From c0f5b32b36799ca05df583e32fb2a419fa3a5e3c Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Mirko Tomic <mirko@m-quart.com>
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 2026 12:25:18 +0200
Subject: [PATCH 1/8] Implement targetOrdering option

---
 CHANGELOG.md                                  |  3 ++
 Docs/ProjectSpec.md                           |  1 +
 Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecOptions.swift         |  7 +++
 Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecValidation.swift      | 13 +++++
 Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecValidationError.swift |  6 +++
 Sources/XcodeGenKit/PBXProjGenerator.swift    | 11 +++-
 Tests/ProjectSpecTests/ProjectSpecTests.swift | 26 ++++++++++
 Tests/ProjectSpecTests/SpecLoadingTests.swift | 15 ++++++
 .../PBXProjGeneratorTests.swift               | 50 ++++++++++++++++++-
 9 files changed, 129 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index f876da2e..dd8c138e 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -2,6 +2,9 @@
 
 ## Next Version
 
+### Added
+- Added `targetOrdering` option to control the order of targets in the generated project (sidebar in Xcode, `xcodebuild -list` output). Unlisted targets fall back to the existing alphabetical order, so behavior is unchanged when the option is not set. @mirkokg
+
 ## 2.45.4
 
 ### Fixed
diff --git a/Docs/ProjectSpec.md b/Docs/ProjectSpec.md
index 17f6c5b3..49569716 100644
--- a/Docs/ProjectSpec.md
+++ b/Docs/ProjectSpec.md
@@ -151,6 +151,7 @@ Note that target names can also be changed by adding a `name` property to a targ
   - `top` - at the top, before files
   - `bottom` (default) - at the bottom, after other files
 - [ ] **groupOrdering**: **[[GroupOrdering]](#groupOrdering)** - An order of groups.
+- [ ] **targetOrdering**: **[String]** - An ordered list of target names. Listed targets appear in this order in the generated project (sidebar in Xcode, `xcodebuild -list` output); unlisted targets follow, sorted alphabetically. If a name in this list doesn't match any target or aggregate target, a validation error is raised. Defaults to an empty list, in which case all targets are sorted alphabetically.
 - [ ] **transitivelyLinkDependencies**: **Bool** - If this is `true` then targets will link to the dependencies of their target dependencies. If a target should embed its dependencies, such as application and test bundles, it will embed these transitive dependencies as well. Some complex setups might want to set this to `false` and explicitly specify dependencies at every level. Targets can override this with [Target](#target).transitivelyLinkDependencies. Defaults to `false`.
 - [ ] **generateEmptyDirectories**: **Bool** - If this is `true` then empty directories will be added to project too else will be missed. Defaults to `false`.
 - [ ] **findCarthageFrameworks**: **Bool** - When this is set to `true`, all the individual frameworks for Carthage framework dependencies will automatically be found. This property can be overridden individually for each carthage dependency - for more details see See **findFrameworks** in the [Dependency](#dependency) section. Defaults to `false`.
diff --git a/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecOptions.swift b/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecOptions.swift
index 07582d42..a3557d13 100644
--- a/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecOptions.swift
+++ b/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecOptions.swift
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ public struct SpecOptions: Equatable {
     public var transitivelyLinkDependencies: Bool
     public var groupSortPosition: GroupSortPosition
     public var groupOrdering: [GroupOrdering]
+    public var targetOrdering: [String]
     public var fileTypes: [String: FileType]
     public var generateEmptyDirectories: Bool
     public var findCarthageFrameworks: Bool
@@ -96,6 +97,7 @@ public struct SpecOptions: Equatable {
         transitivelyLinkDependencies: Bool = transitivelyLinkDependenciesDefault,
         groupSortPosition: GroupSortPosition = groupSortPositionDefault,
         groupOrdering: [GroupOrdering] = [],
+        targetOrdering: [String] = [],
         fileTypes: [String: FileType] = [:],
         generateEmptyDirectories: Bool = generateEmptyDirectoriesDefault,
         findCarthageFrameworks: Bool = findCarthageFrameworksDefault,
@@ -124,6 +126,7 @@ public struct SpecOptions: Equatable {
         self.transitivelyLinkDependencies = transitivelyLinkDependencies
         self.groupSortPosition = groupSortPosition
         self.groupOrdering = groupOrdering
+        self.targetOrdering = targetOrdering
         self.fileTypes = fileTypes
         self.generateEmptyDirectories = generateEmptyDirectories
         self.findCarthageFrameworks = findCarthageFrameworks
@@ -160,6 +163,7 @@ extension SpecOptions: JSONObjectConvertible {
         transitivelyLinkDependencies = jsonDictionary.json(atKeyPath: "transitivelyLinkDependencies") ?? SpecOptions.transitivelyLinkDependenciesDefault
         groupSortPosition = jsonDictionary.json(atKeyPath: "groupSortPosition") ?? SpecOptions.groupSortPositionDefault
         groupOrdering = jsonDictionary.json(atKeyPath: "groupOrdering") ?? []
+        targetOrdering = jsonDictionary.json(atKeyPath: "targetOrdering") ?? []
         generateEmptyDirectories = jsonDictionary.json(atKeyPath: "generateEmptyDirectories") ?? SpecOptions.generateEmptyDirectoriesDefault
         findCarthageFrameworks = jsonDictionary.json(atKeyPath: "findCarthageFrameworks") ?? SpecOptions.findCarthageFrameworksDefault
         localPackagesGroup = jsonDictionary.json(atKeyPath: "localPackagesGroup")
@@ -218,6 +222,9 @@ extension SpecOptions: JSONEncodable {
         if schemePathPrefix != SpecOptions.schemePathPrefixDefault {
             dict["schemePathPrefix"] = schemePathPrefix
         }
+        if !targetOrdering.isEmpty {
+            dict["targetOrdering"] = targetOrdering
+        }
 
         return dict
     }
diff --git a/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecValidation.swift b/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecValidation.swift
index 76ee603f..1aa7a96b 100644
--- a/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecValidation.swift
+++ b/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecValidation.swift
@@ -77,6 +77,19 @@ extension Project {
             }
         }
 
+        if !options.targetOrdering.isEmpty {
+            let knownTargetNames = Set(projectTargets.map { $0.name })
+            var seen = Set<String>()
+            for name in options.targetOrdering {
+                if !seen.insert(name).inserted {
+                    errors.append(.duplicateTargetOrderingEntry(name))
+                }
+                if !knownTargetNames.contains(name) {
+                    errors.append(.invalidTargetOrderingReference(name))
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
         for settings in settingGroups.values {
             errors += validateSettings(settings)
         }
diff --git a/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecValidationError.swift b/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecValidationError.swift
index 85fd07e2..39e13c3d 100644
--- a/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecValidationError.swift
+++ b/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecValidationError.swift
@@ -43,6 +43,8 @@ public struct SpecValidationError: Error, CustomStringConvertible {
         case duplicateDependencies(target: String, dependencyReference: String)
         case invalidPluginPackageReference(plugin: String, package: String)
         case emptySourcePath(target: String)
+        case invalidTargetOrderingReference(String)
+        case duplicateTargetOrderingEntry(String)
 
         public var description: String {
             switch self {
@@ -112,6 +114,10 @@ public struct SpecValidationError: Error, CustomStringConvertible {
                 return "Plugin \(plugin) has invalid package reference \(package)"
             case let .emptySourcePath(target):
                 return "Target \(target.quoted) has an empty source path entry"
+            case let .invalidTargetOrderingReference(name):
+                return "Target ordering includes \(name.quoted) which is not a known target or aggregate target"
+            case let .duplicateTargetOrderingEntry(name):
+                return "Target ordering contains \(name.quoted) more than once"
             }
         }
     }
diff --git a/Sources/XcodeGenKit/PBXProjGenerator.swift b/Sources/XcodeGenKit/PBXProjGenerator.swift
index 1f20e850..b41a3dd7 100644
--- a/Sources/XcodeGenKit/PBXProjGenerator.swift
+++ b/Sources/XcodeGenKit/PBXProjGenerator.swift
@@ -323,8 +323,15 @@ public class PBXProjGenerator {
         pbxProject.localPackages = localPackageReferences.sorted { $0.key < $1.key }.map { $1 }
 
         let allTargets: [PBXTarget] = targetObjects.valueArray + targetAggregateObjects.valueArray
-        pbxProject.targets = allTargets
-            .sorted { $0.name < $1.name }
+        let targetOrdering = project.options.targetOrdering
+        pbxProject.targets = allTargets.sorted { lhs, rhs in
+            let lhsIndex = targetOrdering.firstIndex(of: lhs.name) ?? Int.max
+            let rhsIndex = targetOrdering.firstIndex(of: rhs.name) ?? Int.max
+            if lhsIndex != rhsIndex {
+                return lhsIndex < rhsIndex
+            }
+            return lhs.name < rhs.name
+        }
         pbxProject.attributes = projectAttributes
         pbxProject.targetAttributes = generateTargetAttributes()
         return pbxProj
diff --git a/Tests/ProjectSpecTests/ProjectSpecTests.swift b/Tests/ProjectSpecTests/ProjectSpecTests.swift
index c308df96..237a6234 100644
--- a/Tests/ProjectSpecTests/ProjectSpecTests.swift
+++ b/Tests/ProjectSpecTests/ProjectSpecTests.swift
@@ -153,6 +153,32 @@ class ProjectSpecTests: XCTestCase {
                 try expectValidationError(project, .invalidBuildSettingConfig("invalidSettingGroupConfig"))
             }
 
+            $0.it("fails with unknown target in targetOrdering") {
+                var project = baseProject
+                project.targets = [Target(name: "App", type: .application, platform: .iOS)]
+                project.options = SpecOptions(targetOrdering: ["App", "Ghost"])
+                try expectValidationError(project, .invalidTargetOrderingReference("Ghost"))
+            }
+
+            $0.it("fails with duplicate entry in targetOrdering") {
+                var project = baseProject
+                project.targets = [
+                    Target(name: "App", type: .application, platform: .iOS),
+                    Target(name: "Tests", type: .unitTestBundle, platform: .iOS),
+                ]
+                project.options = SpecOptions(targetOrdering: ["App", "Tests", "App"])
+                try expectValidationError(project, .duplicateTargetOrderingEntry("App"))
+            }
+
+            $0.it("accepts a valid targetOrdering referencing native and aggregate targets") {
+                var project = baseProject
+                project.targets = [Target(name: "App", type: .application, platform: .iOS)]
+                project.aggregateTargets = [AggregateTarget(name: "Agg", targets: ["App"])]
+                project.options = SpecOptions(targetOrdering: ["Agg", "App"])
+                try expectNoValidationError(project, .invalidTargetOrderingReference("Agg"))
+                try expectNoValidationError(project, .invalidTargetOrderingReference("App"))
+            }
+
             $0.it("fails with duplicate dependencies") {
                 var project = baseProject
                 project.targets = [
diff --git a/Tests/ProjectSpecTests/SpecLoadingTests.swift b/Tests/ProjectSpecTests/SpecLoadingTests.swift
index d3db0d9c..d2d3ab69 100644
--- a/Tests/ProjectSpecTests/SpecLoadingTests.swift
+++ b/Tests/ProjectSpecTests/SpecLoadingTests.swift
@@ -1483,6 +1483,21 @@ class SpecLoadingTests: XCTestCase {
                 try expect(parsedSpec) == expected
             }
 
+            $0.it("parses targetOrdering option") {
+                let options = SpecOptions(targetOrdering: ["App", "Tests"])
+                let expected = Project(name: "test", options: options)
+                let dictionary: [String: Any] = ["options": [
+                    "targetOrdering": ["App", "Tests"],
+                ]]
+                let parsedSpec = try getProjectSpec(dictionary)
+                try expect(parsedSpec) == expected
+            }
+
+            $0.it("defaults targetOrdering to empty when not specified") {
+                let parsedSpec = try getProjectSpec(["options": [String: Any]()])
+                try expect(parsedSpec.options.targetOrdering) == []
+            }
+
             $0.it("parses packages") {
                 let project = Project(name: "spm", packages: [
                     "package1": .remote(url: "package.git", versionRequirement: .exact("1.2.2")),
diff --git a/Tests/XcodeGenKitTests/PBXProjGeneratorTests.swift b/Tests/XcodeGenKitTests/PBXProjGeneratorTests.swift
index 842cb86c..6788444d 100644
--- a/Tests/XcodeGenKitTests/PBXProjGeneratorTests.swift
+++ b/Tests/XcodeGenKitTests/PBXProjGeneratorTests.swift
@@ -396,7 +396,55 @@ class PBXProjGeneratorTests: XCTestCase {
             }
         }
     }
-    
+
+    func testTargetOrdering() {
+        describe {
+            $0.it("honors targetOrdering in the generated pbxproj") {
+                var options = SpecOptions()
+                options.targetOrdering = ["C", "A"]
+
+                let a = Target(name: "A", type: .framework, platform: .iOS)
+                let b = Target(name: "B", type: .framework, platform: .iOS)
+                let c = Target(name: "C", type: .framework, platform: .iOS)
+                let project = Project(name: "Test", targets: [a, b, c], options: options)
+
+                let pbxProj = try project.generatePbxProj()
+                let targetNames = pbxProj.projects.first?.targets.map { $0.name }
+                try expect(targetNames) == ["C", "A", "B"]
+            }
+
+            $0.it("falls back to alphabetical when targetOrdering is empty") {
+                let a = Target(name: "A", type: .framework, platform: .iOS)
+                let b = Target(name: "B", type: .framework, platform: .iOS)
+                let c = Target(name: "C", type: .framework, platform: .iOS)
+                let project = Project(name: "Test", targets: [a, b, c])
+
+                let pbxProj = try project.generatePbxProj()
+                let targetNames = pbxProj.projects.first?.targets.map { $0.name }
+                try expect(targetNames) == ["A", "B", "C"]
+            }
+
+            $0.it("orders aggregate targets alongside native targets") {
+                var options = SpecOptions()
+                options.targetOrdering = ["Agg", "App"]
+
+                let app = Target(name: "App", type: .application, platform: .iOS)
+                let framework = Target(name: "Framework", type: .framework, platform: .iOS)
+                let aggregate = AggregateTarget(name: "Agg", targets: ["App"])
+                let project = Project(
+                    name: "Test",
+                    targets: [app, framework],
+                    aggregateTargets: [aggregate],
+                    options: options
+                )
+
+                let pbxProj = try project.generatePbxProj()
+                let targetNames = pbxProj.projects.first?.targets.map { $0.name }
+                try expect(targetNames) == ["Agg", "App", "Framework"]
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
     func testDefaultLastUpgradeCheckWhenUserDidSpecifyInvalidValue() throws {
         let lastUpgradeKey = "LastUpgradeCheck"
         let attributes: [String: Any] = [lastUpgradeKey: 1234]

From 5f3fea4b6c00d0e2fea4c911f98fffb98bbe281e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Mirko Tomic <mirko@m-quart.com>
Date: Thu, 23 Apr 2026 12:55:51 +0200
Subject: [PATCH 2/8] Preserve target order

---
 CHANGELOG.md                                  |  4 +-
 Docs/ProjectSpec.md                           |  1 -
 Sources/ProjectSpec/Project.swift             | 40 +++++++-
 Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecFile.swift            | 47 ++++++++-
 Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecLoader.swift          |  6 +-
 Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecOptions.swift         |  7 --
 Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecValidation.swift      | 13 ---
 Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecValidationError.swift |  6 --
 Sources/ProjectSpec/Yaml.swift                | 13 +++
 Sources/XcodeGenKit/PBXProjGenerator.swift    | 13 +--
 .../Project.xcodeproj/project.pbxproj         |  2 +-
 .../SPM/SPM.xcodeproj/project.pbxproj         |  4 +-
 .../Project.xcodeproj/project.pbxproj         | 64 ++++++-------
 Tests/Fixtures/target_ordering_test.yml       | 14 +++
 Tests/ProjectSpecTests/ProjectSpecTests.swift | 26 -----
 Tests/ProjectSpecTests/SpecLoadingTests.swift | 96 +++++++++----------
 .../PBXProjGeneratorTests.swift               | 38 ++++----
 17 files changed, 218 insertions(+), 176 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 Tests/Fixtures/target_ordering_test.yml

diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index dd8c138e..21c45b74 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -2,8 +2,8 @@
 
 ## Next Version
 
-### Added
-- Added `targetOrdering` option to control the order of targets in the generated project (sidebar in Xcode, `xcodebuild -list` output). Unlisted targets fall back to the existing alphabetical order, so behavior is unchanged when the option is not set. @mirkokg
+### Changed
+- Targets in the generated project now follow the declaration order from the YAML spec (Xcode sidebar, `xcodebuild -list` output). Previously they were always sorted alphabetically. JSON specs and projects built programmatically continue to sort alphabetically, since key order isn't recoverable. @mirkokg
 
 ## 2.45.4
 
diff --git a/Docs/ProjectSpec.md b/Docs/ProjectSpec.md
index 49569716..17f6c5b3 100644
--- a/Docs/ProjectSpec.md
+++ b/Docs/ProjectSpec.md
@@ -151,7 +151,6 @@ Note that target names can also be changed by adding a `name` property to a targ
   - `top` - at the top, before files
   - `bottom` (default) - at the bottom, after other files
 - [ ] **groupOrdering**: **[[GroupOrdering]](#groupOrdering)** - An order of groups.
-- [ ] **targetOrdering**: **[String]** - An ordered list of target names. Listed targets appear in this order in the generated project (sidebar in Xcode, `xcodebuild -list` output); unlisted targets follow, sorted alphabetically. If a name in this list doesn't match any target or aggregate target, a validation error is raised. Defaults to an empty list, in which case all targets are sorted alphabetically.
 - [ ] **transitivelyLinkDependencies**: **Bool** - If this is `true` then targets will link to the dependencies of their target dependencies. If a target should embed its dependencies, such as application and test bundles, it will embed these transitive dependencies as well. Some complex setups might want to set this to `false` and explicitly specify dependencies at every level. Targets can override this with [Target](#target).transitivelyLinkDependencies. Defaults to `false`.
 - [ ] **generateEmptyDirectories**: **Bool** - If this is `true` then empty directories will be added to project too else will be missed. Defaults to `false`.
 - [ ] **findCarthageFrameworks**: **Bool** - When this is set to `true`, all the individual frameworks for Carthage framework dependencies will automatically be found. This property can be overridden individually for each carthage dependency - for more details see See **findFrameworks** in the [Dependency](#dependency) section. Defaults to `false`.
diff --git a/Sources/ProjectSpec/Project.swift b/Sources/ProjectSpec/Project.swift
index e872a27b..70feb051 100644
--- a/Sources/ProjectSpec/Project.swift
+++ b/Sources/ProjectSpec/Project.swift
@@ -164,12 +164,19 @@ extension Project {
     }
 
     public init(spec: SpecFile) throws {
-        try self.init(basePath: spec.basePath, jsonDictionary: spec.resolvedDictionary())
+        try self.init(
+            basePath: spec.basePath,
+            jsonDictionary: spec.resolvedDictionary(),
+            targetDeclarationOrder: spec.resolvedTargetDeclarationOrder()
+        )
     }
 
-    public init(basePath: Path = "", jsonDictionary: JSONDictionary) throws {
+    public init(basePath: Path = "", jsonDictionary: JSONDictionary, targetDeclarationOrder: [String] = []) throws {
         self.basePath = basePath
 
+        let rawTargets = jsonDictionary["targets"] as? JSONDictionary ?? [:]
+        let expandedTargetOrder = Project.expandedTargetOrder(targetDeclarationOrder, rawTargets: rawTargets)
+
         let jsonDictionary = Project.resolveProject(jsonDictionary: jsonDictionary)
         let buildSettingsParser = BuildSettingsParser(jsonDictionary: jsonDictionary)
 
@@ -181,7 +188,16 @@ extension Project {
         let configs: [String: String] = jsonDictionary.json(atKeyPath: "configs") ?? [:]
         self.configs = configs.isEmpty ? Config.defaultConfigs :
             configs.map { Config(name: $0, type: ConfigType(rawValue: $1)) }.sorted { $0.name < $1.name }
-        targets = try jsonDictionary.json(atKeyPath: "targets", parallel: true).sorted { $0.name < $1.name }
+        let parsedTargets: [Target] = try jsonDictionary.json(atKeyPath: "targets", parallel: true)
+        let targetOrderIndex = Dictionary(uniqueKeysWithValues: expandedTargetOrder.enumerated().map { ($1, $0) })
+        targets = parsedTargets.sorted { lhs, rhs in
+            let lhsIndex = targetOrderIndex[lhs.name] ?? Int.max
+            let rhsIndex = targetOrderIndex[rhs.name] ?? Int.max
+            if lhsIndex != rhsIndex {
+                return lhsIndex < rhsIndex
+            }
+            return lhs.name < rhs.name
+        }
         aggregateTargets = try jsonDictionary.json(atKeyPath: "aggregateTargets").sorted { $0.name < $1.name }
         projectReferences = try jsonDictionary.json(atKeyPath: "projectReferences").sorted { $0.name < $1.name }
         schemes = try jsonDictionary.json(atKeyPath: "schemes")
@@ -218,6 +234,24 @@ extension Project {
         projectReferencesMap = Dictionary(uniqueKeysWithValues: projectReferences.map { ($0.name, $0) })
     }
 
+    static func expandedTargetOrder(_ declarationOrder: [String], rawTargets: JSONDictionary) -> [String] {
+        var result: [String] = []
+        for key in declarationOrder {
+            guard let target = rawTargets[key] as? JSONDictionary else { continue }
+            if let platforms = target["platform"] as? [String] {
+                for platform in platforms {
+                    let prefix = target["platformPrefix"] as? String ?? ""
+                    let suffix = target["platformSuffix"] as? String ?? "_\(platform)"
+                    result.append(prefix + key + suffix)
+                }
+            } else {
+                let resolvedName = target["name"] as? String ?? key
+                result.append(resolvedName)
+            }
+        }
+        return result
+    }
+
     static func resolveProject(jsonDictionary: JSONDictionary) -> JSONDictionary {
         var jsonDictionary = jsonDictionary
 
diff --git a/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecFile.swift b/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecFile.swift
index 18ea1562..98978277 100644
--- a/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecFile.swift
+++ b/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecFile.swift
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ public struct SpecFile {
     public let basePath: Path
     public let jsonDictionary: JSONDictionary
     public let subSpecs: [SpecFile]
+    public let targetDeclarationOrder: [String]
 
     /// The relative path to use when resolving paths in the json dictionary. Is an empty path when
     /// included with relativePaths disabled.
@@ -68,12 +69,13 @@ public struct SpecFile {
     }
     
     /// Memberwise initializer for SpecFile
-    public init(filePath: Path, jsonDictionary: JSONDictionary, basePath: Path = "", relativePath: Path = "", subSpecs: [SpecFile] = []) {
+    public init(filePath: Path, jsonDictionary: JSONDictionary, basePath: Path = "", relativePath: Path = "", subSpecs: [SpecFile] = [], targetDeclarationOrder: [String] = []) {
         self.basePath = basePath
         self.relativePath = relativePath
         self.jsonDictionary = jsonDictionary
         self.subSpecs = subSpecs
         self.filePath = filePath
+        self.targetDeclarationOrder = targetDeclarationOrder
     }
 
     private init(include: Include, basePath: Path, relativePath: Path, cachedSpecFiles: inout [Path: SpecFile], variables: [String: String]) throws {
@@ -91,6 +93,7 @@ public struct SpecFile {
         }
 
         let jsonDictionary = try SpecFile.loadDictionary(path: path).expand(variables: variables)
+        let targetDeclarationOrder = try SpecFile.loadTargetDeclarationOrder(path: path)
 
         let includes = Include.parse(json: jsonDictionary["include"])
         let subSpecs: [SpecFile] = try includes
@@ -99,10 +102,17 @@ public struct SpecFile {
                 return try SpecFile(include: include, basePath: basePath, relativePath: relativePath, cachedSpecFiles: &cachedSpecFiles, variables: variables)
             }
 
-        self.init(filePath: filePath, jsonDictionary: jsonDictionary, basePath: basePath, relativePath: relativePath, subSpecs: subSpecs)
+        self.init(filePath: filePath, jsonDictionary: jsonDictionary, basePath: basePath, relativePath: relativePath, subSpecs: subSpecs, targetDeclarationOrder: targetDeclarationOrder)
         cachedSpecFiles[path] = self
     }
 
+    static func loadTargetDeclarationOrder(path: Path) throws -> [String] {
+        if path.extension?.lowercased() == "json" {
+            return []
+        }
+        return try loadOrderedTargetNames(path: path)
+    }
+
     static func loadDictionary(path: Path) throws -> JSONDictionary {
         // Depending on the extension we will either load the file as YAML or JSON
         if path.extension?.lowercased() == "json" {
@@ -121,6 +131,14 @@ public struct SpecFile {
         resolvedDictionaryWithUniqueTargets()
     }
 
+    public func resolvedTargetDeclarationOrder() -> [String] {
+        var cachedSpecFiles: [Path: SpecFile] = [:]
+        let resolvedSpec = resolvingPaths(cachedSpecFiles: &cachedSpecFiles)
+
+        var mergedSpecPaths = Set<Path>()
+        return resolvedSpec.mergedTargetDeclarationOrder(set: &mergedSpecPaths)
+    }
+
     private func resolvedDictionaryWithUniqueTargets() -> JSONDictionary {
         var cachedSpecFiles: [Path: SpecFile] = [:]
         let resolvedSpec = resolvingPaths(cachedSpecFiles: &cachedSpecFiles)
@@ -140,6 +158,28 @@ public struct SpecFile {
                 .reduce([:]) { $1.merged(onto: $0) })
     }
 
+    private func mergedTargetDeclarationOrder(set mergedSpecPaths: inout Set<Path>) -> [String] {
+        let path = basePath + filePath
+
+        guard mergedSpecPaths.insert(path).inserted else { return [] }
+
+        var order: [String] = []
+        var seen = Set<String>()
+        for subSpec in subSpecs {
+            for name in subSpec.mergedTargetDeclarationOrder(set: &mergedSpecPaths) {
+                if seen.insert(name).inserted {
+                    order.append(name)
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        for name in targetDeclarationOrder {
+            if seen.insert(name).inserted {
+                order.append(name)
+            }
+        }
+        return order
+    }
+
     private func resolvingPaths(cachedSpecFiles: inout [Path: SpecFile], relativeTo basePath: Path = Path()) -> SpecFile {
         let path = basePath + filePath
         if let cachedSpecFile = cachedSpecFiles[path] {
@@ -157,7 +197,8 @@ public struct SpecFile {
             jsonDictionary: jsonDictionary,
             basePath: self.basePath,
             relativePath: self.relativePath,
-            subSpecs: subSpecs.map { $0.resolvingPaths(cachedSpecFiles: &cachedSpecFiles, relativeTo: relativePath) }
+            subSpecs: subSpecs.map { $0.resolvingPaths(cachedSpecFiles: &cachedSpecFiles, relativeTo: relativePath) },
+            targetDeclarationOrder: targetDeclarationOrder
         )
         cachedSpecFiles[path] = specFile
         return specFile
diff --git a/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecLoader.swift b/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecLoader.swift
index fe93e840..56c31a5c 100644
--- a/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecLoader.swift
+++ b/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecLoader.swift
@@ -19,7 +19,11 @@ public class SpecLoader {
         let projectRoot = projectRoot?.absolute()
         let spec = try SpecFile(path: path, projectRoot: projectRoot, variables: variables)
         let resolvedDictionary = spec.resolvedDictionary()
-        let project = try Project(basePath: projectRoot ?? spec.basePath, jsonDictionary: resolvedDictionary)
+        let project = try Project(
+            basePath: projectRoot ?? spec.basePath,
+            jsonDictionary: resolvedDictionary,
+            targetDeclarationOrder: spec.resolvedTargetDeclarationOrder()
+        )
 
         self.project = project
         projectDictionary = resolvedDictionary
diff --git a/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecOptions.swift b/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecOptions.swift
index a3557d13..07582d42 100644
--- a/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecOptions.swift
+++ b/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecOptions.swift
@@ -30,7 +30,6 @@ public struct SpecOptions: Equatable {
     public var transitivelyLinkDependencies: Bool
     public var groupSortPosition: GroupSortPosition
     public var groupOrdering: [GroupOrdering]
-    public var targetOrdering: [String]
     public var fileTypes: [String: FileType]
     public var generateEmptyDirectories: Bool
     public var findCarthageFrameworks: Bool
@@ -97,7 +96,6 @@ public struct SpecOptions: Equatable {
         transitivelyLinkDependencies: Bool = transitivelyLinkDependenciesDefault,
         groupSortPosition: GroupSortPosition = groupSortPositionDefault,
         groupOrdering: [GroupOrdering] = [],
-        targetOrdering: [String] = [],
         fileTypes: [String: FileType] = [:],
         generateEmptyDirectories: Bool = generateEmptyDirectoriesDefault,
         findCarthageFrameworks: Bool = findCarthageFrameworksDefault,
@@ -126,7 +124,6 @@ public struct SpecOptions: Equatable {
         self.transitivelyLinkDependencies = transitivelyLinkDependencies
         self.groupSortPosition = groupSortPosition
         self.groupOrdering = groupOrdering
-        self.targetOrdering = targetOrdering
         self.fileTypes = fileTypes
         self.generateEmptyDirectories = generateEmptyDirectories
         self.findCarthageFrameworks = findCarthageFrameworks
@@ -163,7 +160,6 @@ extension SpecOptions: JSONObjectConvertible {
         transitivelyLinkDependencies = jsonDictionary.json(atKeyPath: "transitivelyLinkDependencies") ?? SpecOptions.transitivelyLinkDependenciesDefault
         groupSortPosition = jsonDictionary.json(atKeyPath: "groupSortPosition") ?? SpecOptions.groupSortPositionDefault
         groupOrdering = jsonDictionary.json(atKeyPath: "groupOrdering") ?? []
-        targetOrdering = jsonDictionary.json(atKeyPath: "targetOrdering") ?? []
         generateEmptyDirectories = jsonDictionary.json(atKeyPath: "generateEmptyDirectories") ?? SpecOptions.generateEmptyDirectoriesDefault
         findCarthageFrameworks = jsonDictionary.json(atKeyPath: "findCarthageFrameworks") ?? SpecOptions.findCarthageFrameworksDefault
         localPackagesGroup = jsonDictionary.json(atKeyPath: "localPackagesGroup")
@@ -222,9 +218,6 @@ extension SpecOptions: JSONEncodable {
         if schemePathPrefix != SpecOptions.schemePathPrefixDefault {
             dict["schemePathPrefix"] = schemePathPrefix
         }
-        if !targetOrdering.isEmpty {
-            dict["targetOrdering"] = targetOrdering
-        }
 
         return dict
     }
diff --git a/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecValidation.swift b/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecValidation.swift
index 1aa7a96b..76ee603f 100644
--- a/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecValidation.swift
+++ b/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecValidation.swift
@@ -77,19 +77,6 @@ extension Project {
             }
         }
 
-        if !options.targetOrdering.isEmpty {
-            let knownTargetNames = Set(projectTargets.map { $0.name })
-            var seen = Set<String>()
-            for name in options.targetOrdering {
-                if !seen.insert(name).inserted {
-                    errors.append(.duplicateTargetOrderingEntry(name))
-                }
-                if !knownTargetNames.contains(name) {
-                    errors.append(.invalidTargetOrderingReference(name))
-                }
-            }
-        }
-
         for settings in settingGroups.values {
             errors += validateSettings(settings)
         }
diff --git a/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecValidationError.swift b/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecValidationError.swift
index 39e13c3d..85fd07e2 100644
--- a/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecValidationError.swift
+++ b/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecValidationError.swift
@@ -43,8 +43,6 @@ public struct SpecValidationError: Error, CustomStringConvertible {
         case duplicateDependencies(target: String, dependencyReference: String)
         case invalidPluginPackageReference(plugin: String, package: String)
         case emptySourcePath(target: String)
-        case invalidTargetOrderingReference(String)
-        case duplicateTargetOrderingEntry(String)
 
         public var description: String {
             switch self {
@@ -114,10 +112,6 @@ public struct SpecValidationError: Error, CustomStringConvertible {
                 return "Plugin \(plugin) has invalid package reference \(package)"
             case let .emptySourcePath(target):
                 return "Target \(target.quoted) has an empty source path entry"
-            case let .invalidTargetOrderingReference(name):
-                return "Target ordering includes \(name.quoted) which is not a known target or aggregate target"
-            case let .duplicateTargetOrderingEntry(name):
-                return "Target ordering contains \(name.quoted) more than once"
             }
         }
     }
diff --git a/Sources/ProjectSpec/Yaml.swift b/Sources/ProjectSpec/Yaml.swift
index 89014f66..69510b8c 100644
--- a/Sources/ProjectSpec/Yaml.swift
+++ b/Sources/ProjectSpec/Yaml.swift
@@ -17,6 +17,19 @@ public func loadYamlDictionary(path: Path) throws -> [String: Any] {
     return yaml as? [String: Any] ?? [:]
 }
 
+public func loadOrderedTargetNames(path: Path) throws -> [String] {
+    guard path.extension?.lowercased() != "json" else { return [] }
+    let string: String = try path.read()
+    guard !string.isEmpty else { return [] }
+    guard let node = try Yams.compose(yaml: string),
+          let rootMapping = node.mapping,
+          let targetsNode = rootMapping["targets"],
+          let targetsMapping = targetsNode.mapping else {
+        return []
+    }
+    return targetsMapping.compactMap { key, _ in key.string }
+}
+
 public func dumpYamlDictionary(_ dictionary: [String: Any], path: Path) throws {
     let uncluttered = (dictionary as [String: Any?]).removingEmptyArraysDictionariesAndNils()
     let string: String = try Yams.dump(object: uncluttered)
diff --git a/Sources/XcodeGenKit/PBXProjGenerator.swift b/Sources/XcodeGenKit/PBXProjGenerator.swift
index b41a3dd7..851e8339 100644
--- a/Sources/XcodeGenKit/PBXProjGenerator.swift
+++ b/Sources/XcodeGenKit/PBXProjGenerator.swift
@@ -322,16 +322,9 @@ public class PBXProjGenerator {
         pbxProject.remotePackages = packageReferences.sorted { $0.key < $1.key }.map { $1 }
         pbxProject.localPackages = localPackageReferences.sorted { $0.key < $1.key }.map { $1 }
 
-        let allTargets: [PBXTarget] = targetObjects.valueArray + targetAggregateObjects.valueArray
-        let targetOrdering = project.options.targetOrdering
-        pbxProject.targets = allTargets.sorted { lhs, rhs in
-            let lhsIndex = targetOrdering.firstIndex(of: lhs.name) ?? Int.max
-            let rhsIndex = targetOrdering.firstIndex(of: rhs.name) ?? Int.max
-            if lhsIndex != rhsIndex {
-                return lhsIndex < rhsIndex
-            }
-            return lhs.name < rhs.name
-        }
+        let orderedNativeTargets: [PBXTarget] = project.targets.compactMap { targetObjects[$0.name] }
+        let orderedAggregateTargets: [PBXTarget] = project.aggregateTargets.compactMap { targetAggregateObjects[$0.name] }
+        pbxProject.targets = orderedNativeTargets + orderedAggregateTargets
         pbxProject.attributes = projectAttributes
         pbxProject.targetAttributes = generateTargetAttributes()
         return pbxProj
diff --git a/Tests/Fixtures/CarthageProject/Project.xcodeproj/project.pbxproj b/Tests/Fixtures/CarthageProject/Project.xcodeproj/project.pbxproj
index b1cbbabc..17d1d720 100644
--- a/Tests/Fixtures/CarthageProject/Project.xcodeproj/project.pbxproj
+++ b/Tests/Fixtures/CarthageProject/Project.xcodeproj/project.pbxproj
@@ -340,9 +340,9 @@
 			projectRoot = "";
 			targets = (
 				AE3F93DB94E7208F2F1D9A78 /* Framework_iOS */,
-				53A3B531E3947D8A8722745E /* Framework_macOS */,
 				536ACF18E4603B59207D43CE /* Framework_tvOS */,
 				71B5187E710718C1A205D4DC /* Framework_watchOS */,
+				53A3B531E3947D8A8722745E /* Framework_macOS */,
 			);
 		};
 /* End PBXProject section */
diff --git a/Tests/Fixtures/SPM/SPM.xcodeproj/project.pbxproj b/Tests/Fixtures/SPM/SPM.xcodeproj/project.pbxproj
index 2799afcc..8eb4f2d5 100644
--- a/Tests/Fixtures/SPM/SPM.xcodeproj/project.pbxproj
+++ b/Tests/Fixtures/SPM/SPM.xcodeproj/project.pbxproj
@@ -267,10 +267,10 @@
 			projectDirPath = "";
 			projectRoot = "";
 			targets = (
-				ADD3CE771A0D5E996031A193 /* AggTarget */,
 				C99E3C420D63D5219CE57E33 /* App */,
-				3F8D94C4EFC431F646AAFB28 /* StaticLibrary */,
 				339863E54E2D955C00B56802 /* Tests */,
+				3F8D94C4EFC431F646AAFB28 /* StaticLibrary */,
+				ADD3CE771A0D5E996031A193 /* AggTarget */,
 			);
 		};
 /* End PBXProject section */
diff --git a/Tests/Fixtures/TestProject/Project.xcodeproj/project.pbxproj b/Tests/Fixtures/TestProject/Project.xcodeproj/project.pbxproj
index 8a2c46fc..419fe2e9 100644
--- a/Tests/Fixtures/TestProject/Project.xcodeproj/project.pbxproj
+++ b/Tests/Fixtures/TestProject/Project.xcodeproj/project.pbxproj
@@ -2509,50 +2509,50 @@
 			);
 			projectRoot = "";
 			targets = (
-				D137C04B64B7052419A2DF4E /* App_Clip */,
-				63BFF75AA22335E3DDD5E26A /* App_Clip_Tests */,
-				91C3E922A8482E07649971B9 /* App_Clip_UITests */,
-				0867B0DACEF28C11442DE8F7 /* App_iOS */,
-				DC2F16BAA6E13B44AB62F888 /* App_iOS_Tests */,
-				F674B2CFC4738EEC49BAD0DA /* App_iOS_UITests */,
-				020A320BB3736FCDE6CC4E70 /* App_macOS */,
-				71E2BDAC4B8E8FC2BBF75C55 /* App_macOS_Tests */,
-				C0570E2FB50D830D8D423396 /* App_supportedDestinations */,
-				208179651927D1138D19B5AD /* App_watchOS */,
-				307AE3FA155FFD09B74AE351 /* App_watchOS Extension */,
 				DA40AB367B606CCE2FDD398D /* BundleX */,
 				271CAC331D24F4F7E12C819C /* BundleY */,
-				0CE8BE7C80651629EC056066 /* CrossOverlayFramework_iOS */,
-				2F4FEAEFD7EE82DC49D899FC /* CrossOverlayFramework_macOS */,
-				3BF66A4668DFAF9338791F60 /* CrossOverlayFramework_tvOS */,
-				C7F90FD0FAAF232B3E015D38 /* CrossOverlayFramework_watchOS */,
-				428715FBC1D86458DA70CBDE /* DriverKitDriver */,
-				9F551F66949B55E8328EB995 /* EndpointSecuritySystemExtension */,
-				B61ED4688789B071275E2B7A /* EntitledApp */,
 				E7454C10EA126A93537DD57E /* ExternalTarget */,
-				CE7D183D3752B5B35D2D8E6D /* Framework2_iOS */,
-				FC26AF2506D3B2B40DE8A5F8 /* Framework2_macOS */,
-				8B9A14DC280CCE013CC86440 /* Framework2_tvOS */,
-				6ED01BC471A8C3642258E178 /* Framework2_watchOS */,
-				AE3F93DB94E7208F2F1D9A78 /* Framework_iOS */,
-				53A3B531E3947D8A8722745E /* Framework_macOS */,
-				536ACF18E4603B59207D43CE /* Framework_tvOS */,
-				71B5187E710718C1A205D4DC /* Framework_watchOS */,
 				700328EE1570207608D6ADB3 /* IncludedLegacy */,
 				72C923899DE05F1281872160 /* Legacy */,
+				020A320BB3736FCDE6CC4E70 /* App_macOS */,
+				0867B0DACEF28C11442DE8F7 /* App_iOS */,
+				B61ED4688789B071275E2B7A /* EntitledApp */,
+				C0570E2FB50D830D8D423396 /* App_supportedDestinations */,
+				208179651927D1138D19B5AD /* App_watchOS */,
+				307AE3FA155FFD09B74AE351 /* App_watchOS Extension */,
+				834F55973F05AC8A18144DB0 /* iMessageApp */,
+				1C26A6A0BC446191F311D470 /* iMessageExtension */,
+				192C574D74079A99AF1AD0B1 /* iMessageStickersExtension */,
+				428715FBC1D86458DA70CBDE /* DriverKitDriver */,
 				AD28397BCC984F769EE8A937 /* NetworkSystemExtension */,
+				9F551F66949B55E8328EB995 /* EndpointSecuritySystemExtension */,
 				13E8C5AB873CEE21E18E552F /* StaticLibrary_ObjC_iOS */,
-				578C80E461E675508CED5DC3 /* StaticLibrary_ObjC_macOS */,
 				93542A75A613F00FDB5C9C63 /* StaticLibrary_ObjC_tvOS */,
 				7D3D92034F4F203C140574F0 /* StaticLibrary_ObjC_watchOS */,
+				578C80E461E675508CED5DC3 /* StaticLibrary_ObjC_macOS */,
 				19BFB84599B0AA1275A9662D /* StaticLibrary_Swift */,
-				BF3693DCA6182D7AEC410AFC /* SuperTarget */,
+				AE3F93DB94E7208F2F1D9A78 /* Framework_iOS */,
+				536ACF18E4603B59207D43CE /* Framework_tvOS */,
+				71B5187E710718C1A205D4DC /* Framework_watchOS */,
+				53A3B531E3947D8A8722745E /* Framework_macOS */,
+				CE7D183D3752B5B35D2D8E6D /* Framework2_iOS */,
+				8B9A14DC280CCE013CC86440 /* Framework2_tvOS */,
+				6ED01BC471A8C3642258E178 /* Framework2_watchOS */,
+				FC26AF2506D3B2B40DE8A5F8 /* Framework2_macOS */,
 				0636AAF06498C336E1CEEDE4 /* TestFramework */,
-				090315A24AC8E8B8F318A709 /* Tool */,
+				0CE8BE7C80651629EC056066 /* CrossOverlayFramework_iOS */,
+				3BF66A4668DFAF9338791F60 /* CrossOverlayFramework_tvOS */,
+				C7F90FD0FAAF232B3E015D38 /* CrossOverlayFramework_watchOS */,
+				2F4FEAEFD7EE82DC49D899FC /* CrossOverlayFramework_macOS */,
+				DC2F16BAA6E13B44AB62F888 /* App_iOS_Tests */,
+				F674B2CFC4738EEC49BAD0DA /* App_iOS_UITests */,
+				71E2BDAC4B8E8FC2BBF75C55 /* App_macOS_Tests */,
 				E7815F2F0D9CDECF9185AAF3 /* XPC Service */,
-				834F55973F05AC8A18144DB0 /* iMessageApp */,
-				1C26A6A0BC446191F311D470 /* iMessageExtension */,
-				192C574D74079A99AF1AD0B1 /* iMessageStickersExtension */,
+				090315A24AC8E8B8F318A709 /* Tool */,
+				D137C04B64B7052419A2DF4E /* App_Clip */,
+				63BFF75AA22335E3DDD5E26A /* App_Clip_Tests */,
+				91C3E922A8482E07649971B9 /* App_Clip_UITests */,
+				BF3693DCA6182D7AEC410AFC /* SuperTarget */,
 			);
 		};
 /* End PBXProject section */
diff --git a/Tests/Fixtures/target_ordering_test.yml b/Tests/Fixtures/target_ordering_test.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..55f67940
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Tests/Fixtures/target_ordering_test.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+name: TargetOrdering
+targets:
+  Zebra:
+    type: framework
+    platform: iOS
+  Apple:
+    type: framework
+    platform: iOS
+  Mango:
+    type: framework
+    platform: iOS
+  Banana:
+    type: framework
+    platform: iOS
diff --git a/Tests/ProjectSpecTests/ProjectSpecTests.swift b/Tests/ProjectSpecTests/ProjectSpecTests.swift
index 237a6234..c308df96 100644
--- a/Tests/ProjectSpecTests/ProjectSpecTests.swift
+++ b/Tests/ProjectSpecTests/ProjectSpecTests.swift
@@ -153,32 +153,6 @@ class ProjectSpecTests: XCTestCase {
                 try expectValidationError(project, .invalidBuildSettingConfig("invalidSettingGroupConfig"))
             }
 
-            $0.it("fails with unknown target in targetOrdering") {
-                var project = baseProject
-                project.targets = [Target(name: "App", type: .application, platform: .iOS)]
-                project.options = SpecOptions(targetOrdering: ["App", "Ghost"])
-                try expectValidationError(project, .invalidTargetOrderingReference("Ghost"))
-            }
-
-            $0.it("fails with duplicate entry in targetOrdering") {
-                var project = baseProject
-                project.targets = [
-                    Target(name: "App", type: .application, platform: .iOS),
-                    Target(name: "Tests", type: .unitTestBundle, platform: .iOS),
-                ]
-                project.options = SpecOptions(targetOrdering: ["App", "Tests", "App"])
-                try expectValidationError(project, .duplicateTargetOrderingEntry("App"))
-            }
-
-            $0.it("accepts a valid targetOrdering referencing native and aggregate targets") {
-                var project = baseProject
-                project.targets = [Target(name: "App", type: .application, platform: .iOS)]
-                project.aggregateTargets = [AggregateTarget(name: "Agg", targets: ["App"])]
-                project.options = SpecOptions(targetOrdering: ["Agg", "App"])
-                try expectNoValidationError(project, .invalidTargetOrderingReference("Agg"))
-                try expectNoValidationError(project, .invalidTargetOrderingReference("App"))
-            }
-
             $0.it("fails with duplicate dependencies") {
                 var project = baseProject
                 project.targets = [
diff --git a/Tests/ProjectSpecTests/SpecLoadingTests.swift b/Tests/ProjectSpecTests/SpecLoadingTests.swift
index d2d3ab69..c1c1ad7f 100644
--- a/Tests/ProjectSpecTests/SpecLoadingTests.swift
+++ b/Tests/ProjectSpecTests/SpecLoadingTests.swift
@@ -25,6 +25,17 @@ class SpecLoadingTests: XCTestCase {
         }
     }
 
+    func testTargetDeclarationOrder() {
+        describe {
+            $0.it("preserves target declaration order from YAML") {
+                let path = fixturePath + "target_ordering_test.yml"
+                let project = try loadSpec(path: path)
+
+                try expect(project.targets.map { $0.name }) == ["Zebra", "Apple", "Mango", "Banana"]
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
     func testSpecLoader() {
         describe {
             $0.it("merges includes") {
@@ -116,6 +127,41 @@ class SpecLoadingTests: XCTestCase {
                 ]
 
                 try expect(project.targets) == [
+                    Target(
+                        name: "RecursiveTarget",
+                        type: .application,
+                        platform: .macOS,
+                        configFiles: ["Config": "paths_test/recursive_test/config"],
+                        sources: ["paths_test/recursive_test/source"],
+                        dependencies: [Dependency(type: .framework, reference: "paths_test/recursive_test/Framework")],
+                        info: Plist(path: "paths_test/recursive_test/info"),
+                        entitlements: Plist(path: "paths_test/recursive_test/entitlements"),
+                        preBuildScripts: [BuildScript(script: .path("paths_test/recursive_test/prebuildScript"))],
+                        postCompileScripts: [BuildScript(script: .path("paths_test/recursive_test/postCompileScript"))],
+                        postBuildScripts: [BuildScript(script: .path("paths_test/recursive_test/postBuildScript"))]
+                    ),
+                    Target(
+                        name: "target1",
+                        type: .framework,
+                        platform: .macOS,
+                        sources: ["paths_test/same_relative_path_test/parent1/same/target1/source"]
+                    ),
+                    Target(
+                        name: "target2",
+                        type: .framework,
+                        platform: .macOS,
+                        sources: ["paths_test/same_relative_path_test/parent2/same/target2/source"]
+                    ),
+                    Target(
+                        name: "app",
+                        type: .application,
+                        platform: .macOS,
+                        sources: ["paths_test/same_relative_path_test/source"],
+                        dependencies: [
+                            Dependency(type: .target, reference: "target1"),
+                            Dependency(type: .target, reference: "target2")
+                        ]
+                    ),
                     Target(
                         name: "IncludedTarget",
                         type: .application,
@@ -149,41 +195,6 @@ class SpecLoadingTests: XCTestCase {
                         postCompileScripts: [BuildScript(script: .path("postCompileScript"))],
                         postBuildScripts: [BuildScript(script: .path("postBuildScript"))]
                     ),
-                    Target(
-                        name: "RecursiveTarget",
-                        type: .application,
-                        platform: .macOS,
-                        configFiles: ["Config": "paths_test/recursive_test/config"],
-                        sources: ["paths_test/recursive_test/source"],
-                        dependencies: [Dependency(type: .framework, reference: "paths_test/recursive_test/Framework")],
-                        info: Plist(path: "paths_test/recursive_test/info"),
-                        entitlements: Plist(path: "paths_test/recursive_test/entitlements"),
-                        preBuildScripts: [BuildScript(script: .path("paths_test/recursive_test/prebuildScript"))],
-                        postCompileScripts: [BuildScript(script: .path("paths_test/recursive_test/postCompileScript"))],
-                        postBuildScripts: [BuildScript(script: .path("paths_test/recursive_test/postBuildScript"))]
-                    ),
-                    Target(
-                        name: "app",
-                        type: .application,
-                        platform: .macOS,
-                        sources: ["paths_test/same_relative_path_test/source"],
-                        dependencies: [
-                            Dependency(type: .target, reference: "target1"),
-                            Dependency(type: .target, reference: "target2")
-                        ]
-                    ),
-                    Target(
-                        name: "target1",
-                        type: .framework,
-                        platform: .macOS,
-                        sources: ["paths_test/same_relative_path_test/parent1/same/target1/source"]
-                    ),
-                    Target(
-                        name: "target2",
-                        type: .framework,
-                        platform: .macOS,
-                        sources: ["paths_test/same_relative_path_test/parent2/same/target2/source"]
-                    )
                 ]
 
                 try expect(project.schemes) == [
@@ -1483,21 +1494,6 @@ class SpecLoadingTests: XCTestCase {
                 try expect(parsedSpec) == expected
             }
 
-            $0.it("parses targetOrdering option") {
-                let options = SpecOptions(targetOrdering: ["App", "Tests"])
-                let expected = Project(name: "test", options: options)
-                let dictionary: [String: Any] = ["options": [
-                    "targetOrdering": ["App", "Tests"],
-                ]]
-                let parsedSpec = try getProjectSpec(dictionary)
-                try expect(parsedSpec) == expected
-            }
-
-            $0.it("defaults targetOrdering to empty when not specified") {
-                let parsedSpec = try getProjectSpec(["options": [String: Any]()])
-                try expect(parsedSpec.options.targetOrdering) == []
-            }
-
             $0.it("parses packages") {
                 let project = Project(name: "spm", packages: [
                     "package1": .remote(url: "package.git", versionRequirement: .exact("1.2.2")),
diff --git a/Tests/XcodeGenKitTests/PBXProjGeneratorTests.swift b/Tests/XcodeGenKitTests/PBXProjGeneratorTests.swift
index 6788444d..80b083e1 100644
--- a/Tests/XcodeGenKitTests/PBXProjGeneratorTests.swift
+++ b/Tests/XcodeGenKitTests/PBXProjGeneratorTests.swift
@@ -399,48 +399,48 @@ class PBXProjGeneratorTests: XCTestCase {
 
     func testTargetOrdering() {
         describe {
-            $0.it("honors targetOrdering in the generated pbxproj") {
-                var options = SpecOptions()
-                options.targetOrdering = ["C", "A"]
-
-                let a = Target(name: "A", type: .framework, platform: .iOS)
-                let b = Target(name: "B", type: .framework, platform: .iOS)
-                let c = Target(name: "C", type: .framework, platform: .iOS)
-                let project = Project(name: "Test", targets: [a, b, c], options: options)
+            $0.it("honors declaration order in the generated pbxproj") {
+                let project = try Project(
+                    jsonDictionary: [
+                        "name": "Test",
+                        "targets": [
+                            "A": ["type": "framework", "platform": "iOS"],
+                            "B": ["type": "framework", "platform": "iOS"],
+                            "C": ["type": "framework", "platform": "iOS"],
+                        ],
+                    ],
+                    targetDeclarationOrder: ["C", "A", "B"]
+                )
 
                 let pbxProj = try project.generatePbxProj()
                 let targetNames = pbxProj.projects.first?.targets.map { $0.name }
                 try expect(targetNames) == ["C", "A", "B"]
             }
 
-            $0.it("falls back to alphabetical when targetOrdering is empty") {
+            $0.it("preserves the order of targets in a programmatically-built project") {
+                let c = Target(name: "C", type: .framework, platform: .iOS)
                 let a = Target(name: "A", type: .framework, platform: .iOS)
                 let b = Target(name: "B", type: .framework, platform: .iOS)
-                let c = Target(name: "C", type: .framework, platform: .iOS)
-                let project = Project(name: "Test", targets: [a, b, c])
+                let project = Project(name: "Test", targets: [c, a, b])
 
                 let pbxProj = try project.generatePbxProj()
                 let targetNames = pbxProj.projects.first?.targets.map { $0.name }
-                try expect(targetNames) == ["A", "B", "C"]
+                try expect(targetNames) == ["C", "A", "B"]
             }
 
-            $0.it("orders aggregate targets alongside native targets") {
-                var options = SpecOptions()
-                options.targetOrdering = ["Agg", "App"]
-
+            $0.it("places aggregate targets after native targets") {
                 let app = Target(name: "App", type: .application, platform: .iOS)
                 let framework = Target(name: "Framework", type: .framework, platform: .iOS)
                 let aggregate = AggregateTarget(name: "Agg", targets: ["App"])
                 let project = Project(
                     name: "Test",
                     targets: [app, framework],
-                    aggregateTargets: [aggregate],
-                    options: options
+                    aggregateTargets: [aggregate]
                 )
 
                 let pbxProj = try project.generatePbxProj()
                 let targetNames = pbxProj.projects.first?.targets.map { $0.name }
-                try expect(targetNames) == ["Agg", "App", "Framework"]
+                try expect(targetNames) == ["App", "Framework", "Agg"]
             }
         }
     }

From f449abfaa38d6128793255bc3225c925826d264c Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Mirko Tomic <mirko@m-quart.com>
Date: Thu, 23 Apr 2026 13:10:30 +0200
Subject: [PATCH 3/8] Fix json parsing

---
 Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecFile.swift            |  9 +-------
 Sources/ProjectSpec/Yaml.swift                |  1 -
 Tests/Fixtures/target_ordering_test.json      | 21 +++++++++++++++++++
 Tests/ProjectSpecTests/SpecLoadingTests.swift |  7 +++++++
 4 files changed, 29 insertions(+), 9 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 Tests/Fixtures/target_ordering_test.json

diff --git a/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecFile.swift b/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecFile.swift
index 98978277..dfa5ec40 100644
--- a/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecFile.swift
+++ b/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecFile.swift
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ public struct SpecFile {
         }
 
         let jsonDictionary = try SpecFile.loadDictionary(path: path).expand(variables: variables)
-        let targetDeclarationOrder = try SpecFile.loadTargetDeclarationOrder(path: path)
+        let targetDeclarationOrder = try loadOrderedTargetNames(path: path)
 
         let includes = Include.parse(json: jsonDictionary["include"])
         let subSpecs: [SpecFile] = try includes
@@ -106,13 +106,6 @@ public struct SpecFile {
         cachedSpecFiles[path] = self
     }
 
-    static func loadTargetDeclarationOrder(path: Path) throws -> [String] {
-        if path.extension?.lowercased() == "json" {
-            return []
-        }
-        return try loadOrderedTargetNames(path: path)
-    }
-
     static func loadDictionary(path: Path) throws -> JSONDictionary {
         // Depending on the extension we will either load the file as YAML or JSON
         if path.extension?.lowercased() == "json" {
diff --git a/Sources/ProjectSpec/Yaml.swift b/Sources/ProjectSpec/Yaml.swift
index 69510b8c..f681e906 100644
--- a/Sources/ProjectSpec/Yaml.swift
+++ b/Sources/ProjectSpec/Yaml.swift
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@ public func loadYamlDictionary(path: Path) throws -> [String: Any] {
 }
 
 public func loadOrderedTargetNames(path: Path) throws -> [String] {
-    guard path.extension?.lowercased() != "json" else { return [] }
     let string: String = try path.read()
     guard !string.isEmpty else { return [] }
     guard let node = try Yams.compose(yaml: string),
diff --git a/Tests/Fixtures/target_ordering_test.json b/Tests/Fixtures/target_ordering_test.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..42746f8f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Tests/Fixtures/target_ordering_test.json
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+{
+    "name": "TargetOrdering",
+    "targets": {
+        "Zebra": {
+            "type": "framework",
+            "platform": "iOS"
+        },
+        "Apple": {
+            "type": "framework",
+            "platform": "iOS"
+        },
+        "Mango": {
+            "type": "framework",
+            "platform": "iOS"
+        },
+        "Banana": {
+            "type": "framework",
+            "platform": "iOS"
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/Tests/ProjectSpecTests/SpecLoadingTests.swift b/Tests/ProjectSpecTests/SpecLoadingTests.swift
index c1c1ad7f..a0eb0185 100644
--- a/Tests/ProjectSpecTests/SpecLoadingTests.swift
+++ b/Tests/ProjectSpecTests/SpecLoadingTests.swift
@@ -33,6 +33,13 @@ class SpecLoadingTests: XCTestCase {
 
                 try expect(project.targets.map { $0.name }) == ["Zebra", "Apple", "Mango", "Banana"]
             }
+
+            $0.it("preserves target declaration order from JSON") {
+                let path = fixturePath + "target_ordering_test.json"
+                let project = try loadSpec(path: path)
+
+                try expect(project.targets.map { $0.name }) == ["Zebra", "Apple", "Mango", "Banana"]
+            }
         }
     }
 

From 99433a1eb876ab5bf605c11f634bc46ad6a0b203 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Mirko Tomic <mirko@m-quart.com>
Date: Thu, 23 Apr 2026 13:15:54 +0200
Subject: [PATCH 4/8] Update CHANGELOG.md

---
 CHANGELOG.md | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 21c45b74..657a2b59 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 ## Next Version
 
 ### Changed
-- Targets in the generated project now follow the declaration order from the YAML spec (Xcode sidebar, `xcodebuild -list` output). Previously they were always sorted alphabetically. JSON specs and projects built programmatically continue to sort alphabetically, since key order isn't recoverable. @mirkokg
+- Targets in the generated project now follow the declaration order from the source spec (Xcode sidebar, `xcodebuild -list` output). Previously they were always sorted alphabetically. Applies to both YAML and JSON specs. @mirkokg
 
 ## 2.45.4
 

From 575edee341a34c610e4cb62cc185733a87bccfad Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Mirko Tomic <mirko@m-quart.com>
Date: Thu, 23 Apr 2026 13:22:38 +0200
Subject: [PATCH 5/8] Read file once

---
 Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecFile.swift | 15 ++++++++++-----
 Sources/ProjectSpec/Yaml.swift     | 16 ++++++++++++----
 2 files changed, 22 insertions(+), 9 deletions(-)

diff --git a/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecFile.swift b/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecFile.swift
index dfa5ec40..8d70062a 100644
--- a/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecFile.swift
+++ b/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecFile.swift
@@ -92,8 +92,9 @@ public struct SpecFile {
             return
         }
 
-        let jsonDictionary = try SpecFile.loadDictionary(path: path).expand(variables: variables)
-        let targetDeclarationOrder = try loadOrderedTargetNames(path: path)
+        let contents: String = try path.read()
+        let jsonDictionary = try SpecFile.loadDictionary(path: path, contents: contents).expand(variables: variables)
+        let targetDeclarationOrder = try loadOrderedTargetNames(contents: contents)
 
         let includes = Include.parse(json: jsonDictionary["include"])
         let subSpecs: [SpecFile] = try includes
@@ -107,16 +108,20 @@ public struct SpecFile {
     }
 
     static func loadDictionary(path: Path) throws -> JSONDictionary {
+        let contents: String = try path.read()
+        return try loadDictionary(path: path, contents: contents)
+    }
+
+    static func loadDictionary(path: Path, contents: String) throws -> JSONDictionary {
         // Depending on the extension we will either load the file as YAML or JSON
         if path.extension?.lowercased() == "json" {
-            let data: Data = try path.read()
-            let jsonData = try JSONSerialization.jsonObject(with: data, options: .allowFragments)
+            let jsonData = try JSONSerialization.jsonObject(with: Data(contents.utf8), options: .allowFragments)
             guard let jsonDictionary = jsonData as? [String: Any] else {
                 fatalError("Invalid JSON at path \(path)")
             }
             return jsonDictionary
         } else {
-            return try loadYamlDictionary(path: path)
+            return try loadYamlDictionary(contents: contents)
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/Sources/ProjectSpec/Yaml.swift b/Sources/ProjectSpec/Yaml.swift
index f681e906..b1a8384b 100644
--- a/Sources/ProjectSpec/Yaml.swift
+++ b/Sources/ProjectSpec/Yaml.swift
@@ -4,14 +4,18 @@ import Yams
 
 public func loadYamlDictionary(path: Path) throws -> [String: Any] {
     let string: String = try path.read()
-    if string == "" {
+    return try loadYamlDictionary(contents: string)
+}
+
+public func loadYamlDictionary(contents: String) throws -> [String: Any] {
+    if contents.isEmpty {
         return [:]
     }
 
     let resolver = Resolver.default
         .removing(.null) // remove rule so that empty quotes are treated as empty strings
 
-    guard let yaml = try Yams.load(yaml: string, resolver) else {
+    guard let yaml = try Yams.load(yaml: contents, resolver) else {
         return [:]
     }
     return yaml as? [String: Any] ?? [:]
@@ -19,8 +23,12 @@ public func loadYamlDictionary(path: Path) throws -> [String: Any] {
 
 public func loadOrderedTargetNames(path: Path) throws -> [String] {
     let string: String = try path.read()
-    guard !string.isEmpty else { return [] }
-    guard let node = try Yams.compose(yaml: string),
+    return try loadOrderedTargetNames(contents: string)
+}
+
+public func loadOrderedTargetNames(contents: String) throws -> [String] {
+    guard !contents.isEmpty else { return [] }
+    guard let node = try Yams.compose(yaml: contents),
           let rootMapping = node.mapping,
           let targetsNode = rootMapping["targets"],
           let targetsMapping = targetsNode.mapping else {

From 050ad70572046aee8fdc164bbe260d2671aa0378 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Mirko Tomic <mirko@m-quart.com>
Date: Thu, 23 Apr 2026 13:44:02 +0200
Subject: [PATCH 6/8] Update SpecFile.swift

---
 Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecFile.swift | 21 ++-------------------
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 19 deletions(-)

diff --git a/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecFile.swift b/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecFile.swift
index 8d70062a..e4633bfa 100644
--- a/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecFile.swift
+++ b/Sources/ProjectSpec/SpecFile.swift
@@ -107,11 +107,6 @@ public struct SpecFile {
         cachedSpecFiles[path] = self
     }
 
-    static func loadDictionary(path: Path) throws -> JSONDictionary {
-        let contents: String = try path.read()
-        return try loadDictionary(path: path, contents: contents)
-    }
-
     static func loadDictionary(path: Path, contents: String) throws -> JSONDictionary {
         // Depending on the extension we will either load the file as YAML or JSON
         if path.extension?.lowercased() == "json" {
@@ -161,21 +156,9 @@ public struct SpecFile {
 
         guard mergedSpecPaths.insert(path).inserted else { return [] }
 
-        var order: [String] = []
+        let fromSubSpecs = subSpecs.flatMap { $0.mergedTargetDeclarationOrder(set: &mergedSpecPaths) }
         var seen = Set<String>()
-        for subSpec in subSpecs {
-            for name in subSpec.mergedTargetDeclarationOrder(set: &mergedSpecPaths) {
-                if seen.insert(name).inserted {
-                    order.append(name)
-                }
-            }
-        }
-        for name in targetDeclarationOrder {
-            if seen.insert(name).inserted {
-                order.append(name)
-            }
-        }
-        return order
+        return (fromSubSpecs + targetDeclarationOrder).filter { seen.insert($0).inserted }
     }
 
     private func resolvingPaths(cachedSpecFiles: inout [Path: SpecFile], relativeTo basePath: Path = Path()) -> SpecFile {

From 3a331e086fd63d1ed4312fd19831425dcce15927 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Mirko Tomic <mirko@m-quart.com>
Date: Thu, 23 Apr 2026 13:47:48 +0200
Subject: [PATCH 7/8] Extract multiplatform target name helper

---
 Sources/ProjectSpec/Project.swift | 17 +++--------------
 Sources/ProjectSpec/Target.swift  | 20 +++++++++++++++++---
 2 files changed, 20 insertions(+), 17 deletions(-)

diff --git a/Sources/ProjectSpec/Project.swift b/Sources/ProjectSpec/Project.swift
index 70feb051..38dc2b6d 100644
--- a/Sources/ProjectSpec/Project.swift
+++ b/Sources/ProjectSpec/Project.swift
@@ -235,21 +235,10 @@ extension Project {
     }
 
     static func expandedTargetOrder(_ declarationOrder: [String], rawTargets: JSONDictionary) -> [String] {
-        var result: [String] = []
-        for key in declarationOrder {
-            guard let target = rawTargets[key] as? JSONDictionary else { continue }
-            if let platforms = target["platform"] as? [String] {
-                for platform in platforms {
-                    let prefix = target["platformPrefix"] as? String ?? ""
-                    let suffix = target["platformSuffix"] as? String ?? "_\(platform)"
-                    result.append(prefix + key + suffix)
-                }
-            } else {
-                let resolvedName = target["name"] as? String ?? key
-                result.append(resolvedName)
-            }
+        declarationOrder.flatMap { key -> [String] in
+            guard let target = rawTargets[key] as? JSONDictionary else { return [] }
+            return Target.resolvedNames(forRawTarget: target, key: key)
         }
-        return result
     }
 
     static func resolveProject(jsonDictionary: JSONDictionary) -> JSONDictionary {
diff --git a/Sources/ProjectSpec/Target.swift b/Sources/ProjectSpec/Target.swift
index 781994f4..2043ba29 100644
--- a/Sources/ProjectSpec/Target.swift
+++ b/Sources/ProjectSpec/Target.swift
@@ -180,9 +180,7 @@ extension Target {
                     platformTarget = platformTarget.expand(variables: ["platform": platform])
 
                     platformTarget["platform"] = platform
-                    let platformSuffix = platformTarget["platformSuffix"] as? String ?? "_\(platform)"
-                    let platformPrefix = platformTarget["platformPrefix"] as? String ?? ""
-                    let newTargetName = platformPrefix + targetName + platformSuffix
+                    let newTargetName = multiplatformTargetName(fromExpanded: platformTarget, key: targetName, platform: platform)
 
                     var settings = platformTarget["settings"] as? JSONDictionary ?? [:]
                     if settings["configs"] != nil || settings["groups"] != nil || settings["base"] != nil {
@@ -212,6 +210,22 @@ extension Target {
         merged["targets"] = crossPlatformTargets
         return merged
     }
+
+    static func resolvedNames(forRawTarget dict: JSONDictionary, key: String) -> [String] {
+        if let platforms = dict["platform"] as? [String] {
+            return platforms.map { platform in
+                let expanded = dict.expand(variables: ["platform": platform])
+                return multiplatformTargetName(fromExpanded: expanded, key: key, platform: platform)
+            }
+        }
+        return [dict["name"] as? String ?? key]
+    }
+
+    static func multiplatformTargetName(fromExpanded expanded: JSONDictionary, key: String, platform: String) -> String {
+        let prefix = expanded["platformPrefix"] as? String ?? ""
+        let suffix = expanded["platformSuffix"] as? String ?? "_\(platform)"
+        return prefix + key + suffix
+    }
 }
 
 extension Target: Equatable {

From f83c9751211c4a601675d228559845dbd9c2d9cb Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Mirko Tomic <mirko@m-quart.com>
Date: Thu, 23 Apr 2026 13:51:49 +0200
Subject: [PATCH 8/8] Simplify target sort with tuple comparison

---
 Sources/ProjectSpec/Project.swift | 9 +--------
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 8 deletions(-)

diff --git a/Sources/ProjectSpec/Project.swift b/Sources/ProjectSpec/Project.swift
index 38dc2b6d..1ed768b3 100644
--- a/Sources/ProjectSpec/Project.swift
+++ b/Sources/ProjectSpec/Project.swift
@@ -190,14 +190,7 @@ extension Project {
             configs.map { Config(name: $0, type: ConfigType(rawValue: $1)) }.sorted { $0.name < $1.name }
         let parsedTargets: [Target] = try jsonDictionary.json(atKeyPath: "targets", parallel: true)
         let targetOrderIndex = Dictionary(uniqueKeysWithValues: expandedTargetOrder.enumerated().map { ($1, $0) })
-        targets = parsedTargets.sorted { lhs, rhs in
-            let lhsIndex = targetOrderIndex[lhs.name] ?? Int.max
-            let rhsIndex = targetOrderIndex[rhs.name] ?? Int.max
-            if lhsIndex != rhsIndex {
-                return lhsIndex < rhsIndex
-            }
-            return lhs.name < rhs.name
-        }
+        targets = parsedTargets.sorted { (targetOrderIndex[$0.name] ?? .max, $0.name) < (targetOrderIndex[$1.name] ?? .max, $1.name) }
         aggregateTargets = try jsonDictionary.json(atKeyPath: "aggregateTargets").sorted { $0.name < $1.name }
         projectReferences = try jsonDictionary.json(atKeyPath: "projectReferences").sorted { $0.name < $1.name }
         schemes = try jsonDictionary.json(atKeyPath: "schemes")