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Agent skill

iOS Dev

by zai-org in zai-org/ZCode

Build, run, inspect, and lightly automate iOS simulator apps with the ios-simulator MCP tools.

Apache-2.0Auto-check passedMobile

Install iOS Dev

skills CLI
$ npx skills add zai-org/ZCode --skill ios-dev -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install zai-org/ZCode ios-dev --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/zai-org/ZCode.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/apps/zcode-cli/packages/ios-simulator-plugin/skills/ios-dev .claude/skills/ios-dev && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
ios-dev
GitHub stars
7.7k
Token cost
~796 tokens
SKILL.md length
368 words
Files
1
Skills in repo
5
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
Apache-2.0

At a glance

Build, run, inspect, and lightly automate iOS simulator apps with the ios-simulator MCP tools.

  • Works in 6 steps: Call mcpios_simulatorios_preflight first. → Discover the project with… → Build and launch with… → …
  • Tasks that involve MCP servers
  • SKILL.md covers ZCode Tool Names, Default Workflow, Tool Notes and Extension Point
  • Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md

What it does

iOS Dev is an agent skill from zai-org/ZCode. Build, run, inspect, and lightly automate iOS simulator apps with the ios-simulator MCP tools.

Its SKILL.md is about 800 tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.

It sits in Mobile, covering MCP servers. It works with iOS and Model Context Protocol. The repository describes itself as: Z.ai's coding agent harness. Powerful, intelligent, extensible. The licence is Apache-2.0.

When your agent uses it

  • Tasks that involve MCP servers

Example prompts

  • “/ios-dev”

Workflow steps

6 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

  1. Call mcpios_simulatorios_preflight first.
  2. Discover the project with mcpios_simulatorios_discover_project.
  3. Build and launch with mcpios_simulatorios_build_and_run.
  4. Verify the app visually with mcpios_simulatorios_screenshot.
  5. For simple runtime checks, use mcpios_simulatorios_open_url, mcpios_simulatorios_launch_app, mcpios_simulatorios_terminate_app, and…
  6. For UI automation, call mcpios_simulatorios_ui_status first.

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit aac4755. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md.

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    No URLs in SKILL.md.

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

iOS Dev loads about 796 tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 26 tokens; SKILL.md has 368 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~26
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~796

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from zai-org/ZCode at commit aac4755, republished under its Apache-2.0 licence (© zai-org). 368 words, ~796 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/ios-dev/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).
name
ios-dev
description
Build, run, inspect, and lightly automate iOS simulator apps with the ios-simulator MCP tools.

iOS Dev

Use this skill when the user wants you to create, modify, build, run, debug, screenshot, or inspect an iOS app in the macOS iOS Simulator.

ZCode Tool Names

This skill assumes the MCP server is configured in zcode as ios_simulator. In zcode, MCP tools are exposed to the model as mcp__ios_simulator__<tool>.

If the server is configured with a different name, use the corresponding visible mcp__<server>__... tool names from the active zcode tool list.

Default Workflow

  1. Call mcp__ios_simulator__ios_preflight first.
    • If full Xcode or simctl is missing, stop the simulator workflow and explain the exact missing check.
    • Command Line Tools alone are not enough for this plugin.
  2. Discover the project with mcp__ios_simulator__ios_discover_project.
    • If no Xcode project exists and the user wants a new app, call mcp__ios_simulator__ios_create_app.
    • Prefer editing the generated SwiftUI files directly after project creation.
    • mcp__ios_simulator__ios_create_app refuses to overwrite generated files by default; only pass overwrite: true after explicit user confirmation.
  3. Build and launch with mcp__ios_simulator__ios_build_and_run.
    • Pass scheme when multiple schemes exist.
    • Use openSimulator: true when the user expects to see the macOS Simulator window.
    • Read the returned output first for compile errors; use the returned log path only when more detail is needed.
  4. Verify the app visually with mcp__ios_simulator__ios_screenshot.
  5. For simple runtime checks, use mcp__ios_simulator__ios_open_url, mcp__ios_simulator__ios_launch_app, mcp__ios_simulator__ios_terminate_app, and mcp__ios_simulator__ios_logs.
  6. For UI automation, call mcp__ios_simulator__ios_ui_status first.
    • mcp__ios_simulator__ios_ui_tap, mcp__ios_simulator__ios_ui_swipe, mcp__ios_simulator__ios_ui_type_text, mcp__ios_simulator__ios_ui_button, and mcp__ios_simulator__ios_ui_describe require the optional idb backend.
    • If idb is unavailable, continue with build/run/screenshot checks and say UI automation is unavailable.
Show full SKILL.md (120 more words)Show less

Tool Notes

  • This MVP intentionally uses Apple's macOS Simulator app for rendering. Do not create or expect a custom simulator window.
  • The MCP tools accept udid, device, and runtime when a specific simulator is needed. Otherwise they choose the booted simulator, then the configured default iPhone device.
  • Keep simulator interactions through MCP tools instead of raw xcrun commands unless a tool does not cover the operation.
  • mcp__ios_simulator__ios_create_app generates a minimal SwiftUI app suitable for model-driven iteration.
  • mcp__ios_simulator__ios_build_app only builds. mcp__ios_simulator__ios_build_and_run builds, installs, launches, and opens Simulator.

Extension Point

The UI backend is deliberately isolated. P0 uses idb when installed; future backends can map the same public operations to XcodeBuildMCP, native Accessibility, or another automation bridge without changing the skill workflow.

© zai-org, Apache-2.0. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

Just SKILL.md in apps/zcode-cli/packages/ios-simulator-plugin/skills/ios-dev of zai-org/ZCode.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit aac4755

Compare with similar skills

iOS Dev next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

iOS Dev compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
iOS Dev this skillzai-org/ZCode7.7k—~796Automated safety check: PassApache-2.0
iOS Simulator Workflowsconorluddy/xclaude-plugin183—~3.3kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Xcode Build Workflowsconorluddy/xclaude-plugin183—~3kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Xcodebuildmcpw-winter/dot314139—~196Automated safety check: PassMIT
QA Find Bugs Mobilebex-co/beancount-io296—~2.2kAutomated safety check: NotesMIT
AgentSquad for Swift2FastLabs/agent-squad7.8k—~3.5kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0

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Works with

Categories

Questions about iOS Dev

What does iOS Dev do?

Build, run, inspect, and lightly automate iOS simulator apps with the ios-simulator MCP tools. iOS Dev is an agent skill from zai-org/ZCode. Build, run, inspect, and lightly automate iOS simulator apps with the ios-simulator MCP tools.

When should I use iOS Dev?

iOS Dev fits situations like: tasks that involve MCP servers.

How do I install iOS Dev in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add zai-org/ZCode --skill ios-dev -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (apps/zcode-cli/packages/ios-simulator-plugin/skills/ios-dev in zai-org/ZCode) into .claude/skills/ios-dev in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install iOS Dev in Codex?

Run `npx skills add zai-org/ZCode --skill ios-dev -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (apps/zcode-cli/packages/ios-simulator-plugin/skills/ios-dev in zai-org/ZCode) into .agents/skills/ios-dev in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use iOS Dev in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add zai-org/ZCode --skill ios-dev -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/ios-dev, .gemini/skills/ios-dev, .github/skills/ios-dev and .opencode/skills/ios-dev in your project.

What does iOS Dev need to run?

SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: iOS Dev is instructions for the agent only.

Does iOS Dev access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is iOS Dev safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does iOS Dev use?

iOS Dev is published under the Apache-2.0 licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does iOS Dev use?

About 796 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 3.2k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to iOS Dev?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with iOS Dev: iOS Simulator Workflows (conorluddy/xclaude-plugin, 183 stars), Xcode Build Workflows (conorluddy/xclaude-plugin, 183 stars), Xcodebuildmcp (w-winter/dot314, 139 stars) and QA Find Bugs Mobile (bex-co/beancount-io, 296 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains iOS Dev?

zai-org (a GitHub organization) maintains it in zai-org/ZCode, which has 7,659 GitHub stars. The repository holds 5 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 10, 2026.

Source: zai-org/ZCode on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.