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axiom-vision

charleswiltgen/axiom

Computer vision for image analysis, pose detection, segmentation, OCR, and barcode scanning.

What is axiom-vision?

Comprehensive Vision framework skill for implementing any computer vision feature on Apple platforms. Use this when building pose detection, subject segmentation, text recognition, barcode scanning, document analysis, or live scanning with DataScannerViewController.

  • Subject segmentation and object isolation with hand-exclusion patterns
  • Hand and body pose detection with landmark tracking (21/19 landmarks)
  • Text recognition (OCR) with fast and accurate modes
  • Barcode and QR code detection with symbology selection
  • Document scanning and structured extraction (iOS 26+)
  • Live camera scanning with DataScannerViewController and Visual Intelligence integration

How to install axiom-vision

npx skills add https://github.com/charleswiltgen/axiom --skill axiom-vision
Prerequisites
  • iOS 13+ (base Vision framework); iOS 26+ for structured document extraction and Visual Intelligence
  • Xcode with Vision framework imported
  • Camera permissions for live scanning features
  • For Visual Intelligence: iOS 26+, iPadOS 27+, or macOS 27+
Claude Code
Cursor
Windsurf
Cline

How to use axiom-vision

  1. 1.Determine your task: pose detection, segmentation, OCR, barcode scanning, document extraction, or live scanning
  2. 2.Consult the decision tree in the skill to route to the correct reference (vision-framework.md for implementation, vision-ref.md for API details, vision-diag.md for troubleshooting)
  3. 3.For implementation: follow the critical patterns for your specific Vision API (VNDetectHumanHandPoseRequest, VNDetectHumanBodyPoseRequest, VNRecognizeTextRequest, VNDetectBarcodesRequest, etc.)
  4. 4.Handle coordinate conversion carefully (Vision uses lower-left origin; UIKit uses top-left)
  5. 5.Process Vision requests on background queues to avoid UI freezing on older devices
  6. 6.Test confidence thresholds and frame-skipping strategies for performance optimization

Use cases

Good for
  • Detect hand and body pose from images or live camera feed for fitness or gesture-control apps
  • Segment and extract subjects from photos while excluding hands for background removal
  • Recognize text from documents or images with language-specific OCR
  • Scan and decode barcodes or QR codes in real-time camera applications
  • Extract structured data from documents with automatic edge detection
Who it's for
  • iOS/iPadOS app developers implementing computer vision features
  • macOS developers using Vision framework (iOS 26+, macOS 27+)
  • watchOS developers (Vision on watchOS 27+)
  • Developers integrating Visual Intelligence system features
  • Backend engineers building Foundation Model tools (BarcodeReaderTool, OCRTool)

axiom-vision FAQ

When should I use this skill vs. axiom-media?

Use axiom-vision for single-image or per-frame detection (pose, segmentation, OCR, barcodes). Use axiom-media (MediaIntelligence) for clustering faces into people across a photo library or video highlights.

Does Vision framework work on watchOS?

Yes, on watchOS 27+. See vision-ref.md for watchOS-specific patterns and limitations.

How do I avoid UI freezing during Vision processing?

Process VNImageRequestHandler on a background queue (GCD or async/await). Main thread blocking is a common issue on iPhone 12 and older devices.

What's the difference between fast and accurate text recognition modes?

VNRecognizeTextRequest supports fast (lower accuracy, higher speed) and accurate (higher accuracy, slower) modes. Choose based on your use case and device performance.

How do I handle subjects not being detected?

Check vision-diag.md for debugging: verify lighting conditions, subject position (not cut off at frame edge), confidence thresholds, and image resolution. Hand-exclusion patterns may also affect detection.

Full instructions (SKILL.md)

Source of truth, from charleswiltgen/axiom.


name: axiom-vision description: Use when implementing ANY computer vision feature — image analysis, pose detection, person segmentation, subject lifting, text recognition, barcode scanning. license: MIT

Computer Vision

You MUST use this skill for ANY computer vision work using the Vision framework.

Quick Reference

Symptom / TaskReference
Subject segmentation, liftingSee skills/vision-framework.md
Hand/body pose detectionSee skills/vision-framework.md
Text recognition (OCR)See skills/vision-framework.md
Barcode/QR code detectionSee skills/vision-framework.md
Document scanningSee skills/vision-framework.md
DataScannerViewControllerSee skills/vision-framework.md
Structured document extraction (iOS 26+)See skills/vision-framework.md
Isolate object excluding handSee skills/vision-framework.md
Tap-to-segment any object OS27See skills/vision-ref.md
Vision on watchOS watchOS27See skills/vision-ref.md
Vision tools for Foundation Models (BarcodeReaderTool, OCRTool) OS27See skills/vision-ref.md
Vision framework API referenceSee skills/vision-ref.md
Visual Intelligence integration (iOS 26+, iPadOS27/macOS27)See skills/vision-ref.md
Sensitive content classification (nudity/gore/violence), categorized via detectedTypes (OS27)See skills/vision-ref.md
Group/cluster faces into people across a library, video highlights/key frames (OS27)Use axiom-media (skills/media-intelligence.md) instead — MediaIntelligence clusters identities; Vision detects faces in one image
Subject not detectedSee skills/vision-diag.md
Hand/body pose missing landmarksSee skills/vision-diag.md
Low confidence observationsSee skills/vision-diag.md
UI freezing during processingSee skills/vision-diag.md
Coordinate conversion bugsSee skills/vision-diag.md
Text not recognized / wrong charsSee skills/vision-diag.md
Barcode not detectedSee skills/vision-diag.md
DataScanner blank / no itemsSee skills/vision-diag.md
Document edges not detectedSee skills/vision-diag.md

Decision Tree

digraph vision {
    start [label="Computer vision task" shape=ellipse];
    what [label="What do you need?" shape=diamond];

    start -> what;
    what -> "skills/vision-framework.md" [label="implement feature"];
    what -> "skills/vision-ref.md" [label="API reference"];
    what -> "skills/vision-ref.md" [label="Visual Intelligence"];
    what -> "skills/vision-ref.md" [label="tap-to-segment / watchOS / FM tools (27)"];
    what -> "skills/vision-diag.md" [label="something broken"];
}
  1. Implementing (pose, segmentation, OCR, barcodes, documents, live scanning)? → skills/vision-framework.md
  2. Visual Intelligence system integration (camera/screenshot search; iOS 26+, iPadOS27/macOS27)? → skills/vision-ref.md (Visual Intelligence section)
  3. Tap-to-segment, Vision on watchOS, or Vision tools for Foundation Models (27 cycle)? → skills/vision-ref.md
  4. Need API reference / code examples? → skills/vision-ref.md
  5. Debugging issues (detection failures, confidence, coordinates)? → skills/vision-diag.md

Critical Patterns

Implementation (skills/vision-framework.md):

  • Decision tree for choosing the right Vision API
  • Subject segmentation with VisionKit
  • Isolating objects while excluding hands (combining APIs)
  • Hand/body pose detection (21/19 landmarks)
  • Text recognition (fast vs accurate modes)
  • Barcode detection with symbology selection
  • Document scanning and structured extraction (iOS 26+)
  • Live scanning with DataScannerViewController
  • CoreImage HDR compositing

Diagnostics (skills/vision-diag.md):

  • Subject detection failures (edge of frame, lighting)
  • Landmark tracking issues (confidence thresholds)
  • Performance optimization (frame skipping, downscaling)
  • Coordinate conversion (lower-left vs top-left origin)
  • Text recognition failures (language, contrast)
  • Barcode detection issues (symbology, size, glare)
  • DataScanner troubleshooting (availability, data types)

Anti-Rationalization

ThoughtReality
"Vision framework is just a request/handler pattern"Vision has coordinate conversion, confidence thresholds, and performance gotchas. vision-framework.md covers them.
"I'll handle text recognition without the skill"VNRecognizeTextRequest has fast/accurate modes and language-specific settings. vision-framework.md has the patterns.
"Subject segmentation is straightforward"Instance masks have HDR compositing and hand-exclusion patterns. vision-framework.md covers complex scenarios.
"Visual Intelligence is just the camera API"Visual Intelligence is a system-level feature requiring IntentValueQuery and SemanticContentDescriptor. vision-ref.md has the integration section.
"I'll just process on the main thread"Vision blocks UI on older devices. Users on iPhone 12 will experience frozen app. 15 min to add background queue.

Example Invocations

User: "How do I detect hand pose in an image?" → See skills/vision-framework.md

User: "Isolate a subject but exclude the user's hands" → See skills/vision-framework.md

User: "How do I read text from an image?" → See skills/vision-framework.md

User: "Scan QR codes with the camera" → See skills/vision-framework.md

User: "Subject detection isn't working" → See skills/vision-diag.md

User: "Text recognition returns wrong characters" → See skills/vision-diag.md

User: "Show me VNDetectHumanBodyPoseRequest examples" → See skills/vision-ref.md

User: "How do I make my app work with Visual Intelligence?" → See skills/vision-ref.md

User: "Let users tap an object in a photo to cut it out" → See skills/vision-ref.md (Iterative Segmentation)

User: "Can I use Vision in my watchOS app?" → See skills/vision-ref.md (Vision on watchOS)

User: "RecognizeDocumentsRequest API reference" → See skills/vision-ref.md

User: "Group faces into people across my library" / "cluster faces on-device into persons" → Use axiom-media (skills/media-intelligence.md) — identity clustering across assets, not per-image detection