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iOS Simulator Skill

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

Quick Start

# 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.

Navigation Strategy

Always prefer the accessibility tree over screenshots for navigation. The accessibility tree gives you element types, labels, frames, and tap targets — structured data that's cheaper and more reliable than image analysis.

Use this priority:

1. screen_mapper.py → structured element list (5-7 lines, ~10 tokens)
2. navigator.py --find-text/--find-type/--find-id → semantic interaction
3. Screenshots → only for visual verification, bug reports, or visual diff

Screenshots cost 1,600–6,300 tokens depending on size. The accessibility tree costs 10–50 tokens in default mode.

21 Production Scripts

Build & Development (2 scripts)

1. 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

2. 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, , , ,

Navigation & Interaction (5 scripts)

1. screen_mapper.py - Analyze current screen and list interactive elements

   • Element type breakdown
   • Interactive button list
   • Text field status
   • Options: --verbose, --hints, --json

2. 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,

Testing & Analysis (5 scripts)

1. 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

2. 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

3. - Automatically document test execution

 * Capture screenshots and accessibility trees per step

 * Generate markdown reports with timing data
 * Options: `--test-name`, `--output`, `--verbose`, `--json`

11. 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`

12. 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)

1. clipboard.py - Manage simulator clipboard for paste testing

 * Copy text to clipboard

 * Test paste flows without manual entry
 * Options: `--copy`, `--test-name`, `--expected`, `--json`

14. 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`

15. 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`

16. 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)

1. 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`

18. 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`

19. 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`

20. 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`

21. 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.

Screenshot Sizing : Screenshots are resized to save tokens. Presets: full (3-4 tiles, ~5K tokens), half (1 tile, ~1.6K tokens, default), quarter (1 tile, ~800 tokens, less detail). Use quarter for quick visual checks, half for readable UI, full only when pixel-level detail matters. Scripts that capture screenshots (app_state_capture.py, test_recorder.py) default to half.

Typical Workflow

1. Verify environment: bash scripts/sim_health_check.sh
2. Launch app: python scripts/app_launcher.py --launch com.example.app
3. Analyze screen: python scripts/screen_mapper.py
4. Interact: python scripts/navigator.py --find-text "Button" --tap
5. Verify: python scripts/accessibility_audit.py
6. 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)

Documentation

• SKILL.md (this file) - Script reference and quick start
• README.md - Installation and examples
• CLAUDE.md - Architecture and implementation details
• references/ - Deep documentation on specific topics
• examples/ - Complete automation workflows

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.

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

Weekly Installs

433

Repository

conorluddy/ios-…or-skill

GitHub Stars

588

First Seen

Jan 20, 2026

Security Audits

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