XcodeBuildMCP 🔌 MCP server Open source

What it does

XcodeBuildMCP lets coding agents build, run, test and debug iOS and macOS projects. It is now maintained by Sentry. It wraps xcodebuild, the simulator tools, LLDB and Swift Package Manager in structured tools, so the agent can fix its own build errors, launch the app and check the result without you copying logs by hand. The same package works as an MCP server and as a CLI (xcodebuildmcp simulator build ...). The CLI suits agents that work better with shell commands and --help than with a long list of tools. Two optional Agent Skills explain the MCP tools or the CLI to the agent.

Tools it gives your agent

• Simulator (default): build, install, launch and one-step build-and-run on a booted simulator, with logs saved
• Device and macOS: build, test and deploy to physical Apple devices and Mac apps
• Project discovery: list schemes, workspaces, build settings and bundle IDs
• Debugging and UI automation: attach LLDB and set breakpoints; tap, swipe and take screenshots in the simulator
• Extras: Swift packages, code coverage, simulator management, project scaffolding and a bridge to Xcode's own MCP server

To keep the tool list short, only the simulator workflow is on by default. You can turn on more workflows in the config.

Works with

This is a local stdio server and needs macOS 14.5+, Xcode 16+ and Node 18+ (Node is not needed if you install with Homebrew). The docs give ready configs for Claude Code, Cursor, Codex CLI, Claude Desktop, VS Code, Kiro, Windsurf, OpenCode, Trae and the agents built into Xcode.

How to connect

claude mcp add XcodeBuildMCP -- npx -y xcodebuildmcp@latest mcp

brew tap getsentry/xcodebuildmcp
brew install xcodebuildmcp

Cost and limits

It is free and MIT-licensed. It only runs on a Mac with Xcode installed. The device tools need code signing set up in Xcode first. Codex users may need to raise tool_timeout_sec for long builds.

Safety notes

The server runs real builds, installs and simulator resets on your machine. It also asks xcodebuild to skip Swift macro validation. Sentry error telemetry is on by default. It covers only the server's own crashes, not your code or tool inputs, and you can turn it off with XCODEBUILDMCP_SENTRY_DISABLED=true.