Ios Simulator MCP

What ios-simulator-mcp does

The ios-simulator-mcp MCP server gives an MCP client tools for operating an iOS Simulator. It can open the Simulator application, identify the currently booted device, install .app or .ipa bundles, launch or terminate apps by bundle identifier, and list installed apps with their identifiers and display names.

For UI automation, it supports coordinate-based taps, text entry, and swipes. It can also inspect the accessibility hierarchy for the full screen, return the element at a coordinate, or search for elements by accessibility label or unique ID. These capabilities make it suitable for checking both visible behavior and accessibility metadata during development or testing.

The server belongs in the OS Automation category. It also handles URLs and deep links, including HTTPS links, custom schemes, and universal links, which can be used to exercise routing and OAuth redirect flows.

How it works

MCP clients call the server’s tools with parameters such as a simulator UDID, screen coordinates, bundle identifier, app path, or output path. Most simulator-facing tools accept an optional udid; when it is omitted, the client can first call get_booted_sim_id to identify the active simulator. The target UDID can also be supplied through the IDB_UDID environment variable for the UI-related operations that support it.

UI descriptions and element searches use the simulator’s accessibility information. Coordinate actions use x and y values, while swipes can specify start and end coordinates, duration, and step size. App launches can optionally terminate an already-running process and pass environment variables to the launched app through simctl’s SIMCTL_CHILD_ mechanism.

The ios-simulator-mcp MCP server uses simulator controls for screenshots and recordings. ui_view returns compressed image content for the current view, while screenshot saves an image in a selected format. record_video writes a simulator recording, and stop_recording ends it.

Setup and configuration

The repository publishes an npm package named ios-simulator-mcp. The Cursor installation configuration shown by the project runs it with npx -y ios-simulator-mcp, so an MCP client must be configured to start that stdio command. The provided material does not specify additional installation steps or a required environment variable.

Screenshot and video tools accept explicit output paths. If a path is omitted for video, or if a screenshot path is relative, output uses the directory named by IOS_SIMULATOR_MCP_DEFAULT_OUTPUT_DIR; when that variable is unset, the fallback directory is ~/Downloads.

Use version 1.3.3 or later. The project notes that command-injection vulnerabilities in versions before 1.3.3 were fixed in that release.

Tools and capabilities

• Discover and open simulators with get_booted_sim_id and open_simulator.
• Inspect accessibility data with ui_describe_all, ui_describe_point, and ui_find_element.
• Interact with the screen using ui_tap, ui_type, and ui_swipe.
• Capture views with ui_view, screenshot, record_video, and stop_recording.
• Install, launch, terminate, and enumerate apps with install_app, launch_app, terminate_app, and list_apps.
• Open HTTPS URLs, custom schemes, and universal links with open_url.

Limitations and notes

The supplied tool definitions identify iOS Simulator as the target; they do not describe control of physical iOS devices. Text input is limited to printable ASCII characters. Coordinate-based actions depend on the simulator’s screen layout and display selection.

The server relies on simulator and simctl behavior, including the availability of a booted target for operations that require one. Video recording uses killall when stopped. App launch environment variables are passed using SIMCTL_CHILD_ because support for direct --env or --envs options varies across Xcode versions.

Screenshot and recording options include internal or external displays and mask handling for non-rectangular displays. The available material does not specify support for Android, physical-device deployment, or automated test-report generation.

Getting started with this ios-simulator-mcp MCP server

Always refer to the official documentation for the most accurate and up-to-date information.