xcodebuildmcp

What This Skill Does

The xcodebuildmcp skill provides a powerful interface for interacting with Apple's development toolchain directly from your AI agent environment. It enables the programmatic control of Xcode projects, allowing agents to perform build, test, and run operations on iOS simulators, macOS targets, and connected physical devices. Beyond simple execution, the skill empowers agents to perform UI automation, capture logs for debugging, manage simulator states, and take media evidence such as screenshots or video recordings. By abstracting the complexity of command-line tools like xcodebuild, simctl, and xcrun, this skill acts as an extension of the developer’s local workspace.

Installation

To integrate this skill into your OpenClaw environment, ensure the XcodeBuildMCP server is installed and properly configured in your MCP client settings. You can install the skill via the command line: clawhub install openclaw/skills/skills/ipavlidakis/xcodebuildmcp. Ensure your development machine has Xcode and the required Command Line Tools installed. Consult references/mcp-setup.md for specific configuration details regarding your MCP client’s connection parameters to the local socket or port.

Use Cases

This skill is designed for automated quality assurance and CI/CD workflows. Use it to: 1) Run automated regression tests whenever code is updated and report failures via log capture. 2) Perform visual sanity checks by taking screenshots of your app across different simulator devices or screen sizes. 3) Debug complex issues by attaching to processes with LLDB or retrieving real-time system logs. 4) Automate the configuration of test environments, such as toggling dark mode, changing locations, or clearing simulator data between test suites. 5) Simplify the build-and-deploy cycle during rapid prototyping by automating the install-and-launch process on connected hardware.

Example Prompts

• "Build the current project for the iPhone 15 simulator, run the unit test suite, and share the logs for any failed tests."
• "Open the simulator, navigate to the user profile settings, and take a screenshot to verify the layout in dark mode."
• "List all available simulators, choose the one with the latest iOS version, and install the latest build of our app."

Tips & Limitations

To maximize efficiency, always use mcp__xcodebuildmcp__session-set-defaults at the start of your interaction to avoid redundant parameter input. For UI automation, call mcp__xcodebuildmcp__describe_ui before executing gestures to ensure accurate targeting. Note that this skill is inherently tied to macOS environments; it will not function on Linux or Windows host machines. Avoid running destructive commands like 'erase all simulators' unless explicitly confirmed by the user, as this can interrupt other ongoing development tasks.