xcforge - iOS MCP Server & CLI

xcforge

An MCP server and CLI for iOS development — build, test, automate, and diagnose from any AI agent or terminal.

104 MCP tools. 19 CLI command groups. Single native binary (~8 MB stripped, ~18 MB with debug symbols). Zero external runtime dependencies.

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Install

Homebrew (recommended)

brew tap justinthevoid/tap && brew install xcforge

Claude Code (one-liner)

claude mcp add xcforge -- xcforge

This registers xcforge as an MCP server in your current project. Run it after installing via Homebrew.

From source

git clone https://github.com/justinthevoid/xcforge.git

cd xcforge && swift build -c release cp .build/release/XCForgeCLI /usr/local/bin/xcforge

Uninstall

Homebrew

brew uninstall xcforge

brew untap justinthevoid/tap # optional: remove the tap

From source

rm /usr/local/bin/xcforge

Remove MCP configuration

After uninstalling the binary, remove the "xcforge" entry from your MCP client config file (see Configure for file locations).

For Claude Code:

claude mcp remove xcforge

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Configure

Add xcforge to your MCP client. Each client has a different config format and file location.

Claude Code

The fastest way is the CLI command shown above under Install. To configure manually, add to .mcp.json in your project root (or ~/.claude/.mcp.json for global):

{

"mcpServers": { "xcforge": { "command": "xcforge", "args": [], "type": "stdio" } } }

Claude Desktop

File: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{

"mcpServers": { "xcforge": { "command": "/opt/homebrew/bin/xcforge", "args": [] } } }

Note: Claude Desktop does not inherit your shell PATH. Use the full Homebrew path — /opt/homebrew/bin/xcforge on Apple Silicon, /usr/local/bin/xcforge on Intel.

Cursor

File: .cursor/mcp.json in your project root (or ~/.cursor/mcp.json for global)

{

"mcpServers": { "xcforge": { "command": "/opt/homebrew/bin/xcforge", "args": [] } } }

Note: Same PATH caveat as Claude Desktop — use the absolute path. Restart Cursor after changes.

VS Code (GitHub Copilot)

File: .vscode/mcp.json in your project root

{

"servers": { "xcforge": { "command": "xcforge", "args": [], "type": "stdio" } } }

Note: VS Code uses "servers" not "mcpServers". Requires the GitHub Copilot extension with agent mode enabled. VS Code typically resolves PATH from your shell, so the bare command works.

Windsurf

File: ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

{

"mcpServers": { "xcforge": { "command": "/opt/homebrew/bin/xcforge", "args": [] } } }

Note: Full path recommended. Restart Windsurf after editing.

Zed

File: ~/.config/zed/settings.json (or .zed/settings.json per-project)

{

"context_servers": { "xcforge": { "command": { "path": "/opt/homebrew/bin/xcforge", "args": [] }, "settings": {} } } }

Note: Zed uses "context_servers" with a nested "command.path" — different from every other client.

Config quick reference

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Claude Code Skill

xcforge ships an agent skill: the tool reference an agent loads when it works on iOS tasks. The binary carries it, so installing it needs nothing else:

xcforge skill install            # this repo: .claude/skills/xcforge (commit it to share with the team)

xcforge skill install --global # every project: ~/.claude/skills/xcforge xcforge skill install --dir # any other agent's skills directory xcforge skill status # where it's installed and whether it matches this xcforge xcforge skill show references/test-tools.md # print one file without installing

Re-run xcforge skill install after upgrading xcforge to refresh the copy; only changed files are rewritten. It won't overwrite an xcforge skill directory it didn't create unless you pass --force. xcforge skill uninstall removes it.

Once installed, Claude will automatically load the right reference files when you use xcforge tools — exact parameters, return values, and usage patterns for each category (build, test, simulator, UI automation, logs, LLDB, diagnosis, and more).

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Two Modes, Same Tools

xcforge                          # MCP server (stdio JSON-RPC, 104 tools)

xcforge build --scheme MyApp # CLI mode (19 command groups)

Every tool available over MCP has a matching CLI command. Every CLI command supports --json.

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Tools Overview

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Key Capabilities

Structured Test Results

Test output is parsed from .xcresult bundles — the structured format Xcode generates internally — not from raw xcodebuild stdout/stderr.

A single test_sim call returns: pass/fail counts, failure messages with source location, exported failure screenshots, and the xcresult path for deeper inspection via test_failures or test_coverage.

Fast Screenshots

The screenshot tool reads the simulator framebuffer via CoreSimulator's IOSurface API, falling back to ScreenCaptureKit, then simctl. Typical latency is ~300ms.

UI Automation Without Appium

xcforge communicates directly with WebDriverAgent over HTTP and supplements it with a native Accessibility API bridge (AXPBridge). This means:

• find_element with scroll: true auto-scrolls using 3 fallback strategies
• handle_alert searches across SpringBoard, ContactsUI, and the active app — accept_all clears multiple permission dialogs in one call
• drag_and_drop works with element IDs, not just coordinates
• get_source returns the full view hierarchy in ~20ms

Topic-Filtered Logs

start_log_capture streams os_log through 4 filter layers:

1. Noise exclusion — strips 15 known noisy processes at the stream level
2. Capture modes — smart (broad + topic-ready), app (tight, auto-detected bundle), verbose
3. Topic filtering — read_logs classifies lines into 8 topics (app, crashes, network, lifecycle, springboard, widgets, background, system) and shows only app + crashes by default
4. Deduplication — collapses repeated lines

The response includes a topic menu with counts, so the agent can pull in specific topics on demand without re-querying.

Interactive LLDB Debugger

8 tools for attaching LLDB to running simulator processes, setting breakpoints, inspecting variables, viewing stack traces, and stepping through code. Sessions persist for 30 minutes, so you can attach once and run multiple debugging operations. CLI commands are one-shot (attach → operation → detach). Includes:

• Session management: lldb_attach (by bundle ID or PID), lldb_detach
• Breakpoints: set by file+line or function name, remove by ID
• Inspection: evaluate expressions at the current frame, view stack traces
• Execution control: continue, step over, step into, step out (with 10-second timeout)
• Raw passthrough: run arbitrary LLDB commands

Use alongside logs and screenshots for systematic root-cause analysis.

Diagnosis Workflows

10 tools (off by default: turn them on with XCFORGE_TOOL_GROUPS=+diagnose or tool_groups) that chain together into structured diagnostic pipelines — start a session, build, launch, capture runtime signals, collect evidence (screenshots, logs, accessibility state), compare against previous runs, and verify fixes. Designed for agents to systematically debug issues across multiple iterations.

Physical Devic