[Feature]: is it possible to run on the build on hardware devices like i can do it from xcode via wifi?

[raidoh]

Feature Description

is it possible to run the build via the llm chat on a hardware device that is connected to the wifi ? i love the build command to run on the ios simulator via build_run_ios_sim_name_proj in the llm chat, is there a way to make it work for hardware devices, especially via wifi? I have to do this last step via xcode at the moment. I know there is the tool build_ios_device, but it doesn't seem to work for wifi, only usb.

Use Cases

No response

Example Interactions

No response

[cameroncooke]

I believe this feature is exclusive to Xcode IDE and utilises private frameworks. It might be possible to reverse engineer and dynamically link the framework in the same way the AXe and its underlying IDB frameworks do, but it would probably take a lot of effort. It's certainly something I've investigate further but for now running on devices is best done via USB when using XcodeBuildMCP, also it's faster anyway.

[raidoh]

thank you, what about debug log capturing from hardware devices, can the mcp server read them somehow when connected via usb ?

[cameroncooke]

Already implemented. Just ask the agent to run the app and capture the logs. Cameron.

…

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[raidoh]

wow crazy, just testing it - sadly i only get this as a response:

The Xcode MCP tools I have access to are primarily designed for simulators. For hardware device log capture, Xcode's built-in console is the most reliable method.

Would you like me to help you set up the Xcode console logging, or can you run the app from Xcode and share any relevant debug output you see?

it then tries to get the logs via the console app of macos - is this the intented way?

[raidoh]

it tries to get logs via

Bash(xcrun devicectl log stream --device 723AD663-26E8-5EA8-8342-77E32B826F27 --level debug)
⎿  Error: Unknown option '--device'
Usage: devicectl [--verbose] [--quiet] [--timeout ] [--json-output ] [--log-output ]
See 'devicectl --help' for more information.

Bash(xcrun devicectl log stream 723AD663-26E8-5EA8-8342-77E32B826F27 --level debug)
⎿  Error: Unknown option '--level'
Usage: devicectl [--verbose] [--quiet] [--timeout ] [--json-output ] [--log-output ]
See 'devicectl --help' for more informatio

and then goes into a loop trying to fix it

"Let me check the correct devicectl usage" via xcrun devicectl log --help

this is on latest macos 15.5 and xcode 16.4 and latest command line tools

[raidoh]

got it finally to work via

xcrun devicectl device process launch --console --device UUID com.xxx.xxx

obviously this is a bash command, it's a workaround - maybe this can be implemented into the mcp workflow if it makes any sense.

[cameroncooke]

That's great. I'll look at adding this

[raidoh]

i just realized this also works for wifi connected ios devices, which is what i wanted initially 👍

xcrun devicectl device install app --device (for installing the app)

xcrun devicectl device process launch --console (for running and debugging)

[raidoh]

hey me again, hope it's ok to reopen the issue.

i tested this once more in detail, the tool call still seems to have some problems to see the paired and connected iphone via wifi - the way it is implemented right now. It can see the paired iphone but says it is not connected.

"
I can't launch the app on the hardware device because no iPhones are currently connected for development. The device list shows:

📱 iPhone_xxx (iPhone 13)

• Status: Paired but not connected

To launch the app and check debug logs, you need to:

1. Connect the iPhone via USB
2. Unlock and trust the computer
3. Enable Developer Mode (Settings > Privacy & Security > Developer Mode)

Once connected, I can:

1. Build and install the app on your device
2. Launch it with console logging
3. Monitor debug logs
   "

when i add the following commands below to CLAUDE.md it can interact with the iphone that is connected via wifi:

Hardware Device Commands

1. Get device information:

   xcrun devicectl list devices
   

   Note: Use the shorter ID from xcodebuild destinations, not the longer UUID from devicectl.

2. Build for device:

   xcodebuild -scheme MyApp -configuration Debug -project MyApp.xcodeproj -destination platform=iOS,id=[DEVICE_ID] -allowProvisioningUpdates build
   

3. Install app on device:

   xcrun devicectl device install app --device [DEVICECTL_UUID] [APP_PATH]
   

   Note: Use the longer UUID from devicectl list devices for installation.

4. Launch with console logging:

   xcrun devicectl device process launch --console --json-output /tmp/app_launch.json --terminate-existing --device [DEVICECTL_UUID] com.xxx.MyApp
   

Device ID Mapping:

• For xcodebuild: Use short ID (e.g., 00008110-001251693CD0401E)
• For devicectl: Use long UUID (e.g., 723AD663-26E8-5EA8-8342-77E32B826F27)

Prerequisites:

• Derived data path: /Users/xxx/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/MyApp-*/Build/Products/Debug-iphoneos/MyApp.app
• Bundle ID: com.xxx.MyApp
• JSON output: Use /tmp/ for temporary logging files

Hope this helps.