SwiftData Code Review#

Quick Reference#

Issue TypeReference@Model, @Attribute, @Relationship, delete rulesreferences/model-design.md@Query, #Predicate, FetchDescriptor, #Indexreferences/queries.md@ModelActor, ModelContext, background operationsreferences/concurrency.mdVersionedSchema, MigrationStage, lightweight/customreferences/migrations.md

Hard gates (before reporting findings)#

Run in order; do not assert an issue until the gate for that issue passes.

1. Scope — pass when: You have the target .swift path(s) and confirmed SwiftData surface in scope (e.g. import SwiftData, @Model, @Query, @ModelActor, VersionedSchema, or migration types). If none apply, stop or narrow scope with one sentence.
2. Reference — pass when: For each checklist area you evaluate (models, queries, concurrency, migrations), you opened the matching references/*.md from the Quick Reference table or wrote N/A: no <area> in this review with a one-line reason.
3. Evidence — pass when: Every finding uses the [FILE:LINE] ISSUE_TITLE header (line range allowed) from the file you read; no finding without a cite.
4. Report — pass when: Findings list cites first (or inline) using [FILE:LINE] ISSUE_TITLE, then severity or checklist grouping—no uncited assertions.

Review Checklist#

• Models marked final (subclassing crashes)
• @Relationship decorator on ONE side only (not both)
• Delete rules explicitly set (not relying on default .nullify)
• Relationships initialized to empty arrays, not default objects
• Batch operations used for bulk inserts ( append(contentsOf:))
• @Query not loading thousands of items on main thread
• External values in predicates captured in local variables
• Scalar comparisons in predicates (not object references)
• @ModelActor used for background operations
• PersistentIdentifier/DTOs used to pass data between actors
• VersionedSchema defined for each shipped version
• MigrationPlan passed to ModelContainer

When to Load References#

• Reviewing @Model or relationships -> model-design.md
• Reviewing @Query or #Predicate -> queries.md
• Reviewing @ModelActor or background work -> concurrency.md
• Reviewing schema changes or migrations -> migrations.md

Review Questions#

1. Could this relationship assignment cause NULL foreign keys?
2. Is @Relationship on both sides creating circular references?
3. Could this @Query block the main thread with large datasets?
4. Are model objects being passed between actors unsafely?
5. Would schema changes require a migration plan?