install_app_sim
Install iOS applications into specific simulators by providing the simulator UUID and app bundle path for testing and development purposes.
Instructions
Installs an app in an iOS simulator. IMPORTANT: You MUST provide both the simulatorUuid and appPath parameters. Example: install_app_sim({ simulatorUuid: 'YOUR_UUID_HERE', appPath: '/path/to/your/app.app' })
Input Schema
TableJSON Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| simulatorUuid | Yes | UUID of the simulator to use (obtained from list_simulators) | |
| appPath | Yes | Path to the .app bundle to install (full path to the .app directory) |
Implementation Reference
- src/tools/simulator.ts:194-262 (handler)Executes the tool logic: validates simulatorUuid and appPath, checks if app file exists, runs 'xcrun simctl install', extracts bundle ID if possible, and returns success message with next steps.
async (params): Promise<ToolResponse> => { const simulatorUuidValidation = validateRequiredParam('simulatorUuid', params.simulatorUuid); if (!simulatorUuidValidation.isValid) { return simulatorUuidValidation.errorResponse!; } const appPathValidation = validateRequiredParam('appPath', params.appPath); if (!appPathValidation.isValid) { return appPathValidation.errorResponse!; } const appPathExistsValidation = validateFileExists(params.appPath); if (!appPathExistsValidation.isValid) { return appPathExistsValidation.errorResponse!; } log('info', `Starting xcrun simctl install request for simulator ${params.simulatorUuid}`); try { const command = ['xcrun', 'simctl', 'install', params.simulatorUuid, params.appPath]; const result = await executeCommand(command, 'Install App in Simulator'); if (!result.success) { return { content: [ { type: 'text', text: `Install app in simulator operation failed: ${result.error}`, }, ], }; } let bundleId = ''; try { bundleId = execSync(`defaults read "${params.appPath}/Info" CFBundleIdentifier`) .toString() .trim(); } catch (error) { log('warning', `Could not extract bundle ID from app: ${error}`); } return { content: [ { type: 'text', text: `App installed successfully in simulator ${params.simulatorUuid}`, }, { type: 'text', text: `Next Steps: 1. Open the Simulator app: open_sim({ enabled: true }) 2. Launch the app: launch_app_sim({ simulatorUuid: "${params.simulatorUuid}"${bundleId ? `, bundleId: "${bundleId}"` : ', bundleId: "YOUR_APP_BUNDLE_ID"'} })`, }, ], }; } catch (error) { const errorMessage = error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error); log('error', `Error during install app in simulator operation: ${errorMessage}`); return { content: [ { type: 'text', text: `Install app in simulator operation failed: ${errorMessage}`, }, ], }; } }, - src/tools/simulator.ts:186-193 (schema)Input schema using Zod: requires simulatorUuid (string) and appPath (string).
{ simulatorUuid: z .string() .describe('UUID of the simulator to use (obtained from list_simulators)'), appPath: z .string() .describe('Path to the .app bundle to install (full path to the .app directory)'), }, - src/tools/simulator.ts:183-264 (registration)Registers the 'install_app_sim' tool on the MCP server with name, description, input schema, and handler function.
server.tool( 'install_app_sim', "Installs an app in an iOS simulator. IMPORTANT: You MUST provide both the simulatorUuid and appPath parameters. Example: install_app_sim({ simulatorUuid: 'YOUR_UUID_HERE', appPath: '/path/to/your/app.app' })", { simulatorUuid: z .string() .describe('UUID of the simulator to use (obtained from list_simulators)'), appPath: z .string() .describe('Path to the .app bundle to install (full path to the .app directory)'), }, async (params): Promise<ToolResponse> => { const simulatorUuidValidation = validateRequiredParam('simulatorUuid', params.simulatorUuid); if (!simulatorUuidValidation.isValid) { return simulatorUuidValidation.errorResponse!; } const appPathValidation = validateRequiredParam('appPath', params.appPath); if (!appPathValidation.isValid) { return appPathValidation.errorResponse!; } const appPathExistsValidation = validateFileExists(params.appPath); if (!appPathExistsValidation.isValid) { return appPathExistsValidation.errorResponse!; } log('info', `Starting xcrun simctl install request for simulator ${params.simulatorUuid}`); try { const command = ['xcrun', 'simctl', 'install', params.simulatorUuid, params.appPath]; const result = await executeCommand(command, 'Install App in Simulator'); if (!result.success) { return { content: [ { type: 'text', text: `Install app in simulator operation failed: ${result.error}`, }, ], }; } let bundleId = ''; try { bundleId = execSync(`defaults read "${params.appPath}/Info" CFBundleIdentifier`) .toString() .trim(); } catch (error) { log('warning', `Could not extract bundle ID from app: ${error}`); } return { content: [ { type: 'text', text: `App installed successfully in simulator ${params.simulatorUuid}`, }, { type: 'text', text: `Next Steps: 1. Open the Simulator app: open_sim({ enabled: true }) 2. Launch the app: launch_app_sim({ simulatorUuid: "${params.simulatorUuid}"${bundleId ? `, bundleId: "${bundleId}"` : ', bundleId: "YOUR_APP_BUNDLE_ID"'} })`, }, ], }; } catch (error) { const errorMessage = error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error); log('error', `Error during install app in simulator operation: ${errorMessage}`); return { content: [ { type: 'text', text: `Install app in simulator operation failed: ${errorMessage}`, }, ], }; } }, ); } - src/utils/register-tools.ts:361-362 (registration)Includes the registerInstallAppInSimulatorTool in the toolRegistrations array, which is used to conditionally register tools based on environment variables.
register: registerInstallAppInSimulatorTool, groups: [ToolGroup.APP_DEPLOYMENT, ToolGroup.IOS_SIMULATOR_WORKFLOW],