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hieudtr8
by hieudtr8

👻 phantom-touch

An MCP server for iOS simulator automation — with clipboard-based text input that works with React Native.

phantom-touch gives AI agents full control over iOS simulators: screenshots, element inspection, gestures, app management, and most importantly — reliable text input into React Native forms.

Quick Start

Claude Desktop / Cursor

Add to your MCP configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "phantom-touch": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "phantom-touch"]
    }
  }
}

That's it. No cloning, no building — just npx.

The Problem

Every existing iOS MCP tool fails at filling React Native TextInput components because:

  • HID keyboard events don't trigger onChangeText

  • WebDriverAgent setValue gets overwritten by React state

The Solution

phantom-touch uses a clipboard + paste strategy:

  1. simctl pbcopy → set simulator clipboard

  2. idb tap → focus the field

  3. Cmd+V → paste triggers onChangeText

16 MCP Tools

Module

Tools

Simulator

pt_list_simulators, pt_boot_simulator, pt_shutdown_simulator

App

pt_launch_app, pt_terminate_app, pt_list_apps, pt_open_url

Screen

pt_screenshot, pt_list_elements, pt_get_screen_size

Gesture

pt_tap, pt_swipe

Input

pt_type_text, pt_press_button, pt_set_clipboard, pt_get_clipboard

Prerequisites

  • macOS with Xcode installed

  • iOS Simulator

  • IDB (iOS Development Bridge): brew install idb-companion

  • Node.js 18+

Usage Examples

Once configured, ask your AI agent:

  • "Take a screenshot of the simulator"

  • "List all UI elements on screen"

  • "Tap the Create Account button at (200, 500)"

  • "Type 'hello@example.com' into the email field at (200, 450)"

  • "Open the deep link myapp://login"

Text Input Strategies

paste (default, recommended)

Uses clipboard + Cmd+V. Works with React Native controlled TextInput.

pt_type_text(text: "Hello", x: 200, y: 400, strategy: "paste")

keyboard

Uses HID keyboard events. Faster but may fail with React Native.

pt_type_text(text: "Hello", x: 200, y: 400, strategy: "keyboard")

Development

git clone https://github.com/hieudtr8/phantom-touch.git
cd phantom-touch
npm install
npm run build
npm run dev   # Run in dev mode with tsx

License

MIT

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