ABOUTME: XcodeBuildMCP integration for building, running, and debugging iOS apps via CLI

Name: ios-debugger
Rating: 87
Author: maroffo

ABOUTME: Simulator control, UI interaction, log capture, screenshot automation

iOS Debugger

When to Invoke

•Build/run iOS apps without Xcode UI
•Automate simulator interactions
•Capture app logs programmatically
•UI testing via CLI
•CI/CD iOS workflows

Capabilities

•Build and run on booted simulator
•Interact with simulator UI (tap, type, gestures)
•Capture and filter app logs
•Take screenshots
•Install/uninstall apps

Prerequisites

bash

# Ensure XcodeBuildMCP is available
# Check if simulator is booted
xcrun simctl list devices | grep Booted

# Boot simulator if needed
xcrun simctl boot "iPhone 16 Pro"

Build and Run

bash

# Build for simulator
xcodebuild -workspace MyApp.xcworkspace \
    -scheme MyApp \
    -sdk iphonesimulator \
    -destination 'platform=iOS Simulator,name=iPhone 16 Pro' \
    build

# Install app on simulator
xcrun simctl install booted path/to/MyApp.app

# Launch app
xcrun simctl launch booted com.example.myapp

UI Interaction

bash

# Tap at coordinates
xcrun simctl io booted tap 200 400

# Type text
xcrun simctl io booted type "Hello World"

# Swipe gesture (x1 y1 x2 y2 duration)
xcrun simctl io booted swipe 200 600 200 200 0.5

# Take screenshot
xcrun simctl io booted screenshot screenshot.png

Log Capture

bash

# Stream all logs from booted simulator
xcrun simctl spawn booted log stream --predicate 'processImagePath CONTAINS "MyApp"'

# Filter by subsystem
xcrun simctl spawn booted log stream --predicate 'subsystem == "com.example.myapp"'

# Capture logs to file
xcrun simctl spawn booted log stream \
    --predicate 'processImagePath CONTAINS "MyApp"' \
    > app.log &

Common Workflows

Reset Simulator

bash

# Erase all data
xcrun simctl erase "iPhone 16 Pro"

# Shutdown and boot
xcrun simctl shutdown "iPhone 16 Pro"
xcrun simctl boot "iPhone 16 Pro"

Tips

•Always check simulator is booted before commands
•Use log stream predicates to filter noise
•Coordinate-based taps are fragile (prefer accessibility IDs in XCTest)
•Capture screenshots for visual regression tests
•Use xcrun simctl openurl to test deep links

Integration with Tests

bash

# Run XCTests on simulator
xcodebuild test \
    -workspace App.xcworkspace \
    -scheme App \
    -destination 'platform=iOS Simulator,name=iPhone 16 Pro' \
    -resultBundlePath TestResults.xcresult