IOS Simulator Skill

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.

For IDB-driven runs, optimize for warm-session reuse and minimal refreshes.

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.

Fast IDB Workflow (Latency-Optimized)

1. Pick one simulator per session and keep using it (same UDID/device) unless the test explicitly requires a different device.
2. Reuse one warm IDB companion/session across steps. Avoid reconnecting or restarting the companion between each command.
3. Use targeted actions first (find/tap/type) and refresh state only when needed:
   • Run focused queries (navigator.py / screen_mapper.py) after uncertain transitions
   • Avoid repeated full hierarchy dumps (for example, repeated describe-all) after every action
4. Capture screenshots only when semantic data is not enough (visual QA, layout regressions, or bug report evidence).

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, --follow, --duration, --output, --json

Navigation & Interaction (5 scripts)

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

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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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)

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

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)

13. 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)

17. 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 once: bash scripts/sim_health_check.sh
2. Select/boot one simulator for the session (reuse same device/UDID)
3. Launch app: python scripts/app_launcher.py --launch com.example.app
4. Analyze only as needed: python scripts/screen_mapper.py
5. Interact: python scripts/navigator.py --find-text "Button" --tap
6. Conditionally refresh/analyze after transitions (avoid repeated full dumps)
7. Verify: python scripts/accessibility_audit.py
8. Capture screenshot/debug bundle only when 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.

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