ios-simulator-skill

name	ios-simulator-skill
version	1.3.0
description	21 production-ready scripts for iOS app testing, building, and automation. Provides semantic UI navigation, build automation, accessibility testing, and simulator lifecycle management. Optimized for AI agents with minimal token output.

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 "[e-mail]"

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, --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: 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
• AGENTS.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 your agent invoke them automatically when your request matches the skill description.