Preflight MCP

The most comprehensive MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for iOS Simulator automation. Gives AI agents like Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Windsurf, and any MCP-compatible tool full control over iOS Simulators — tap, swipe, type, read accessibility trees, inspect app data, capture screenshots, record video, manage devices, and debug apps in real time.

82 tools across 14 categories. Zero cursor interference — works silently in the background while you use your Mac.

Inspired by Playwright MCP for web automation — Preflight brings the same structured accessibility-first approach to iOS.

Why Preflight?

• No disk clutter — Screenshots and video frames return directly in chat. No folders filling up.
• AI-optimized — Images compressed for minimal token usage. Video → key frames (most AI models can't view video files).
• Accessibility-first — Like Playwright's browser_snapshot, use simulator_snapshot to understand the screen without vision models.
• Cursor-free — Touch injection via idb (IndigoHID) — your Mac cursor stays put.
• 82 tools — From basic tap/swipe to StoreKit testing, network conditioning, memory profiling, and crash log analysis.

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• macOS with Xcode and iOS Simulator installed
• Node.js 18+
• Facebook idb (recommended for cursor-free operation)

Install idb (recommended)

brew tap facebook/fb
brew install idb-companion
pip3 install fb-idb

Without idb, the server falls back to CGEvent mouse injection (works but briefly moves your cursor).

Install via npm (recommended)

npm install -g preflight-ios-mcp

Build from Source

git clone https://github.com/EthanAckerman-git/Preflight.git
cd Preflight
npm install
npm run build

Setup by IDE / AI Tool

Add your Python bin directory to PATH if idb was installed via pip (e.g., ~/Library/Python/3.x/bin).

Claude Code

claude mcp add preflight -- npx preflight-ios-mcp

Or add to .mcp.json in your project root:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "preflight": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["preflight-ios-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "PATH": "/opt/homebrew/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cursor

Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json (global) or .cursor/mcp.json (per-project):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "preflight": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["preflight-ios-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "PATH": "/opt/homebrew/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin"
      }
    }
  }
}

Then in Cursor: Settings → MCP — verify "preflight" shows as connected.

Windsurf

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "preflight": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["preflight-ios-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "PATH": "/opt/homebrew/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin"
      }
    }
  }
}

Then in Windsurf: Settings → Cascade → MCP — verify "preflight" appears.

VS Code (Copilot / Cline / Continue)

Add to .vscode/mcp.json in your project:

{
  "servers": {
    "preflight": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["preflight-ios-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "PATH": "/opt/homebrew/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin"
      }
    }
  }
}

For Cline (VS Code extension), add to ~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/globalStorage/saoudrizwan.claude-dev/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "preflight": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["preflight-ios-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "PATH": "/opt/homebrew/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin"
      }
    }
  }
}

Zed

Add to ~/.config/zed/settings.json:

{
  "context_servers": {
    "preflight": {
      "command": {
        "path": "npx",
        "args": ["preflight-ios-mcp"],
        "env": {
          "PATH": "/opt/homebrew/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Any MCP-Compatible Client

Preflight uses the standard MCP stdio transport. Configure your client to run:

npx preflight-ios-mcp

Set the PATH environment variable to include idb's location for cursor-free touch injection.

Tools Reference

Observation (6 tools)

User Interaction (6 tools)

Playwright-Inspired (3 tools)

Device Management (6 tools)

App Management (4 tools)

Debugging & Diagnostics (9 tools)

System Simulation (5 tools)

UI Configuration (4 tools)

Advanced Debugging & Testing (18 tools)