ios-simulator

Name: ios-simulator
Author: dpearson2699

915stars45forks

How to install ios-simulator?

dpearson2699/swift-ios-skills/ios-simulator

$npx -y skills add dpearson2699/swift-ios-skills --skill ios-simulator

Installs into the current project.

Summary

Manages iOS Simulator devices and app tests with xcrun simctl: lifecycle, install/launch, push and location simulation, privacy permissions, deep links, status-bar overrides, screenshots/video, log streaming, app containers, and targetEnvironment(simulator). Use when scripting Si

Files · 1

View on GitHub

SKILL.md

1	# iOS Simulator
2
3	Load [the simctl command reference](references/simctl-commands.md) when you need
4	complete command tables, JSON parsing, privacy/status-bar values, Logger filter
5	setup, or boot recovery commands.
6
7	## Contents
8
9	- [Device Lifecycle](#device-lifecycle)
10	- [App Install and Launch](#app-install-and-launch)
11	- [Testing Workflows](#testing-workflows)
12	- [Screenshot and Video Recording](#screenshot-and-video-recording)
13	- [Log Streaming](#log-streaming)
14	- [Compile-Time Simulator Detection](#compile-time-simulator-detection)
15	- [Simulator Limitations](#simulator-limitations)
16	- [Common Mistakes](#common-mistakes)
17	- [Review Checklist](#review-checklist)
18	- [References](#references)
19
20	## Device Lifecycle
21
22	### Listing Devices and Runtimes
23
24	```bash
25	# List all available simulators grouped by runtime
26	xcrun simctl list devices available
27
28	# List installed runtimes
29	xcrun simctl list runtimes
30
31	# List only booted devices
32	xcrun simctl list devices booted
33
34	# JSON output for scripting
35	xcrun simctl list -j devices available
36	```
37
38	Parse JSON output to find a specific device programmatically. See [references/simctl-commands.md](references/simctl-commands.md) for `jq` parsing examples.
39
40	### Creating a Device
41
42	```bash
43	# Find available device types and runtimes
44	xcrun simctl list devicetypes
45	xcrun simctl list runtimes
46
47	# Create a device — returns the new UDID
48	xcrun simctl create "My Test Phone" "iPhone 16 Pro" "com.apple.CoreSimulator.SimRuntime.iOS-18-4"
49	```
50
51	Device types and runtime identifiers in examples throughout this skill are illustrative. Run `simctl list devicetypes` and `simctl list runtimes` to find the identifiers available on your system.
52
53	Use the returned UDID for subsequent commands.
54
55	### Boot, Shutdown, Erase, Delete
56
57	```bash
58	# Boot a specific device
59	xcrun simctl boot <UDID>
60
61	# Boot if needed and wait until the device is ready
62	xcrun simctl bootstatus <UDID> -b
63
64	# Shutdown a running device
65	xcrun simctl shutdown <UDID>
66
67	# Factory reset — wipes all data, keeps the device
68	xcrun simctl erase <UDID>
69
70	# Delete a specific device
71	xcrun simctl delete <UDID>
72
73	# Delete all devices not available in the current Xcode
74	xcrun simctl delete unavailable
75
76	# Shutdown everything
77	xcrun simctl shutdown all
78	```
79
80	Use `booted` as a UDID shorthand when exactly one simulator is running:
81
82	```bash
83	xcrun simctl shutdown booted
84	```
85
86	If multiple simulators are booted, `booted` picks one of them non-deterministically. Prefer explicit UDIDs when running parallel simulators.
87
88	In scripts and CI, `xcrun simctl bootstatus <UDID> -b` is the canonical
89	boot-and-readiness gate before install, launch, push, or location commands.
90
91	## App Install and Launch
92
93	### Installing an App
94
95	```bash
96	# Build for simulator first
97	xcodebuild build \
98	-scheme MyApp \
99	-destination 'platform=iOS Simulator,name=iPhone 16 Pro' \
100	-derivedDataPath build/
101
102	# Boot and wait for SpringBoard/services before install
103	xcrun simctl bootstatus <UDID> -b
104
105	# Install the .app bundle
106	xcrun simctl install <UDID> build/Build/Products/Debug-iphonesimulator/MyApp.app
107	```
108
109	The path must point to a `.app` directory built for the simulator architecture, not a `.ipa` file.
110
111	### Launching and Terminating
112
113	```bash
114	# Launch by bundle ID
115	xcrun simctl launch booted com.example.MyApp
116
117	# Launch and stream stdout/stderr to the terminal
118	xcrun simctl launch --console booted com.example.MyApp
119
120	# Pass launch arguments
121	xcrun simctl launch booted com.example.MyApp --reset-onboarding -AppleLanguages "(fr)"
122
123	# Terminate a running app
124	xcrun simctl terminate booted com.example.MyApp
125	```
126
127	`--console` is useful for debugging — it shows `print()` and `os_log` output directly in the terminal.
128
129	### App Container Paths
130
131	```bash
132	# App bundle location
133	xcrun simctl get_app_container booted com.example.MyApp app
134
135	# Data container (Documents, Library, tmp)
136	xcrun simctl get_app_container booted com.example.MyApp data
137
138	# Shared app group container
139	xcrun simctl get_app_container booted com.example.MyApp group.com.example.shared
140	```
141
142	## Testing Workflows
143
144	### Push Notification Simulation
145
146	Create a JSON payload file:
147
148	```json
149	{
150	"aps": {
151	"alert": {
152	"title": "New Message",
153	"body": "You have a new message from Alice"
154	},
155	"badge": 3,
156	"sound": "default"
157	},
158	"customKey": "customValue"
159	}
160	```
161
162	Send it to the Simulator:
163
164	```bash
165	# Send push payload from file
166	xcrun simctl push booted com.example.MyApp payload.json
167
168	# Pipe payload from stdin
169	echo '{"aps":{"alert":"Quick test"}}'

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6 picks

Type

ios-simulator

915stars45forks

View on GitHub

How to install ios-simulator?

dpearson2699/swift-ios-skills/ios-simulator

$npx -y skills add dpearson2699/swift-ios-skills --skill ios-simulator

Installs into the current project.

Summary

Files · 1

View on GitHub

SKILL.md

1	# iOS Simulator
2
3	Load [the simctl command reference](references/simctl-commands.md) when you need
4	complete command tables, JSON parsing, privacy/status-bar values, Logger filter
5	setup, or boot recovery commands.
6
7	## Contents
8
9	- [Device Lifecycle](#device-lifecycle)
10	- [App Install and Launch](#app-install-and-launch)
11	- [Testing Workflows](#testing-workflows)
12	- [Screenshot and Video Recording](#screenshot-and-video-recording)
13	- [Log Streaming](#log-streaming)
14	- [Compile-Time Simulator Detection](#compile-time-simulator-detection)
15	- [Simulator Limitations](#simulator-limitations)
16	- [Common Mistakes](#common-mistakes)
17	- [Review Checklist](#review-checklist)
18	- [References](#references)
19
20	## Device Lifecycle
21
22	### Listing Devices and Runtimes
23
24	```bash
25	# List all available simulators grouped by runtime
26	xcrun simctl list devices available
27
28	# List installed runtimes
29	xcrun simctl list runtimes
30
31	# List only booted devices
32	xcrun simctl list devices booted
33
34	# JSON output for scripting
35	xcrun simctl list -j devices available
36	```
37
38	Parse JSON output to find a specific device programmatically. See [references/simctl-commands.md](references/simctl-commands.md) for `jq` parsing examples.
39
40	### Creating a Device
41
42	```bash
43	# Find available device types and runtimes
44	xcrun simctl list devicetypes
45	xcrun simctl list runtimes
46
47	# Create a device — returns the new UDID
48	xcrun simctl create "My Test Phone" "iPhone 16 Pro" "com.apple.CoreSimulator.SimRuntime.iOS-18-4"
49	```
50
51	Device types and runtime identifiers in examples throughout this skill are illustrative. Run `simctl list devicetypes` and `simctl list runtimes` to find the identifiers available on your system.
52
53	Use the returned UDID for subsequent commands.
54
55	### Boot, Shutdown, Erase, Delete
56
57	```bash
58	# Boot a specific device
59	xcrun simctl boot <UDID>
60
61	# Boot if needed and wait until the device is ready
62	xcrun simctl bootstatus <UDID> -b
63
64	# Shutdown a running device
65	xcrun simctl shutdown <UDID>
66
67	# Factory reset — wipes all data, keeps the device
68	xcrun simctl erase <UDID>
69
70	# Delete a specific device
71	xcrun simctl delete <UDID>
72
73	# Delete all devices not available in the current Xcode
74	xcrun simctl delete unavailable
75
76	# Shutdown everything
77	xcrun simctl shutdown all
78	```
79
80	Use `booted` as a UDID shorthand when exactly one simulator is running:
81
82	```bash
83	xcrun simctl shutdown booted
84	```
85
86	If multiple simulators are booted, `booted` picks one of them non-deterministically. Prefer explicit UDIDs when running parallel simulators.
87
88	In scripts and CI, `xcrun simctl bootstatus <UDID> -b` is the canonical
89	boot-and-readiness gate before install, launch, push, or location commands.
90
91	## App Install and Launch
92
93	### Installing an App
94
95	```bash
96	# Build for simulator first
97	xcodebuild build \
98	-scheme MyApp \
99	-destination 'platform=iOS Simulator,name=iPhone 16 Pro' \
100	-derivedDataPath build/
101
102	# Boot and wait for SpringBoard/services before install
103	xcrun simctl bootstatus <UDID> -b
104
105	# Install the .app bundle
106	xcrun simctl install <UDID> build/Build/Products/Debug-iphonesimulator/MyApp.app
107	```
108
109	The path must point to a `.app` directory built for the simulator architecture, not a `.ipa` file.
110
111	### Launching and Terminating
112
113	```bash
114	# Launch by bundle ID
115	xcrun simctl launch booted com.example.MyApp
116
117	# Launch and stream stdout/stderr to the terminal
118	xcrun simctl launch --console booted com.example.MyApp
119
120	# Pass launch arguments
121	xcrun simctl launch booted com.example.MyApp --reset-onboarding -AppleLanguages "(fr)"
122
123	# Terminate a running app
124	xcrun simctl terminate booted com.example.MyApp
125	```
126
127	`--console` is useful for debugging — it shows `print()` and `os_log` output directly in the terminal.
128
129	### App Container Paths
130
131	```bash
132	# App bundle location
133	xcrun simctl get_app_container booted com.example.MyApp app
134
135	# Data container (Documents, Library, tmp)
136	xcrun simctl get_app_container booted com.example.MyApp data
137
138	# Shared app group container
139	xcrun simctl get_app_container booted com.example.MyApp group.com.example.shared
140	```
141
142	## Testing Workflows
143
144	### Push Notification Simulation
145
146	Create a JSON payload file:
147
148	```json
149	{
150	"aps": {
151	"alert": {
152	"title": "New Message",
153	"body": "You have a new message from Alice"
154	},
155	"badge": 3,
156	"sound": "default"
157	},
158	"customKey": "customValue"
159	}
160	```
161
162	Send it to the Simulator:
163
164	```bash
165	# Send push payload from file
166	xcrun simctl push booted com.example.MyApp payload.json
167
168	# Pipe payload from stdin
169	echo '{"aps":{"alert":"Quick test"}}'

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6 picks

Type