Which integrations are available for this server?

Provides tools for automating iOS Simulator, allowing AI assistants to visually interact with and control iOS apps running in the simulator, including tapping, typing, scrolling, and app management.

How do I use ios-sim-mcp?

1. Click on "Install Server". 2. Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state. 3. In the chat, type @ followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@ios-sim-mcp Find and tap the 'Sign In' button on the simulator" That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed. Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.

ios-sim-mcp

by artmamedov

Overview Schema Related Servers Score Discussions

JavaScript

Local

ios-sim-mcp

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for iOS Simulator automation. Enables AI assistants to visually interact with iOS apps running in the simulator.

How It Works

This MCP server wraps Facebook's idb (iOS Development Bridge) to provide isolated, headless control of iOS simulators. Unlike approaches that control your mouse/keyboard, idb injects touch events directly into the simulator:

Runs in the background - doesn't take over your screen
Isolated - you can use your computer while it runs
Reliable - uses the same infrastructure Facebook uses for testing

Related MCP server: iOS Automation MCP Server

Requirements

macOS (iOS Simulator only runs on Mac)
Xcode with iOS Simulator installed
Node.js 18+
idb (install via steps below)

Installing idb

# Install idb-companion (the daemon)
brew tap facebook/fb
brew install idb-companion

# Install idb (the Python CLI client)
pip3 install fb-idb

Installation

Option 1: Install from npm (recommended)

npm install -g ios-sim-mcp

Option 2: Clone and build

git clone https://github.com/artmamedov/ios-sim-mcp.git
cd ios-sim-mcp
npm install
npm run build

Usage with Claude Code

claude mcp add ios-sim -s user -- npx ios-sim-mcp

Or if installed from source:

claude mcp add ios-sim -s user -- node /path/to/ios-sim-mcp/dist/index.js

Coordinate System

All coordinates are in POINTS, not pixels.

Points are device-independent units used by iOS
Use get_screen_size to get both pixel and point dimensions
Use describe_screen to get element coordinates in points
Common sizes: iPhone 17 Pro is 393x852 points

Common Workflows

1. Getting Started

list_simulators              → Find available simulators and their UDIDs
boot_simulator(udid)         → Boot the simulator you want
screenshot                   → Verify it's running, see the screen

2. Finding and Tapping UI Elements

# Option A: Search by label (recommended)
find_elements(label: "Sign In")  → Returns elements with matching labels
tap_element(label: "Sign In")    → Find and tap in one step

# Option B: Use coordinates from accessibility tree
describe_screen              → Get all elements with their frame coordinates
tap(x: 196, y: 425)          → Tap at the element's center

3. Filling Out Forms

tap_element(label: "Email")      → Focus the email field
type_text(text: "user@test.com") → Type the email
press_key(key: "tab")            → Move to next field
type_text(text: "password123")   → Type the password
tap_element(label: "Submit")     → Submit the form

# Scroll down (swipe up)
swipe(startX: 200, startY: 600, endX: 200, endY: 200)

# Scroll up (swipe down)
swipe(startX: 200, startY: 200, endX: 200, endY: 600)

# Go back to home screen
press_button(button: "home")

5. Testing Deep Links

open_url(url: "myapp://profile/settings")  → Open custom URL scheme
screenshot                                  → Verify the right screen loaded

Available Tools

Simulator Management

Tool	Description	Returns
`list_simulators`	List all iOS simulators with state	Array: `[{name, udid, state, type, os_version}]`
`boot_simulator`	Boot simulator by UDID	Confirmation string
`shutdown_simulator`	Shutdown simulator	Confirmation string

Visual Feedback

Tool	Description	Returns
`screenshot`	Capture simulator screen	Base64 PNG image
`get_screen_size`	Get dimensions	`{pixels: {w,h}, points: {w,h}, scale}`

UI Discovery

Tool	Description	Returns
`describe_screen`	Get all UI elements	Array: `[{type, label, value, frame, enabled}]`
`describe_point`	Get element at coordinates	Element info string
`find_elements`	Search elements by label	Array of matching elements

Interactions

Tool	Description	Returns
`tap`	Tap at x,y coordinates (points)	Confirmation string
`tap_element`	Find element by label and tap it	Confirmation with coordinates
`swipe`	Swipe between two points	Confirmation string
`type_text`	Type into focused field	Confirmation string
`press_key`	Press keyboard key (enter, delete, tab, escape)	Confirmation string
`press_button`	Press device button (home, lock, siri, apple_pay)	Confirmation string

App Management

Tool	Description	Returns
`list_apps`	List installed apps	App list with bundle IDs
`launch_app`	Launch app by bundle ID	Confirmation string
`terminate_app`	Terminate running app	Confirmation string
`open_url`	Open URL (http or custom scheme)	Confirmation string

Element Discovery

The describe_screen tool returns UI elements in this format:

[
  {
    "type": "Button",
    "label": "Sign In",
    "value": null,
    "frame": {"x": 147, "y": 400, "width": 100, "height": 50},
    "enabled": true
  },
  {
    "type": "TextField",
    "label": "Email",
    "value": "",
    "frame": {"x": 20, "y": 200, "width": 353, "height": 44},
    "enabled": true
  }
]

To tap an element, calculate its center:

centerX = frame.x + frame.width / 2
centerY = frame.y + frame.height / 2

Or use tap_element which does this automatically.

Architecture

┌─────────────────┐     ┌─────────────────┐     ┌─────────────────┐
│   Claude/LLM    │────▶│  ios-sim-mcp    │────▶│  idb companion  │
│                 │ MCP │  (this server)  │ CLI │  (Facebook's)   │
└─────────────────┘     └─────────────────┘     └────────┬────────┘
                                                         │
                                                         ▼
                                                ┌─────────────────┐
                                                │  iOS Simulator  │
                                                │  (Xcode)        │
                                                └─────────────────┘

Configuration

The server looks for idb in these locations:

IDB_PATH environment variable (if set)
~/Library/Python/3.9/bin/idb
/opt/homebrew/bin/idb
/usr/local/bin/idb
System PATH

Troubleshooting

"No booted simulator found"

Use list_simulators to find available simulators, then boot_simulator with the UDID.

"idb not found"

Install idb: pip3 install fb-idb

"No Companion Connected"

The idb companion usually starts automatically. If issues persist:

idb_companion --udid <simulator-udid>

Tap not hitting the right element

Coordinates must be in points, not pixels
Use describe_screen to get exact element frames
Use tap_element with the element's label for more reliable tapping

Element not found by label

Use describe_screen to see all available labels
Labels are case-insensitive partial matches
Some elements may not have accessibility labels set

License

MIT

Credits

Facebook idb - The underlying automation framework
Model Context Protocol - The protocol specification

This server cannot be installed

license - permissive license

quality - not tested

maintenance

How are these scores calculated?

Maintenance

–Maintainers

–Response time

–Release cycle

–Releases (12mo)

Commit activity

Resources

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ios-sim-mcp

How It Works

Requirements

Installing idb

Installation

Option 1: Install from npm (recommended)

Option 2: Clone and build

Usage with Claude Code

Coordinate System

Common Workflows

1. Getting Started

2. Finding and Tapping UI Elements

3. Filling Out Forms

4. Scrolling and Navigation

5. Testing Deep Links

Available Tools

Simulator Management

Visual Feedback

UI Discovery

Interactions

App Management

Element Discovery

Architecture

Configuration

Troubleshooting

"No booted simulator found"

"idb not found"

"No Companion Connected"

Tap not hitting the right element

Element not found by label

License

Credits

Maintenance

Resources

Looking for Admin?

Latest Blog Posts

MCP directory API