By name: ios-tooling description: Use when building, running, testing, profiling, debugging, documenting, or releasing iOS/macOS apps with command-line tooling.
iOS Tooling
Consolidated skill for the full iOS/macOS development toolchain: build, run, test, debug, profile, and release.
Responsibility
Owns:
- Build, run, test, and debug workflows (simulator, device, macOS)
- Xcode security build-setting audits and hardening workflows
- XcodeBuildMCP tool orchestration and session management
- Simulator and device lifecycle (boot, install, launch, erase, configure)
- LLDB debugging via MCP (attach, breakpoints, stack, variables)
- UI automation (tap, swipe, type, screenshot, snapshot hierarchy)
- xctrace Time Profiler recording and CLI-only analysis
- Apple documentation lookup via xcdocs CLI
- App Store change-summary generation from git history
- macOS SwiftPM app packaging, signing, and notarisation
- Build validation commands, linting, and zero-warning enforcement
Does NOT own:
- What to build (feature design, product decisions)
- How to write views, models, or test assertions
- Design system rules or UI style guidelines
- Architecture patterns (see ios-architecture skill)
Core Principles
- Apple Xcode security guidance wins. For Xcode security settings, Enhanced Security, analyzer checks, C/C++ hardening flags, pointer authentication, memory tagging, runtime restrictions, and build-setting interpretation, read
references/apple-xcode-security-settings/first. - Tools serve workflows -- use XcodeBuildMCP tools instead of raw
xcodebuild/simctlunless a tool gap exists. - CLI-first -- every action (build, profile, docs lookup, packaging) must work without opening Xcode or Instruments.
- Automate the build-run-debug loop -- set session defaults once, then iterate with build_run_sim, snapshot_ui, and log capture.
- Verify UI-affecting work on a device or simulator. After UI changes, build and run, capture screenshot plus hierarchy, then perform the relevant tap/swipe/type flow. Code that compiles but cannot be interacted with is not done.
- Profile before optimising -- record with xctrace, symbolicate, rank hotspots, then act on data.
- Zero-warning policy -- fix warnings immediately; never commit code with warnings.
Workflow Quick Reference
| Task | Tool / Command |
|---|---|
| Discover projects and schemes | discover_projs, list_schemes |
| Set session context | session_set_defaults (project, scheme, simulator) |
| Build + run on simulator | build_run_sim |
| Run unit tests | test_sim or test_device |
| Inspect UI hierarchy | snapshot_ui then tap / swipe / type_text |
| Verify UI changes | build/run, screenshot, hierarchy snapshot, touch interaction, issue report |
| Audit Xcode security settings | references/apple-xcode-security-settings/, then build-setting inspection and validation |
| Capture logs | start_sim_log_cap / stop_sim_log_cap |
| Attach debugger | debug_attach_sim, set breakpoints, inspect variables |
| Record Time Profiler | xcrun xctrace record --template 'Time Profiler' |
| Look up Apple API docs | xcdocs search --json --omit-content, then xcdocs get --json |
| Generate App Store change-summary | collect release changes from git history, triage, draft bullets |
| Package macOS SwiftPM app | the project packaging/signing scripts, if present |
| Full build validation | the project full build validation command, if present |
| Lint | the project formatter/lint command, if present |
References
- references/apple-xcode-security-settings/ -- Apple-authoritative Xcode security settings, Enhanced Security, compiler/static-analyzer hardening, entitlement/catalog guidance, and build-setting filtering script.
- references/apple-device-interaction/device-interaction.md -- Apple-authoritative device/simulator interaction workflow: run, screenshot, hierarchy, touches, and reporting.
- references/xcode-mcp-tools.md -- Complete XcodeBuildMCP tool reference (40+ tools by category)
- references/debug-agent-workflow.md -- Step-by-step build, run, interact, and log capture recipe
- references/ui-automation-workflow.md -- UI automation execution model, targeting, tool parameters, verification, gesture presets, keycodes
- references/profiling.md -- xctrace CLI recording, ASLR-aware symbolication, helper scripts
- references/apple-docs-cli.md -- xcdocs search and get commands, JSON shapes, recommended flow
- references/release-workflows.md -- App Store change-summary and macOS SwiftPM packaging/signing/notarisation
- references/build-performance.md -- Build Timeline, type-checking warnings, compilation caching, explicitly built modules, compilation mode
- references/build-validation.md -- Canonical build/test/lint commands, when-to-run-what matrix