| name | axiom-ios-networking |
|---|---|
| description | Use when implementing or debugging ANY network connection, API call, or socket. Covers URLSession, Network.framework, NetworkConnection, deprecated APIs, connection diagnostics, structured concurrency networking. |
| user-invocable |
iOS Networking Router
You MUST use this skill for ANY networking work including HTTP requests, WebSockets, TCP connections, or network debugging.
When to Use
Use this router when: - Implementing network requests (URLSession) - Using Network.framework or NetworkConnection - Debugging connection failures - Migrating from deprecated networking APIs - Network performance issues
Pressure Resistance
When user has invested significant time in custom implementation:
Do NOT capitulate to sunk cost pressure. The correct approach is:
- Diagnose first — Understand what's actually failing before recommending changes
- Recommend correctly — If standard APIs (URLSession, Network.framework) would solve the problem, say so professionally
- Respect but don't enable — Acknowledge their work while providing honest technical guidance
Example pressure scenario:
"I spent 2 days on custom networking. Just help me fix it, don't tell me to use URLSession."
Correct response:
"Let me diagnose the cellular failure first. [After diagnosis] The issue is [X]. URLSession handles this automatically via [Y]. I recommend migrating the affected code path — it's 30 minutes vs continued debugging. Your existing work on [Z] can be preserved."
Why this matters: Users often can't see that migration is faster than continued debugging. Honest guidance serves them better than false comfort.
Routing Logic
Network Implementation
Networking patterns → /skill axiom-networking
- URLSession with structured concurrency
- Network.framework migration
- Modern networking patterns
- Deprecated API migration
Network.framework reference → /skill axiom-network-framework-ref
Legacy iOS 12-25 patterns → /skill axiom-networking-legacy
Migration guides → /skill axiom-networking-migration
- NWConnection (iOS 12-25)
- NetworkConnection (iOS 26+)
- TCP connections
- TLV framing
- Wi-Fi Aware
Network Debugging
Connection issues → /skill axiom-networking-diag
- Connection timeouts
- TLS handshake failures
- Data not arriving
- Connection drops
- VPN/proxy problems
Decision Tree
User asks about networking
├─ Implementing?
│ ├─ URLSession? → networking
│ ├─ Network.framework? → network-framework-ref
│ ├─ iOS 26+ NetworkConnection? → network-framework-ref
│ ├─ iOS 12-25 NWConnection? → networking-legacy
│ └─ Migrating from sockets/URLSession? → networking-migration
│
└─ Debugging? → networking-diag
Critical Patterns
Networking (networking): - URLSession with structured concurrency - Socket migration to Network.framework - Deprecated API replacement
Network Framework Reference (network-framework-ref): - NWConnection for iOS 12-25 - NetworkConnection for iOS 26+ - Connection lifecycle management
Networking Diagnostics (networking-diag): - Connection timeout diagnosis - TLS debugging - Network stack inspection
Example Invocations
User: "My API request is failing with a timeout"
→ Invoke: /skill axiom-networking-diag
User: "How do I use URLSession with async/await?"
→ Invoke: /skill axiom-networking
User: "I need to implement a TCP connection"
→ Invoke: /skill axiom-network-framework-ref
User: "Should I use NWConnection or NetworkConnection?"
→ Invoke: /skill axiom-network-framework-ref