ios-icon-gen

iOS Icon Generator

Generate PNG icon imagesets for Xcode asset catalogs from two sources.

When to Activate

• Generating icon assets for an iOS/macOS Xcode project
• Searching for icons across open source collections
• Creating PNG imagesets (1x, 2x, 3x) for asset catalogs
• Replacing placeholder icons with production-quality assets
• Matching existing icon styles in an Xcode project

Core Principles

1. Two Sources, One Output Format

Both sources produce identical Xcode-compatible imagesets. Choose based on need:

Source	Icons	Requires	Best for
Iconify API	275,000+ from 200+ collections	Internet	Wide selection, specific styles, open source icons
SF Symbols	5,000+ Apple symbols	macOS only	Apple-native style, offline use

2. Always Match Existing Style

Before generating, check the project's existing icons for size, color, and weight consistency.

3. Output Structure

Both methods produce a complete Xcode imageset:

<output-dir>/<asset-name>.imageset/
  Contents.json
  <asset-name>.png        # 1x (68px default)
  <asset-name>@2x.png     # 2x (136px default)
  <asset-name>@3x.png     # 3x (204px default)

Examples

Step 1: Assess Requirements

Determine icon needs: what the icon represents, preferred style, target color, and size.

If the project already has icons, check existing style:

# Check dimensions of existing icon
sips -g pixelWidth -g pixelHeight path/to/existing@2x.png

Step 2: Search for Icons

Iconify API (recommended for wide selection):

# Search all collections
$SKILL_DIR/scripts/iconify_gen.sh search "receipt"

# Search within a specific collection
$SKILL_DIR/scripts/iconify_gen.sh search "business card" --prefix mdi

# List available collections
$SKILL_DIR/scripts/iconify_gen.sh collections

SF Symbols (for Apple-native style): Browse the SF Symbols app or reference common names:

Use Case	Symbol Name
Document	doc.text, doc.fill
Receipt	doc.text.below.ecg, receipt
Person	person.crop.rectangle, person.text.rectangle
Camera	camera, camera.fill
Scan	doc.viewfinder, qrcode.viewfinder
Settings	gearshape, slider.horizontal.3

Step 3: Preview (Optional)

# Iconify preview
$SKILL_DIR/scripts/iconify_gen.sh preview mdi:receipt-text-outline

Step 4: Generate

Iconify API:

# Basic generation
$SKILL_DIR/scripts/iconify_gen.sh mdi:receipt-text-outline editTool_expenseReport

# Custom color and output location
$SKILL_DIR/scripts/iconify_gen.sh mdi:receipt-text-outline myIcon --color 007AFF --output ./Assets.xcassets/icons

Options: --size <pt> (default: 68), --color <hex> (default: 8E8E93), --output <dir> (default: /tmp/icons)

SF Symbols:

# Basic generation
swift $SKILL_DIR/scripts/generate_icons.swift doc.text.below.ecg editTool_expenseReport

# Custom color, weight, and output
swift $SKILL_DIR/scripts/generate_icons.swift person.crop.rectangle myIcon --color 007AFF --weight regular --output ./Assets.xcassets/icons

Options: --size <pt> (default: 68), --color <hex> (default: 8E8E93), --weight <name> (default: thin), --output <dir> (default: /tmp/icons)

Step 5: Verify and Integrate

1. Read the generated @2x PNG to verify visually
2. Copy to asset catalog if not output there directly:

   cp -r /tmp/icons/<name>.imageset path/to/Assets.xcassets/<group>/
   

3. Build the project to verify Xcode picks up the new assets

Popular Iconify Collections

Prefix	Name	Count	Style
mdi	Material Design Icons	7400+	Filled + outline variants
ph	Phosphor	9000+	6 weights per icon
solar	Solar	7400+	Bold, linear, outline
tabler	Tabler Icons	6000+	Consistent stroke width
lucide	Lucide	1700+	Clean, minimal
ri	Remix Icon	3100+	Filled + line variants
carbon	Carbon	2400+	IBM design language
heroicons	HeroIcons	1200+	Tailwind CSS companion

Browse all: https://icon-sets.iconify.design/

Scripts Reference

Script	Source	Path
iconify_gen.sh	Iconify API (275k+ icons)	$SKILL_DIR/scripts/iconify_gen.sh
generate_icons.swift	SF Symbols (5k+ icons)	$SKILL_DIR/scripts/generate_icons.swift

Best Practices

• Search before generating -- browse available icons to find the best match
• Match existing project style -- check dimensions, color, and weight of existing icons before generating new ones
• Use Iconify for variety -- 200+ collections means you can find the exact style you need
• Use SF Symbols for Apple consistency -- they match system UI perfectly
• Generate directly to asset catalog -- use --output ./Assets.xcassets/icons to skip manual copying
• Verify visually -- always preview the @2x PNG before committing

Anti-Patterns

• Generating icons without checking existing project icon style
• Using default colors when the project has a defined color palette
• Generating at wrong sizes (check existing icons first)
• Committing generated icons without visual verification