iOS Automation MCP Server 🚀

A comprehensive Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for iOS development automation. This Python implementation enables AI assistants to interact with iOS simulators, perform accessibility testing, manage apps, and automate complex iOS workflows.

🎯 System Architecture

graph TB
    subgraph "Claude Desktop Environment"
        CD[Claude Desktop]
        CDConfig[claude_desktop_config.json<br/>User Configuration]
        CDLogs[~/Library/Logs/Claude/]
    end
    
    subgraph "MCP Server Layer"
        MCPServer[iOS MCP Server<br/>ios_mcp_server.py]
        VEnv[Python Virtual Environment<br/>ios_mcp_env/]
        MCPTools[13 iOS Automation Tools]
    end
    
    subgraph "iOS Simulator Layer"
        Simulator[iOS Simulator<br/>Any iPhone/iPad Model]
        TestApps[Test Applications<br/>User Apps & System Apps]
        SimulatorTools[simctl Commands]
    end
    
    subgraph "macOS System Layer"
        AppleScript[AppleScript<br/>UI Automation]
        Accessibility[Accessibility Permissions<br/>Terminal.app]
        Screenshots[Screenshot Storage<br/>/tmp/]
    end
    
    subgraph "Tool Categories"
        SimMgmt[Simulator Management<br/>• list_simulators<br/>• boot_simulator<br/>• shutdown_simulator<br/>• get_simulator_state]
        AppMgmt[App Management<br/>• launch_app<br/>• terminate_app<br/>• install_app<br/>• list_installed_apps]
        UIAuto[UI Automation<br/>• tap_coordinate<br/>• tap_element<br/>• type_text<br/>• get_accessibility_tree]
        Capture[Screen Capture<br/>• take_screenshot]
    end
    
    %% Connections
    CD --> MCPServer
    CDConfig -.-> CD
    MCPServer --> VEnv
    MCPServer --> MCPTools
    MCPServer --> CDLogs
    
    MCPTools --> SimMgmt
    MCPTools --> AppMgmt
    MCPTools --> UIAuto
    MCPTools --> Capture
    
    SimMgmt --> SimulatorTools
    AppMgmt --> SimulatorTools
    UIAuto --> AppleScript
    Capture --> SimulatorTools
    
    SimulatorTools --> Simulator
    AppleScript --> Accessibility
    AppleScript --> Simulator
    Simulator --> TestApps
    Capture --> Screenshots

Data Flow:

1. Claude Desktop → MCP Server (JSON-RPC over stdio)
2. MCP Server → simctl/AppleScript (Command execution)
3. System Tools → iOS Simulator (Direct automation)
4. Results/Screenshots → Claude Desktop (Response data)

🏗️ High-Level Architecture

Design Principles

The iOS MCP Server follows a layered architecture designed for:

• Reliability: Robust error handling and graceful failure recovery
• Extensibility: Modular tool design for easy feature additions
• Performance: Asynchronous operations and efficient resource usage
• Security: Sandboxed execution with controlled system access

Core Components

1. MCP Protocol Layer

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                Claude Desktop                           │
│  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐    │
│  │            AI Assistant                         │    │
│  │  • Natural language processing                  │    │
│  │  • Intent recognition                          │    │
│  │  • Context management                          │    │
│  └─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘    │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                            │
                   JSON-RPC over stdio
                            │
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                 MCP Server                              │
│  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐    │
│  │        Protocol Handler                         │    │
│  │  • JSON-RPC message parsing                     │    │
│  │  • Tool discovery & registration               │    │
│  │  • Resource management                         │    │
│  │  • Error handling & logging                    │    │
│  └─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘    │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

2. Tool Orchestration Layer

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                Tool Manager                             │
│                                                         │
│  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐      │
│  │  Simulator  │  │     App     │  │     UI      │      │
│  │ Management  │  │ Management  │  │ Automation  │      │
│  │   Tools     │  │   Tools     │  │   Tools     │      │
│  └─────────────┘  └─────────────┘  └─────────────┘      │
│                                                         │
│  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐    │
│  │           Screen Capture Tools                  │    │
│  └─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘    │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

3. System Integration Layer

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│               System Adapters                           │
│                                                         │
│  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐      │
│  │   simctl    │  │ AppleScript │  │ File System │      │
│  │  Command    │  │ Automation  │  │  Operations │      │
│  │ Executor    │  │   Engine    │  │             │      │
│  └─────────────┘  └─────────────┘  └─────────────┘      │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                            │
                    Native macOS APIs
                            │
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                iOS Simulator                            │
│  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐    │
│  │            Target Applications                  │    │
│  │  • User apps under test                        │    │
│  │  • System apps and services                    │    │
│  │  • UI accessibility hierarchy                  │    │
│  └─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘    │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Architectural Patterns

Command Pattern Implementation

Each tool implements the command pattern for:

• Encapsulation: Tool logic is self-contained
• Undo/Redo: Future support for operation reversal
• Logging: Comprehensive audit trail
• Error Recovery: Graceful handling of failures

Adapter Pattern for System Integration

# Abstract interface for all system operations
class SystemAdapter:
    async def execute_command(self, command: str) -> Result
    
# Concrete implementations
class SimctlAdapter(SystemAdapter):
    # Handles iOS Simulator operations
    
class AppleScriptAdapter(SystemAdapter):
    # Handles UI automation via AppleScript

Factory Pattern for Tool Creation

class ToolFactory:
    def create_tool(self, tool_type: str) -> Tool:
        # Dynamic tool instantiation based on type

Cross-Cutting Concerns

Error Handling Strategy

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                 Error Handling                          │
│                                                         │
│  Client Error     │  Server Error     │  System Error   │
│  ┌─────────────┐  │  ┌─────────────┐  │  ┌─────────────┐ │
│  │ Validation  │  │  │  Internal   │  │  │   macOS     │ │
│  │   Errors    │  │  │ Processing  │  │  │ System API  │ │
│  │             │  │  │   Errors    │  │  │   Errors    │ │
│  └─────────────┘  │  └─────────────┘  │  └─────────────┘ │
│        │          │        │          │        │         │
│        └──────────┼────────┼──────────┼────────┘         │
│                   │        │          │                  │
│  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│  │             Centralized Error Handler              │ │
│  │  • Categorization and severity assessment          │ │
│  │  • Structured logging with context                 │ │
│  │  • User-friendly error messages                    │ │
│  │  • Automatic retry for transient failures          │ │
│  └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Logging & Observability

• Structured logging: JSON format with contextual metadata
• Performance metrics: Execution time tracking for each tool
• Audit trail: Complete record of all operations
• Debug information: Detailed system state capture

Resource Management

• Connection pooling: Efficient use of system resources
• Memory management: Automatic cleanup of temporary files
• Concurrent execution: Thread-safe operations where applicable
• Rate limiting: Protection against excessive API calls

Security Model

Principle of Least Privilege

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                Security Boundaries                      │
│                                                         │
│  MCP Server Sandbox                                     │
│  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐    │
│  │  • Limited file system access                  │    │
│  │  • Controlled subprocess execution             │    │
│  │  • No network access (stdio only)              │    │
│  │  • Isolated virtual environment               │    │
│  └─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘    │
│                            │                            │
│         Controlled Escalation                           │
│                            │                            │
│  macOS System Permissions                               │
│  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐    │
│  │  • Accessibility API access                    │    │
│  │  • iOS Simulator control                       │    │
│  │  • Screen capture permissions                  │    │
│  │  • AppleScript execution rights                │    │
│  └─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘    │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Scalability Considerations

Horizontal Scaling

• Multiple simulator support: Concurrent operations across simulators
• Load balancing: Distribution of operations across available resources
• Session management: Isolated contexts for different automation tasks

Vertical Scaling

• Async operations: Non-blocking I/O for improved throughput
• Resource optimization: Efficient memory and CPU usage
• Caching: Intelligent caching of expensive operations

Extension Points

The architecture supports extension through:

1. Custom Tool Development: Plugin-style tool addition
2. Protocol Extensions: Additional MCP resource types
3. System Adapters: Support for additional automation backends
4. Output Formats: Customizable response formatting
5. Integration Hooks: CI/CD and external system integration

🔄 Interaction Sequence

The following sequence diagram shows the detailed interaction flow for a typical iOS automation workflow:

This diagram illustrates:

• MCP Communication: JSON-RPC protocol between Claude Desktop and the iOS MCP Server
• Tool Execution: How iOS automation commands are processed and executed
• System Integration: Interaction with iOS Simulator via simctl and AppleScript
• Response Flow: How results and screenshots are returned to the AI assistant

🎬 Live Demo

See the iOS MCP Server in action:

Demo showing Claude Desktop automatically controlling iOS Simulator: launching apps, taking screenshots, tapping UI elements, and typing text through natural language commands.

🎥 Watch on YouTube | 📥 Download Original (43MB)

📱 Features

Simulator Management

• ✅ List all available iOS simulators
• ✅ Boot/shutdown simulators programmatically
• ✅ Take screenshots of simulator screens
• ✅ Tap at specific coordinates
• ✅ Get real-time simulator state

App Management

• ✅ Install apps on simulators
• ✅ Launch apps with bundle identifiers
• ✅ Monitor app lifecycle

Accessibility & Testing

• ✅ Extract accessibility tree from running apps
• ✅ Parse UI hierarchy for automated testing
• ✅ Enable AI-driven UI interaction

Logging & Monitoring

• ✅ Access simulator system logs
• ✅ Real-time resource monitoring
• ✅ Comprehensive error handling

🛠 Requirements

• macOS 13.0+
• Python 3.8+
• Xcode (for iOS Simulator)
• iOS Simulator (included with Xcode)

⚡ Quick Start

🚀 Option 1: Automated Setup (Recommended)

git clone <your-repo-url>
cd mcp-server-demo-proj

# Run the automated setup script
python3 automated_setup.py

The automated setup will:

• ✅ Create and configure virtual environment
• ✅ Install all dependencies
• ✅ Configure Claude Desktop automatically
• ✅ Check for Cursor IDE compatibility
• ✅ Create launcher scripts
• ✅ Run comprehensive tests

Then just restart Claude Desktop and you're ready to go!

🔧 Option 2: Manual Setup

1. Clone and Setup

git clone <your-repo-url>
cd mcp-server-demo-proj
python3 -m venv ios_mcp_env
source ios_mcp_env/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

2. Test the Server

# Test server imports correctly
python3 -c "import ios_mcp_server; print('✅ Server ready!')"

# Run diagnostic script
python3 debug_mcp_setup.py

3. Configure with AI Assistant

Claude Desktop

1. Copy the example configuration:

cp claude_desktop_config.example.json claude_desktop_config.json

2. Update the paths in claude_desktop_config.json to match your project location:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ios-automation": {
      "command": "/YOUR/PROJECT/PATH/ios_mcp_env/bin/python3",
      "args": ["/YOUR/PROJECT/PATH/ios_mcp_server.py"],
      "env": {
        "PYTHONPATH": "/YOUR/PROJECT/PATH"
      }
    }
  }
}

3. Copy to Claude Desktop config location:

cp claude_desktop_config.json "$HOME/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json"

4. Restart Claude Desktop

🔌 MCP Client Compatibility

✅ Currently Supported

• Claude Desktop - Full native MCP support
• Manual CLI - Direct server execution for testing

⚠️ Partial/Future Support

• Cursor IDE - No native MCP support yet (as of 2024)
• Continue.dev - VS Code extension with potential MCP integration
• Zed Editor - May add MCP support in future versions

🔧 Using with Cursor IDE

While Cursor doesn't natively support MCP yet, you can:

1. Use the automated setup to configure everything
2. Use Claude Desktop alongside Cursor for AI assistance
3. Run the MCP server manually for testing: ./start_mcp_server.sh

📱 Testing without IDE Integration

# Start server manually for testing
./start_mcp_server.sh

# In another terminal, test specific tools
python3 -c "
import asyncio
import sys
sys.path.insert(0, '.')
import ios_mcp_server
# Test your tools here
"

🚨 Troubleshooting

If the server starts but Claude Desktop doesn't recognize it:

Check Configuration File Location

# Verify the config file exists
ls -la "$HOME/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json"

# Check the content
cat "$HOME/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json"

Verify Paths in Configuration

Make sure all paths in your config are absolute paths and actually exist:

# Check if Python executable exists
ls -la /YOUR/PROJECT/PATH/ios_mcp_env/bin/python3

# Check if the script exists  
ls -la /YOUR/PROJECT/PATH/ios_mcp_server.py

# Check if the project directory exists
ls -la /YOUR/PROJECT/PATH/

Run Diagnostic Script

# Run the automated diagnostic to check your setup
python3 debug_mcp_setup.py

Test MCP Server Directly

# Test if the server can import without errors
cd /YOUR/PROJECT/PATH
source ios_mcp_env/bin/activate
python3 -c "import ios_mcp_server; print('✅ Server imports successfully')"

Check Claude Desktop Logs

# View Claude Desktop logs for MCP errors
tail -f ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp*.log

Common Issues & Solutions

1. "Connected to Claude Desktop" but tools don't appear

   • Restart Claude Desktop completely (quit and reopen)
   • Clear Claude Desktop cache: rm -rf ~/Library/Caches/Claude

2. Permission denied errors

   • Make sure Python executable is executable: chmod +x ios_mcp_env/bin/python3
   • Check if Terminal has accessibility permissions (System Preferences → Security & Privacy → Accessibility)

3. Path not found errors

   • Use absolute paths only (no ~ or relative paths)
   • Verify paths exist and are accessible

4. ImportError for mcp module

   • Reinstall in virtual environment: pip install --upgrade mcp
   • Check virtual environment activation: which python3 should show your venv path

5. Server imports but tools don't appear

   • Run the diagnostic script: python3 debug_mcp_setup.py
   • Check Claude Desktop logs for errors

Complete Working Example

Replace with your actual paths:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ios-automation": {
      "command": "/Users/yourusername/projects/mcp-server-demo-proj/ios_mcp_env/bin/python3",
      "args": ["/Users/yourusername/projects/mcp-server-demo-proj/ios_mcp_server.py"],
      "env": {
        "PYTHONPATH": "/Users/yourusername/projects/mcp-server-demo-proj"
      }
    }
  }
}

🎯 Available Tools (13 Total)

Simulator Management (4 tools)

Tool	Description	Parameters
list_simulators	List all iOS simulators	None
boot_simulator	Boot a simulator	device_id
shutdown_simulator	Shutdown a simulator	device_id
get_simulator_state	Get real-time simulator status	device_id (optional)

App Management (4 tools)

Tool	Description	Parameters
launch_app	Launch app by bundle ID	bundle_id, device_id (optional)
terminate_app	Terminate running app	bundle_id, device_id (optional)
install_app	Install app on simulator	app_path, device_id (optional)
list_installed_apps	List all installed apps	device_id (optional)

UI Automation (4 tools)

Tool	Description	Parameters
tap_coordinate	Tap at specific coordinates	x, y, device_id (optional)
tap_element	Tap UI element by identifier	identifier, device_id (optional)
type_text	Type text into focused field	text, device_id (optional)
get_accessibility_tree	Get UI hierarchy	device_id (optional), format (optional)

Screen Capture (1 tool)

Tool	Description	Parameters
take_screenshot	Capture simulator screen	save_path (optional)

📚 Available Resources

Resource	Description	URI
Simulator State	Current simulator status	simulator://current-state
Accessibility Tree	Live UI hierarchy	accessibility://hierarchy
Simulator Logs	System and app logs	logs://simulator

💬 Example AI Prompts

Simulator Management

"List all available iOS simulators and boot an iPhone 15 Pro"

App Testing

"Install my app from ~/MyApp.app, launch it, take a screenshot, and show me the accessibility tree"

Automated Workflows

"Boot iPhone 14 simulator, take a screenshot, tap the center of the screen, wait 2 seconds, then take another screenshot to see what changed"

Development Debugging

"Show me the current simulator logs and tell me if there are any crash reports in the last hour"

🔧 Development

Project Structure

mcp-server-demo-proj/
├── ios_mcp_server.py           # Main Python MCP server
├── debug_mcp_setup.py          # Setup diagnostic script
├── requirements.txt            # Python dependencies
├── claude_desktop_config.example.json  # Configuration template
├── ios_mcp_env/               # Virtual environment
├── test_doc_retrival_agent.py # Test automation script
├── test_ios_mcp.sh            # Shell test script
├── mobile_mcp.mov             # Demo video (43MB)
├── sequence_.png              # Sequence diagram
├── README.md                  # This file
└── LICENSE                    # Project license

Key Dependencies

• MCP Python SDK - Official MCP implementation
• Apple's simctl - iOS Simulator command line tools
• AppleScript - macOS UI automation
• asyncio - Asynchronous Python execution

Running from Source

# Setup virtual environment
python3 -m venv ios_mcp_env
source ios_mcp_env/bin/activate

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Test server
python3 -c "import ios_mcp_server; print('✅ Server ready!')"

# Run diagnostic
python3 debug_mcp_setup.py

🚀 Advanced Usage

Custom Tool Development

Add new tools by extending the handle_call_tool function:

elif name == "your_custom_tool":
    # Your implementation here
    return [types.TextContent(type="text", text="Tool executed!")]

Integration with CI/CD

This server can be integrated into your CI/CD pipeline for automated iOS testing:

# GitHub Actions example
- name: Setup iOS MCP Server
  run: |
    python3 -m venv ios_mcp_env
    source ios_mcp_env/bin/activate
    pip install -r requirements.txt
    
- name: Run iOS Automation Tests
  run: |
    source ios_mcp_env/bin/activate
    python3 test_doc_retrival_agent.py

🤝 Contributing

This project can be extended with:

• Additional iOS automation tools
• Physical device support (requires additional setup)
• Advanced accessibility analysis
• Integration with TestFlight
• Custom UI testing frameworks

📄 License

Built with ❤️ for iOS development automation using the Model Context Protocol.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• MCP Community for the Python SDK
• mobile-next/mobile-mcp for inspiration
• Apple's iOS Simulator and development tools

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Ready to automate your iOS development workflow? Let's build something amazing! 🚀