Apple HIG

Provides instant access to Apple's Human Interface Guidelines, with content auto-updated periodically.

GitHub
Apple Dev MCP Icon

🍎 Apple Dev MCP Server

Health Check npm version License: MIT Node.js

Complete Apple development guidance for AI assistants

Combines Human Interface Guidelines (design) with Technical Documentation (API reference) for all Apple platforms.

✨ Features

  • 🎨 Complete Coverage: HIG design guidelines + Apple API documentation for iOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, visionOS
  • ⚡ Smart Caching: Fast responses via intelligent caching with graceful degradation
  • 🔍 Smart Search: Unified search across design and technical content
  • 🤖 Enhanced Search: Advanced search combining design principles with technical implementation
  • 📚 Pre-built Content: 113+ pre-processed Apple HIG sections for instant access

🚀 Quick Start

Option 1: Claude Desktop Extension (Recommended)

  1. Download apple-dev-mcp.dxt from releases
  2. Double-click to install in Claude Desktop
  3. Restart Claude Desktop
  4. Start using Apple development guidance!

Option 2: Traditional Installation

npm install -g apple-dev-mcp

🔧 Configuration

Claude Desktop

Add to claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "Apple Dev": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/usr/local/lib/node_modules/apple-dev-mcp/dist/server.js"]
    }
  }
}
Claude Code 
claude mcp add "Apple-Dev" node /usr/local/lib/node_modules/apple-dev-mcp/dist/server.js
Cursor / Windsurf / VS Code

Create .cursor/mcp.json, windsurf config, or .vscode/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "Apple Dev": {
      "command": "node", 
      "args": ["/usr/local/lib/node_modules/apple-dev-mcp/dist/server.js"]
    }
  }
}

Find your path: npm list -g apple-dev-mcp
Windows users: Replace with C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\apple-dev-mcp\dist\server.js

📖 Usage

Available Tools (3 core tools)

Design Guidelines Search

  • search_human_interface_guidelines - Search Apple HIG with platform filters
    • Returns full content (not snippets) for AI-friendly responses
    • Covers all Apple platforms: iOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, visionOS

Technical Documentation Search

  • search_technical_documentation - Search Apple API documentation
    • Framework-specific searches (SwiftUI, UIKit, AppKit, etc.)
    • Symbol and method lookups with code examples

Unified Search

  • search_unified - Combined design + technical documentation search
    • Cross-references design guidelines with implementation details
    • Perfect for end-to-end development guidance

Examples

Search Design Guidelines:

{
  "name": "search_human_interface_guidelines",
  "arguments": {
    "query": "Tab Bars",
    "platform": "iOS"
  }
}

Search Technical Documentation:

{
  "name": "search_technical_documentation",
  "arguments": {
    "query": "Button",
    "framework": "SwiftUI"
  }
}

Unified Search:

{
  "name": "search_unified",
  "arguments": {
    "query": "navigation",
    "platform": "iOS"
  }
}

🧪 Testing

npm test                # Run test suite
npm test               # Test functionality

# Interactive testing
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector apple-dev-mcp

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! The most needed help:

  1. Scraper fixes when Apple changes their website
  2. New features and bug fixes
  3. Documentation improvements

See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

⚖️ Legal & Attribution

This project operates under fair use principles for educational purposes. All content includes proper Apple attribution and respects their intellectual property.

Content sourced from Apple's Human Interface Guidelines.
© Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Provided for educational purposes.

🙏 Acknowledgments

Built with ❤️ for the developer community

Bringing Apple's design excellence directly to your AI-assisted development workflow.

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