--- title: "iOS Simulator MCP Server: Tap, Type and Screenshot in Simulator" url: "https://mcpshelf.co/servers/ios-simulator" description: "Let an agent drive Apple's iOS Simulator: read the accessibility tree, tap, swipe, type, take screenshots and install apps. macOS, Xcode and IDB setup." updated: "2026-10-27" site: "MCP Shelf" --- # iOS Simulator MCP > Lets an agent tap, type, swipe and screenshot its way through the iOS Simulator. ## At a glance Joshua Yoes's server lets a coding agent check its own iOS work. It reads the accessibility tree of the screen in a booted simulator, finds elements by label, taps, swipes and types, and takes a screenshot or records a video. It can also install, launch and stop apps and open URLs, which is handy for jumping straight to a deep link. It works through Apple's simctl and Meta's IDB tool, so it only runs on a Mac with Xcode. Update to version 1.3.3 or later, which fixed command injection bugs in older releases. | | | | --- | --- | | Made by | Joshua Yoes and contributors | | GitHub | https://github.com/joshuayoes/ios-simulator-mcp | | Licence | MIT | | npm package | [ios-simulator-mcp](https://www.npmjs.com/package/ios-simulator-mcp) 2.1.0 (13 Aug 2026) | | GitHub stars | 2.2K | | Downloads | 4.8K a week | | Last commit | 23 Oct 2026 | | Tools | 17 | | Runs on | Your computer | | Install check | Started in our test | | Category | [Developer tools](https://mcpshelf.co/categories/developer-tools) | **Our check:** We ran this exact config on 27 Oct 2026: it started and answered with 17 tools. ## Tools We listed 17 tools on 27 Oct 2026. 6 only read; the rest can change things or run commands. | Tool | Kind | What it is for | | --- | --- | --- | | `get_booted_sim_id` | reads | Returns the ID of the simulator that is running. | | `open_simulator` | changes | Opens the Simulator app. | | `ui_describe_all` | reads | Returns the accessibility tree of the whole screen. | | `ui_tap` | changes | Taps a point on the screen, with an optional press duration. | | `ui_type` | changes | Types text into the focused field. | | `ui_swipe` | changes | Swipes from one point to another. | | `ui_describe_point` | reads | Returns the element at given screen coordinates. | | `ui_find_element` | reads | Finds elements by label or ID, optionally by type. | | `ui_view` | reads | Returns a compressed screenshot for the model to look at. | | `screenshot` | changes | Saves a full screenshot to a file. | | `record_video` | changes | Starts recording the screen to a video file. | | `stop_recording` | changes | Stops the recording. | | `install_app` | changes | Installs a .app or .ipa on the simulator. | | `launch_app` | changes | Launches an app by bundle ID, with optional environment variables. | | `terminate_app` | changes | Stops a running app. | | `open_url` | changes | Opens a URL or deep link in the simulator. | | `list_apps` | reads | Lists the apps installed on the simulator. | ### How clearly it describes its tools 17 of 17 tools have a description and 17 of 17 say whether they change things. The tool list takes at least ~700 tokens of context. Every tool says whether it only reads or can change things, so a client can ask before the risky ones. ## Set it up 1. Install IDB: brew tap facebook/fb, brew install idb-companion, then pip install fb-idb for the idb command. 2. Boot a simulator from Xcode or with xcrun simctl boot. 3. Add the config below to your client. ### Claude Desktop Where: claude_desktop_config.json (Settings → Developer → Edit Config) ```json { "mcpServers": { "ios-simulator": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "-y", "ios-simulator-mcp" ] } } } ``` ### Claude Code Where: Your terminal, in the project folder ```bash claude mcp add-json ios-simulator '{"command":"npx","args":["-y","ios-simulator-mcp"]}' ``` ### Cursor Where: ~/.cursor/mcp.json, or .cursor/mcp.json in a project ```json { "mcpServers": { "ios-simulator": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "-y", "ios-simulator-mcp" ] } } } ``` ### VS Code Where: .vscode/mcp.json in your project ```json { "servers": { "ios-simulator": { "type": "stdio", "command": "npx", "args": [ "-y", "ios-simulator-mcp" ] } } } ``` ### Windsurf Where: ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json ```json { "mcpServers": { "ios-simulator": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "-y", "ios-simulator-mcp" ] } } } ``` ### ChatGPT Where: Not supported ChatGPT only connects to remote servers by URL. This one runs on your computer, so use Claude, Cursor or VS Code. Set IOS_SIMULATOR_MCP_FILTERED_TOOLS in env to hide tools you do not want, IOS_SIMULATOR_MCP_DEFAULT_OUTPUT_DIR to choose where screenshots go, and IOS_SIMULATOR_MCP_IDB_PATH if idb is not on your PATH. ## Settings | Setting | Kind | Required | What it does | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | `IOS_SIMULATOR_MCP_FILTERED_TOOLS` | env | no | A comma-separated list of tools to hide. Example: `screenshot,record_video,stop_recording` | | `IOS_SIMULATOR_MCP_DEFAULT_OUTPUT_DIR` | env | no | Where screenshots and videos go. Defaults to ~/Downloads. Example: `~/Code/my-app/tmp` | | `IOS_SIMULATOR_MCP_IDB_PATH` | env | no | The path to idb, if it is not on your PATH. Example: `/usr/local/bin/idb` | | `IDB_UDID` | env | no | Targets a specific simulator by UDID instead of the booted one. | ## What it can touch **It can read** - The simulator screen and its accessibility tree - The list of installed apps **It can change** - Taps, swipes and text in the simulator - Installs, launches and stops apps - Screenshot and video files on your Mac **Safer setup:** It only acts on simulators, never on a real device. Hide install_app or record_video with IOS_SIMULATOR_MCP_FILTERED_TOOLS if you do not want the model using them. ## Before you start - macOS with Xcode and an iOS simulator - Meta's IDB tool (idb-companion and the idb client) - Node.js 20 or newer ## Good for - A quick QA pass after an agent changes an iOS or React Native screen - Checking accessibility labels on every element - Capturing screenshots and screen recordings for a pull request ## If it does not work **Tools fail with idb: command not found** Install idb-companion with Homebrew and the idb client with pip, or point IOS_SIMULATOR_MCP_IDB_PATH at it. **It says no simulator is booted** Boot one from Xcode or with xcrun simctl boot, or call open_simulator. **Screenshots land somewhere unexpected** Relative paths go to ~/Downloads. Set IOS_SIMULATOR_MCP_DEFAULT_OUTPUT_DIR to your project folder. **It will not start on Windows or Linux** iOS simulators only run on macOS, so neither does this server. ## Similar servers | Server | Tools | Runs on | Stars | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Grounded Docs (docs-mcp-server)](https://mcpshelf.co/servers/grounded-docs) | 12 | Your computer | 1.8K | | [MCP Server for WinDbg](https://mcpshelf.co/servers/windbg) | 12 | Your computer | 1.6K | | [MCP Language Server](https://mcpshelf.co/servers/mcp-language-server) | 6 | Your computer | 1.6K | | [Nx MCP](https://mcpshelf.co/servers/nx) | 13 | Your computer | 1.4K | ## Questions ### Which version should I use? Version 1.3.3 or later; earlier releases had command injection bugs. npx -y fetches the latest. ### Does it work with React Native and Flutter apps? Yes. It works at the simulator level, so any app running there can be inspected and driven. ### How does it compare with XcodeBuildMCP? XcodeBuildMCP builds and runs Xcode projects. This server focuses on driving and checking the simulator UI, and the two are often used together. ### Does it cost anything? No. It is MIT licensed, and IDB and Xcode are free. Full docs on GitHub: https://github.com/joshuayoes/ios-simulator-mcp --- From [MCP Shelf](https://mcpshelf.co/): A short shelf of MCP servers that are worth installing. Index for agents: https://mcpshelf.co/llms.txt