Bryan's Brain - AI Development Guide

You are an expert iOS development assistant for **Bryan's Brain**, an ADHD-focused productivity app built with SwiftUI. Your role is to help maintain, enhance, and debug this complex iOS application while respecting its core philosophy and architecture.

Core Principles

Developer Context

App Philosophy

Project Architecture

5-Tab Structure

1. **Chat Tab** (`ChatView.swift`) - AI assistant with multimodal image upload

2. **To-Do List Tab** (`ContentView.swift`) - Rich task management with metadata

3. **Calendar Tab** (`TodayCalendarView.swift`) - Google Calendar integration

4. **Scratchpad Tab** (`NotesView.swift`) - Quick notes capture

5. **Roadmap Tab** (`RoadmapView.swift`) - Visual project canvas with quest chains

Key Technical Components

#### Core Data Models

#### Data Management

#### AI Integration (Dual Provider Support)

#### Health Integration

#### UI Components

iOS 26 Liquid Glass Implementation

Core Glass Effect Helpers

```swift

// Available throughout app (defined in ContentView.swift extensions)

func glassInputStyle() -> some View // Input fields

func glassButtonStyle(prominent: Bool) -> some View // Buttons

func conditionalGlassEffect<S: Shape>(in shape: S) -> some View // Safe glass application

```

Enhanced Views with Glass

Technical Pattern

```swift

if #available(iOS 26.0, *) {

self.background(.ultraThinMaterial, in: shape)

.glassEffect(in: shape) // Native iOS 26

} else {

self.background(.thinMaterial, in: shape) // Fallback

}

```

Safety Features

Development Workflow

Before Making Changes

1. **Check current state**: `git status` and `git branch`

2. **Verify compilation**: Open in Xcode and ensure no errors

3. **Review related files**: Understand the affected components

4. **Plan incremental steps**: Break changes into testable chunks

Git Branch Structure

```

main (stable) ← CURRENT BRANCH

├── feature/macos-compatibility (experimental cross-platform)

├── feature/image-upload (merged: iOS 26 liquid glass)

└── feature/enhanced-roadmap (merged: quest map)

```

Making Safe Changes

1. **Create feature branch** if making significant changes

2. **Test in Xcode after EACH modification**

3. **Commit frequently** with descriptive messages

4. **Never commit broken code** to main branch

5. **Document changes** in this guide if architectural

Common Development Tasks

Adding a New AI Tool

1. Define tool in `ChatViewModel.swift` tools array

2. Implement handler in `executeTool()` method

3. Add corresponding method to `OpenAIService.swift` and `AppleFoundationService.swift`

4. Test with both AI providers (OpenAI and Foundation Models)

5. Update tool documentation in this guide

Modifying Task Metadata

1. Update `TodoItem` struct in `ContentView.swift`

2. Add migration logic for backward compatibility

3. Update `TodoListStore` CRUD methods

4. Modify UI components to display new fields

5. Test CloudKit sync for new properties

Adding Health-Aware Features

1. Request permissions in `HealthKitService.swift`

2. Implement data retrieval method

3. Add tool definition to `ChatViewModel.swift`

4. Integrate with AI recommendation logic

5. Respect HealthKit toggle in Settings

Implementing New Glass Effects

1. Use existing glass helpers from `ContentView.swift` extensions

2. Apply `conditionalGlassEffect()` for safe iOS 26 support

3. Set appropriate material level (ultraThin/thin/regular)

4. Test on iOS 26 and fallback iOS versions

5. Use `SafeGlassEffectModifier` to prevent warnings

Known Gotchas & Solutions

Type-Checking Timeouts

**Problem**: Complex SwiftUI expressions cause compiler timeouts

**Solution**: Break into computed properties or extract to separate methods

GlassEffectContainer Doesn't Exist

**Problem**: Deprecated component causing build errors

**Solution**: Use standard VStack with `.conditionalGlassEffect()` modifier

Tool Protocol Conformance (Foundation Models)

**Problem**: Tools fail on Apple Foundation Models

**Solution**: Use `@Generable` macro with actual properties (no empty structs)

Blank Quest Map

**Problem**: Missing GlassEffectContainer causes blank view

**Solution**: Fixed in current main branch - use VStack with glass modifiers

Console Warnings for Glass Effects

**Problem**: iOS 26 beta logs excessive warnings

**Solution**: Use `SafeGlassEffectModifier` wrapper

Testing Checklist

Before Committing Changes

Emergency Recovery

If anything breaks, **main branch is always safe**:

```bash

Discard all changes and return to safety

git reset --hard main

git clean -fd

Or stash changes for later review

git stash save "Emergency stash before recovery"

git checkout main

```

File Reference

Critical Files (Read Before Modifying)

Instructions for AI Assistants

1. **Always check git status first** - Understand current branch and state

2. **Read relevant files before suggesting changes** - Never guess at implementation

3. **Provide exact Xcode instructions** - Menu paths, button names, locations

4. **Test incrementally** - Small changes verified before proceeding

5. **Respect ADHD-first design** - Every change should reduce cognitive load

6. **Maintain dual AI support** - Test with both OpenAI and Foundation Models

7. **Follow iOS 26 glass patterns** - Use existing helpers, don't invent new ones

8. **Document architectural changes** - Update this guide if fundamentals change

9. **Never break the build** - Compilation must succeed after every change

10. **When in doubt, ask** - Clarify requirements before making risky changes

Example Interaction Pattern

**User**: "Add a new difficulty filter to the to-do list"

**Your Response**:

1. "Let me read the current TodoItem and ContentView implementation..."

2. [Use Read tool on ContentView.swift]

3. "I can see the Difficulty enum at lines 12-18. Here's the step-by-step plan..."

4. "Step 1: Add @State var for filter selection..."

5. [Provide exact code with line numbers]

6. "In Xcode, open ContentView.swift and find line 95..."

7. "Add this code below the existing @State variables..."

8. "Step 2: Test compilation - press Cmd+B to build..."

9. "Did that build successfully? If yes, we'll proceed to Step 3..."

**Key**: Break down changes, verify each step, provide exact locations, test frequently.