XcodeBuild

XcodeBuild

cameroncooke

Enables building and testing iOS Xcode projects directly from AI coding assistants like Claude or VS Code extensions. Connects your AI workflow to native Xcode build tools.

Enables building, running, and debugging iOS and macOS applications through Xcode with tools for project discovery, simulator management, app deployment, and UI automation testing.

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What it does

  • Build iOS Xcode workspaces and projects
  • Run tests for iOS projects
  • Handle Xcode build errors and output
  • Execute xcodebuild commands from AI assistants

Best for

iOS developers using AI coding assistantsBuilding iOS apps from VS Code with Cline or Roo CodeAutomating iOS build processes in AI workflows
Direct Xcode integrationWorks with Claude and VS Code extensions

About XcodeBuild

XcodeBuild is a community-built MCP server published by cameroncooke that provides AI assistants with tools and capabilities via the Model Context Protocol. XcodeBuild streamlines iOS app development for Apple developers with tools for building, debugging, and deploying iOS an It is categorized under developer tools. This server exposes 63 tools that AI clients can invoke during conversations and coding sessions.

How to install

You can install XcodeBuild in your AI client of choice. Use the install panel on this page to get one-click setup for Cursor, Claude Desktop, VS Code, and other MCP-compatible clients. This server runs locally on your machine via the stdio transport.

License

XcodeBuild is released under the MIT license. This is a permissive open-source license, meaning you can freely use, modify, and distribute the software.

Tools (63)

build_device

Builds an app for a connected device.

clean

Cleans build products with xcodebuild.

discover_projs

Scans a directory (defaults to workspace root) to find Xcode project (.xcodeproj) and workspace (.xcworkspace) files.

get_app_bundle_id

Extracts the bundle identifier from an app bundle (.app) for any Apple platform (iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS, visionOS). IMPORTANT: You MUST provide the appPath parameter. Example: get_app_bundle_id({ appPath: '/path/to/your/app.app' })

get_device_app_path

Retrieves the built app path for a connected device.

XcodeBuild MCP

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server and CLI that provides tools for agent use when working on iOS and macOS projects.

CI npm version License: MIT Node.js Xcode 16 macOS MCP Ask DeepWiki AgentAudit Security

Installation

XcodeBuildMCP ships as a single package with two modes: a CLI for direct terminal use and an MCP server for AI coding agents. Both installation methods give you both modes.

Option A — Homebrew

brew tap getsentry/xcodebuildmcp
brew install xcodebuildmcp

Use the CLI:

xcodebuildmcp --help

MCP client config:

"XcodeBuildMCP": {
  "command": "xcodebuildmcp",
  "args": ["mcp"]
}

Upgrade later with brew update && brew upgrade xcodebuildmcp.

Option B — npm / npx (Node.js 18+)

For CLI use, install globally:

npm install -g xcodebuildmcp@latest
xcodebuildmcp --help

For MCP server only, no global install needed — add directly to your client config:

"XcodeBuildMCP": {
  "command": "npx",
  "args": ["-y", "xcodebuildmcp@latest", "mcp"]
}

To pin a specific version, replace @latest with an exact version (e.g. xcodebuildmcp@latest).

Client-specific setup

The examples below use npx (Option B). If you installed via Homebrew, replace the command with "command": "xcodebuildmcp", "args": ["mcp"] instead.

Cursor

Recommended (project-scoped): add .cursor/mcp.json in your workspace root:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "XcodeBuildMCP": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "xcodebuildmcp@latest", "mcp"]
    }
  }
}

For global Cursor config (~/.cursor/mcp.json), use this variant so startup is aligned with the active workspace:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "XcodeBuildMCP": {
      "command": "/bin/zsh",
      "args": [
        "-lc",
        "cd \"${workspaceFolder}\" && exec npx -y xcodebuildmcp@latest mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Or use the quick install link:

Install MCP Server

Claude Code

Run:

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

Codex CLI

Run:

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

Or add to ~/.codex/config.toml:

[mcp_servers.XcodeBuildMCP]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "xcodebuildmcp@latest", "mcp"]

Claude Desktop

Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "XcodeBuildMCP": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "xcodebuildmcp@latest", "mcp"]
    }
  }
}

VS Code / VS Code Insiders

Add to your VS Code settings JSON:

"mcp": {
  "servers": {
    "XcodeBuildMCP": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "xcodebuildmcp@latest", "mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Or use the quick install links:

Install in VS Code Install in VS Code Insiders

Kiro / Kiro CLI

Workspace-level (applies only to the current workspace): add .kiro/settings/mcp.json in your project root:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "XcodeBuildMCP": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "xcodebuildmcp@latest", "mcp"]
    }
  }
}

User-level (applies globally across all workspaces): add to ~/.kiro/settings/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "XcodeBuildMCP": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "xcodebuildmcp@latest", "mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Windsurf

Add to ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "XcodeBuildMCP": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "xcodebuildmcp@latest", "mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Trae

Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Trae/User/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "XcodeBuildMCP": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "xcodebuildmcp@latest", "mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Xcode (Codex Agent)

Requires Xcode 26.3 or later. Codex agent must be installed and configured in Xcode Settings -> Intelligence -> Open AI.

The only way at the time of writing to add an MCP server is to use a project scoped .codex/config.toml file in the root of your project workspace: /path/to/your/project/.codex/config.toml

[mcp_servers.XcodeBuildMCP]
args = [
"-lc",
"PATH=/opt/homebrew/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin; export NVM_DIR=\"$HOME/.nvm\"; [ -s \"$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh\" ] && . \"$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh\"; nvm use --silent >/dev/null 2>&1 || true; npx -y xcodebuildmcp@latest mcp"
]
command = "/bin/zsh"
enabled = true
tool_timeout_sec = 10000

NOTE: Codex Agent when running in Xcode has a limited PATH by default. The above example should work for most users but if you find the server doesn't start or is not available, it's likely because npx is not found so you might have to adjust the above configuration accordingly.


Xcode (Claude Code Agent)

Requires Xcode 26.3 or later. Claude Code agent must be installed and configured in Xcode Settings -> Intelligence -> Anthropic.

Add to the end or replace the existing mcpServers object in Xcode's Claude Code agent config at: ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/CodingAssistant/ClaudeAgentConfig/.claude.json

  // ... rest of file ...
  "mcpServers": {
    "XcodeBuildMCP": {
      "command": "/bin/zsh",
      "args": [
        "-lc",
        "PATH=/opt/homebrew/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin; export NVM_DIR=\"$HOME/.nvm\"; [ -s \"$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh\" ] && . \"$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh\"; nvm use --silent >/dev/null 2>&1 || true; npx -y xcodebuildmcp@latest mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

NOTE: Claude Code Agent when running in Xcode has a limited PATH by default. The above example should work for most users but if you find the server doesn't start or is not available, it's likely because npx is not found so you might have to adjust the above configuration accordingly.


AdaL CLI

Run the following command inside the AdaL CLI prompt:

/mcp add XcodeBuildMCP --command npx --args "-y,xcodebuildmcp@latest,mcp"


For other installation options see Getting Started.

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:

xcodebuildmcp init

Or install directly via npx without a global install:

npx -y xcodebuildmcp@latest init

For further information on installing skills, see: docs/SKILLS.md

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 docs/DEVICE_CODE_SIGNING.md.

Privacy

XcodeBuildMCP uses Sentry for internal runtime error telemetry only. For details and opt-out instructions, see [docs/PRIVACY.md](docs/PRIVACY.


README truncated. View full README on GitHub.

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