xcsimctl

Manage Xcode simulators.

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SimCtl MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides structured access to iOS Simulator management via xcrun simctl commands.

Installation

Method 1: Using uvx

  1. Prerequisites:

    • Python 3.13+
    • Xcode with Command Line Tools installed
    • uvx: curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

  2. Run directly with uvx:

    uvx simctl-mcp-server

Method 2: Local Development Installation

  1. Prerequisites:

    • Python 3.13+
    • Xcode with Command Line Tools installed

  2. Clone and install:

    git clone https://github.com/nzrsky/simctl-mcp-server
cd simctl-mcp-server
pip install .

  3. Run the server:

    simctl-mcp-server

Method 3: Build from Source

  1. Build the wheel: 
    python -m build --wheel
pip install dist/simctl_mcp_server-0.1.0-py3-none-any.whl

Configuration

For Claude Desktop

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "simctl": {
      "command": "simctl-mcp-server",
      "args": [],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Or if using uvx:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "simctl": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["simctl-mcp-server"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

For VS Code with MCP Extension

  1. Install the MCP Extension from the VS Code marketplace
  2. Add server configuration to your VS Code settings (settings.json):
{
  "mcp.servers": {
    "simctl": {
      "command": "simctl-mcp-server",
      "args": [],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Or if using uvx:

{
  "mcp.servers": {
    "simctl": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["simctl-mcp-server"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}
  1. Restart VS Code to load the MCP server
  2. Use the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P) and search for "MCP" commands to interact with the simulator tools

For Other MCP Clients

The server runs on stdio, so you can invoke it directly:

With installed package:

simctl-mcp-server

With uvx:

uvx simctl-mcp-server

Available Tools

Device Management

  • simctl_list_devices - List all simulators and their states
  • simctl_boot_device - Boot a simulator
  • simctl_shutdown_device - Shutdown a simulator
  • simctl_create_device - Create a new simulator
  • simctl_delete_device - Delete simulators

App Management

  • simctl_install_app - Install an app (.app bundle or .ipa)
  • simctl_launch_app - Launch an app with options
  • simctl_terminate_app - Terminate a running app

Media & Screenshots

  • simctl_screenshot - Take screenshots
  • simctl_record_video - Record video (start recording)

Testing & Development

  • simctl_push_notification - Send push notifications
  • simctl_privacy_control - Manage app permissions
  • simctl_set_location - Set device location/GPS
  • simctl_status_bar_override - Override status bar appearance
  • simctl_ui_appearance - Control light/dark mode

Usage Examples

Basic Device Operations

# List all devices
"List all available iOS simulators"

# Boot a specific device
"Boot the iPhone 15 Pro simulator"

# Create a new simulator
"Create a new iPhone 14 simulator named 'Test Device' with iOS 17.0"

App Testing

# Install and launch an app
"Install MyApp.app on the booted simulator and launch it"

# Take a screenshot
"Take a screenshot of the current simulator and save it to ~/Desktop/screenshot.png"

# Send a push notification
"Send a push notification with title 'Hello' and body 'Test message' to com.example.myapp"

UI Testing Setup

# Set up a controlled testing environment
"Set the simulator to dark mode, override the status bar to show full battery and strong WiFi, and set the time to 9:41 AM"

# Grant permissions for testing
"Grant photo library access to com.example.myapp on the booted simulator"

Location Testing

# Set specific location
"Set the simulator location to Apple Park (37.334606, -122.009102)"

# Clear location
"Clear the simulated location on the booted device"

Error Handling

The server includes comprehensive error handling:

  • Command failures: Returns detailed error messages from simctl
  • Missing Xcode: Detects when xcrun simctl is not available
  • Invalid parameters: Validates input parameters before execution
  • File operations: Handles temporary files for push notifications safely

Security Considerations

  • The server only exposes read and simulator management operations
  • No access to host file system beyond specified app paths
  • Push notification payloads are validated for structure
  • Privacy permission changes are explicit and logged

Development Notes

  • Built specifically for iOS development workflows
  • Optimized for common simulator management tasks
  • Structured output parsing for JSON responses
  • Support for both individual and batch operations
  • Compatible with Xcode 15+ simulator features

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