# RFC 0011 — Post-WWDC 2026 positioning

- **Status**: Resolved — matched **Q2** (Siri AI ships, no system MCP). Resolved 2026-06-09, day after the June 8 keynote.
- **Author**: heznpc + Claude
- **Created**: 2026-05-07
- **Resolved**: 2026-06-09
- **Target**: README positioning refresh (this PR) + a follow-up RFC for App Schemas codegen adoption.

---

## 0. Verdict (post-keynote, 2026-06-09)

The keynote landed on **Q2 of the §5 matrix: Siri AI ships, no *consumer/system* MCP** —
with the threaded "AppIntents API additions" sub-axis (§5.3) firing hard. Apple did
not ship a *consumer-facing / Siri* MCP surface; instead it doubled down on **App
Intents as the mandatory Siri agentic substrate** and layered new agentic primitives
(App Schemas) on top.

**Correction to the first-pass verdict (2026-06-09):** the original wording — "no
native / system MCP anywhere" — was too absolute. Apple *did* ratify MCP, but at the
**developer/agent layer**, not the consumer/Siri one: Xcode 27's agentic coding takes
"skills, MCP tools and any agent via the Agent Client Protocol", and Xcode has been an
MCP *server* (`xcrun mcpbridge`) since 26.3. So the accurate picture is **two layers** —
Siri = App Intents (Apple-proprietary), agents = MCP (Apple-ratified) — and that is
*better* for AirMCP, not worse (see §0.1 row 5 + §0.2).

### 0.1 What Apple actually shipped (verified)

| Announcement | Source (fetched 2026-06-09 / dated 2026-06-08) | AirMCP impact |
|---|---|---|
| **SiriKit formally deprecated. App Intents is now the only framework Siri calls into a third-party app through.** 2–3 year migration window; dev beta 6/8, public beta mid-July, iOS 27 GA September. | [techtimes 2026-06-08](https://www.techtimes.com/articles/318005/20260608/wwdc-2026-app-intents-replaces-sirikit-gemini-siri-migration-clock-starts.htm) | AirMCP already auto-generates 232 App Intents from its tool manifest (RFC 0007). It was already on the *only* Apple-blessed path before Apple made it mandatory. JXA/AppleScript-wrapper competitors that don't emit App Intents are now on a deprecation clock. |
| **App Schemas** — a new layer over App Intents + App Entities that "enables powerful system actions," semantic search, cross-app actions, onscreen awareness, content transfer. | [WWDC26 session 240 (first-party)](https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2026/240/) — "Build intelligent Siri experiences with App Schemas" | AirMCP's codegen emits App Intents/Entities in the iOS-26 shape, **not** App Schemas. This is the concrete codegen gap → follow-up RFC. |
| **Agentic-security session**: Apple recommends **user confirmations (HITL)**, authentication, and secure prompt design to mitigate indirect prompt injection / data exfiltration / unintended actions in App Intents + Foundation Models features. | [WWDC26 session 347 (first-party)](https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2026/347/) — "Secure your app: mitigate risks to agentic features" (video "Available soon") | Apple now tells **every** agentic-feature developer to add the exact governance AirMCP already ships: per-call HITL, scope-gated auth, blast-radius containment, audit. Strongest validation point — AirMCP shipped this first. |
| **Siri 2.0**: system-wide personal context + onscreen awareness + cross-app multi-step agentic execution. The widely reported **"Gemini backbone via Private Cloud Compute" is press reporting, not Apple's wording** — Apple's own newsroom post names no model vendor, only "a bold new architecture uniquely designed to protect users' privacy" (first-party check 2026-06-10). | Press: [MacRumors](https://www.macrumors.com/2026/06/08/wwdc-2026-live-coverage/) / [Engadget](https://www.engadget.com/2189169/apple-wwdc-2026-live-blog-siri-ai-ios-27/) / [TechRadar](https://www.techradar.com/news/live/apple-wwdc-2026-live), all 2026-06-08. First-party: [Apple newsroom 2026-06-08](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/06/apple-unveils-next-generation-of-apple-intelligence-siri-ai-and-more/) — no Gemini / Google / PCC mention. | Validates AirMCP's whole category ("governed agentic multi-step action on Apple data"). Positioning must not anchor on a vendor Apple hasn't named — the durable first-party fact is the **pluggable model layer** (`LanguageModel` protocol, §0.3 item 2): AirMCP stays model-agnostic above it. README's earlier "Confirmed … Gemini backbone" wording corrected to match (2026-06-10). |
| **MCP is split across two layers** — *not* "no MCP" (a correction to the first-pass verdict, 2026-06-09). **Consumer/Siri layer:** no MCP — Siri's agentic path is App Intents + App Schemas, Apple-proprietary and Siri-only (sessions 240 / 347, zero MCP). **Developer/agent layer:** Apple *ratified MCP* — SOTU takeaway #5: Xcode 27 "Plugins add skills, **MCP tools** and any agent via the **Agent Client Protocol**"; Xcode is itself an MCP server since 26.3 (`xcrun mcpbridge`). | [SOTU 5 takeaways (first-party)](https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=lvart8mq); Xcode-as-MCP-server background ([giving agents access to Xcode](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/xcode/giving-agentic-coding-tools-access-to-xcode)) | Apple just made **MCP its blessed agent-tool interface** at the developer layer — strengthens "MCP = the universal agent interface" rather than threatening it. The Siri path stays App Intents (which AirMCP generates); every *non-Siri* agent — Claude, Codex, opencode, Gemini CLI, Cursor, Zed, Cline, ChatGPT MCP Apps, **and now Apple's own Xcode** — acts via MCP = AirMCP. Domains don't overlap: Xcode's MCP is for *building apps* (file/build/Simulator/debug); AirMCP's is for *operating Mac + Apple data*. Complementary. |
| **Core AI framework** (session 324) — Apple's on-device inference framework, *now developer-available*: full model-deployment lifecycle across Apple Silicon (CPU/GPU/ANE), Swift API + Python tooling, loads/runs **open-source models** (PyTorch → `.aimodel`) with a **Core AI models repository** of ready-to-run examples. Foundation Models also gained **image input, cloud models, Dynamic Profiles** (SOTU #2). | [Meet Core AI session 324 (first-party)](https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2026/324/); [SOTU 5 takeaways](https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=lvart8mq) | New surface for AirMCP's `intelligence/` module + Swift bridge. **Conservative note:** "Apple open-sources its *own* Foundation Models this year" is **not** a verified claim (no first-party wording found 2026-06-09) — what *is* verified is Core AI making open-source-model deployment a standard Apple-Silicon path. |

Full session catalog (verified against [developer.apple.com/videos/wwdc2026](https://developer.apple.com/videos/wwdc2026/) 2026-06-09; most videos "Available soon"):
240 App Schemas, **345 "Discover new capabilities in the App Intents framework"**,
343 advanced App Intents, 295 AppIntentsTesting, 344 code-along, 310 What's new in
Shortcuts, 241 Foundation Models, 242 agentic Foundation Models, 347 agentic security.

**There is no standalone "Actions" framework** — "actions" is App Intents' own term
(an App Intent *is* an exposed action). Verified 2026-06-09 against sessions 240 /
343 / 345 and the catalog: nothing introduces a separate Actions/App-Actions API.
Session 345 is where the new App Intent *capabilities* live — `ValueRepresentation`,
`RelevantEntities`, `EntityCollection`, `SyncableEntity`, union parameter types, and
**long-running intents** — and those are the concrete targets for the codegen
follow-up (§0.3 item 2). Not yet deep-dived: 310 (Shortcuts), pending video.

### 0.2 Positioning decision

The pre-decided Q2 response (§5.2) was "defend on UX — AirMCP is the action layer
behind Siri's routing layer." Reality is stronger than that: Apple validated the
*category* (agentic + governed + cross-app on Apple data) and made AirMCP's
already-shipping App Intents path mandatory, while leaving the MCP path — the only
route for every non-Siri agent — entirely to third parties.

**New one-line positioning:** *Apple owns the default assistant; AirMCP is the open
action runtime for every other AI client.* The same governed action catalog feeds
two surfaces — Apple's now-mandatory App Intents (the Siri path, generated by
RFC 0007) and MCP (the path for Claude / Codex / Cursor / Gemini / ChatGPT / any
MCP-capable agent).

### 0.3 Action items

1. **README** — replace the four pre-WWDC sentences (the "pending Apple's WWDC 2026
   announcement", "pre-WWDC reporting", "expected … if Apple announces a system MCP"
   framings, and the inert keynote-response slot) with the post-WWDC verdict above.
   *(This PR.)*
2. **Follow-up RFC — App Schemas + new App Intents capabilities codegen.** Extend
   `scripts/gen-swift-intents.mjs` to emit App Schemas (240) and the session-345
   additions (`ValueRepresentation`, `RelevantEntities`, `EntityCollection`,
   `SyncableEntity`, union parameter types, long-running intents).

   **Concretized 2026-06-10 — the "docs publish" precondition is now partially
   met** (WWDC26 guides live; several session videos still landing through 6/12).
   First-party facts pinned from the [WWDC26 Apple Intelligence guide](https://developer.apple.com/wwdc26/guides/apple-intelligence/)
   and the [session 241 page](https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2026/241/),
   both fetched 2026-06-10:

   - **Apple's terms**: "App Intents schemas" / "Entity schemas" (feed the
     Spotlight semantic index, with attribution back to the app) / "intent
     schemas" (no fixed phrases; coverage evolves with Siri's language
     understanding). Codegen emits schema conformances per category — map our
     notes / calendar / reminders / photos entities first.
   - **View Annotations API** — maps views to entities for on-screen awareness.
     N/A for the headless server (no views); revisit only for the menubar app.
   - **App Intents Testing framework** (session 295, `AppIntentsTesting`) —
     validates Siri / Shortcuts / Spotlight integration "through real system
     pathways, without UI automation" → candidate **CI gate for the 232
     generated intents**, which today are only drift-checked statically.
   - **Foundation Models additions** (slot into `intelligence/` per §5.3 —
     CHANGELOG-only unless we adopt provider-pluggability, which would need its
     own RFC): new `LanguageModel` protocol — on-device /
     `PrivateCloudComputeLanguageModel` / third-party cloud behind one session
     API, with **Anthropic and Google publishing Swift packages**; open-source
     `CoreAILanguageModel` + `MLXLanguageModel` for local models; image input;
     Python SDK; core open-sourced (runs on Linux); **Dynamic Profiles** ("a
     declarative primitive for agentic experiences").
   - **Hard gates unchanged**: implementation needs the macOS 27 SDK (public
     beta July, GA September — press dating) running in an **isolated
     environment** (external SSD boot volume; no day-1 beta on the primary
     machine), and the adoption macro / protocol names must come from SDK
     headers + the session 240 / 345 docs — still no guessing from blurbs.
3. **Do NOT build a system-MCP adapter.** Q1/Q3's `AIRMCP_SYSTEM_MCP` work is moot —
   no system MCP shipped.
4. Landing-page tagline — **resolved 2026-06-09 to "More than Siri. Open to every agent."** (was "Better
   Siri, powered by open source"). Synced across `docs/index.html`, all 9
   `docs/locales/*.json`, `docs/site/.../index.mdx`, and `docs/direction.md`. Note:
   "More than Siri" *is* a comparison; it is the **single deliberate exception** to
   the no-named-comparison rule — Siri is the platform incumbent / category anchor,
   not a competing third-party MCP server. The rule still bars naming rival servers
   (LMCP, apple-mcp, iMCP, etc.); see `docs/direction.md`.

## 1. Why this exists pre-conference

Multiple credible WWDC 2026 leaks signal a structural shift in Apple's AI strategy:
- **"Snow Leopard year"** — refinement-focused release cycle
- **Siri 2.0 with third-party AI extensions** — direct routing to Claude / Gemini for queries Siri can't answer ([geeky-gadgets](https://www.geeky-gadgets.com/wwdc-2026-5-new-leaks/), [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/23/apple-wwdc-june-8-12-ai-advancements-siri-developers-conference/))
- **Possible system MCP** — the developer-visible contract may finally land beyond AppIntents (RFC 0007 §1)

Any of those individually has a measurable AirMCP impact; together they could redraw the competitive map.

## 2. What this RFC will cover (to be written after the keynote)

- **System MCP API shape** — if Apple ships a first-party MCP surface, how does AirMCP coexist? Defensive options:
  - Become the "tools provider" the system MCP host consumes
  - Refocus on cross-app workflow / Skills DSL / audit (areas Apple won't ship in v1)
  - Track the new API as a transport target alongside stdio / HTTP
- **Siri AI Extensions** — Claude routing through Siri overlaps AirMCP's "talk to your Mac" pitch:
  - AirMCP's deep tool surface vs Siri's single-query handoff
  - Migration path for users who'd otherwise use Siri → Claude → MCP
- **AppIntents API additions** — any new fields (especially `requestConfirmation` API surface, MCP-specific keys) may unblock RFC 0007 Phase B
- **iOS 27 / macOS 27 SDK gates** — minimum-OS bumps and what they mean for AirMCP's compat matrix (RFC 0004)

## 3. Action items (post-keynote, day-of)

1. Watch the Platforms State of the Union for AppIntents / FoundationModels / system MCP slides
2. Read the relevant developer documentation diffs against the May 2026 baseline
3. Draft this RFC's actual content within 48h of the keynote so the post-WWDC sprint starts on the same week
4. Decide whether RFC 0009 (iWork depth) should accelerate, decelerate, or pivot based on Apple's iWork-side announcements

## 4. Pre-keynote prohibition (lifted 2026-06-09 — kept for the record)

These held until the keynote and were honored — no pivot, no rebrand, the README
slot stayed inert pre-keynote. Now superseded by §0.

- ~~**Do not pivot AirMCP architecture before June 9.**~~ — moot; §0.3 confirms no
  architecture change (no system MCP shipped).
- ~~**Do not pre-emptively rebrand or reposition** based on leaks.~~ — the §0.2
  reposition is now based on the actual keynote + first-party session pages, not leaks.

## 5. Scenario matrix (pre-keynote prep — written 2026-05-12)

This section exists so the 48-hour post-keynote window (June 8 evening → June 10
morning KST) can be spent **executing** rather than **deciding**. Every cell
below is a hypothesis with a pre-decided response. When the keynote lands, walk
the matrix once, pick the matching quadrant, and fire the corresponding action
list. If reality doesn't match any cell, fall back to §6's escape hatch.

The two axes are the leaks with the largest AirMCP impact:

- **Axis A — System MCP API.** Does Apple ship a first-party MCP surface that
  third-party developers can register tools into (likely a superset of AppIntents
  with explicit MCP semantics, given the AppIntents-MCP convergence work the
  community has been tracking)?
- **Axis B — Siri AI Extensions.** Does Apple ship Siri-routes-to-Claude/Gemini
  for queries Siri can't answer (the leak that overlaps AirMCP's "talk to your
  Mac" pitch most directly)?

A third axis (**iWork / AppIntents API additions**) only matters within cells
where one of the first two ships, so it's threaded into each quadrant's actions
rather than expanded into a 2×2×2.

### 5.1 The four quadrants

| | **System MCP ships** | **System MCP does not ship** |
|---|---|---|
| **Siri AI Extensions ship** | **Q1 — Compete on depth.** Apple's system MCP becomes the spec everyone targets; Siri becomes the discovery layer. AirMCP's edge is the **breadth** (29 modules, ~280 tools) Apple won't ship in v1 and the **audit / Skills DSL / cross-module orchestration** Apple won't ship at all. Reposition AirMCP as "the tools provider Siri and the system MCP host consume." | **Q2 — Defend on UX.** Siri-as-router devalues the "talk to your Mac" pitch but doesn't touch the developer-facing MCP surface. AirMCP remains the only practical MCP entry point on macOS. Reposition around **developer ergonomics + cross-app workflows**; emphasize that Siri can hand off to Claude → AirMCP for anything beyond a single-shot query. |
| **Siri AI Extensions do NOT ship** | **Q3 — Become the spec target.** Best case for AirMCP. The system MCP API legitimises the protocol on Apple platforms; Apple has not given users a Siri shortcut to LLMs, so the "talk to your Mac via Claude / Cursor / Cline" UX stays AirMCP's. Action: become the **reference implementation** of the system MCP API on day one. | **Q4 — Status quo, refinement year.** "Snow Leopard" plays out: no major API shift. AirMCP continues current trajectory (RFC 0007 Phase B, RFC 0009 Phase 2, RFC 0008 Phase 2). No reposition. Use the post-WWDC window to land roadmap work that's been deferred. |

### 5.2 Per-quadrant action lists (48h window starting at keynote)

#### Q1 — System MCP + Siri AI both ship (highest disruption)

| Phase | Hour offset | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Watch | 0 → +3 | Keynote + Platforms State of the Union. Capture exact API names, doc URLs, screenshots. |
| Triage | +3 → +12 | Diff dev docs vs May 2026 baseline. Identify (a) registration shape for system MCP tools, (b) Siri extension manifest format, (c) whether AppIntents is the substrate or a separate surface. |
| Draft | +12 → +24 | Write a follow-up **System MCP integration RFC**: should AirMCP register every tool into Apple's host, mirror them, or coexist as a stdio/HTTP server alongside? Decision criterion: which path preserves cross-host portability (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Cline) without forking the codebase. |
| Comms | +24 → +36 | Publish "**AirMCP × System MCP — what changes**" blog post + README hero update + pinned GitHub Discussion. **Do not rebrand yet.** Position as "AirMCP works with Apple's system MCP" (factual, neutral). |
| Code | +36 → +48 | Land a **minimum-viable system MCP adapter** behind `AIRMCP_SYSTEM_MCP=true` (off by default). Goal: prove the codebase can address the new transport without locking in a path. |

#### Q2 — Siri AI ships, no system MCP

| Phase | Hour offset | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Watch | 0 → +3 | Capture Siri extension API surface + which third-party LLM providers are eligible. |
| Triage | +3 → +12 | Confirm Siri-AI extensions are query-handoff only (no tool registration). If yes, AirMCP's MCP surface is unthreatened. |
| Position | +12 → +24 | Update README + landing page: "Siri sends queries to Claude — AirMCP gives Claude the 280 tools to act on them." Position AirMCP as the **action layer behind Siri's routing layer**. |
| Code | +24 → +48 | Land a tracking issue for "Siri → Claude → AirMCP" example flows; ship at least one Skills DSL recipe demonstrating it. No architecture change. |

#### Q3 — System MCP ships, no Siri AI Extensions (best case)

| Phase | Hour offset | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Watch | 0 → +3 | Capture system MCP API exactly as in Q1. |
| Triage | +3 → +12 | Same diff work as Q1. |
| Draft | +12 → +24 | Write a follow-up **Reference implementation status RFC**: aim to be the highest-coverage MCP server on macOS at WWDC + 1 week. Catalog gaps between AirMCP and Apple's first-party tools (likely Apple ships maybe 30-50 tools across Mail/Calendar/Reminders/Notes; AirMCP has ~280). |
| Comms | +24 → +36 | "**Apple just shipped MCP. Here's why AirMCP still matters**" post. Lead with the tool-count delta and the audit / Skills DSL features that Apple hasn't shipped. |
| Code | +36 → +48 | System MCP adapter (same as Q1) but no Siri-related work. |

#### Q4 — Neither ships (status quo)

| Phase | Hour offset | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Watch | 0 → +3 | Note the iWork / AppIntents / FoundationModels announcements that DID land. |
| Triage | +3 → +12 | If RFC 0007 Phase B is unblocked by new AppIntents API surface (`requestConfirmation` shape, MCP-specific keys, new typed-output channels), promote it to next-sprint priority. |
| Code | +12 → +48 | Resume planned work: RFC 0009 Phase 2 (iWork depth — charts / merged cells), RFC 0008 Phase 2 (elicitation flows), HomeKit Phase 0. No public communication beyond a routine CHANGELOG entry. |

### 5.3 Threaded sub-axis — iWork / AppIntents / SDK additions

These affect every quadrant the same way and can be evaluated in parallel:

- **AppIntents `requestConfirmation` API surface added.** If Apple ships a richer
  confirmation API (beyond the 2-member `ConfirmationActionName` of iOS/macOS 26),
  RFC 0007 destructive-tool flow gets cleaner. Action: write a small follow-up
  RFC, ship behind `AIRMCP_APPINTENTS_DESTRUCTIVE_V2=true`.
- **New AppEnum primitives or typed-output channels.** Codegen helpers
  (`scripts/lib/codegen-helpers.mjs`) get extended; ineligible-tool count
  (currently 44 of ~280) shrinks. Net win regardless of quadrant.
- **iWork APIs gain scriptable surface beyond JXA.** Replace `osascript -l JavaScript`
  bridge with the new API in `src/numbers|pages|keynote/scripts.ts`. Touch RFC 0009
  to reflect the new substrate; cell-level operations get faster + better-typed.
- **macOS 27 / iOS 27 SDK gates.** If Apple announces minimum-OS bumps for
  AppIntents features, update RFC 0004's compatibility matrix and decide whether
  AirMCP's minimum supported macOS bumps too (currently 13+ for the bridge).
- **FoundationModels API additions.** Already used by `intelligence/` module
  (macOS 26+ gate). New capabilities slot into the existing module without an
  RFC; CHANGELOG entry only.

## 6. Escape hatch

If reality doesn't match any of the four quadrants (e.g. Apple ships a partial
system MCP that's read-only, or Siri AI Extensions ship as a closed beta with
only Apple-vetted LLMs, or something genuinely unexpected lands):

1. **Do not ship anything code-side in the first 48 hours.** Spend the window
   reading docs and drafting a follow-up RFC instead.
2. Post a holding comms message ("We're reading the docs — full analysis in 5
   days") on README + Discussions. Do not commit to a direction publicly until
   the team has slept on it.
3. Schedule a 5-day-out follow-up: at that point, either reality looks like one
   of the four quadrants in retrospect, or this RFC gets §5.4 added to cover
   the new case.

## 7. Sources used to define the matrix (May 2026 baseline)

- [geeky-gadgets — WWDC 2026 5 new leaks](https://www.geeky-gadgets.com/wwdc-2026-5-new-leaks/) — "Snow Leopard year" + Siri 2.0 framing.
- [TechCrunch — Apple WWDC June 8-12 AI advancements / Siri / developers](https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/23/apple-wwdc-june-8-12-ai-advancements-siri-developers-conference/) — third-party AI extensions in Siri.
- Internal RFCs already on file: 0004 (compat matrix), 0007 (AppIntents bridge), 0008 (elicitation), 0009 (iWork depth), 0010 (progressive disclosure).
- Community noise on r/MachineLearning, Hacker News (Apple-MCP / FastMCP threads), Anthropic Developer forum — qualitative only, not weighted.
