local-ai-models

# iOS On-Device AI Models

Production-ready guide for implementing on-device AI models in iOS apps using Apple's Foundation Models framework and MLX Swift.

## When to Use This Skill

- Implementing local LLM inference in iOS apps
- Building chat interfaces with Foundation Models
- Integrating Vision Language Models (VLMs)
- Adding text embeddings or image generation
- Implementing tool/function calling with LLMs
- Managing multi-turn conversations
- Optimizing memory usage for on-device models
- Supporting internationalization in AI features

## Core Principles

1. **Availability First** - Always check model availability before initialization
2. **Stream Responses** - Provide progressive UI updates for better UX
3. **Session Persistence** - Reuse LanguageModelSession for multi-turn conversations (Foundation Models)
4. **Memory Awareness** - Use quantized models and monitor memory usage
5. **Async Everything** - Load models asynchronously, never block the main thread
6. **Locale Support** - Use supportsLocale(_:) and locale instructions for Foundation Models

## Quick Reference

### Framework Comparison

| Topic                              | Guide                                                       |
| ---------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| Framework comparison and selection | [framework-selection.md](references/framework-selection.md) |

### Foundation Models (Apple's Framework)

| Topic                           | Guide                                                                               |
| ------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Setup and configuration         | [foundation-models/setup.md](references/foundation-models/setup.md)                 |
| Chat patterns and conversations | [foundation-models/chat-patterns.md](references/foundation-models/chat-patterns.md) |

### MLX Swift (Advanced Features)

| Topic