Which integrations are available for this server?

Enables control of [Expo](/mcp/servers/integrations/expo) development server and Metro bundler, including starting/stopping the server, checking status, tailing logs, and reloading the app. Provides comprehensive control over [iOS](/mcp/servers/integrations/ios) Simulator including booting/shutting down devices, factory resets, screenshot capture, video recording, log streaming, and UI automation via Detox for testing Expo/React Native applications. Enables control of [Metro](/mcp/servers/integrations/metro) bundler for React Native development, including server management and app reloading capabilities.

Expo iOS Development MCP Server

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that enables LLM tools like Claude Code, Cursor, and Codex to control iOS Simulator, Expo/Metro, and run UI automation via Detox.

Features

Simulator Control: Boot, shutdown, erase simulators via simctl
Screenshots & Video: Capture screenshots and record videos
Log Streaming: Real-time simulator log capture with ring buffer
Expo/Metro: Start/stop Expo development server
UI Automation: Execute Detox actions (tap, swipe, type, wait, assert)
Visual Regression: Screenshot comparison with pixelmatch

Prerequisites

macOS with Xcode and Command Line Tools
Node.js 18+ (20+ recommended)
iOS Simulator available
An Expo/React Native project with Detox configured (for UI automation)

Quick Start

# Install dependencies pnpm install # Verify environment pnpm verify # Build TypeScript pnpm build # Run in development mode pnpm dev

Configuration

Create mcp.config.json in the project root (see mcp.config.example.json):

{ "projectPath": "/path/to/your/expo-app", "artifactsRoot": "./artifacts", "defaultDeviceName": "iPhone 15", "detox": { "configuration": "ios.sim.debug" } }

MCP Client Configuration

Claude Code

Add to your Claude Code MCP settings:

{ "mcpServers": { "expo-ios-detox": { "command": "node", "args": ["/path/to/expo_ios_development_mcp/dist/index.js"], "env": { "MCP_CONFIG": "/path/to/mcp.config.json" } } } }

Cursor

Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json:

{ "servers": { "expo-ios-detox": { "type": "stdio", "command": "node", "args": ["/path/to/expo_ios_development_mcp/dist/index.js"], "env": { "MCP_CONFIG": "/path/to/mcp.config.json" } } } }

Available Tools

Simulator

Tool	Description
`simulator.list_devices`	List all available iOS simulators
`simulator.boot`	Boot a simulator device
`simulator.shutdown`	Shut down a simulator
`simulator.erase`	Factory reset a simulator
`simulator.screenshot`	Take a screenshot
`simulator.record_video.start`	Start video recording
`simulator.record_video.stop`	Stop video recording
`simulator.log_stream.start`	Start log streaming
`simulator.log_stream.stop`	Stop log streaming

Expo

Tool	Description
`expo.start`	Start Expo/Metro server
`expo.stop`	Stop Expo/Metro server
`expo.status`	Get Expo/Metro status
`expo.logs.tail`	Get recent Expo logs
`expo.reload`	Reload the app

Flow

Tool	Description
`flow.run`	Execute a sequence of tool calls

UI Automation (Coming Soon)

Tool	Description
`ui.tap`	Tap an element
`ui.type`	Type text into an input
`ui.swipe`	Swipe gesture
`ui.scroll`	Scroll in a direction
`ui.wait_for`	Wait for element visibility
`ui.assert_text`	Assert element text content
`ui.screenshot`	Capture UI screenshot

Visual Regression (Coming Soon)

Tool	Description
`visual.baseline.save`	Save baseline screenshot
`visual.compare`	Compare against baseline

Resources

The server exposes these MCP resources:

resource://state - Current server state (simulator, expo, detox)
resource://logs/simulator/latest - Recent simulator logs
resource://artifacts/latest - Artifact manifest

Development

# Run with hot reload pnpm dev # Build for production pnpm build # Run production build pnpm start

Architecture

src/ index.ts # MCP stdio entrypoint config/ # Configuration loading core/ # State, errors, logger, artifacts mcp/ # MCP server and schemas simulator/ # simctl wrapper expo/ # Expo/Metro control (Phase 3) detox/ # Detox runner (Phase 2) visual/ # Visual regression (Phase 4)