MCPXcode

!!! This Project is in Active Development, So May Have Unexpected Issues

Introduction

MCPXcode is an open-source implementation of the Model Context Protocol (MCP) for Xcode. It enables seamless integration between Xcode and AI assistants by providing a structured protocol for context exchange and tool execution within the Xcode environment.

Following the MCP specification, this project creates a bridge between Xcode's development environment and AI tools, allowing for enhanced developer workflows through contextual understanding and programmable interactions. It wraps common command-line tools (xcrun, xctrace) and leverages macOS accessibility features to enable AI-assisted automation of Xcode operations.

Screenshots

Installation

# Install uv
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/everettjf/MCPXcode.git
cd MCPXcode
source .venv/bin/activate
uv add "mcp[cli]"

Configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "MCPXcode": {
      "command": "uv", # may use full path
      "args": [
        "--directory",
        "<Path>/MCPXcode", # change to your full path
        "run",
        "main.py"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Features

Current MCP Tool Integrations

• xcrun Tool Extensions

  • Context-aware interfaces for common xcrun commands
  • Structured output formatting for AI consumption
  • Semantic error handling and diagnostic reporting

• xctrace Tool Extensions

  • Context-enhanced profiling and tracing for iOS/macOS applications
  • Structured performance metrics collection for AI analysis
  • Trace data processing with semantic context

Planned Extensions

• Accessibility Tool Extensions

  • Context-aware UI interactions within Xcode
  • Semantic triggers for build, run, and test operations
  • Structured project navigation capabilities
  • Enhanced context extraction from Xcode UI

• MCP HTTP Server

  • Full MCP specification compliance over HTTP
  • Standardized tool execution protocol
  • Context-preserving webhooks for build events
  • Seamless integration with AI-powered CI/CD pipelines

• MCP Client Libraries

  • Language-specific SDKs implementing the MCP specification
  • Simplified context exchange between AI assistants and Xcode

Tool Documentation

Simulator Control Tools

Tool	Description	Example Prompt
list_devices	List all available simulator devices with detailed information	"Show me all available iOS simulator devices and their status."
boot_device	Boot a specific simulator device identified by its UDID	"Boot the iPhone 14 Pro simulator with UDID A1B2C3D4-E5F6-7890-1234-567890ABCDEF."
shutdown_device	Shutdown a running simulator device	"Shutdown the currently running iPhone simulator with UDID A1B2C3D4-E5F6-7890-1234-567890ABCDEF."
install_app	Install an application on a simulator device	"Install the app at path /Users/username/MyApp.app on the iPhone 14 simulator."
launch_app	Launch an installed application on a simulator device	"Launch the app with bundle ID com.example.myapp on the iPhone 14 simulator."

SDK Tools

Tool	Description	Example Prompt
get_sdk_path	Get the path of the current SDK	"What is the path to the current iOS SDK?"
get_sdk_version	Get the version of the current SDK	"What version of the iOS SDK am I using?"
get_sdk_platform_path	Get the platform path of the current SDK	"Where are the iOS platform files located?"
find_developer_tool	Find the path of a specific developer tool	"Where is the 'lldb' binary located in the Xcode toolchain?"
run_tool_with_sdk	Run a developer tool with a specific SDK	"Run the 'clang' tool with the iOS SDK to compile my source file."

xcrun Tools

Tool	Description	Example Prompt
xcrun_list_sdks	List all available SDKs with detailed information	"Show me all available SDKs I can build against."
xcrun_list_schemes	List all schemes in a specified Xcode project	"What are all the build schemes in my MyApp.xcodeproj project?"
xcrun_build	Build an Xcode project with specified scheme and configuration	"Build my MyApp.xcodeproj project using the Debug configuration for the iPhone simulator."
xcrun_validate_app	Validate an app before submission to App Store	"Validate my MyApp.ipa file before submitting it to the App Store."
xcrun_upload_app	Upload an app to App Store Connect	"Upload my validated MyApp.ipa file to App Store Connect for review."
xcrun_swift_symbols	Extract Swift symbols from a binary file	"Extract and show me all Swift symbols from my app's binary."
xcrun_otool_headers	Show Mach-O headers of a binary file	"Show me the Mach-O headers of my app's binary file."
xcrun_otool_libraries	Show linked libraries of a binary file	"What libraries is my app's binary linked against?"
xcrun_nm_symbols	Show symbols in a binary file	"Show me all symbols in my app's binary file."

xctrace Tools

Tool	Description	Example Prompt
xctrace_devices	List available devices for tracing	"Show me all devices I can run performance traces on."
xctrace_templates	List available templates for tracing	"What trace templates are available for performance profiling?"
xctrace_record	Record app performance using a specified template	"Record a performance trace of my app using the Time Profiler template."
xctrace_record_advanced	Record app performance with advanced options	"Record a performance trace with custom template options and set the environment variable DEBUG=1."
xctrace_attach_process	Attach to a running process for tracing	"Attach a performance tracer to my running app with process ID 12345."
xctrace_export	Export trace data to a specified format	"Export my trace.trace file to JSON format for analysis."
xctrace_diagnose	Diagnose a trace archive for issues	"Analyze my trace file for any performance issues or problems."
xctrace_document	Generate documentation for a template	"Create documentation for the Allocations template so I can understand its metrics."
xctrace_analyze	Analyze a trace file and generate performance reports	"Generate performance reports from my time profiler trace file."
xctrace_compare	Compare two trace files and generate a comparison report	"Compare the performance between trace files from version 1.0 and version 2.0 of my app."

Project Roadmap

Phase 1: MCP Core Implementation (Q2 2025)

• ✅ Basic project structure
• ⬜ Tool extensions for essential xcrun commands with context handling
• ⬜ Tool extensions for basic xctrace functionality with context handling
• ⬜ MCP-compliant CLI interface

Phase 2: MCP Server Implementation (Q3 2025)

• ⬜ Full MCP specification HTTP server
• ⬜ Context-aware authentication and security
• ⬜ Structured context exchange protocol
• ⬜ Extensible tool registry architecture

Phase 3: MCP Accessibility Extensions (Q4 2025)

• ⬜ macOS accessibility integration with semantic context
• ⬜ Context-aware Xcode UI automation
• ⬜ Semantic event monitoring and contextual reactions

Phase 4: Advanced MCP Features (Q1 2026)

• ⬜ MCP-compliant Python client library
• ⬜ Context-aware integration with AI-powered CI/CD tools
• ⬜ Semantic context monitoring dashboard

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.