismissal)
• You hit a SwiftUI API gap not yet documented and want to bridge — read the "Before You Bridge" section below first

If you're reaching for UIViewRepresentable because it's familiar, stop. SwiftUI usually has a way. The bridge is for when SwiftUI provably doesn't.

Before You Bridge — A Three-Question Checklist

1. Can you name the specific SwiftUI API gap that forces the bridge? "I want fine-grained control" is not a gap. "Text(AttributedString) silently drops paragraphStyle so absolute line height is impossible" is a gap.
2. Have you searched for an iOS 26 native solution? Use the mcp-setup skill's Sosumi MCP to check Apple docs for the latest API. SwiftUI gains capabilities every year.
3. Have you posted the gap as a ## Known Gotchas entry in CLAUDE.md? Future agents need to see why the bridge exists, or someone will "simplify" it back to a broken pure-SwiftUI version.

If you can't answer all three, don't bridge.

The UIViewRepresentable Lifecycle

The minimum viable bridge:

struct MyBridgedView: UIViewRepresentable {
    let text: String
    let color: Color

    func makeUIView(context: Context) -> UILabel {
        let label = UILabel()
        label.numberOfLines = 0
        label.lineBreakMode = .byWordWrapping
        return label
    }

    func updateUIView(_ label: UILabel, context: Context) {
        label.text = text
        label.textColor = UIColor(color)
    }
}