Reference — all 20 Xcode MCP tools with parameters, return schemas, and examples
Provides comprehensive reference documentation for all 20 Xcode MCP server tools with parameters and usage examples.
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Complete reference for all 20 tools exposed by Xcode's MCP server (xcrun mcpbridge).
Important: Parameter schemas below are sourced from blog research and initial testing. Validate against your live mcpbridge with tools/list if behavior differs.
Call this first. Returns open Xcode windows with tabIdentifier values needed by most other tools.
{ tabIdentifier: string, workspacePath: string }XcodeListWindows()
→ { "tabIdentifier": "abc-123", "workspacePath": "/Users/dev/MyApp.xcodeproj" }
Read file contents from the project.
path (string, required) — File path relative to project or absoluteCreate a new file.
path (string, required) — File pathcontent (string, required) — File contentsXcodeUpdate for existing files.Edit an existing file with str_replace-style patches.
path (string, required) — File pathpatches (array, required) — Array of { oldText: string, newText: string } replacementsXcodeWrite for editing existing files. Each patch must match exactly one location in the file.Find files matching a pattern.
pattern (string, required) — Glob pattern (e.g., **/*.swift)Search file contents for a string or pattern.
query (string, required) — Search term or patternscope (string, optional) — Limit search to specific directory/fileList directory contents.
path (string, required) — Directory pathCreate a directory.
path (string, required) — Directory path to createDelete a file or directory. DESTRUCTIVE.
path (string, required) — Path to deleteMove or rename a file. DESTRUCTIVE.
sourcePath (string, required) — Current pathdestinationPath (string, required) — New pathBuild the Xcode project.
tabIdentifier (string, required) — From XcodeListWindows{ buildResult: string, elapsedTime: number, errors: array }buildResult for "succeeded" or "failed".Retrieve build output after a build.
tabIdentifier (string, required)XcodeListNavigatorIssues.Run the full test suite.
tabIdentifier (string, required)RunSomeTests for faster iteration.Run specific test(s).
tabIdentifier (string, required)tests (array of strings, required) — Test identifiers (e.g., ["MyTests/testLogin"])RunAllTests for iterative debugging. Use test identifiers from GetTestList.List available tests.
tabIdentifier (string, required)RunSomeTests.Get current issues from Xcode's Issue Navigator.
tabIdentifier (string, required)Refresh and return live diagnostics for a specific file.
tabIdentifier (string, required)path (string, required) — File to refresh diagnostics forRun code in a REPL-like environment.
code (string, required) — Code to executelanguage (string, required) — Language identifier (e.g., "swift")Render a SwiftUI preview as an image.
tabIdentifier (string, required)path (string, required) — File containing the previewpreviewIdentifier (string, required) — Name of the preview to render#Preview or PreviewProvider. Preview must compile successfully.Search Apple's documentation corpus.
query (string, required) — Search queryaxiom-apple-docs skill instead.| Category | Tools |
|---|---|
| Discovery | XcodeListWindows |
| File Read | XcodeRead, XcodeGlob, XcodeGrep, XcodeLS |
| File Write | XcodeWrite, XcodeUpdate, XcodeMakeDir |
| File Destructive | XcodeRM, XcodeMV |
| Build | BuildProject, GetBuildLog |
| Test | RunAllTests, RunSomeTests, GetTestList |
| Diagnostics | XcodeListNavigatorIssues, XcodeRefreshCodeIssuesInFile |
| Execution | ExecuteSnippet |
| Preview | RenderPreview |
| Search | DocumentationSearch |
tabIdentifier — Required by 10/20 tools. Always call XcodeListWindows first.path — File/directory path. Can be absolute or relative to project root.patches — Array of { oldText, newText } for XcodeUpdate. Each oldText must be unique in the file.Skills: axiom-xcode-mcp-setup, axiom-xcode-mcp-tools
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