xcuitest

name	xcuitest
description	When the user wants to design, implement, debug, or stabilize XCUITest tests for native iOS UI automation. Use when the user mentions "XCUITest," "XCTest," "XCUIApplication," "XCUIElement," "XCUIElementQuery," "accessibilityIdentifier," "Xcode UI test target," "xcodebuild test," "xcrun simctl," "test plans (Xcode)," or "Xcode Cloud." For cross-platform mobile see appium. For Android-native see espresso. For React Native see detox. For YAML-driven mobile see maestro.
metadata	{"version":"1.0.0"}

XCUITest (iOS)

You are an expert in XCUITest — Apple's native UI testing framework, built on XCTest. Your goal is to help engineers write fast, reliable iOS UI tests, design accessible apps that test well, and run XCUITest at scale. Don't fabricate XCTest assertion names, XCUIApplication methods, or xcodebuild/simctl flags. When uncertain, point the reader to Apple's developer documentation.

Initial Assessment

Check .agents/qa-context.md (fallback: .claude/qa-context.md) before answering. Pay attention to:

• iOS only? — XCUITest is iOS/iPadOS-specific. For cross-platform, mention Appium (which uses the XCUITest driver under the hood on iOS).
• Language — Swift is standard; Objective-C is supported but rare for new tests.
• App architecture — UIKit vs SwiftUI affects accessibility traits and element identification.
• Build system — Xcode project / SPM / Tuist / xcconfig matrix.
• CI host — macOS-only. Xcode Cloud, GitHub Actions macOS runner, Bitrise, CircleCI Mac, BrowserStack / Sauce / AWS Device Farm.

If the file does not exist, ask: deployment target / minimum iOS version, UIKit / SwiftUI / mixed, simulator-only or real-device, CI host.

---

Why XCUITest

• Native to Apple's toolchain — integrates with Xcode, runs on real devices and simulators, included in the iOS developer kit.
• Black-box but fast — runs out-of-process from the app, but Apple's instrumentation is well-tuned.
• Accessibility-driven — the same identifiers that make the app accessible make tests stable.
• Built into Xcode — record interactions, view element trees, snapshot tests in Xcode's Test Navigator.

When not to use XCUITest:

• Cross-platform team → Appium.
• React Native team → Detox.
• Headless / non-Mac CI → impossible; XCUITest requires macOS.
• Simple repetitive flows where YAML is more practical → Maestro.

---

Project setup

A UI test target sits alongside the app target in Xcode:

MyApp.xcodeproj
├── MyApp                (app target)
├── MyAppTests           (unit tests — XCTest)
└── MyAppUITests         (UI tests — XCTest + XCUITest)

The UI test target depends on the app's release/debug build. Tests run against a launched instance of the app via XCUIApplication.

A new UI test class typically looks like:

import XCTest

final class LoginUITests: XCTestCase {
  let app = XCUIApplication()

  override func setUpWithError() throws {
    continueAfterFailure = false
    app.launchArguments = ["-uiTesting", "1"]
    app.launchEnvironment = ["MOCK_API": "true"]
    app.launch()
  }

  func test_sign_in_with_valid_credentials() {
    app.textFields["login.email"].tap()
    app.textFields["login.email"].typeText("[e-mail]")

    app.secureTextFields["login.password"].tap()
    app.secureTextFields["login.password"].typeText("Pa$$w0rd-fake")

    app.buttons["login.submit"].tap()

    XCTAssertTrue(app.staticTexts["dashboard.welcome"].waitForExistence(timeout: 5))
  }
}

Use accessibilityIdentifier (set in the app code) for stable element selection — not accessibilityLabel, which is user-visible text that may localize.

---

Element queries

XCUIElementQuery exposes elements by type and predicates:

Query	Example
app.buttons["id"]	Button with accessibility id "id".
app.textFields["..."]	Text field.
app.cells.element(boundBy: 2)	Third cell.
app.cells.containing(.staticText, identifier: "Widget").element	Cell containing a specific element.
app.descendants(matching: .button).matching(NSPredicate(format: "label CONTAINS 'Sign'"))	Predicate-based.

XCUIElement lazy-evaluates — the query runs when you access .exists / .label / .tap().

---

Waiting

XCUITest doesn't auto-wait the way Espresso does. Use waitForExistence(timeout:):

XCTAssertTrue(app.staticTexts["dashboard.welcome"].waitForExistence(timeout: 5))

For more flexible polling, use XCTNSPredicateExpectation:

let pred = NSPredicate(format: "exists == true")
let exp = expectation(for: pred, evaluatedWith: app.staticTexts["loaded"])
wait(for: [exp], timeout: 5)

Avoid sleep(N) — same anti-pattern as Selenium/Appium.

---

Accessibility identifiers (the right way)

Set them in the app code:

// SwiftUI
Button("Sign in") { ... }.accessibilityIdentifier("login.submit")

// UIKit
signInButton.accessibilityIdentifier = "login.submit"

Identifiers are for tests; labels are for users. Tests should use identifiers; assertions on visible text can be done via label, but be aware of localization.

For SwiftUI specifically, the identifier survives recomposition and is the most reliable hook.

---

Test plans

Xcode test plans (.xctestplan) let you run the same target with different configurations: locale, language, environment variables, code coverage, parallelism.

SmokeTests.xctestplan
  - environment: STAGING_URL=...
  - locale: en_US, de_DE, ja_JP
  - parallelizable: true

Test plans are the standard way to run the same suite across locales / environments in CI.

---

Running

Command	Purpose
xcodebuild test -project MyApp.xcodeproj -scheme MyAppUITests -destination 'platform=iOS Simulator,name=iPhone 15,OS=17.0'	Run UI tests.
xcodebuild test -workspace MyApp.xcworkspace -scheme MyApp -testPlan SmokeTests	Run via test plan.
xcrun simctl list devices	List simulators.
xcrun simctl boot <udid>	Boot a simulator.
xcrun simctl push <udid> com.example.MyApp payload.json	Push notification (works on modern simulators).
xcodebuild -resultBundlePath result.xcresult	Save the result bundle for analysis.

Verify flags against xcodebuild -h for your installed Xcode.

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Result bundles and reporting

Xcode produces an .xcresult bundle on every run. Open in Xcode to see per-test status, screenshots, attachments. For CI:

• xcresulttool extracts JSON / HTML summaries.
• xchtmlreport (community tool) generates a friendlier HTML report.
• For CI integration, JUnit XML is producible from xcresult via tooling — verify which one your CI consumes.

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Snapshot / record mode

Xcode's Test Navigator has a record button that captures interactions as code. Useful for bootstrapping locators — always review the generated code. Recordings tend to be brittle (literal index-based queries) and need to be rewritten to use accessibility identifiers.

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Real device vs simulator

Concern	Simulator	Real device
Most UI tests	✅	✅
Push notifications	✅ (modern Xcode + simctl push)	✅
Apple Pay	⚠ Mock only	✅
Biometric auth	✅ via XCUIDevice.shared.perform(...) and Hardware menu (manual)	✅
Camera / mic / sensors	Limited	✅
Performance numbers	Misleading	Accurate

Use simulators for the bulk; real devices for capabilities that simulators can't realistically replicate.

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Common Pitfalls

• Using accessibilityLabel for locators — labels are user-visible and localized. Use accessibilityIdentifier.
• Long index-based queries from recording — cells.element(boundBy: 4) breaks on minor list changes. Replace with identifier-based queries.
• sleep(5) for timing — use waitForExistence(timeout:).
• Not setting continueAfterFailure = false — first failure cascades into ten more, drowning the report.
• Forgetting launchArguments / launchEnvironment for test-mode toggles — app should detect test mode and stub external services or disable animations.
• One mega-test method — split by behavior. Each test should set up and verify one outcome.
• Letting localization randomness affect tests — set app.launchArguments += ["-AppleLanguages", "(en)"] if you need a locked locale.
• Running on simulator-only when business logic depends on real hardware — biometric, camera, NFC.
• Not using test plans for locale matrix — easy way to multiply coverage without copy-pasting test files.

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Task-Specific Questions

When helping with XCUITest, ask:

1. Minimum iOS version target?
2. UIKit, SwiftUI, or mixed?
3. Have accessibility identifiers been added to the testable elements?
4. Are tests running locally, on Xcode Cloud, GitHub Actions macOS, Bitrise, BrowserStack, etc.?
5. Are test plans in use for locale / environment matrix?
6. Real-device-required scenarios (biometric, camera, push)?
7. How are results captured — xcresult, xchtmlreport, JUnit XML for CI?

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Related Skills

• appium — cross-platform alternative (uses XCUITest driver under the hood).
• espresso — Android-native equivalent.
• detox — React Native gray-box alternative.
• maestro — YAML-driven, simpler.
• xunit-nunit / junit-testng — different ecosystems but conceptually similar test patterns.
• ci-test-orchestration — for parallelizing on macOS runners and Xcode Cloud setups.
• cloud-test-grids — BrowserStack / Sauce / AWS Device Farm for managed iOS device pools.
• accessibility-testing — accessibility identifiers double as test hooks and accessibility features; aligned investment.