Set up XcodeBuild MCP in VS Code
Build, test, and deploy iOS and macOS apps from your AI editor. Full Xcode project control with simulator management, UI automation, and debugging.
1
Locate the config file
VS Code reads MCP server configuration from the following file:
.vscode/settings.json → mcp sectionCreate this file if it does not already exist. For VS Code, this is inside your workspace .vscode/settings.json file under the mcp section.
2
Add the configuration
Add the following to your VS Code config file:
json
{
"servers": {
"xcodebuild-mcp": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"xcodebuildmcp"
]
}
}
}3
Set up environment variables
No environment variables needed. XcodeBuild MCP works out of the box without any API keys or tokens.
4
Verify it works
Restart VS Code. XcodeBuild MCP should appear in your MCP server list with 76 tools available.
This server adds approximately 39,140 tokens to your context window for tool definitions.