Xcode Studio MCP
iOS development tools: build, run, screenshot and interact with the iOS Simulator.
Install
The installation steps are in the documentation below. Documentation
Documentation
From the project's README on GitHub, refreshed weekly. Links open on GitHub.
Contents
xcode-studio-mcp
Unified MCP server for Xcode + iOS Simulator — build, deploy, screenshot, and interact with your iOS app from Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, or any MCP client.
Built in Swift. Single binary. No Node/Python runtime required.
Why This Exists
Today you need 2-3 separate tools to do the full iOS dev loop with an AI agent. xcode-studio-mcp combines them into one:
Write code → Build → Deploy to Simulator → Screenshot → Tap/Type → VerifyTools
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
xcode_build | Build an Xcode project with structured error output (file, line, column, severity, message) |
xcode_run | Build and launch an app in the iOS Simulator |
simulator_screenshot | Capture the Simulator screen as a PNG image |
simulator_tap | Tap at x,y coordinates on the Simulator screen |
simulator_type | Type text into the currently focused field |
simulator_describe | Get the accessibility tree of the current screen (JSON) |
Tool Parameters
xcode_build
| Parameter | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
project_path | Yes | Path to Xcode project directory, .xcodeproj, or .xcworkspace |
scheme | No | Build scheme (auto-detected if omitted) |
configuration | No | Debug (default) or Release |
destination | No | Build destination (defaults to booted simulator) |
xcode_run
| Parameter | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
project_path | Yes | Path to Xcode project |
bundle_identifier | Yes | App bundle ID (e.g. com.example.MyApp) |
scheme | No | Build scheme (auto-detected) |
simulator_udid | No | Target simulator (defaults to booted) |
simulator_screenshot
| Parameter | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
simulator_udid | No | Target simulator (defaults to booted) |
simulator_tap
| Parameter | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
x | Yes | X coordinate |
y | Yes | Y coordinate |
duration | No | Hold duration in seconds (for long press) |
simulator_udid | No | Target simulator |
simulator_type
| Parameter | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
text | Yes | Text to type |
simulator_udid | No | Target simulator |
simulator_describe
| Parameter | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
simulator_udid | No | Target simulator |
Quick Start
Prerequisites
- macOS with Xcode installed
- For UI interaction tools (
tap,type,describe):brew tap facebook/fb && brew install idb-companion pip3 install fb-idb
Build
git clone https://github.com/kevinswint/xcode-studio-mcp.git
cd xcode-studio-mcp
swift build -c releaseConfigure Claude Code
Add to your Claude Code MCP settings:
{
"mcpServers": {
"xcode-studio-mcp": {
"command": "/path/to/xcode-studio-mcp/.build/release/XcodeStudioMCP"
}
}
}Example Workflow
You: Build and run my app at ~/Projects/MyApp
Claude: [calls xcode_build] Build succeeded with 0 errors
[calls xcode_run] App launched (PID 12345)
[calls simulator_screenshot] Here's what the app looks like...
[calls simulator_describe] I can see a "Sign In" button and email/password fields
[calls simulator_tap] Tapped the email field
[calls simulator_type] Typed "test@example.com"
[calls simulator_screenshot] Here's the current state...Architecture
┌─────────────────────────────┐
│ MCP Protocol Layer │ stdio transport (Swift MCP SDK)
├─────────────────────────────┤
│ Tool Implementations │ 6 tools, structured error output
├──────────┬──────────────────┤
│ xcodebuild│ simctl │ idb │ native process calls
│ wrapper │ wrapper │ CLI │
└──────────┴──────────┴──────┘Built in Swift with zero Node/Python runtime dependencies (idb CLI is only needed for UI interaction tools).
Roadmap
- v0.1 (current): Core build + simulator tools
- v1.0: Semantic UI navigation ("tap the Sign In button"), visual diff, Xcode project file manipulation, compound operations, SwiftUI preview capture
Related Projects
| Project | What It Does | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| XcodeBuildMCP | Build + test only | No simulator UI interaction |
| mobile-mcp | Cross-platform simulator UI | No Xcode build support |
| ios-simulator-mcp | Simulator via IDB | No build, depends on IDB for everything |
xcode-studio-mcp combines build and interact into a single server.
Contributing
PRs welcome. The codebase is ~750 lines of Swift organized into Tools, Services, and Models.
License
MIT
Frequently asked questions
What is Xcode Studio MCP?
iOS development tools: build, run, screenshot and interact with the iOS Simulator.
How do I install Xcode Studio MCP?
Follow the installation steps in its documentation, shown on this page and in its repository.
Is Xcode Studio MCP open source?
Yes. Its code is on GitHub under the MIT license.
Who maintains Xcode Studio MCP?
It is published by kevinswint. AI.tn lists it but does not maintain or endorse it.
From the community awesome-mcp-servers lists and the project's GitHub repository. Listing is not an endorsement: review a server's code and permissions before giving it access to your data.