Core Location Patterns

Discipline skill for Core Location implementation decisions. Prevents common authorization mistakes, battery drain, and background location failures.

When to Use

• Choosing authorization strategy (When In Use vs Always)
• Deciding monitoring approach (continuous vs significant-change vs CLMonitor)
• Implementing geofencing or background location
• Debugging "location not working" issues
• Reviewing location code for anti-patterns

Related Skills

• axiom-core-location-ref — API reference, code examples
• axiom-core-location-diag — Symptom-based troubleshooting
• axiom-energy — Location as battery subsystem

---

Part 1: Anti-Patterns (with Time Costs)

Anti-Pattern 1: Premature Always Authorization

Wrong (30-60% denial rate):

// First launch: "Can we have Always access?"
manager.requestAlwaysAuthorization()

Right (5-10% denial rate):

// Start with When In Use
CLServiceSession(authorization: .whenInUse)

// Later, when user triggers background feature:
CLServiceSession(authorization: .always)

Time cost: 15 min to fix code, but 30-60% of users permanently denied = feature adoption destroyed.

Why: Users deny aggressive requests. Start minimal, upgrade when user understands value.

---

Anti-Pattern 2: Continuous Updates for Geofencing

Wrong (10x battery drain):

for try await update in CLLocationUpdate.liveUpdates() {
    if isNearTarget(update.location) {
        triggerGeofence()
    }
}

Right (system-managed, low power):

let monitor = await CLMonitor("Geofences")
let condition = CLMonitor.CircularGeographicCondition(
    center: target, radius: 100
)
await monitor.add(condition, identifier: "Target")

for try await event in monitor.events {
    if event.state == .satisfied { triggerGeofence() }
}

Time cost: 5 min to refactor, saves 10x battery.

---

Anti-Pattern 3: Ignoring Stationary Detection

Wrong (wasted battery):

for try await update in CLLocationUpdate.liveUpdates() {
    processLocation(update.location)
    // Never stops, even when device stationary
}

Right (automatic pause/resume):

for try await update in CLLocationUpdate.liveUpdates() {
    if let location = update.location {
        processLocation(location)
    }
    if update.isStationary, let location = update.location {
        // Device stopped moving - updates pause automatically
        // Will resume when device moves again
        saveLastKnownLocation(location)
    }
}

Time cost: 2 min to add check, saves significant battery.

---

Anti-Pattern 4: No Graceful Denial Handling

Wrong (broken UX):

for try await update in CLLocationUpdate.liveUpdates() {
    guard let location = update.location else { continue }
    // User denied - silent failure, no feedback
}

Right (graceful degradation):

for try await update in CLLocationUpdate.liveUpdates() {
    if update.authorizationDenied {
        showManualLocationPicker()
        break
    }
    if update.authorizationDeniedGlobally {
        showSystemLocationDisabledMessage()
        break
    }
    if let location = update.location {
        processLocation(location)
    }
}

Time cost: 10 min to add handling, prevents confused users.

---

Anti-Pattern 5: Wrong Accuracy for Use Case

Wrong (battery drain for weather app):

// Weather app using navigation accuracy
CLLocationUpdate.liveUpdates(.automotiveNavigation)

Right (match accuracy to need):

// Weather: city-level is fine
CLLocationUpdate.liveUpdates(.default)  // or .fitness for runners

// Navigation: needs high accuracy
CLLocationUpdate.liveUpdates(.automotiveNavigation)

Use Case	Configuration	Accuracy	Battery
Navigation	.automotiveNavigation	~5m	Highest
Fitness tracking	.fitness	~10m	High
Store finder	.default	~10-100m	Medium
Weather	.default	~100m+	Low

Time cost: 1 min to change, significant battery savings.

---

Anti-Pattern 6: Not Stopping Updates

Wrong (battery drain, location icon persists):

func viewDidLoad() {
    Task {
        for try await update in CLLocationUpdate.liveUpdates() {
            updateMap(update.location)
        }
    }
}
// User navigates away, updates continue forever

Right (cancel when done):

private var locationTask: Task<Void, Error>?

func startTracking() {
    locationTask = Task {
        for try await update in CLLocationUpdate.liveUpdates() {
            if Task.isCancelled { break }
            updateMap(update.location)
        }
    }
}

func stopTracking() {
    locationTask?.cancel()
    locationTask = nil
}

Time cost: 5 min to add cancellation, stops battery drain.

---

Anti-Pattern 7: Ignoring CLServiceSession (iOS 18+)

Wrong (procedural authorization juggling):

func requestAuth() {
    switch manager.authorizationStatus {
    case .notDetermined:
        manager.requestWhenInUseAuthorization()
    case .authorizedWhenInUse:
        if needsFullAccuracy {
            manager.requestTemporaryFullAccuracyAuthorization(...)
        }
    // Complex state machine...
    }
}

Right (declarative goals):

// Just declare what you need - Core Location handles the rest
let session = CLServiceSession(authorization: .whenInUse)

// For feature needing full accuracy
let navSession = CLServiceSession(
    authorization: .whenInUse,
    fullAccuracyPurposeKey: "Navigation"
)

// Monitor diagnostics if needed
for try await diag in session.diagnostics {
    if diag.authorizationDenied { handleDenial(
how to use axiom-core-location
CursorClaude CodeClineCodexWindsurfGooseGitHub CopilotVS CodeGemini CLIKiloOpencodeKimi CLIRoo ClineAiderContinueZedBolt.newLovablev0Replit AgentSweepSmol DeveloperDevinCavemanAmpAntigravity
How to use axiom-core-location on Cursor
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1
Prerequisites
Before installing skills in Cursor, ensure your development environment meets these requirements:
›Cursor installed and configured on your development machine
›Node.js version 16.0+ with npm package manager (verify with node --version)
›Active project directory or workspace where you want to add axiom-core-location
2
Execute installation command
Execute the skills CLI command in your project's root directory to begin installation:
$npx skills add https://github.com/charleswiltgen/axiom --skill axiom-core-locationcopy
The skills CLI fetches axiom-core-location from GitHub repository charleswiltgen/axiom and configures it for Cursor.
3
Select Cursor when prompted
The CLI will show a list of available agents. Use arrow keys to navigate and space to select Cursor:
◆ Which agents do you want to install to?
│
│ ── Universal (.agents/skills) ── always included ────
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│   • Cursor
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4
Verify installation
Confirm successful installation by checking the skill directory location:
.cursor/skills/axiom-core-location
Reload or restart Cursor to activate axiom-core-location. Access the skill through slash commands (e.g., /axiom-core-location) or your agent's skill management interface.
⚠
Security & Verification Notice
We perform automated surface-level scans (Gen AI Scanner, Socket, Snyk) during installation. These checks detect common vulnerabilities but do not guarantee complete security. Always review skill source code and verify the publisher's reputation before production use.
Skills execute code in your development environment. Always verify the publisher's identity, review recent commits, and test in isolated environments before production deployment.
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