xcode-build-skill

An agent plugin that teaches your agent to build and manage iOS/macOS projects using native Xcode CLI tools (xcodebuild, xcrun simctl) instead of MCP servers.

Installation

Option 1: Install from skills.sh (Recommended)

npx skills add pzep1/xcode-build-skill

What It Does

This plugin provides agents with comprehensive guidance for:

• Building iOS/macOS apps with xcodebuild
• Managing simulators with xcrun simctl (boot, install, launch, logs)
• Taking screenshots and recording video
• UI automation via XCUITest framework (tap, type, gestures, element queries)

Why Use This?

Instead of relying on external MCP servers like XcodeBuildMCP, this plugin teaches Claude to use Apple's native CLI tools directly.

Aspect	MCP Approach	This Plugin
Dependencies	External MCP server	None (native tools)
Flexibility	Limited to MCP tools	Full CLI capabilities
UI Automation	Coordinate-based	Semantic element targeting
Learning	Abstracts away details	Teaches actual commands

Usage

Once installed, the skill auto-activates when you ask Claude about:

• Building iOS/macOS apps
• Running simulators
• Managing Xcode projects
• UI testing and automation

Example prompts:

• "Build the app for iPhone simulator"
• "List available simulators"
• "Take a screenshot of the running app"
• "How do I tap a button in a UI test?"

Plugin Structure

xcode-build-skill/
├── .claude-plugin/
│   ├── plugin.json           # Plugin manifest
│   └── marketplace.json      # Marketplace manifest
├── skills/
│   └── xcode-build/
│       ├── SKILL.md          # Main skill definition
│       ├── CLI_REFERENCE.md  # xcodebuild + simctl reference
│       └── XCUITEST_GUIDE.md # UI automation guide
├── README.md
└── LICENSE

Quick Reference

Build for Simulator

# Get simulator UUID
UDID=$(xcrun simctl list devices --json | jq -r '.devices | .[].[] | select(.name=="iPhone 16 Pro") | .udid' | head -1)

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

Simulator Management

xcrun simctl list devices          # List simulators
xcrun simctl boot $UDID            # Boot simulator
xcrun simctl install $UDID App.app # Install app
xcrun simctl launch $UDID com.id   # Launch app

Screenshots

xcrun simctl io $UDID screenshot /tmp/screenshot.png

UI Automation (XCUITest)

let app = XCUIApplication()
app.launch()

app.textFields["email"].tap()
app.textFields["email"].typeText("user@example.com")
app.buttons["Login"].tap()

XCTAssertTrue(app.staticTexts["Welcome"].exists)

Requirements

• macOS with Xcode installed
• agentic harness
• jq (optional, for parsing JSON output)

License

MIT License - see LICENSE

Contributing

Contributions welcome! Please feel free to submit issues and pull requests.

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