XcodeBuild MCP
https://github.com/getsentry/xcodebuildmcp- Category
- Developer Tools
- Rank
- No. 301Tools index
- Pricing
- Open Source
- Type
- TOOL
- Builder
- getsentry
- GitHub
- 6.4k stars
- Latest release
- v2.7.0
- Date
About
Sentry's MCP server and CLI for iOS and macOS dev — gives AI agents tools to build, test, simulate, and debug Xcode projects.
What it does
XcodeBuild MCP turns Apple development operations into a structured tool catalog. Agents connect over standard input and output, while developers can invoke the same catalog from a terminal. Stateful work such as log capture and debugging runs through an automatically started workspace daemon.
Why it's ranked here
This is a substantial bridge between coding agents and Apple’s development stack. Its shared MCP and terminal surface, configurable workflow catalog, session defaults, diagnostics, and stateful daemon address real automation friction. The narrow platform requirements and opt-in advanced workflows keep it from being universal.
What's good
One installation supplies both human-operated commands and agent-facing tools. The catalog covers project discovery, simulators, physical devices, macOS applications, Swift packages, logs, debugging, UI automation, and scaffolding. Prepared test products can be built once and run later, which supports portable test workflows.
Tradeoffs
It requires recent macOS and Xcode versions. The npm route also requires Node.js, though Homebrew does not. Only simulator workflows are enabled by default, so device, macOS, debugging, and UI automation need configuration. Physical-device operations depend on Xcode code signing. Runtime error telemetry uses Sentry, with documented opt-out instructions.
How to use it well
Use it when an agent regularly builds, tests, launches, inspects, or debugs Apple projects, especially when session defaults can remove repeated project, scheme, and simulator arguments. Keep the terminal mode available for reproducible manual runs and diagnostics. It does not replace code-signing setup or provide a cross-platform Apple build environment.
Technical notes+
The package is an ESM TypeScript project described by package.json and bundled with tsup. src/cli.ts routes early commands directly, then builds a manifest-resolved CLI catalog for other operations. src/server/server.ts creates an MCP server using @modelcontextprotocol/sdk, advertises tools, resources, and logging capabilities, wraps the server with Sentry while disabling input and output recording, and connects through stdio. src/daemon.ts implements per-workspace Unix-socket state, registry locking, idle shutdown, log rotation, lifecycle cleanup, and manifest-derived tool loading. src/doctor-cli.ts exposes a separate diagnostic binary and warns when non-redacted output may contain sensitive data.
Observed
- License
- MIT
- Primary language
- TypeScript
- Install surface
- Single package available through Homebrew or npm; npm clients may also run it with npx
- Interfaces
- Command-line interface and Model Context Protocol server over stdio
- Platform requirements
- macOS 14.5 or later and Xcode 16.x or later
- Package runtime
- Node.js 18.x or later for npm installation; not required for Homebrew installation
- Distributed binaries
- Main xcodebuildmcp binary plus a separate xcodebuildmcp-doctor diagnostic binary
Read from README.md, package.json, src/cli.ts, src/daemon.ts, src/doctor-cli.ts, src/types/index.ts, src/server/server.ts, src/visibility/index.ts, src/utils/axe/index.ts, src/core/manifest/index.ts, src/utils/logging/index.ts, src/utils/version/index.ts, src/utils/debugger/index.ts, src/utils/template/index.ts, src/utils/execution/index.ts.
What it can do
Build Xcode projects
Xcode project files and build configuration → Compiled application binaries
Run automated tests on iOS/macOS projects
Xcode project with test suites → Test results and coverage reports
Launch iOS/macOS simulators
Target device configuration and app bundle → Running simulator instance with deployed app
Debug Xcode project issues
Project files and error logs → Debugging information and issue analysis
Analyze build errors and warnings
Build logs and compilation errors → Error explanations and suggested fixes
Manage Xcode project dependencies
Package configuration files → Updated dependency manifests and resolved packages
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