Required reason APIs are an iOS native requirement, and Bolt.new generates app code, so the honest framing is that this is your responsibility, not a box Bolt ticks for you. Bolt can scaffold a mobile app fast, but it does not guarantee a complete, correct privacy manifest declaring the reasons your app and its dependencies call APIs like UserDefaults. If your build uses a required reason API without declaring it, Apple flags it regardless of which tool generated the code. Here is what required reason APIs are, what Bolt does and does not handle, and how to cover them.
Short answer
Bolt.new generates your app code, but you should not assume it produces a complete privacy manifest for Apple's required reason APIs; declaring them is your responsibility. Required reason APIs, such as UserDefaults, file timestamps, and disk space, are allowed but must be declared with an approved reason in a PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy file once you build for iOS. AI builders like Bolt optimize for a working app, not for guaranteeing manifest completeness, and a dependency can use one of these APIs without the generated manifest covering it. So treat the privacy manifest as something you add and verify yourself, aggregating the required reasons from your app and its libraries.
What you should know
- Required reason APIs are an iOS rule: they apply when you build for iOS.
- They must be declared: each needs an approved reason in the privacy manifest.
- Bolt generates code, not guarantees: do not assume the manifest is complete.
- Dependencies count: a library can use a required reason API for you.
- You verify the manifest: aggregating the reasons is your responsibility.
What are required reason APIs, and when do they apply?
They are a set of iOS APIs Apple considers capable of fingerprinting, which you may use but must justify. The current set includes accessing UserDefaults, file timestamps, system boot time, available disk space, and the active keyboard list, and each requires an approved reason code in your privacy manifest. These rules apply once your project is built as an iOS app, so a web app has nothing to declare, but a Bolt project compiled into an iOS build does. Apple enforces this at upload, sending warnings or rejecting when a required reason API is used without a matching manifest entry. So the obligation attaches to the iOS binary you ship, not to the tool that wrote the code, which is why it lands on you regardless of using Bolt.
Does Bolt.new generate the privacy manifest for you?
Not in a way you should rely on. Bolt produces application code quickly, but generating a complete and correct PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy that declares every required reason API your app and dependencies use is not something an AI builder guarantees. The manifest has to reflect the actual APIs present in your specific build, including ones a third-party library calls on your behalf, and that is exactly the kind of detail generated scaffolding tends to miss. So even if a Bolt project includes some manifest scaffolding, you cannot assume it covers your dependencies or stays accurate as you add libraries. The safe assumption is that the manifest is yours to complete and verify, the same as it would be for any iOS app.
How do you handle required reason APIs in a Bolt app?
Establish what your build actually uses, then declare it. The steps below cover it.
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| Identify your iOS build approach | Confirm how the Bolt project compiles to an iOS app |
| Find required reason API usage | Check your code and each dependency for the API categories |
| Gather dependency reasons | Collect required reasons from each library's own manifest |
| Complete PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy | Declare an approved reason for every required reason API used |
| Align with App Privacy | Keep declarations consistent with your App Store Connect answers |
The principle is that the manifest must list exactly the required reason APIs present in your build, with an approved reason for each, including the ones your dependencies bring in. Heed Apple's upload warnings, which name a missing declaration directly, and treat them as the signal to update the manifest.
What to watch out for
The first trap is assuming Bolt handled the privacy manifest because the app builds and runs, when a missing required reason declaration only surfaces at upload. The second is declaring your own usage but missing a dependency that calls a required reason API for you. The third is letting the manifest drift as you add libraries, so revisit it before each submission. A pre-submission scan such as PTKD.com (https://ptkd.com) reads the compiled IPA against OWASP MASVS and surfaces the SDKs and API usage in your build, which helps you see which required reason APIs are actually present so your manifest covers them. Writing the declarations is work you do in the project.
What to take away
- Bolt.new generates app code, but you should not assume it produces a complete privacy manifest; declaring required reason APIs is your responsibility.
- Required reason APIs like UserDefaults are allowed but must be declared with an approved reason in PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy once you build for iOS.
- Dependencies can use these APIs for you, so gather their required reasons into your manifest and keep it aligned with your App Privacy answers.
- Heed Apple's upload warnings, and use a pre-submission scan such as PTKD.com to see which required reason APIs your build actually uses.
