---

name: viewmodel description: Creates ViewModels with state management. Use when creating ViewModels, implementing ViewState pattern, or adding state management for features. Delegates to /usecase for domain use cases and to /feature for Container/Feature wiring.

Skill: ViewModel

Guide for creating ViewModels that manage state and coordinate between Views and UseCases.

Scope & Boundaries

This skill owns only Sources/Presentation/{Screen}/ViewModels/ and its tests.

Need	Delegate to
Domain UseCases	/usecase skill
Container / Feature wiring	/feature skill
Navigator / Tracker	/navigator skill

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Workflow

Step 1 — Identify ViewModel Type

Type	When	Reference
Stateless	Navigation + tracking only, no observable state	references/stateless.md
Stateful Detail	Single item load + optional refresh	references/stateful-detail.md
Stateful List	List load + empty/error + optional refresh	references/stateful-list.md
Debounced Search	Search with debounce + recent searches (extends list)	references/debounced-search.md
Stateful Filter	Mutable filter with computed properties	references/stateful-filter.md

Step 2 — Ensure UseCases Exist

Before creating the ViewModel, verify required UseCases exist in Sources/Domain/UseCases/.

• UseCases found? → Go to Step 3
• No UseCases found? → Invoke the /usecase skill first. Return here after completion.

Step 3 — Implement ViewModel

Read the appropriate reference from Step 1 and implement. Each reference includes: Contract, ViewState (if applicable), ViewModel, View integration snippet, Container factory snippet, Test structure, Mock, and Stub.

1. Contract + ViewState + ViewModel in Sources/Presentation/{Screen}/ViewModels/
2. Mock in Tests/Shared/Mocks/
3. Tests in Tests/Unit/Presentation/{Screen}/ViewModels/
4. Run tests

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Core Conventions

Class Rules

• @Observable only when private(set) var state exists; stateless ViewModels are plain final class
• final class, internal visibility, no explicit @MainActor (project default isolation)
• Protocol = {Screen}ViewModelContract: AnyObject

Method Naming

All protocol methods describe the UI event, using the did prefix:

UI Event	Protocol Method
View appears (.onFirstAppear {})	didAppear()
Tap retry button	didTapOnRetryButton()
Pull to refresh (.refreshable {})	didPullToRefresh()
Tap load more button	didTapOnLoadMoreButton()
Item selection	didSelect(_:)
Tap on button	didTapOn{ButtonName}()

Behavior Rules

• didAppear(): Called once via .onFirstAppear — single execution guaranteed by the View
• didTapOnRetryButton(): Always calls load() unconditionally
• didPullToRefresh(): Always calls the refresh use case, resets pagination
• didTapOnLoadMoreButton(): Only loads if there is a next page and not already loading more
• Public methods (didAppear, didTapOnRetryButton) call private load() — encapsulate loading logic

ViewState == Operator

All ViewState enums implement == for testability (enables direct state comparison in tests). Error cases compare via localizedDescription. See reference files for templates.

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File Structure

Features/{Feature}/
├── Sources/Presentation/{Screen}/
│   └── ViewModels/
│       ├── {Screen}ViewModelContract.swift
│       ├── {Screen}ViewState.swift          # Only for stateful ViewModels
│       └── {Screen}ViewModel.swift
└── Tests/
    ├── Unit/Presentation/{Screen}/
    │   └── ViewModels/
    │       └── {Screen}ViewModelTests.swift
    └── Shared/Mocks/
        └── {Screen}ViewModelMock.swift

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Visibility Summary

Component	Visibility	Location
ViewModelContract	internal	Sources/Presentation/{Screen}/ViewModels/
ViewState	internal	Sources/Presentation/{Screen}/ViewModels/
ViewModel	internal	Sources/Presentation/{Screen}/ViewModels/
Mock	internal	Tests/Shared/Mocks/

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Checklist

• Create ViewModelContract (always AnyObject)
• Create ViewState enum with == operator (stateful only)
• Create ViewModel (@Observable for stateful, plain final class for stateless)
• Inject UseCases via protocol (contract)
• Inject NavigatorContract for navigation
• Inject TrackerContract for tracking
• Implement didAppear() / didTapOnRetryButton() as public, load() as private
• Add tracking calls in didAppear(), didSelect(), didTapOn...() methods
• Guard observable properties with oldValue check in didSet (search only)
• Create Mock in Tests/Shared/Mocks/
• Create tests for initial state, success, error, and call verification
• Run tests