iOS Simulator Skill

Build, test, and automate iOS applications using accessibility-driven navigation and structured data instead of pixel coordinates.

Quick Start

bash

# 1. Check environment
bash scripts/sim_health_check.sh

# 2. Launch app
python scripts/app_launcher.py --launch com.example.app

# 3. Map screen to see elements
python scripts/screen_mapper.py

# 4. Tap button
python scripts/navigator.py --find-text "Login" --tap

# 5. Enter text
python scripts/navigator.py --find-type TextField --enter-text "user@example.com"

All scripts support --help for detailed options and --json for machine-readable output.

21 Production Scripts

Build & Development (2 scripts)

•
build_and_test.py - Build Xcode projects, run tests, parse results with progressive disclosure
- •Build with live result streaming
- •Parse errors and warnings from xcresult bundles
- •Retrieve detailed build logs on demand
- •Options: --project, --scheme, --clean, --test, --verbose, --json
•
log_monitor.py - Real-time log monitoring with intelligent filtering
- •Stream logs or capture by duration
- •Filter by severity (error/warning/info/debug)
- •Deduplicate repeated messages
- •Options: --app, --severity, --follow, --duration, --output, --json

Navigation & Interaction (5 scripts)

•
screen_mapper.py - Analyze current screen and list interactive elements
- •Element type breakdown
- •Interactive button list
- •Text field status
- •Options: --verbose, --hints, --json
•
navigator.py - Find and interact with elements semantically
- •Find by text (fuzzy matching)
- •Find by element type
- •Find by accessibility ID
- •Enter text or tap elements
- •Options: --find-text, --find-type, --find-id, --tap, --enter-text, --json
•
gesture.py - Perform swipes, scrolls, pinches, and complex gestures
- •Directional swipes (up/down/left/right)
- •Multi-swipe scrolling
- •Pinch zoom
- •Long press
- •Pull to refresh
- •Options: --swipe, --scroll, --pinch, --long-press, --refresh, --json
•
keyboard.py - Text input and hardware button control
- •Type text (fast or slow)
- •Special keys (return, delete, tab, space, arrows)
- •Hardware buttons (home, lock, volume, screenshot)
- •Key combinations
- •Options: --type, --key, --button, --slow, --clear, --dismiss, --json
•
app_launcher.py - App lifecycle management
- •Launch apps by bundle ID
- •Terminate apps
- •Install/uninstall from .app bundles
- •Deep link navigation
- •List installed apps
- •Check app state
- •Options: --launch, --terminate, --install, --uninstall, --open-url, --list, --state, --json

Testing & Analysis (5 scripts)

•
accessibility_audit.py - Check WCAG compliance on current screen
- •Critical issues (missing labels, empty buttons, no alt text)
- •Warnings (missing hints, small touch targets)
- •Info (missing IDs, deep nesting)
- •Options: --verbose, --output, --json
•
visual_diff.py - Compare two screenshots for visual changes
- •Pixel-by-pixel comparison
- •Threshold-based pass/fail
- •Generate diff images
- •Options: --threshold, --output, --details, --json
•
test_recorder.py - Automatically document test execution
- •Capture screenshots and accessibility trees per step
- •Generate markdown reports with timing data
- •Options: --test-name, --output, --verbose, --json
•
app_state_capture.py - Create comprehensive debugging snapshots
- •Screenshot, UI hierarchy, app logs, device info
- •Markdown summary for bug reports
- •Options: --app-bundle-id, --output, --log-lines, --json
•
sim_health_check.sh - Verify environment is properly configured
- •Check macOS, Xcode, simctl, IDB, Python
- •List available and booted simulators
- •Verify Python packages (Pillow)

Advanced Testing & Permissions (4 scripts)

•
clipboard.py - Manage simulator clipboard for paste testing
- •Copy text to clipboard
- •Test paste flows without manual entry
- •Options: --copy, --test-name, --expected, --json
•
status_bar.py - Override simulator status bar appearance
- •Presets: clean (9:41, 100% battery), testing (11:11, 50%), low-battery (20%), airplane (offline)
- •Custom time, network, battery, WiFi settings
- •Options: --preset, --time, --data-network, --battery-level, --clear, --json
•
push_notification.py - Send simulated push notifications
- •Simple mode (title + body + badge)
- •Custom JSON payloads
- •Test notification handling and deep links
- •Options: --bundle-id, --title, --body, --badge, --payload, --json
•
privacy_manager.py - Grant, revoke, and reset app permissions
- •13 supported services (camera, microphone, location, contacts, photos, calendar, health, etc.)
- •Batch operations (comma-separated services)
- •Audit trail with test scenario tracking
- •Options: --bundle-id, --grant, --revoke, --reset, --list, --json

Device Lifecycle Management (5 scripts)

•
simctl_boot.py - Boot simulators with optional readiness verification
- •Boot by UDID or device name
- •Wait for device ready with timeout
- •Batch boot operations (--all, --type)
- •Performance timing
- •Options: --udid, --name, --wait-ready, --timeout, --all, --type, --json
•
simctl_shutdown.py - Gracefully shutdown simulators
- •Shutdown by UDID or device name
- •Optional verification of shutdown completion
- •Batch shutdown operations
- •Options: --udid, --name, --verify, --timeout, --all, --type, --json
•
simctl_create.py - Create simulators dynamically
- •Create by device type and iOS version
- •List available device types and runtimes
- •Custom device naming
- •Returns UDID for CI/CD integration
- •Options: --device, --runtime, --name, --list-devices, --list-runtimes, --json
•
simctl_delete.py - Permanently delete simulators
- •Delete by UDID or device name
- •Safety confirmation by default (skip with --yes)
- •Batch delete operations
- •Smart deletion (--old N to keep N per device type)
- •Options: --udid, --name, --yes, --all, --type, --old, --json
•
simctl_erase.py - Factory reset simulators without deletion
- •Preserve device UUID (faster than delete+create)
- •Erase all, by type, or booted simulators
- •Optional verification
- •Options: --udid, --name, --verify, --timeout, --all, --type, --booted, --json

Common Patterns

Auto-UDID Detection: Most scripts auto-detect the booted simulator if --udid is not provided.

Device Name Resolution: Use device names (e.g., "iPhone 16 Pro") instead of UDIDs - scripts resolve automatically.

Batch Operations: Many scripts support --all for all simulators or --type iPhone for device type filtering.

Output Formats: Default is concise human-readable output. Use --json for machine-readable output in CI/CD.

Help: All scripts support --help for detailed options and examples.

Typical Workflow

•Verify environment: bash scripts/sim_health_check.sh
•Launch app: python scripts/app_launcher.py --launch com.example.app
•Analyze screen: python scripts/screen_mapper.py
•Interact: python scripts/navigator.py --find-text "Button" --tap
•Verify: python scripts/accessibility_audit.py
•Debug if needed: python scripts/app_state_capture.py --app-bundle-id com.example.app

Requirements

•macOS 12+
•Xcode Command Line Tools
•Python 3
•IDB (optional, for interactive features)

Key Design Principles

Semantic Navigation: Find elements by meaning (text, type, ID) not pixel coordinates. Survives UI changes.

Token Efficiency: Concise default output (3-5 lines) with optional verbose and JSON modes for detailed results.

Accessibility-First: Built on standard accessibility APIs for reliability and compatibility.

Zero Configuration: Works immediately on any macOS with Xcode. No setup required.

Structured Data: Scripts output JSON or formatted text, not raw logs. Easy to parse and integrate.

Auto-Learning: Build system remembers your device preference. Configuration stored per-project.

Use these scripts directly or let Claude Code invoke them automatically when your request matches the skill description.

Source

Skill from conorluddy/ios-simulator-skill marketplace.