Install Skills and Generate Your First App
Learning Objectives
After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:
- List the prerequisites for using Mobile Procode Skills.
- Describe what a single prompt generates.
Before You Start
Before Sophia can generate her first app, she needs to ensure her development environment is ready. Mobile Procode Skills generate real Xcode and Android Studio projects, so she needs the necessary build tools in place.
Operating System Requirements
- For iOS development: macOS (required for Xcode and iOS simulators)
- For Android development: Windows, Linux, or macOS
Required Software
Here's what Sophia needs installed.
- AI coding environment: One of the compatible tools (Agentforce Vibes, Claude Code, Cursor, OpenCode, or Codex)
- Salesforce CLI: For org authentication and metadata operations
- Salesforce org access: A Developer Edition or sandbox org
- Connected App: A Salesforce Connected App with a Client ID and Callback URI for OAuth
- Native build tool for iOS: Xcode (for building and running apps in the iOS Simulator)
- Native build tool for Android: Android Studio, Gradle, Android 15 SDK (API level 35+), Android 15 Emulator, and Java 17 (Azul recommended)
About Connected Apps
The Connected App allows the generated mobile app to authenticate with Salesforce. If Sophia doesn't already have one, she can create it in Setup | App Manager | New Connected App. She needs the Client ID (Consumer Key) and Callback URI when she configures the generated app.
Install Mobile Procode Skills
Installation depends on which AI coding environment Sophia uses.
- For Agentforce Vibes: No installation needed—Mobile Procode Skills are included by default and auto-update.
- For Other AI Coding Environments: Sophia runs this command in her terminal:
npx skills add https://github.com/forcedotcom/sf-skills --skill mobile-apps-create
The skill installs as a symlink at ~/.agents/skills/mobile-apps-create.
To verify the installation, Sophia opens her AI assistant and checks that mobile-apps-create appears in the available skills or tool inventory.
Set Up Simulators and Emulators
Before generating an app, Sophia launches a simulator or emulator so the generated app can run immediately.
- iOS: Launch an iOS Simulator in Xcode.
- Android: Start an Android Emulator in Android Studio.
Write Effective Prompts
Mobile Procode Skills are agentic—they infer intent from natural language. But the more detail Sophia provides, the better the scaffolding.
A good prompt includes:
- Platform: iOS, Android, or both
- Intended users: Who uses this app and in what context
- Salesforce objects: Which data the app needs to access
- Offline requirements: Whether the app should work without a network connection
Example Prompt
Here's what Sophia types.
Build me a native iOS app for field sales reps with offline access to Accounts and Contacts.
The skill parses this and understands:
- Platform: iOS (generates an Xcode workspace)
- Users: Field sales reps (suggests appropriate UI patterns)
- Objects: Accounts and Contacts (configures SmartStore soups and Mobile Sync targets)
- Offline: Required (sets up SmartStore + Mobile Sync with correct policies)
What Gets Generated
From that single prompt, Mobile Procode Skills generates:
- A complete project structure: An Xcode workspace (for iOS) or Android Studio project (for Android) with correct folder organization
- OAuth configuration: Login flows, token management, and secure storage—all wired to Sophia's Connected App
- SmartStore soup definitions: Encrypted on-device storage for Accounts and Contacts, with appropriate indexing
- Mobile Sync sync targets: Bidirectional sync configured with sync-down and sync-up policies
- Native UI: A basic interface displaying real org data, ready to extend
Sophia runs it in Xcode and can immediately review her org's Account and Contact data in the simulator.
The Entry Point Skill
The /mobile-apps-create skill is the entry point. It routes requests to appropriate sub-skills based on what Sophia asks for. If she later says "add biometric authentication," the skill knows to invoke the authentication sub-skill and integrate it correctly into the existing project.
Why This Approach Works
Sophia describes what she needs—SmartStore index specs, Mobile Sync policy syntax, or OAuth callback handling—and the skill generates correct, idiomatic code that follows Mobile SDK best practices.
Now you understand how to install skills and what a single prompt generates. In the next unit, you’ll explore how to add offline capabilities and biometric security.