NSFileProviderReplicatedExtension.item(for:request:completionHandler:) is used to fetch information about the item that is about to be displayed on the screen, where NSFileProviderEnumerator.enumerateItems(for:startingAt:) is used to get the contents of the item (this is mainly only used for directories), as here you don't return info about the item itself. The items that you return to the observer shouldn't be directly used to display it on the screen, as you probably can return only a skeleton item, and fetch additional info, like the name of the user who last modified the item, etc., in the NSFileProviderReplicatedExtension.item(for:request:completionHandler:).