🎯

xcodebuildmcp-cli

🎯Skill

from cameroncooke/xcodebuildmcp

What it does

Streamlines iOS/macOS/watchOS/tvOS/visionOS development by providing efficient CLI commands for building, testing, running, debugging, and managing simulators and devices.

📦

Part of

cameroncooke/xcodebuildmcp(3 items)

xcodebuildmcp-cli

Installation

npm installInstall npm package

npm install -g xcodebuildmcp@beta

Local ServerRun MCP server locally

claude mcp add XcodeBuildMCP -- npx -y xcodebuildmcp@beta mcp

npxRun with npx

npx -y xcodebuildmcp@latest mcp

Claude Desktop ConfigurationAdd this to your claude_desktop_config.json

{
    "mcpServers": {
      "XcodeBuildMCP": {
        "command": "npx",
       ...

📖 Extracted from docs: cameroncooke/xcodebuildmcp

Need more details? View full documentation on GitHub →

16Installs

AddedFeb 4, 2026

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Skill Details

SKILL.md

Official skill for the XcodeBuildMCP CLI. Use when doing iOS/macOS/watchOS/tvOS/visionOS work (build, test, run, debug, log, UI automation).

Overview

# XcodeBuildMCP CLI

This skill is for AI agents. It positions the XcodeBuildMCP CLI as a low‑overhead alternative to MCP tool calls: agents can already run shell commands, and the CLI exposes the same tool surface without the schema‑exchange cost. Prefer the CLI over raw xcodebuild, xcrun, or simctl.

When To Use This CLI (Capabilities And Workflows)

When you need build/test/run/debugging/logging/UI automation capabilities.
When you want simulator/device management capabilities.
When you want AI optimized tools and tool responses.
When you need project discovery capabilities (schemes, bundle IDs, app paths).

Command Discovery

Use --help to discover workflows, tools, and arguments.

```bash

xcodebuildmcp --help

xcodebuildmcp tools --help

xcodebuildmcp tools --json

xcodebuildmcp --help

```

Notes:

Use --json '{...}' for complex arguments and --output json if you need machine-readable results (not recommended).

Common Workflows

Build And Run On Simulator

List simulators and pick a device name or UDID.
Build and run.

If app and project details are not known:

```bash

xcodebuildmcp simulator discover-projs --workspace-root .

xcodebuildmcp simulator list-schemes --project-path ./MyApp.xcodeproj

xcodebuildmcp simulator list-sims

```

To build, install and launch the app in one command:

```bash

xcodebuildmcp simulator build-run-sim --scheme MyApp --project-path ./MyApp.xcodeproj --simulator-name "iPhone 17 Pro"

```

Build only

When you only need to check that there are no build errors, you can build without running the app.

```bash

xcodebuildmcp simulator build-sim --scheme MyApp --project-path ./MyApp.xcodeproj --simulator-name "iPhone 17 Pro"

```

Run Tests

When you need to run tests, you can do so with the test-sim tool.

```bash

xcodebuildmcp simulator test-sim --scheme MyAppTests --project-path ./MyApp.xcodeproj --simulator-name "iPhone 17 Pro"

```

Install And Launch On Physical Device

```bash

xcodebuildmcp device list-devices

xcodebuildmcp device build-device --scheme MyApp --project-path ./MyApp.xcodeproj

xcodebuildmcp device get-device-app-path --scheme MyApp --project-path ./MyApp.xcodeproj

xcodebuildmcp device get-app-bundle-id --app-path /path/to/MyApp.app

xcodebuildmcp device install-app-device --device-id DEVICE_UDID --app-path /path/to/MyApp.app

xcodebuildmcp device launch-app-device --device-id DEVICE_UDID --bundle-id com.example.MyApp --app-path /path/to/MyApp.app

```

Capture Logs On Simulator

```bash

xcodebuildmcp logging start-sim-log-cap --simulator-id SIMULATOR_UDID --bundle-id com.example.MyApp

xcodebuildmcp logging stop-sim-log-cap --log-session-id LOG_SESSION_ID

```

Debug A Running App (Simulator)

Launch the app.
Attach the debugger after the app is fully launched.

Launch if not already running:

```bash

xcodebuildmcp simulator launch-app-sim --bundle-id com.example.MyApp --simulator-id SIMULATOR_UDID

```

Attach the debugger:

It's generally a good idea to wait for 1-2s for the app to fully launch before attaching the debugger.

```bash

xcodebuildmcp debugging debug-attach-sim --bundle-id com.example.MyApp --simulator-id SIMULATOR_UDID

```

To add/remove breakpoints, inspect stack/variables, and issue arbitrary LLDB commands, view debugging help:

```bash

xcodebuildmcp debugging --help

```

Inspect UI And Automate Input

Snapshot UI accessibility tree, tap/swipe/type, and capture screenshots:

```bash

xcodebuildmcp ui-automation snapshot-ui --simulator-id SIMULATOR_UDID

xcodebuildmcp ui-automation tap --simulator-id SIMULATOR_UDID --x 200 --y 400

xcodebuildmcp ui-automation type-text --simulator-id SIMULATOR_UDID --text "hello"

xcodebuildmcp ui-automation screenshot --simulator-id SIMULATOR_UDID --return-format path

```

To see all UI automation tools, view UI automation help:

```bash

xcodebuildmcp ui-automation --help

```

macOS App Build/Run

```bash

xcodebuildmcp macos build-macos --scheme MyMacApp --project-path ./MyMacApp.xcodeproj

xcodebuildmcp macos build-run-macos --scheme MyMacApp --project-path ./MyMacApp.xcodeproj

```

To see all macOS tools, view macOS help:

```bash

xcodebuildmcp macos --help

```

SwiftPM Package Workflows

```bash

xcodebuildmcp swift-package list --package-path ./MyPackage

xcodebuildmcp swift-package build --package-path ./MyPackage

xcodebuildmcp swift-package test --package-path ./MyPackage

```

To see all SwiftPM tools, view SwiftPM help:

```bash

xcodebuildmcp swift-package --help

```

Project Discovery

```bash

xcodebuildmcp project-discovery discover-projs --workspace-root .

xcodebuildmcp project-discovery list-schemes --project-path ./MyApp.xcodeproj

xcodebuildmcp project-discovery get-app-bundle-id --app-path ./Build/MyApp.app

```

To see all project discovery tools, view project discovery help:

```bash

xcodebuildmcp project-discovery --help

```

Scaffolding new projects

It's worth viewing the --help for the scaffolding tools to see the available options.

Here are some minimal examples:

```bash

xcodebuildmcp project-scaffolding scaffold-ios-project --project-name MyApp --output-path ./Projects

xcodebuildmcp project-scaffolding scaffold-macos-project --project-name MyMacApp --output-path ./Projects

```

To see all project scaffolding tools, view project scaffolding help:

```bash

xcodebuildmcp project-scaffolding --help

```

Daemon Notes (Stateful Tools)

Stateful tools (logs, debug, video recording, background run) go through a per-workspace daemon that auto-starts, if you find you are getting errors with the stateful tools, you can manage the daemon process manually.

```bash

xcodebuildmcp daemon status

xcodebuildmcp daemon restart

```

To see all daemon commands, view daemon help:

```bash

xcodebuildmcp daemon --help

```

More from this repository2

🔧

XcodeBuildMCP🔧MCP Server

Provides Xcode build and project context, enabling AI assistants to interact with, analyze, and manipulate Xcode development environments programmatically.

🎯

xcodebuildmcp🎯Skill

xcodebuildmcp skill from cameroncooke/xcodebuildmcp