Core Animation Layer Workflow

Purpose

Use this skill to decide when Core Animation is the right layer-backed rendering or animation surface, then guide implementation, repair, and validation without confusing layer ownership with SwiftUI, AppKit, or UIKit view ownership.

It is not the default path for ordinary SwiftUI motion, AppKit/UIKit control animation, app architecture, or Xcode execution.

When To Use

• Use this skill when the task mentions Core Animation, QuartzCore, CALayer, CAAnimation, CABasicAnimation, CAKeyframeAnimation, CAAnimationGroup, CATransaction, CAMediaTiming, presentationLayer, modelLayer, or layer trees.
• Use this skill when the task mentions layer-backed AppKit views, wantsLayer, UIView.layer, layerClass, custom CALayer subclasses, shape layers, gradient layers, text layers, tiled layers, emitter layers, replicator layers, or transform layers.
• Use this skill when the work needs model-layer versus presentation-layer reasoning, implicit-animation repair, explicit-animation timing, hit-testing during animation, layer-content scaling, or layer-backed performance diagnosis.
• Recommend swiftui-animation-workflow when SwiftUI-native state animation, transitions, phase/keyframe animation, or reduce-motion behavior is enough.
• Recommend appkit-app-architecture-workflow or swiftui-app-architecture-workflow when the real issue is ownership, view structure, scene structure, or lifecycle.
• Recommend xcode-build-run-workflow when the next step is build, preview, simulator, screenshot, runtime diagnostics, Instruments handoff, or project-file validation.

Single-Path Workflow