Source	Icons	Requires	Best for
Iconify API	275,000+ from 200+ collections	Internet	Wide selection, specific styles, open source icons
SF Symbols	5,000+ Apple symbols	macOS only	Apple-native style, offline use

2. Always Match Existing Style

Before generating, check the project's existing icons for size, color, and weight consistency.

3. Output Structure

Both methods produce a complete Xcode imageset:

<output-dir>/<asset-name>.imageset/
  Contents.json
  <asset-name>.png        # 1x (68px default)
  <asset-name>@2x.png     # 2x (136px default)
  <asset-name>@3x.png     # 3x (204px default)

Examples

Step 1: Assess Requirements

Determine icon needs: what the icon represents, preferred style, target color, and size.

If the project already has icons, check existing style:

# Check dimensions of existing icon
sips -g pixelWidth -g pixelHeight path/to/existing@2x.png

Step 2: Search for Icons

Iconify API (recommended for wide selection):

# Search all collections
$SKILL_DIR/scripts/iconify_gen.sh search "receipt"

# Search within a specific collection
$SKILL_DIR/scripts/iconify_gen.sh search "business card" --prefix mdi

# List available collections
$SKILL_DIR/scripts/iconify_gen.sh collections

SF Symbols (for Apple-native style): Browse the SF Symbols app or reference common names:

Use Case	Symbol Name
Document	`doc.text`, `doc.fill`
Receipt	`doc.text.below.ecg`, `receipt`
Person	`person.crop.rectangle`, `person.text.rectangle`
Camera	`camera`, `camera.fill`
Scan	`doc.viewfinder`, `qrcode.viewfinder`
Settings	`gearshape`, `slider.horizontal.3`

Step 3: Preview (Optional)

# Iconify preview
$SKILL_DIR/scripts/iconify_gen.sh preview mdi:receipt-text-outline

Step 4: Generate

Iconify API:

# Basic generation
$SKILL_DIR/scripts/iconify_gen.sh mdi:receipt-text-outline editTool_expenseReport

# Custom color and output location
$SKILL_DIR/scripts/iconify_gen.sh mdi:receipt-text-outline myIcon --color 007AFF --output ./Assets.xcassets/icons

Options: --size <pt> (default: 68), --color <hex> (default: 8E8E93), --output <dir> (default: /tmp/icons)

SF Symbols:

# Basic generation
swift $SKILL_DIR/scripts/generate_icons.swift doc.text.below.ecg editTool_expenseReport

# Custom color, weight, and output
swift $SKILL_DIR/scripts/generate_icons.swift person.crop.rectangle myIcon --color 007AFF --weight regular --output ./Assets.xcassets/icons

Options: --size <pt> (default: 68), --color <hex> (default: 8E8E93), --weight <name> (default: thin), --output <dir> (default: /tmp/icons)

Step 5: Verify and Integrate

Read the generated @2x PNG to verify visually

Copy to asset catalog if not output there directly:

cp -r /tmp/icons/<name>.imageset path/to/Assets.xcassets/<group>/

Build the project to verify Xcode picks up the new assets

Popular Iconify Collections

Prefix	Name	Count	Style
`mdi`	Material Design Icons	7400+	Filled + outline variants
`ph`	Phosphor	9000+	6 weights per icon
`solar`	Solar	7400+	Bold, linear, outline
`tabler`	Tabler Icons	6000+	Consistent stroke width
`lucide`	Lucide	1700+	Clean, minimal
`ri`	Remix Icon	3100+	Filled + line variants
`carbon`	Carbon	2400+	IBM design language
`heroicons`	HeroIcons	1200+	Tailwind CSS companion

Browse all: https://icon-sets.iconify.design/

Scripts Reference

Script	Source	Path
`iconify_gen.sh`	Iconify API (275k+ icons)	`$SKILL_DIR/scripts/iconify_gen.sh`
`generate_icons.swift`	SF Symbols (5k+ icons)	`$SKILL_DIR/scripts/generate_icons.swift`

Best Practices

Search before generating -- browse available icons to find the best match
Match existing project style -- check dimensions, color, and weight of existing icons before generating new ones
Use Iconify for variety -- 200+ collections means you can find the exact style you need
Use SF Symbols for Apple consistency -- they match system UI perfectly
Generate directly to asset catalog -- use --output ./Assets.xcassets/icons to skip manual copying
Verify visually -- always preview the @2x PNG before committing

Anti-Patterns

Generating icons without checking existing project icon style
Using default colors when the project has a defined color palette
Generating at wrong sizes (check existing icons first)
Committing generated icons without visual verification

ios-icon-gen

iOS Icon Generator

When to Activate

Core Principles

1. Two Sources, One Output Format