This file provides guidance to Claude Code and developers working with this repository.
iOS Simulator Skill is a production-ready Agent Skill providing 29 scripts for iOS app building, testing, and automation. It wraps Apple's xcrun simctl and Facebook's idb tools with semantic interfaces designed for AI agents and developers.
Key Statistics:
- 29 production scripts
- 7 script categories (Build, Device State, Navigation, Testing, Permissions, Simulator Discovery, Lifecycle)
- 7 shared utility modules (~2,400 lines)
- 100% token-optimized default output
- 88 unit tests across pipeline / sessions / token-budget / diff (run
pytest tests/)
ios-simulator-skill/ # Repository root
├── ios-simulator-skill/ # Distributable package
│ ├── .claude-plugin/
│ │ └── plugin.json # Plugin manifest
│ └── skills/
│ └── ios-simulator-skill/
│ ├── SKILL.md # Entry point (table of contents)
│ └── scripts/ # 29 production scripts
│ ├── build_and_test.py
│ ├── xcode/ # Xcode integration module
│ ├── log_monitor.py
│ ├── hang_watcher.py # HangBuster session recorder + legacy stream
│ ├── screen_mapper.py
│ ├── navigator.py
│ ├── gesture.py
│ ├── keyboard.py
│ ├── app_launcher.py
│ ├── accessibility_audit.py
│ ├── visual_diff.py
│ ├── test_recorder.py
│ ├── app_state_capture.py
│ ├── clipboard.py
│ ├── status_bar.py
│ ├── push_notification.py
│ ├── privacy_manager.py
│ ├── simctl_boot.py
│ ├── simctl_shutdown.py
│ ├── simctl_create.py
│ ├── simctl_delete.py
│ ├── simctl_erase.py
│ ├── sim_health_check.sh
│ └── common/ # Shared utilities
│ ├── hang_pipeline.py # HangBuster filter pipeline (pure fns)
│ └── hang_sessions.py # HangBuster session storage
├── .github/workflows/
├── pyproject.toml
└── README.md
All scripts use class-based architecture for testability:
class DeviceManager:
def __init__(self, udid: str | None = None):
self.udid = udid
def execute(self, **kwargs) -> tuple[bool, str]:
# Return (success, message) tuple
pass
def main():
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
manager = DeviceManager(args.udid)
success, message = manager.execute()
print(message)
sys.exit(0 if success else 1)All scripts support optional --udid with auto-detection:
try:
udid = resolve_device_identifier(args.udid) # May be None
except RuntimeError as e:
print(f"Error: {e}", file=sys.stderr)
sys.exit(1)Consistent format across all scripts:
# Default (3-5 lines)
Device booted: iPhone 16 Pro (ABC123) [2.1s]
# --verbose (50+ lines)
Device booted successfully.
Device UDID: ABC123DEF456...
Boot time: 2.1 seconds
# --json (20-30 lines)
{"action": "boot", "udid": "ABC123", "success": true}
Most scripts support batch operations:
python scripts/simctl_boot.py --all
python scripts/simctl_boot.py --type iPhone- build_and_test.py: Build with progressive disclosure
- log_monitor.py: Real-time log monitoring
- appearance.py: Dark mode, Dynamic Type, locale/region
- location.py: GPS coordinates, city presets, GPX route playback
- screen_mapper.py: Analyze screen
- navigator.py: Semantic element finding
- gesture.py: Touch simulation
- keyboard.py: Text input and keys
- app_launcher.py: App lifecycle
- accessibility_audit.py: WCAG compliance
- visual_diff.py: Screenshot comparison
- test_recorder.py: Test documentation
- app_state_capture.py: Debugging snapshots
- sim_health_check.sh: Environment verification
- model_inspector.py: Core Data and SwiftData model inspection
- container.py: App sandbox files, UserDefaults, Core Data store paths
- hang_watcher.py (HangBuster): session-scoped hang recorder with progressive disclosure (
--start/--stop/--get-details/--diff); raw NDJSON mode (--raw-capture+ size cap + gzip) forjqexploration; bounded auto-restart on stream EOF (IOS_SIM_HANG_MAX_RESTARTS) so crashed workers are markedcrashednot stalerunning; aggregate disk cap (IOS_SIM_HANG_TOTAL_CAP_MB) pruned on every--start; legacy--watch/--sincepaths preserved - localization_audit.py: String catalog gaps, missing keys, placeholder mismatches
- clipboard.py: Clipboard management
- status_bar.py: Status bar control
- push_notification.py: Push notifications
- privacy_manager.py: Permission management
- sim_list.py: List simulators with progressive disclosure (96% token reduction)
- simulator_selector.py: Suggest best simulator from recent use, latest iOS, boot status
- simctl_boot.py: Boot device
- simctl_shutdown.py: Shutdown device
- simctl_create.py: Create device
- simctl_delete.py: Delete device
- simctl_erase.py: Reset device
resolve_device_identifier(): UDID/name/booted resolutionlist_simulators(): List with state filtering_extract_device_type(): Parse device type from name
capture_screenshot(): File or inline modegenerate_screenshot_name(): Semantic namingresize_screenshot(): Token optimization
ProgressiveCache: Large output caching with TTL
Pure-function HangBuster filter pipeline (parse → normalise → threshold → bucket → cluster → aggregate → rank → format). Reusable but scoped — promote to a generic log_filters.py only when a second consumer appears (AHA).
parse_log_line(),normalise_message(),bucket_severity(),compute_fingerprint()cluster_events(),rank_clusters(), aggregators (bursts/quiet/process)format_l0/l1/l2(),format_cluster_detail(),format_diff()estimate_tokens()(char/4 heuristic),compress_to_budget()diff_sessions()withfingerprint_versionguard- Dataclasses:
NormalisedEvent,Cluster,SessionSummary,Severity(StrEnum)
SessionStore: filesystem-backed session repository at~/.ios-simulator-skill/sessions/<id>/{meta.json, events.jsonl, summary.json, raw.ndjson.gz?, auto_samples.jsonl?}- Session ID format:
hang-YYYYMMDD-HHmmss-<4hex>(random suffix avoids same-second collisions) - Atomic meta writes (
.tmp+replace); worker writes its own pid (no pidfile race) - Status state machine:
pending → running → (stopped | crashed).mark_crashedrecordsstopped_at_mssobuild_summaryreflects the capture window, not the time of inspection.persist_worker_counterspreserves terminal status (cannot clobber CRASHED/STOPPED back to RUNNING). - TTL prune via
IOS_SIM_HANG_SESSION_TTL_HOURSon every--start - Aggregate cap via
IOS_SIM_HANG_TOTAL_CAP_MB(prune_to_aggregate_cap) — oldest-first eviction; runs alongside TTL prune on every--start raw_path()+session_total_bytes()accessors for raw-capture mode
- Type hints (modern Python syntax)
- Docstrings on all functions
- Specific exception handling
- --help support on all scripts
- Black formatter compliance
- Ruff linter (0 errors)
- Never use shell=True
96% reduction in typical output:
- Default: 3-5 lines (5-10 tokens)
- Verbose: 50+ lines (400+ tokens)
- JSON: 20-30 lines (20-30 tokens)
This keeps AI agent conversations focused and cost-effective.
New scripts should:
- Use class-based design for > 50 lines of logic
- Support --udid and auto-detection
- Support --json output
- Provide --help documentation
- Follow Black and Ruff standards
- Update SKILL.md table of contents
- Work with real simulators before submission
- Update version in SKILL.md frontmatter, pyproject.toml
- Verify CI passes (Black, Ruff)
- Create GitHub release with vX.X.X tag
- Attach zipped ios-simulator-skill/ directory
Semantic: Find elements by meaning, not pixels.
Progressive: Minimal output by default, details on demand.
Accessible: Built on standard iOS accessibility APIs.
Zero-Config: Works immediately with no setup.
Structured: JSON and formatted text, not raw logs.
Reusable: Common patterns across all scripts.
This design works for both developers and AI agents.