Xcode Build Direct
Build and manage iOS/macOS projects using native Xcode CLI tools instead of MCP servers.
When to Use This Skill
Use this skill when:
Building iOS or macOS apps with Xcode
Running apps in iOS simulators
Managing simulator instances (boot, shutdown, list)
Taking screenshots of simulators
Capturing app logs
Running tests (unit or UI)
Automating UI interactions (tap, type, swipe)
Preference: Always use direct CLI commands ( xcodebuild , xcrun simctl ) instead of XcodeBuildMCP tools. Quick Start 1. Discover Project Structure

List schemes in a workspace

xcodebuild -workspace /path/to/App.xcworkspace -list

List schemes in a project

xcodebuild -project /path/to/App.xcodeproj -list

Show build settings

xcodebuild -workspace /path/to/App.xcworkspace -scheme AppScheme -showBuildSettings 2. Find Available Simulators

List all simulators

xcrun simctl list devices

List as JSON (better for parsing)

xcrun simctl list devices --json

List only available simulators

xcrun simctl list devices available 3. Build for Simulator

Get simulator UUID first

UDID

Build

xcodebuild \ -workspace /path/to/App.xcworkspace \ -scheme AppScheme \ -destination "platform=iOS Simulator,id= $UDID " \ -configuration Debug \ -derivedDataPath /tmp/build \ build 4. Install and Launch

Find the built .app

APP_PATH

$( find /tmp/build -name "*.app" -type d | head -1 )

Install on simulator

xcrun simctl install $UDID " $APP_PATH "

Launch app

xcrun simctl launch $UDID com.your.bundleid 5. Take Screenshot xcrun simctl io $UDID screenshot /tmp/screenshot.png Detailed References For comprehensive command documentation, see: CLI_REFERENCE.md - Full xcodebuild and xcrun simctl command reference XCUITEST_GUIDE.md - UI automation via XCUITest (tap, type, gestures, element queries) Common Patterns Build + Run Workflow

1. Boot simulator

xcrun simctl boot $UDID 2

/dev/null || true

2. Build

xcodebuild -workspace App.xcworkspace -scheme App \ -destination "platform=iOS Simulator,id= $UDID " \ -derivedDataPath /tmp/build build

3. Find and install app

APP

$( find /tmp/build -name "*.app" -type d | head -1 ) xcrun simctl install $UDID " $APP "

4. Launch with console output

xcrun simctl launch --console $UDID com.bundle.id Log Capture

Stream app logs (run in background)

/usr/bin/log stream \ --predicate 'processImagePath CONTAINS[cd] "AppName"' \ --style json & LOG_PID = $!

... interact with app ...

Stop logging

kill $LOG_PID Running Tests

Unit tests

xcodebuild -workspace App.xcworkspace -scheme App \ -destination "platform=iOS Simulator,id= $UDID " \ test

Specific test class

xcodebuild -workspace App.xcworkspace -scheme App \ -destination "platform=iOS Simulator,id= $UDID " \ -only-testing "AppTests/MyTestClass" \ test UI Automation For tapping, typing, and UI element queries, use XCUITest (Apple's native UI testing framework). This is more powerful than MCP-based automation because: Native to iOS, always up-to-date Full access to accessibility tree Can wait for elements, handle animations Integrates with Xcode test runner See XCUITEST_GUIDE.md for complete patterns. Quick example: // In a UI test file func testLogin ( ) { let app = XCUIApplication ( ) app . launch ( ) // Type in text field app . textFields [ "email" ] . tap ( ) app . textFields [ "email" ] . typeText ( "user@example.com" ) // Tap button app . buttons [ "Login" ] . tap ( ) // Verify result XCTAssertTrue ( app . staticTexts [ "Welcome" ] . exists ) } Run UI tests: xcodebuild -workspace App.xcworkspace -scheme AppUITests \ -destination "platform=iOS Simulator,id= $UDID " \ test Session Configuration Unlike MCP, CLI tools don't maintain session state. Use environment variables or a config file:

Set up session variables

export XCODE_WORKSPACE = "/path/to/App.xcworkspace" export XCODE_SCHEME = "App" export SIM_UDID = "DD5E339B-468E-43C7-B219-54112C9D3250" export APP_BUNDLE_ID = "com.your.app"

Use in commands

xcodebuild -workspace " $XCODE_WORKSPACE " -scheme " $XCODE_SCHEME " .. . xcrun simctl launch " $SIM_UDID " " $APP_BUNDLE_ID " Troubleshooting Build fails with "no matching destination"

Check available destinations

xcodebuild -workspace App.xcworkspace -scheme App -showDestinations

Use exact destination string from output

Simulator won't boot

Check if already booted

xcrun simctl list devices | grep Booted

Force shutdown and reboot

xcrun simctl shutdown $UDID xcrun simctl boot $UDID Can't find built .app

Check derived data path you specified

ls -la /tmp/build/Build/Products/Debug-iphonesimulator/

Or use default derived data

ls ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/ Key Differences from XcodeBuildMCP Feature XcodeBuildMCP This Skill Build build_sim({...}) xcodebuild -workspace ... build List sims list_sims() xcrun simctl list devices Launch app launch_app_sim({...}) xcrun simctl launch $UDID $BUNDLE Screenshot screenshot({...}) xcrun simctl io $UDID screenshot Tap/Type tap({x,y}) , type_text({...}) XCUITest framework Session state Built-in Environment variables

xcode-build

安装