xcodebuild-version
Retrieve structured Xcode and SDK version details in JSON or text format, validate installations, and enable caching for faster queries. Simplifies environment validation and avoids parsing raw CLI output.
Instructions
⚡ Prefer this over 'xcodebuild -version' - Gets Xcode version info with structured output and caching.
Advantages over direct CLI: • Returns structured JSON (vs parsing version strings) • Cached results for faster subsequent queries • Validates Xcode installation first • Consistent response format across different Xcode versions
Gets comprehensive Xcode and SDK version information for environment validation.
Input Schema
TableJSON Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| outputFormat | No | Output format preference | json |
| sdk | No | Specific SDK to query (optional) |
Implementation Reference
- src/tools/xcodebuild/version.ts:47-112 (handler)Core handler function that executes the xcodebuild -version command, handles optional sdk and outputFormat parameters, parses JSON or text output, and returns structured MCP content.export async function xcodebuildVersionTool(args: any) { const { sdk, outputFormat = 'json' } = args as VersionToolArgs; try { // Build command let command = 'xcodebuild -version'; if (sdk) { command += ` -sdk ${sdk}`; } if (outputFormat === 'json') { command += ' -json'; } // Execute command const result = await executeCommand(command); if (result.code !== 0) { throw new McpError( ErrorCode.InternalError, `Failed to get version information: ${result.stderr}` ); } let responseText: string; if (outputFormat === 'json') { try { // Parse and format JSON response const versionInfo = JSON.parse(result.stdout); responseText = JSON.stringify(versionInfo, null, 2); } catch { // If JSON parsing fails, the output might be plain text // This can happen with older Xcode versions responseText = JSON.stringify( { version: result.stdout, format: 'text', }, null, 2 ); } } else { responseText = result.stdout; } return { content: [ { type: 'text' as const, text: responseText, }, ], }; } catch (error) { if (error instanceof McpError) { throw error; } throw new McpError( ErrorCode.InternalError, `xcodebuild-version failed: ${error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)}` ); } }
- src/registry/xcodebuild.ts:44-66 (registration)MCP server tool registration for 'xcodebuild-version', including Zod inputSchema validation, description from docs, defer loading config, and wrapper handler that validates Xcode installation before calling the core handler.server.registerTool( 'xcodebuild-version', { description: getDescription(XCODEBUILD_VERSION_DOCS, XCODEBUILD_VERSION_DOCS_MINI), inputSchema: { sdk: z.string().optional(), outputFormat: z.enum(['json', 'text']).default('json'), }, ...DEFER_LOADING_CONFIG, }, async args => { try { await validateXcodeInstallation(); return await xcodebuildVersionTool(args); } catch (error) { if (error instanceof McpError) throw error; throw new McpError( ErrorCode.InternalError, `Tool execution failed: ${error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)}` ); } } );
- src/registry/xcodebuild.ts:48-51 (schema)Zod input schema defining optional 'sdk' string parameter and 'outputFormat' enum with default 'json'.inputSchema: { sdk: z.string().optional(), outputFormat: z.enum(['json', 'text']).default('json'), },
- Full and mini documentation strings for the tool, used in registration description and rtfm tool.export const XCODEBUILD_VERSION_DOCS = ` # xcodebuild-version ⚡ **Get Xcode and SDK version information** with structured output ## What it does Retrieves comprehensive version information about your Xcode installation and available SDKs. Returns structured JSON data that's easy to parse and validate, eliminating the need to parse raw command-line output. Validates Xcode installation before execution to provide clear error messages if Xcode is not properly configured. ## Why you'd use it - Validate environment before running builds or tests (CI/CD validation) - Check SDK availability for specific platform versions - Ensure consistent Xcode versions across team or build environments - Get structured version data for automated tooling and scripts ## Parameters ### Optional - **sdk** (string): Query specific SDK version (e.g., "iphoneos", "iphonesimulator") - **outputFormat** (string, default: 'json'): "json" or "text" output format ## Returns Structured JSON response containing Xcode version, build number, and SDK information. Falls back gracefully to text format for older Xcode versions that don't support JSON output. ## Examples ### Get Xcode version as JSON \`\`\`typescript const result = await xcodebuildVersionTool({ outputFormat: "json" }); \`\`\` ### Query specific SDK \`\`\`typescript const sdkInfo = await xcodebuildVersionTool({ sdk: "iphoneos" }); \`\`\` ## Related Tools - xcodebuild-showsdks: Show all available SDKs - xcodebuild-list: List project information `; export const XCODEBUILD_VERSION_DOCS_MINI = 'Get Xcode and SDK version info. Use rtfm({ toolName: "xcodebuild-version" }) for docs.';