iOS Device Control

Comprehensive iOS device control system supporting both simulators and real devices. Available as both a standalone CLI tool and MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for AI assistant integration.

- 🎯 Unified Device Management: Control iOS simulators and real devices through a single interface
- 📋 Session Management: Create and manage device sessions for organized automation workflows
- 📱 App Lifecycle: Install, launch, terminate, and manage iOS applications
- 🎮 UI Automation: Tap, swipe, type, and interact with device interfaces
- 📸 Media & Location: Add photos/videos, simulate GPS locations and routes
- 🔍 Debugging: Access logs, crash reports, and debugging information
- 🤖 MCP Server: Integration with Claude and other AI assistants
- ⚡ CLI Tool: Standalone command-line interface for direct control

- macOSwith Xcode installed
- Xcode Command Line Tools:xcode-select --install
- At least one iOS Simulator runtime

- iOS device withDeveloper Modeenabled
- ValidApple Developeraccount (for app installation)
- One or more of these tools:

- idb(Facebook's iOS Development Bridge) - Recommended
- devicectl(Xcode 15+)
- instruments(Legacy Xcode tool)

# Install with uv uv add chuk-mcp-ios # Run directly uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli status

# Install from source git clone https://github.com/yourusername/chuk-mcp-ios.git cd chuk-mcp-ios pip install -e . # Or install from PyPI (when published) pip install chuk-mcp-ios

# Check system status chuk-mcp-ios cli status # Should show available tools and devices

Based on testing, the CLI has several bugs that need fixing:
- Session Resolution: Sessions show active but commands fail to find devices
- Import Errors: Missingtimeimport causing crashes
- Device Resolution: Direct UDID usage also failing

# Use native simulator tools directly xcrun simctl list devices xcrun simctl boot "iPhone 15" xcrun simctl io booted screenshot screenshot.png xcrun simctl launch booted com.apple.Preferences

# Use the Python API directly for full functionality python3 -c " import asyncio from chuk_mcp_ios.mcp.tools import ios_create_session, ios_screenshot session = asyncio.run(ios_create_session()) print(f'Session: {session}') "

# Use MCP server for AI assistant integration uvx chuk-mcp-ios mcp # Then connect via Claude or other AI assistants

# CLI currently has issues but basic commands work: uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli status # ✅ Works uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli device list # ✅ Works uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli session list # ✅ Works uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli ui screenshot # ❌ Broken uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli app list # ❌ Broken

Here's a complete sequence that actually works:

# 1. Check your system status uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli status # 2. List available devices to see what's available uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli device list # 3. Create a new session (this gives you a fresh session ID) uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli session create --device "iPhone 15" # Note: Copy the session ID from the output, e.g., session_1749425214_4b7f748f # 4. List active sessions to verify uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli session list # 5. Use the actual session ID from step 3 for commands: # Replace YOUR_SESSION_ID with the actual ID from step 3 uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli ui screenshot YOUR_SESSION_ID -o screenshot.png # 6. Launch Settings app uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli app launch YOUR_SESSION_ID com.apple.Preferences # 7. Take another screenshot to see Settings uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli ui screenshot YOUR_SESSION_ID -o settings.png # 8. List installed apps uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli app list YOUR_SESSION_ID # 9. Clean up when done uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli session terminate YOUR_SESSION_ID

# Method 1: Try session ID first, fallback to UDID SESSION_ID="session_1749425214_4b7f748f" UDID="D5ABE678-7395-4EF6-880B-E649F4FEDEE5" # Try session ID uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli ui screenshot $SESSION_ID -o screenshot.png # If that fails, try UDID directly if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then echo "Session failed, trying UDID..." uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli ui screenshot $UDID -o screenshot.png fi # Method 2: Direct device approach (most reliable) # Get UDID from device list uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli device list # Copy the UDID and use it directly uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli ui screenshot D5ABE678-7395-4EF6-880B-E649F4FEDEE5 -o screenshot.png # Method 3: Fresh session approach # Clean slate approach if sessions are buggy uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli session terminate session_1749425214_4b7f748f uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli session terminate automation_1749424425_58872b30 NEW_SESSION=$(uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli quick-start | grep -o 'session_[a-zA-Z0-9_]') uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli ui screenshot $NEW_SESSION -o screenshot.png

# Based on your current sessions, try these in order: # 1. Try direct UDID (most likely to work) uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli ui screenshot D5ABE678-7395-4EF6-880B-E649F4FEDEE5 -o screenshot.png # 2. If UDID doesn't work, test direct simctl xcrun simctl io D5ABE678-7395-4EF6-880B-E649F4FEDEE5 screenshot test.png # 3. If simctl works but CLI doesn't, it's a CLI bug # Use Python API as workaround: python3 -c " import asyncio from chuk_mcp_ios.mcp.tools import ios_screenshot result = asyncio.run(ios_screenshot('D5ABE678-7395-4EF6-880B-E649F4FEDEE5', 'screenshot.png')) print('Success!' if result.get('success') else f'Error: {result.get(\"error\")}') "

# Auto-setup with best available device uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli quick-start # This creates a session and tells you the ID to use # Then use that ID for subsequent commands

# Check main commands chuk-mcp-ios cli --help # Check UI subcommands chuk-mcp-ios cli ui --help # Check device subcommands chuk-mcp-ios cli device --help # Check session subcommands chuk-mcp-ios cli session --help # Check app subcommands chuk-mcp-ios cli app --help

# List all available devices (simulators + real devices) chuk-mcp-ios cli device list # List only simulators chuk-mcp-ios cli device list --type simulator # Show device details chuk-mcp-ios cli device info DEVICE_UDID # Boot a specific simulator chuk-mcp-ios cli device boot DEVICE_UDID # Shutdown simulator chuk-mcp-ios cli device shutdown DEVICE_UDID

# Create session with auto-selected device chuk-mcp-ios cli session create # Create session with specific device name chuk-mcp-ios cli session create --device "iPhone 15" # Create session with specific UDID chuk-mcp-ios cli session create --udid ABCD-1234-EFGH-5678 # List active sessions chuk-mcp-ios cli session list # Terminate session chuk-mcp-ios cli session terminate session_123

# List installed apps chuk-mcp-ios cli app list session_123 # List only user apps (exclude system apps) chuk-mcp-ios cli app list session_123 --user-only # Install app from .app bundle chuk-mcp-ios cli app install session_123 /path/to/MyApp.app # Launch app by bundle ID chuk-mcp-ios cli app launch session_123 com.example.myapp # Terminate running app chuk-mcp-ios cli app terminate session_123 com.example.myapp # Uninstall app chuk-mcp-ios cli app uninstall session_123 com.example.myapp

# Take screenshot chuk-mcp-ios cli ui screenshot session_123 -o /path/to/screenshot.png # Tap at coordinates chuk-mcp-ios cli ui tap session_123 100 200 # Type text (available commands based on your CLI implementation) chuk-mcp-ios cli ui type session_123 "Hello World" # Check available UI commands chuk-mcp-ios cli ui --help

# Note: Check available commands with --help first chuk-mcp-ios cli --help # Location and media commands may be available under different subcommands # Check for location commands: chuk-mcp-ios cli location --help # if location subcommand exists chuk-mcp-ios cli media --help # if media subcommand exists # If not available via CLI, use Python API: python3 -c " from chuk_mcp_ios.core.media_manager import UnifiedMediaManager media = UnifiedMediaManager() media.set_location_by_name('your_session_id', 'San Francisco') "

# Discover main command structure chuk-mcp-ios cli --help # Check subcommands for each area chuk-mcp-ios cli device --help chuk-mcp-ios cli session --help chuk-mcp-ios cli app --help chuk-mcp-ios cli ui --help # If certain commands aren't available in CLI, they may be: # 1. Available only via MCP tools # 2. Available only via Python API # 3. Named differently than documented # Example: Check what UI commands actually exist chuk-mcp-ios cli ui --help # Output might show: tap, screenshot, type (but not press, swipe, etc.)

# If CLI command doesn't exist, try Python API: python3 -c " import asyncio from chuk_mcp_ios.mcp.tools import ios_press_button result = asyncio.run(ios_press_button('session_123', 'home')) print(result) " # Or check if it's an MCP-only feature chuk-mcp-ios mcp # Start MCP server and use via AI assistant

# Start MCP server (stdio mode) chuk-mcp-ios mcp # Start with specific configuration chuk-mcp-ios mcp --host localhost --port 8080 # With debug logging chuk-mcp-ios mcp --log-level DEBUG

{ "mcpServers": { "ios-control": { "command": "uvx", "args": ["chuk-mcp-ios", "mcp"], "env": { "LOG_LEVEL": "INFO" } } } }

🧑 "Take a screenshot of the current iOS simulator" 🤖 I'll take a screenshot for you... ✅ Screenshot saved to screenshot_20231215_143022.png 🧑 "Launch the Settings app and navigate to WiFi settings" 🤖 I'll launch Settings and help you navigate... ✅ Settings app launched ✅ Tapped on WiFi settings 🧑 "Set the device location to Tokyo and open Maps" 🤖 Setting location to Tokyo and opening Maps... ✅ Location set to Tokyo, Japan (35.6762, 139.6503) ✅ Maps app launched 🧑 "Install the app at /Users/me/MyApp.app and launch it" 🤖 I'll install and launch the app for you... ✅ App MyApp installed successfully ✅ App launched: com.example.myapp 🧑 "Simulate a user scrolling through a photo gallery" 🤖 I'll simulate scrolling through photos... ✅ Photos app launched ✅ Performed swipe gestures to scroll through gallery

// Session Management ios_create_session() ios_list_sessions() ios_terminate_session() // Device Control ios_list_devices() ios_boot_device() ios_shutdown_device() // App Management ios_install_app() ios_launch_app() ios_terminate_app() ios_uninstall_app() ios_list_apps() // UI Automation ios_tap() ios_double_tap() ios_long_press() ios_swipe() ios_swipe_direction() ios_input_text() ios_press_button() ios_screenshot() ios_record_video() ios_get_screen_info() // Media & Location ios_set_location() ios_set_location_by_name() ios_add_media() // Utilities ios_open_url() ios_set_status_bar() ios_set_appearance() ios_clear_keychain() ios_get_logs() ios_set_permission() ios_focus_simulator()

from chuk_mcp_ios.core.device_manager import UnifiedDeviceManager from chuk_mcp_ios.core.session_manager import UnifiedSessionManager from chuk_mcp_ios.core.ui_controller import UnifiedUIController # Initialize managers device_manager = UnifiedDeviceManager() session_manager = UnifiedSessionManager() ui_controller = UnifiedUIController() # Set up session manager for UI controller ui_controller.set_session_manager(session_manager) # Create automation session session_id = session_manager.create_automation_session() print(f"Created session: {session_id}") # Take screenshot screenshot_path = ui_controller.take_screenshot(session_id, "test.png") print(f"Screenshot saved: {screenshot_path}") # Interact with UI ui_controller.tap(session_id, 100, 200) ui_controller.swipe_up(session_id) ui_controller.input_text(session_id, "Hello World") # Clean up session_manager.terminate_session(session_id)

from chuk_mcp_ios.core import  import time async def automate_app_testing(): """Example: Automated app testing workflow.""" # Initialize managers device_mgr = UnifiedDeviceManager() session_mgr = UnifiedSessionManager() app_mgr = UnifiedAppManager() ui_ctrl = UnifiedUIController() # Link managers app_mgr.set_session_manager(session_mgr) ui_ctrl.set_session_manager(session_mgr) try: # Create session with iPhone simulator session_id = session_mgr.create_automation_session({ 'device_name': 'iPhone 15' }) # Install test app app_info = app_mgr.install_app( session_id, '/path/to/TestApp.app', AppInstallConfig(launch_after_install=True) ) # Wait for app to load time.sleep(3) # Take screenshot of app launch ui_ctrl.take_screenshot(session_id, 'app_launch.png') # Perform test interactions ui_ctrl.tap(session_id, 200, 300) # Tap login button ui_ctrl.input_text(session_id, 'test@example.com') ui_ctrl.tap(session_id, 200, 400) # Tap password field ui_ctrl.input_text(session_id, 'password123') ui_ctrl.tap(session_id, 200, 500) # Tap submit # Wait and verify time.sleep(2) ui_ctrl.take_screenshot(session_id, 'after_login.png') # Get app logs logs = logger_mgr.get_app_logs(session_id, app_info.bundle_id) print(f"Found {len(logs)} log entries") finally: # Clean up if 'session_id' in locals(): session_mgr.terminate_session(session_id) # Run the automation import asyncio asyncio.run(automate_app_testing())

- Connect device to Mac with Xcode
- Settings → Privacy & Security → Developer Mode
- Toggle ON and restart device

# Using Homebrew brew install idb-companion # Using pip pip install fb-idb

- Connect device via USB
- Tap "Trust" when prompted on device

# List real devices chuk-mcp-ios cli device list --type real # Create session with real iPhone chuk-mcp-ios cli session create --device "Chris's iPhone" # Install app (requires developer certificate) chuk-mcp-ios cli app install session_123 MyApp.ipa # Same UI automation works on real devices chuk-mcp-ios cli ui screenshot session_123 -o real_device.png

# Tool paths (if not in PATH) export IOS_CONTROL_SIMCTL_PATH="/usr/bin/xcrun simctl" export IOS_CONTROL_IDB_PATH="/usr/local/bin/idb" export IOS_CONTROL_DEVICECTL_PATH="/usr/bin/xcrun devicectl" # Timeouts export IOS_CONTROL_DEFAULT_TIMEOUT=30 export IOS_CONTROL_BOOT_TIMEOUT=60 # Logging export IOS_CONTROL_LOG_LEVEL=INFO export IOS_CONTROL_LOG_DIR="$HOME/.ios-control/logs"

defaults: timeout: 30 screenshot_format: png devices: preferred_simulator: "iPhone 15 Pro" auto_boot: true logging: level: INFO file_logging: true mcp: host: localhost port: 8080

# Interactive demo (menu-driven) python -m chuk_mcp_ios.examples.interactive_demo # Automated end-to-end demo python -m chuk_mcp_ios.examples.automated_demo # MCP server demonstration python -m chuk_mcp_ios.examples.e2e_mcp_demo # Web scraping demo (Techmeme) python -m chuk_mcp_ios.examples.techmeme --auto

# examples/custom_automation.py from chuk_mcp_ios import  def test_settings_navigation(): """Test navigating through iOS Settings.""" with AutomationSession() as session: # Launch Settings session.launch_app('com.apple.Preferences') session.screenshot('settings_main.png') # Navigate to WiFi session.tap_text('Wi-Fi') session.screenshot('wifi_settings.png') # Navigate back session.tap_back_button() session.screenshot('settings_back.png') if __name__ == "__main__": test_settings_navigation()

chuk-mcp-ios/ ├── core/ # Core functionality (device-agnostic) │ ├── base.py # Base classes and interfaces │ ├── device_manager.py # Unified device management │ ├── session_manager.py # Session lifecycle management │ ├── app_manager.py # App installation and control │ ├── ui_controller.py # UI automation and gestures │ ├── media_manager.py # Photos, videos, and location │ ├── logger_manager.py # Logging and crash reports │ └── utilities_manager.py # Misc utilities and settings ├── devices/ # Device-specific implementations │ ├── simulator.py # iOS Simulator support │ ├── real_device.py # Real device support │ └── detector.py # Device discovery and detection ├── mcp/ # MCP server implementation │ ├── tools.py # MCP tool definitions │ ├── models.py # Pydantic models for validation │ └── main.py # MCP server entry point ├── cli/ # Command-line interface │ └── main.py # CLI entry point and commands └── examples/ # Usage examples and demos ├── interactive_demo.py ├── automated_demo.py ├── e2e_mcp_demo.py └── techmeme.py

# Clone repository git clone https://github.com/yourusername/chuk-mcp-ios.git cd chuk-mcp-ios # Install in development mode with dev dependencies pip install -e ".[dev]" # Or with uv uv sync --dev

# Run all tests pytest # Run with coverage pytest --cov=chuk_mcp_ios # Run specific test file pytest tests/test_device_manager.py # Run integration tests (requires simulators) pytest tests/integration/ -m "not slow"

# Format code black src/ tests/ # Sort imports isort src/ tests/ # Type checking mypy src/ # Lint flake8 src/

# These errors indicate code-level issues: uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli app list session_1749426020_9ff9470b # ❌ Failed: Device not found: session_1749426020_9ff9470b uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli app list 45007866-72A3-4ACD-AD98-7EC58A726372 # ❌ Failed: name 'time' is not defined

# Bypass the CLI entirely and use simctl directly UDID="45007866-72A3-4ACD-AD98-7EC58A726372" # Take screenshot xcrun simctl io $UDID screenshot screenshot.png # Launch app xcrun simctl launch $UDID com.apple.Preferences # List installed apps (basic) xcrun simctl listapps $UDID # Boot device if needed xcrun simctl boot $UDID

# Create a simple Python script to bypass CLI issues cat << 'EOF' > ios_test.py #!/usr/bin/env python3 import asyncio import sys import os sys.path.insert(0, '.') async def main(): from chuk_mcp_ios.mcp.tools import ( ios_list_devices, ios_create_session, ios_screenshot, ios_list_apps ) # List devices print("=== Devices ===") devices = await ios_list_devices() print(devices) # Create session print("\n=== Creating Session ===") session = await ios_create_session(device_name="iPhone 15") if 'error' in session: print(f"Error: {session['error']}") return session_id = session['session_id'] print(f"Session: {session_id}") # Take screenshot print("\n=== Screenshot ===") screenshot = await ios_screenshot(session_id, "test.png") print(screenshot) # List apps print("\n=== Apps ===") apps = await ios_list_apps(session_id) print(f"Found {len(apps.get('apps', []))} apps") if __name__ == "__main__": asyncio.run(main()) EOF python3 ios_test.py

# Start MCP server in one terminal uvx chuk-mcp-ios mcp # In another terminal or via AI assistant, use MCP tools # This bypasses the CLI entirely and uses the core MCP functions

# List all simulators xcrun simctl list devices # Boot a specific simulator xcrun simctl boot "iPhone 15" # Take screenshot xcrun simctl io booted screenshot screenshot.png # Launch Settings xcrun simctl launch booted com.apple.Preferences # Add media xcrun simctl addmedia booted ~/Desktop/.jpg # Set location xcrun simctl location booted set 37.7749,-122.4194

# 1. Check if core imports work python3 -c " try: from chuk_mcp_ios.core.device_manager import UnifiedDeviceManager print('✅ Core imports work') except Exception as e: print(f'❌ Import error: {e}') " # 2. Check if time import is missing somewhere python3 -c " import chuk_mcp_ios.core.app_manager print('✅ App manager imports work') " # 3. Minimal device test python3 -c " from chuk_mcp_ios.core.device_manager import UnifiedDeviceManager dm = UnifiedDeviceManager() devices = dm.discover_all_devices() print(f'Found {len(devices)} devices') for d in devices: print(f' {d.name}: {d.udid}') "

Session ID Resolution Problem:If sessions show as active but commands fail, this might be a bug in session-to-device resolution:

# Workaround 1: Use device UDID directly (bypass sessions) # Get UDID from session list, then use it directly UDID="D5ABE678-7395-4EF6-880B-E649F4FEDEE5" # From session list uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli ui screenshot $UDID -o screenshot.png # Workaround 2: Use quick-start for guaranteed working session uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli quick-start # Use the session ID that quick-start returns # Workaround 3: Python API bypass (if CLI has issues) python3 -c " import asyncio from chuk_mcp_ios.mcp.tools import ios_screenshot result = asyncio.run(ios_screenshot('session_1749425214_4b7f748f', 'screenshot.png')) print(result) "

# 1. System check (always works) uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli status # 2. Device listing (always works) uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli device list # 3. Direct device operations (bypass sessions) # Use UDID from device list directly uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli device info DEVICE_UDID # 4. Session management (metadata operations) uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli session list uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli session create --device "iPhone 15" uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli session terminate SESSION_ID

# Step 1: Verify simulator is actually running xcrun simctl list devices | grep Booted # Step 2: Test direct simctl access xcrun simctl io D5ABE678-7395-4EF6-880B-E649F4FEDEE5 screenshot direct_test.png # Step 3: If direct simctl works but CLI doesn't, it's a session resolution bug # Report this as an issue and use direct UDID as workaround # Step 4: Clean restart if needed uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli session terminate --all # if available # Or manually terminate each session uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli session terminate session_1749425214_4b7f748f uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli session terminate automation_1749424425_58872b30

# Problem: No devices available # Solution: Check simulators and boot one # List available devices uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli device list # Boot a simulator if none are running uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli device boot DEVICE_UDID_FROM_LIST # Then create session uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli session create --udid DEVICE_UDID_FROM_LIST

# Problem: Command like 'press' doesn't exist # Solution: Check available commands uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli ui --help # See actual UI commands uvx chuk-mcp-ios cli --help # See all available commands # Many advanced features are MCP-only or Python API-only

- Check system status:chuk-mcp-ios cli status
- Review logs:~/.ios-control/logs/
- Run diagnostics:chuk-mcp-ios cli diagnose
- Check GitHub issues:Issues page

MIT License - seeLICENSEfile for details

- Documentation:Full docs
- Issues:GitHub Issues
- Discussions:GitHub Discussions
- MCP Community:MCP Discord

One command, every package manager. Installs from pip, npm, and verified binary releases on macOS, Linux, and Windows.(server at https://iuymslcbbrbahxbfuzrr.supabase.co/functions/v1/mcp)