---
name: swiftui-performance
description: "Audit and improve SwiftUI runtime performance. Use when diagnosing slow rendering, janky scrolling, high CPU, memory usage, excessive view updates, layout thrash, body evaluation cost, identity churn, view lifetime issues, lazy loading, Instruments profiling guidance, and performance audit requests."
---

# SwiftUI Performance

## Contents

- [Overview](#overview)
- [Workflow Decision Tree](#workflow-decision-tree)
- [1. Code-First Review](#1-code-first-review)
- [2. Guide the User to Profile](#2-guide-the-user-to-profile)
- [3. Analyze and Diagnose](#3-analyze-and-diagnose)
- [4. Remediate](#4-remediate)
- [Common Code Smells (and Fixes)](#common-code-smells-and-fixes)
- [5. Verify](#5-verify)
- [Outputs](#outputs)
- [MCP Tool Notes](#mcp-tool-notes)
- [Instruments Profiling](#instruments-profiling)
- [Identity and Lifetime](#identity-and-lifetime)
- [Lazy Loading Patterns](#lazy-loading-patterns)
- [State and Observation Optimization](#state-and-observation-optimization)
- [Common Mistakes](#common-mistakes)
- [Review Checklist](#review-checklist)
- [References](#references)

## Overview

Audit SwiftUI view performance end-to-end, from instrumentation and baselining to root-cause analysis and concrete remediation steps.

## Workflow Decision Tree

- If the user provides code, start with "Code-First Review."
- If the user only describes symptoms, ask for minimal code/context, then do "Code-First Review."
- If code review is inconclusive, go to "Guide the User to Profile" and ask for a trace or screenshots.

## 1. Code-First Review

Collect:
- Target view/feature code.
- Data flow: state, environment, observable models.
- Symptoms and reproduction steps.

Focus on:
- View invalidation storms from broad state changes.
- Unstable identity in lists (`id` churn, `UUID()` per render).
- Top-level conditional view swapping (`if/else` returning different root branches).
- Heavy work in `body` (formatting, sorting, image decoding).
- Layout thrash (deep stacks, `GeometryReader`, preference chains).
- Large images without downsampling or resizing.
- Over-animated hierarchies (implicit animations on large trees).

Provide:
- Likely root causes with code references.
- Suggested fixes and refactors.
- If needed, a minimal repro or instrumentation suggestion.

## 2. Guide the User to Profile

Explain how to collect data with Instruments:
- Use the SwiftUI template in Instruments (always profile a **Release build**).
- Reproduce the exact interaction (scroll, navigation, animation).
- Capture SwiftUI timeline and Time Profiler.
- Export or screenshot the relevant lanes and the call tree.

Ask for:
- Trace export or screenshots of SwiftUI lanes + Time Profiler call tree.
- Device/OS/build configuration.

## 3. Analyze and Diagnose

Prioritize likely SwiftUI culprits:
- View invalidation storms from broad state changes.
- Unstable identity in lists (`id` churn, `UUID()` per render).
- Top-level conditional view swapping (`if/else` returning different root branches).
- Heavy work in `body` (formatting, sorting, image decoding).
- Layout thrash (deep stacks, `GeometryReader`, preference chains).
- Large images without downsampling or resizing.
- Over-animated hierarchies (implicit animations on large trees).

Summarize findings with evidence from traces/logs.

## 4. Remediate

Apply targeted fixes:
- Narrow state scope (`@State`/`@Observable` closer to leaf views).
- Stabilize identities for `ForEach` and lists.
- Move heavy work out of `body` (precompute, cache, `@State`).
- Use `equatable()` or value wrappers for expensive subtrees.
- Downsample images before rendering.
- Reduce layout complexity or use fixed sizing where possible.

## Common Code Smells (and Fixes)

Look for these patterns during code review.

### Expensive formatters in `body`

```swift
var body: some View {
    let number = NumberFormatter() // slow allocation
    let measure = MeasurementFormatter() // slow allocation
    Text(measure.string(from: .init(value: meters, unit: .meters)))
}
```

Prefer cached formatters in a model or a dedicated helper:

```swift
final class DistanceFormatter {
    static let shared = DistanceFormatter()
    let number = NumberFormatter()
    let measure = MeasurementFormatter()
}
```

### Computed properties that do heavy work

```swift
var filtered: [Item] {
    items.filter { $0.isEnabled } // runs on every body eval
}
```

Prefer precompute or cache on change:

```swift
@State private var filtered: [Item] = []
// update filtered when inputs change
```

### Sorting/filtering in `body` or `ForEach`

```swift
// DON'T: sorts or filters on every body evaluation
ForEach(items.sorted(by: sortRule)) { item in Row(item) }
ForEach(items.filter { $0.isEnabled }) { item in Row(item) }
```

Prefer precomputed, cached collections with stable identity. Update on input change, not in `body`.

### Unstable identity

```swift
ForEach(items, id: \.self) { item in
    Row(item)
}
```

Avoid `id: \.self` for non-stable values; use a stable ID.

### Top-level conditional view swapping

```swift
var content: some View {
    if isEditing {
        editingView
    } else {
        readOnlyView
    }
}
```

Prefer one stable base view and localize conditions to sections/modifiers (for example inside `toolbar`, row content, `overlay`, or `disabled`). This reduces root identity churn and helps SwiftUI diffing stay efficient.

### Image decoding on the main thread

```swift
Image(uiImage: UIImage(data: data)!)
```

Prefer decode/downsample off the main thread and store the result.

### Broad dependencies in observable models

```swift
@Observable class Model {
    var items: [Item] = []
}

var body: some View {
    Row(isFavorite: model.items.contains(item))
}
```

Prefer granular view models or per-item state to reduce update fan-out.

## 5. Verify

Ask the user to re-run the same capture and compare with baseline metrics.
Summarize the delta (CPU, frame drops, memory peak) if provided.

## Outputs

Provide:
- A short metrics table (before/after if available).
- Top issues (ordered by impact).
- Proposed fixes with estimated effort.

## MCP Tool Notes

- **xcodebuildmcp**: When building for profiling, use Release configuration. Debug builds include extra runtime checks that distort performance measurements. Always profile Release builds on a real device when possible.

## Instruments Profiling

### SwiftUI Instrument Template

Instruments ships with a dedicated **SwiftUI** template (available in Xcode 15+ / Instruments 15+). This template provides:

- **SwiftUI View Body** instrument -- counts how many times each view's `body` is evaluated.
- **SwiftUI View Properties** instrument -- tracks `@State`, `@Binding`, and `@Observable` property changes that trigger view updates.
- **Time Profiler** -- standard CPU profiler for identifying expensive `body` computations.
- **Hangs** instrument -- flags main-thread hangs > 250ms.

### Profiling Workflow

1. **Build for Profiling.** Product > Profile (Cmd+I) in Xcode. This creates a Release build with profiling symbols.
2. **Select the SwiftUI template.** Or create a custom template with SwiftUI + Time Profiler + Hangs.
3. **Record the interaction.** Reproduce the exact scroll, navigation, or animation that is slow.
4. **Inspect the SwiftUI lane.** Look for views with high body evaluation counts. A view evaluated hundreds of times during a single scroll is likely the bottleneck.
5. **Cross-reference with Time Profiler.** If a view body is called often AND takes significant time per call, that is the priority fix.

### View Body Evaluation Count

In the SwiftUI instrument lane, each row represents a view type. Key signals:

- **High count, low time per call:** Identity or state-invalidation problem (too many re-evaluations).
- **Low count, high time per call:** Expensive computation inside `body` (formatting, sorting, image work).
- **High count AND high time:** Both problems -- fix the expensive work first, then fix the invalidation.

### Identifying Unnecessary Redraws

Add `Self._printChanges()` in Debug builds to log exactly which property triggered a view update:

```swift
var body: some View {
    #if DEBUG
    let _ = Self._printChanges()  // prints: "MyView: @self, _count changed."
    #endif
    Text("Count: \(count)")
}
```

Remove `_printChanges()` before submitting to the App Store -- it is a debug-only API.

### Time Profiler for Body Hotspots

When Time Profiler shows significant time in a view's `body`:

1. Filter the call tree by the view type name.
2. Look for allocations (`NumberFormatter()`, `DateFormatter()`), collection operations (`.sorted()`, `.filter()`), or image decoding.
3. Move expensive operations to `onChange`, `task`, or precomputed `@State`.

## Identity and Lifetime

### Structural Identity vs Explicit Identity

SwiftUI assigns every view an **identity** used to track its lifetime, state, and animations.

- **Structural identity** (default): determined by the view's position in the view hierarchy. SwiftUI uses the call-site location in `body` to distinguish views.
- **Explicit identity**: you assign with `.id(_:)` modifier or `ForEach(items, id: \.stableID)`.

```swift
// Structural identity: SwiftUI knows these are different views by position
VStack {
    Text("First")   // position 0
    Text("Second")  // position 1
}
```

### How Identity Tracks View Lifetime

When a view's identity changes, SwiftUI treats it as a **new view**:

- All `@State` is reset.
- `onAppear` fires again.
- Animations may restart.
- Transition animations play (if defined).

When identity stays the same, SwiftUI updates the **existing view** in place, preserving state and providing smooth transitions.

### AnyView and Identity Reset

`AnyView` erases type information, forcing SwiftUI to fall back to less efficient diffing:

```swift
// DON'T: AnyView destroys type identity
func makeView(for item: Item) -> AnyView {
    if item.isPremium {
        return AnyView(PremiumRow(item: item))
    } else {
        return AnyView(StandardRow(item: item))
    }
}

// DO: use @ViewBuilder to preserve structural identity
@ViewBuilder
func makeView(for item: Item) -> some View {
    if item.isPremium {
        PremiumRow(item: item)
    } else {
        StandardRow(item: item)
    }
}
```

`AnyView` also prevents SwiftUI from detecting which branch changed, causing full subtree replacement instead of targeted updates.

### id() Modifier Impacts

The `.id()` modifier assigns explicit identity. Changing the value **destroys and recreates** the view:

```swift
// DON'T: UUID() changes every render, destroying and recreating the view each time
ScrollView {
    LazyVStack {
        ForEach(items) { item in
            Row(item: item)
                .id(UUID())  // kills performance -- new identity every render
        }
    }
}

// DO: use a stable identifier
ForEach(items) { item in
    Row(item: item)
        .id(item.stableID)  // identity only changes when the item actually changes
}
```

Intentional `.id()` change is useful for **resetting state** (e.g., `.id(selectedTab)` to reset a scroll position when switching tabs).

## Lazy Loading Patterns

### LazyVStack and LazyHStack

Lazy stacks only create views for items currently visible on screen. Off-screen items are not evaluated until scrolled into view.

```swift
ScrollView {
    LazyVStack(spacing: 12) {
        ForEach(items) { item in
            ItemRow(item: item)
        }
    }
}
```

Key behaviors:
- Views are created lazily but **not destroyed** when scrolled off screen (they remain in memory).
- `onAppear` fires when the view first enters the visible area.
- `onDisappear` fires when it leaves, but the view is still alive.

### LazyVGrid and LazyHGrid

Use lazy grids for multi-column layouts:

```swift
// Adaptive: as many columns as fit with minimum width
let columns = [GridItem(.adaptive(minimum: 150))]

ScrollView {
    LazyVGrid(columns: columns, spacing: 16) {
        ForEach(photos) { photo in
            PhotoThumbnail(photo: photo)
        }
    }
}

// Fixed: exact number of equal columns
let fixedColumns = [
    GridItem(.flexible()),
    GridItem(.flexible()),
    GridItem(.flexible()),
]
```

### When to Use Lazy vs Eager Stacks

| Scenario | Use |
|----------|-----|
| < 50 items | `VStack` / `HStack` (eager is fine) |
| 50-100 items | Either works; prefer `Lazy` if items are complex |
| > 100 items | `LazyVStack` / `LazyHStack` (required for performance) |
| Always-visible content | `VStack` (no benefit to lazy) |
| Scrollable lists | `LazyVStack` inside `ScrollView`, or `List` |

**Important:** Do not nest `GeometryReader` inside lazy containers. It forces eager measurement and defeats lazy loading. Use `.onGeometryChange` (iOS 18+) instead.

## State and Observation Optimization

### @Observable Granular Tracking

`@Observable` (Observation framework, iOS 17+) tracks property access at the **per-property level**. A view only re-evaluates when properties it actually read in `body` change:

```swift
@Observable class UserProfile {
    var name: String = ""
    var avatarURL: URL?
    var biography: String = ""
}

// This view ONLY re-renders when `name` changes -- not when
// biography or avatarURL change, because it only reads `name`
struct NameLabel: View {
    let profile: UserProfile
    var body: some View {
        Text(profile.name)
    }
}
```

This is a significant improvement over `ObservableObject` + `@Published`, which invalidates all observing views when **any** published property changes.

### Avoiding Observation Scope Pollution

If a view reads many properties from an `@Observable` model in `body`, it re-renders when **any** of those properties change. Push reads into child views to narrow the scope:

```swift
// DON'T: reads name, email, avatar, and settings in one body
struct ProfileView: View {
    let model: ProfileModel
    var body: some View {
        VStack {
            Text(model.name)           // tracks name
            Text(model.email)          // tracks email
            AsyncImage(url: model.avatar) // tracks avatar
            SettingsForm(model.settings)  // tracks settings
        }
    }
}

// DO: split into child views so each only tracks what it reads
struct ProfileView: View {
    let model: ProfileModel
    var body: some View {
        VStack {
            NameRow(model: model)      // only tracks name
            EmailRow(model: model)     // only tracks email
            AvatarView(model: model)   // only tracks avatar
            SettingsForm(model: model) // only tracks settings
        }
    }
}
```

### Computed Properties for Derived State

Use computed properties on `@Observable` models to derive state without introducing extra stored properties that widen observation scope:

```swift
@Observable class ShoppingCart {
    var items: [CartItem] = []

    // Views reading `total` only re-render when `items` changes
    var total: Decimal {
        items.reduce(0) { $0 + $1.price * Decimal($1.quantity) }
    }
}
```

## Common Mistakes

1. **Profiling Debug builds.** Debug builds include extra runtime checks and disable optimizations, producing misleading perf data. Profile Release builds on a real device.
2. **Observing an entire model when only one property is needed.** Break large `@Observable` models into focused ones, or use computed properties/closures to narrow observation scope.
3. **Using `GeometryReader` inside ScrollView items.** GeometryReader forces eager sizing and defeats lazy loading. Prefer `.onGeometryChange` (iOS 18+) or measure outside the lazy container.
4. **Calling `DateFormatter()` or `NumberFormatter()` inside `body`.** These are expensive to create. Make them static or move them outside the view.
5. **Animating non-equatable state.** If SwiftUI cannot determine equality, it redraws every frame. Conform state to `Equatable` or use `.animation(_:value:)` with an explicit value.
6. **Large flat `List` without identifiers.** Use `id:` or make items `Identifiable` so SwiftUI can diff efficiently instead of rebuilding the entire list.
7. **Unnecessary `@State` wrapper objects.** Wrapping a simple value type in a class for `@State` defeats value semantics. Use plain `@State` with structs.
8. **Blocking `MainActor` with synchronous I/O.** File reads, JSON parsing of large payloads, and image decoding should happen off the main actor. Use `Task.detached` or a custom actor.

## Review Checklist

- [ ] No `DateFormatter`/`NumberFormatter` allocations inside `body`
- [ ] Large lists use `Identifiable` items or explicit `id:`
- [ ] `@Observable` models expose only the properties views actually read
- [ ] Heavy computation is off `MainActor` (image processing, parsing)
- [ ] `GeometryReader` is not inside a `LazyVStack`/`LazyHStack`/`List`
- [ ] Animations use explicit `value:` parameter
- [ ] No synchronous network/file I/O on the main thread
- [ ] Profiling done on Release build, real device
- [ ] `@Observable` view models are `@MainActor`-isolated; types crossing concurrency boundaries are `Sendable`

## References

- Demystify SwiftUI performance (WWDC23): `references/demystify-swiftui-performance-wwdc23.md`
- Optimizing SwiftUI performance with Instruments: `references/optimizing-swiftui-performance-instruments.md`
- Understanding hangs in your app: `references/understanding-hangs-in-your-app.md`
- Understanding and improving SwiftUI performance: `references/understanding-improving-swiftui-performance.md`
