XcodeBuildMCP provides tools for Xcode project management, simulator management, and app utilities.
XcodeBuildMCP is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server and CLI that provides tools for agent use when working on iOS and macOS projects. It focuses on Xcode project management, simulator management, and app utilities.
🛠️ Key Features
MCP server
CLI for iOS and macOS workflows
Xcode project management tooling
Simulator management tooling
App utilities
🚀 Use Cases
Managing iOS and macOS Xcode projects via an agent
Controlling and working with simulators
Performing common app-related utility tasks
⚡ Developer Benefits
Uses the Model Context Protocol (model context protocol-servers)
Supports iOS/macOS development through dedicated Xcode-related tooling
Available feature list is limited to project management, simulator management, and app utilities (no further tool details provided in the available source data).
MobileBuildMCP ships as a single package with two modes: a CLI for direct terminal use and an MCP server for AI coding agents. Either install method gives you both.
Option A — Homebrew
bash
brew tap getsentry/xcodebuildmcp
brew install mobilebuildmcp
Option B — npm (Node.js 18+)
bash
npm install -g mobilebuildmcp@latest
Verify either install:
bash
mobilebuildmcp --help
Connect your MCP client
Drop-in config snippets for Cursor, Claude Code, Codex, can be found in the official docs page MCP Clients. Most clients can also run the MCP server on demand via npx -y mobilebuildmcp@latest mcp without a global install.
Requirements
macOS 14.5 or later
Xcode 16.x or later
Node.js 18.x or later (not required for Homebrew installation)
Skills
MobileBuildMCP now includes two optional agent skills:
MCP Skill: Primes the agent with instructions on how to use the MCP server's tools (optional when using the MCP server).
CLI Skill: Primes the agent with instructions on how to navigate the CLI (recommended when using the CLI).
To install with a global binary:
bash
mobilebuildmcp init
Or install directly via npx without a global install:
bash
npx -y mobilebuildmcp@latest init
For further information on installing skills, see Agent Skills.
Notes
MobileBuildMCP requests xcodebuild to skip macro validation to avoid errors when building projects that use Swift Macros.
Device tools require code signing to be configured in Xcode. See Device Code Signing.
Privacy
MobileBuildMCP uses Sentry for internal runtime error telemetry only. For details and opt-out instructions, see Privacy & Telemetry.
CLI
MobileBuildMCP provides a unified command-line interface. The mcp subcommand starts the MCP server, while all other commands provide direct terminal access to tools:
bash
# Install globally
npm install -g mobilebuildmcp@latest
# Start the MCP server (for MCP clients)
mobilebuildmcp mcp
# List available tools
mobilebuildmcp tools
# Build for simulator
mobilebuildmcp simulator build --scheme MyApp --project-path ./MyApp.xcodeproj
# Prepare portable test products without running tests
mobilebuildmcp simulator build --scheme MyApp --project-path ./MyApp.xcodeproj --simulator-name "iPhone 17" --build-for-testing --test-products-path ./MyApp.xctestproducts
# Run previously prepared test products
mobilebuildmcp simulator test --test-products-path ./MyApp.xctestproducts --simulator-name "iPhone 17"
The CLI uses a per-workspace daemon for stateful operations (log capture, debugging, etc.) that auto-starts when needed. See the CLI guide for full documentation.
This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.
For third-party licensing notices see the THIRD_PARTY_LICENSES file for details.
For npm package attributions see the THIRD_PARTY_PACKAGE_LICENSES file for details.
Install
Configuration
Environment variables
INCREMENTAL_BUILDS_ENABLEDdefault false
Enable experimental xcodemake incremental builds (true/false or 1/0).
XCODEBUILDMCP_ENABLED_WORKFLOWS
Comma-separated list of workflows to load at startup (e.g., 'simulator,device,project-discovery').
