inspector-mcp-consumer

name

inspector-mcp-consumer

description

Use when an agent needs to patch a consumer iOS app so it exposes the Inspector MCP bridge, add or verify the app-side Inspector startup configuration, or choose the correct UIKit or SwiftUI lifecycle entry point for `enableMCPBridge`, `snapshotExpiration = 300`, and `snapshotMaxCount = 8`. Especially useful when preparing another app to be driven by `InspectorMCPServer` and then handed off to the `inspector-mcp` skill for live inspection.

Inspector MCP Consumer

Overview

Use this skill to wire a consuming iOS app so the Inspector MCP server can launch it and inspect its live hierarchy. This skill is about app integration, not MCP registration or live querying.

Workflow

1. Confirm the app already depends on Inspector

Before editing startup code, verify the consumer app actually includes the Inspector package.

Look for:

• import Inspector
• SwiftPM package reference to Inspector
• Xcode target dependency on the package product

If the app does not depend on Inspector yet, add the package first before trying to wire the bridge.

2. Find the real startup point

Do not add a second, parallel initialization path.

Patch the existing app startup path:

• UIKit + scenes: SceneDelegate.scene(_:willConnectTo:options:)
• UIKit without scenes: AppDelegate.application(_:didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:)
• SwiftUI app lifecycle: prefer a UIApplicationDelegateAdaptor bridge instead of ad hoc scattered startup calls

Read entry-points.md for concrete patterns.

3. Insert the bridge configuration before Inspector.start()

Required configuration:

var configuration = InspectorConfiguration.config(
    enableMCPBridge: true,
    snapshotExpiration: 300
)
configuration.snapshotMaxCount = 8
Inspector.setConfiguration(configuration)
Inspector.start()

Rules:

• call Inspector.setConfiguration before Inspector.start()
• use snapshotExpiration = 300
• set snapshotMaxCount = 8
• keep existing Inspector.setCustomization(...) or other app-specific Inspector wiring intact

If the app already calls Inspector.start(), patch that path instead of adding another one.

4. Preserve the app's current structure

Prefer the smallest possible diff:

• reuse the existing startup object
• preserve existing customization hooks
• preserve existing debug-only gating if the app already has it
• do not introduce a new abstraction unless the current lifecycle is genuinely fragmented

5. Verify the app is now launchable by the MCP server

At minimum, verify:

• the app builds for Simulator
• the startup path compiles with the new Inspector config
• the app still launches

If you are in the Inspector repo, the Example app pattern in:

• <Inspector repo>/Example/Example/SceneDelegate.swift

is the reference shape for a scene-based UIKit app.

Read verification.md for the verification checklist.

6. Hand off to live inspection

Once the consumer app is patched, switch to the sibling inspector-mcp skill.

That skill covers:

• deriving the Inspector package path
• registering the MCP server in Codex or Claude
• using query, resolve, and snapshot

Constraints

• This skill does not cover mutation APIs
• This skill does not cover physical-device support
• This skill does not cover multi-app or multi-session setup
• This skill is only about making the consumer app expose the read-only v1 bridge correctly

References

Read only as needed:

• entry-points.md for UIKit and SwiftUI startup placement
• verification.md for build and launch checks