XcodeBuildMCP

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

Installation

CLI Installation

npm install -g xcodebuildmcp@latest
xcodebuildmcp --help

MCP Server Installation

Add XcodeBuildMCP to your MCP client configuration. Most clients use JSON configuration with the following server entry:

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

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:

Run:

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

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"]

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

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

Add to your VS Code settings JSON:

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

Or use the quick install links:

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

For other installation options see Getting Started

When configuring a client manually, ensure the command includes the mcp subcommand (for example, npx -y xcodebuildmcp@latest mcp).

Requirements

• macOS 14.5 or later
• Xcode 16.x or later
• Node.js 18.x or later

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, copy and paste the command below into a terminal and follow the on-screen instructions.

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/cameroncooke/XcodeBuildMCP/v2.0.0/scripts/install-skill.sh -o install-skill.sh && bash install-skill.sh

For further information on how to install the skill, 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 error telemetry. For more information or to opt out of error telemetry see docs/PRIVACY.md.

CLI

XcodeBuildMCP provides a unified command-line interface. The mcp subcommand starts the MCP server, while all other commands provide direct terminal access to tools:

# Install globally
npm install -g xcodebuildmcp@latest

# Start the MCP server (for MCP clients)
xcodebuildmcp mcp

# List available tools
xcodebuildmcp tools

# Build for simulator
xcodebuildmcp simulator build --scheme MyApp --project-path ./MyApp.xcodeproj

The CLI uses a per-workspace daemon for stateful operations (log capture, debugging, etc.) that auto-starts when needed. See docs/CLI.md for full documentation.

Documentation

• Getting started: docs/GETTING_STARTED.md
• CLI usage: docs/CLI.md
• Configuration and options: docs/CONFIGURATION.md
• Tools reference: docs/TOOLS.md
• Troubleshooting: docs/TROUBLESHOOTING.md
• Privacy: docs/PRIVACY.md
• Skills: docs/SKILLS.md
• Contributing: docs/dev/CONTRIBUTING.md

Licence

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.