Xcode Mcp Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that brings the power of AI to your Xcode projects. This server acts as a bridge between Claude and your local Xcode development environment, enabling intelligent code assistance, project management, and automated development tasks.

What is Xcode MCP Server?

At its core, this server follows a client-server architecture where Claude can securely interact with your local Xcode projects:

flowchart LR
    subgraph "Your Computer"
        Claude["Claude Desktop"]
        MCP["Xcode MCP Server"]
        XP[("Xcode Projects")]

        Claude <-->|"MCP Protocol\n(Commands & Results)"| MCP
        MCP <-->|"Local Access\n(File & Build Operations)"| XP
    end

The communication between the Xcode MCP server and your local projects happens entirely on your machine—your code is not exposed to the internet. The Model Context Protocol ensures that Claude can only perform approved operations through well-defined interfaces, giving you a secure way to let AI assist with your development while maintaining complete control.

Key Features

🔍 Intelligent Project Detection

Automatically finds and connects to your active Xcode project
Supports manual project selection for precise control
Maintains workspace context across interactions

📁 Smart File Operations

Read and analyze Swift, Objective-C, and project configuration files
Create and modify source files with proper syntax and imports
Intelligent file listing with type filtering and search

🛠 Project Management

Access project targets, configurations, and schemes
Analyze source files for potential issues
Execute builds with specific configurations
Run and manage test suites

Getting Started

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

Node.js (v14 or later)
Xcode Command Line Tools
TypeScript
Claude Desktop with MCP support

Quick Setup

Install the Server:

# Clone the repository
git clone [repository-url]
cd xcode-server

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build the project
npm run build

Configure Claude Desktop: Add this to your Claude Desktop config file (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "xcode-server": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/path/to/xcode-server/build/index.js"
      ],
      "env": {
        "PROJECTS_BASE_DIR": "/path/to/your/xcode/projects"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace the paths with your actual installation and projects directory.

Working with the Server

The server provides a natural interface for Claude to assist with your Xcode development. Here are some ways you can interact:

Ask Claude to:

“Set my Xcode projects directory to /Users/username/Documents/XcodeProjects”
“What’s my current active project?”
“Switch to the MyApp.xcodeproj project”
“Show me all Swift files in the project”

Code Creation & Modification

Get help with:

“Create a new view called ProfileView with a preview provider”
“Add a @Published email property to UserModel.swift”
“Set up a modern async/await networking layer”
“Implement Core Data models with SwiftUI bindings”

Project Analysis & Building

Let Claude assist with:

“Analyze NetworkManager.swift for potential issues”
“Build the project in Debug configuration”
“Run the unit tests for the UserModel module”
“What build schemes are available?”

Development and Debugging

Building the Project

npm run build

Running Tests

npm test

Troubleshooting

The server provides detailed logging through stderr. Common issues and their solutions:

Project Detection Issues
- Verify your projects directory path
- Ensure Xcode Command Line Tools are installed
- Check file permissions
Build Problems
- Validate Xcode installation
- Check project configurations
- Review build settings