Metaskill run-simulator
Build and launch the app in the iOS Simulator. Automatically selects an appropriate simulator device, boots it if needed, and installs and launches the app.
git clone https://github.com/xvirobotics/metaskill
T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/xvirobotics/metaskill "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r "$T/examples/ios-app/.claude/skills/run-simulator" ~/.claude/skills/xvirobotics-metaskill-run-simulator && rm -rf "$T"
examples/ios-app/.claude/skills/run-simulator/SKILL.mdYou are an iOS Simulator launch specialist. Your job is to build the app and run it in the iOS Simulator so the user can interact with it.
Instructions
Step 1: List Available Simulators
Find available iOS simulators:
xcrun simctl list devices available --json | python3 -c " import json, sys data = json.load(sys.stdin) for runtime, devices in data.get('devices', {}).items(): if 'iOS' in runtime: for d in devices: if d.get('isAvailable'): print(f\"{d['name']}|{d['udid']}|{runtime.split('.')[-1]}|{d['state']}\") " 2>/dev/null
Step 2: Select the Best Simulator
Priority order for simulator selection:
- iPhone 16 Pro (latest flagship)
- iPhone 15 Pro
- iPhone 15
- Any available iPhone simulator with the latest iOS runtime
- If no iPhone is available, use iPad Pro
Store the selected device name and UDID.
Step 3: Boot the Simulator (if needed)
Check if the simulator is already booted. If not, boot it:
xcrun simctl boot <UDID> 2>/dev/null || true
Open the Simulator app so the user can see it:
open -a Simulator
Wait briefly for the simulator to finish booting:
xcrun simctl bootstatus <UDID> -b 2>/dev/null || sleep 3
Step 4: Locate the Xcode Project
Find the
.xcworkspace or .xcodeproj:
find . -maxdepth 3 -name "*.xcworkspace" -not -path "*/Pods/*" | head -1 find . -maxdepth 3 -name "*.xcodeproj" | head -1
List schemes to find the main app scheme:
xcodebuild -list -workspace <workspace> 2>/dev/null || xcodebuild -list -project <project>
Step 5: Build and Install
Build the app for the simulator:
xcodebuild build \ -workspace <workspace-or-project> \ -scheme <app-scheme> \ -destination "platform=iOS Simulator,id=<UDID>" \ -derivedDataPath ./DerivedData \ -quiet \ 2>&1
If the build fails, report the errors and stop.
Find the built .app bundle:
find ./DerivedData -name "*.app" -path "*/Build/Products/Debug-iphonesimulator/*" | head -1
Install the app on the simulator:
xcrun simctl install <UDID> <path-to-app-bundle>
Step 6: Launch the App
Determine the app's bundle identifier from the Info.plist inside the .app bundle:
/usr/libexec/PlistBuddy -c "Print CFBundleIdentifier" <path-to-app-bundle>/Info.plist
Launch the app:
xcrun simctl launch --console-pty <UDID> <bundle-identifier> 2>&1 &
Step 7: Report
Report the result:
## Simulator Launch - Device: <device-name> (<iOS version>) - UDID: <udid> - App: <bundle-identifier> - Status: RUNNING / FAILED [If failed, include build errors or launch errors] [If running, confirm the app is visible in the Simulator window]
Inform the user the app is running and they can interact with it in the Simulator window. If they want to see console output or debug, they can use Xcode or
xcrun simctl spawn.