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:

1. Diagnose first — Understand what's actually failing before recommending changes
2. Recommend correctly — If standard APIs (URLSession, Network.framework) would solve the problem, say so professionally
3. 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

1. URLSession with structured concurrency? → networking
2. Network.framework / NetworkConnection (iOS 26+)? → network-framework-ref
3. NWConnection (iOS 12-25)? → networking-legacy
4. Migrating from sockets/URLSession? → networking-migration
5. Connection issues / debugging? → networking-diag

Anti-Rationalization

Thought	Reality
"URLSession is simple, I don't need a skill"	URLSession with structured concurrency has async/cancellation patterns. networking skill covers them.
"I'll debug the connection timeout myself"	Connection failures have 8 causes (DNS, TLS, proxy, cellular). networking-diag diagnoses systematically.
"I just need a basic HTTP request"	Even basic requests need error handling, retry, and cancellation patterns. networking has them.
"My custom networking layer works fine"	Custom layers miss cellular/proxy edge cases. Standard APIs handle them automatically.

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