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
Tools for Xcode project management
Simulator management utilities
App utilities
Implements the Model Context Protocol (MCP)
🚀 Use Cases
Automating tasks for iOS and macOS development
Managing Xcode projects via an agent workflow
Controlling and using simulators in development and testing
⚡ Developer Benefits
Provides an MCP server plus a companion CLI for agent tooling
Packaged for developer consumption with published npm and CI coverage (badges shown in excerpt)
MIT-licensed (per excerpt)
⚠️ Limitations
Readme excerpt provided is partial; specific tool names/count and exact CLI/server capabilities are not included in the source data.
XcodeBuildMCP 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 xcodebuildmcp
Option B — npm (Node.js 18+)
bash
npm install -g xcodebuildmcp@latest
Verify either install:
bash
xcodebuildmcp --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 xcodebuildmcp@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
XcodeBuildMCP 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
xcodebuildmcp init
Or install directly via npx without a global install:
bash
npx -y xcodebuildmcp@latest init
For further information on installing skills, see Agent Skills.
Notes
XcodeBuildMCP 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
XcodeBuildMCP uses Sentry for internal runtime error telemetry only. For details and opt-out instructions, see Privacy & Telemetry.
CLI
XcodeBuildMCP 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 xcodebuildmcp@latest
# Start the MCP server (for MCP clients)
xcodebuildmcp mcp
# List available tools
xcodebuildmcp tools
# Build for simulator
xcodebuildmcp simulator build --scheme MyApp --project-path ./MyApp.xcodeproj
# Prepare portable test products without running tests
xcodebuildmcp 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
xcodebuildmcp 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.
