iOS Simulator MCP Server
An MCP server for the iOS Simulator: taps, swipes, text input, accessibility tree, screenshots, video and app control
- 2,201 ★ on the repository
- Last commit
- MIT
Extended access
Why this level
- Controls the simulator and installs apps into it
- Writes screenshots and videos to disk
Install
- Works in
In your terminal, with SkillFoxx CLI
npx skillfoxx add mcp/ios-simulator-mcp-serverDetects the agents on your machine, shows the access level and pins the version.
Other ways to install
Access and checks
How we reviewExtended accessThe tool runs code or makes network calls and only reads external data.
- Controls the simulator and installs apps into it
- Writes screenshots and videos to disk
This is third-party code. Review the repository files before installing.
What it does
The server gives the agent control of a running iOS Simulator on a Mac. The agent reads screen elements from the accessibility tree, finds them by label or type, taps, swipes and types text. It takes screenshots and compressed screen views for the model, records video, installs, launches and terminates apps, and opens URLs and deep links. Unneeded tools can be hidden with an environment variable.
Who it is for. For iOS and React Native developers who want the agent to check its own work in the simulator.
Good fit when
- You want the agent to look at the screen after a UI change and verify it
- You need to check accessibility labels on a screen
- You need to jump to a screen via deep link and test it
Not a fit when
- You need Android or a real device
- You are not on macOS
Example request
Open myapp://products/42 in the simulator and verify the product details screen is shownMCP
- Transport
- stdio
- Authentication
- not required
Environment variables
IOS_SIMULATOR_MCP_FILTERED_TOOLS- Tools to leave unregistered
IOS_SIMULATOR_MCP_DEFAULT_OUTPUT_DIR- Folder for screenshots and videos
IOS_SIMULATOR_MCP_IDB_PATH- Path to the IDB executable
IDB_UDID- Default simulator UDID
Limitations
Works only on macOS with Xcode, simulators, Node 20 and Facebook's IDB installed. Text input is limited to printable ASCII, so Cyrillic cannot be typed this way. Versions before 1.3.3 had a command injection vulnerability.
How to disable. Run claude mcp remove ios-simulator or delete the ios-simulator block from the MCP config.
FAQ
Where do screenshots and videos go?
To ~/Downloads unless IOS_SIMULATOR_MCP_DEFAULT_OUTPUT_DIR is set.
How do I disable some tools?
List them comma-separated in IOS_SIMULATOR_MCP_FILTERED_TOOLS.
How is iOS Simulator MCP different from running XCUITest?
The server lets the agent control a running iOS Simulator on a Mac: read screen elements from the accessibility tree, find them by label or type, tap, swipe, type text, take screenshots and record video. You do not write tests.
How do I connect iOS Simulator MCP to Claude Code?
Run claude mcp add ios-simulator npx ios-simulator-mcp. You need a Mac with iOS Simulator running. It also works in Cursor. You can disable extra tools in the config, the list is in the install block.
Discussion
No questions or reviews yet.
Related
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Comparison with similar tools
Entries that share the main search query, and how they differ.
| Entry | Official | Authentication | Repository stars | Main difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iOS Simulator MCP Server (this entry) | no | not required | 2,201 | |
| Argent | no | 3,123 | gives an agent control of iOS simulators | |
| serve-sim | no | 2,905 | the npx serve-sim command streams an iOS Simulator to the browser and | |
| DSH iOS Simulator | no | 351 | a DeepSeek Harness plugin |
README in short
The README documents every tool with parameters and gives example QA prompts to run after implementing a feature. It recommends deep links so the agent does not waste steps navigating. It lists prerequisites, install for Cursor and Claude Code via npx, pnpm or a local build, and environment variables. MIT licensed.