Building Apple Platform Products

Build, test, archive, deploy, and automate Swift packages and Xcode projects for Apple platforms.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:

• Build an iOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS, or visionOS app
• Build a Swift package
• Run unit tests or UI tests
• Create an archive for distribution
• Discover project structure (schemes, targets, configurations)
• Manage simulators (create, boot, configure, install apps)
• Deploy to physical devices
• Automate simulator testing (permissions, push notifications, screenshots, location)
• Sign, notarize, or distribute apps
• Inspect binaries or debug symbols
• Profile app performance
• Resolve xcrun tool paths or switch Xcode versions

xcrun Tool Resolution

xcrun resolves and executes Xcode developer tools without hardcoded paths. All tools in this skill are accessed through xcrun (e.g., xcrun simctl, xcrun devicectl, xcrun xctrace).

Goal	Command
Find tool path	xcrun --find <tool>
Show SDK path	xcrun --sdk iphoneos --show-sdk-path
Switch Xcode (per-command)	DEVELOPER_DIR=/path/to/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer xcrun <tool>
Switch Xcode (system)	sudo xcode-select -s /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer
Clear cache after upgrade	xcrun --kill-cache

For tool resolution priority, toolchain selection, or debugging, see xcrun-basics.md.

Tool Selection

Project Type	Primary Tool	When to Use
Standalone Package.swift	swift build	Libraries, CLI tools, cross-platform Swift (no .xcodeproj)
.xcworkspace	xcodebuild -workspace	CocoaPods or multi-project setups
.xcodeproj	xcodebuild	Standard Xcode projects (including those with SPM dependencies)

Important: The swift build / swift test commands only work for standalone Swift packages. If a Swift package is embedded as a submodule within an Xcode project, you must use xcodebuild with the appropriate scheme—the Swift CLI cannot orchestrate builds in that context.

Project Discovery

Before building, discover the project structure:

# Find what project files exist
ls Package.swift *.xcworkspace *.xcodeproj 2>/dev/null

# List schemes and targets (auto-detects project)
xcodebuild -list

# Describe package (standalone SPM only)
swift package describe

Note: When an Xcode project references a local Swift package, each package target gets its own scheme (named after the target, not the package). Use these schemes to build individual targets without building the entire app.

For mixed projects, shared schemes, or detailed output parsing, see project-discovery.md.

Swift Package Manager Commands

Important: These commands only work for standalone Swift packages, not Swift Package Manager submodules in Xcode projects.

Goal	Command
Build (debug)	swift build
Build (release)	swift build -c release
Run executable	swift run [<target>]
Run tests	swift test
Run specific test	swift test --filter <TestClass.testMethod>
Show binary path	swift build --show-bin-path
Clean	swift package clean
Initialize	swift package init [--type library|executable]

For cross-compilation, Package.swift syntax, or dependency management, see swift-package-manager.md.

xcodebuild Commands

Command structure: xcodebuild [action] -scheme <name> [-workspace|-project] [options] [BUILD_SETTING=value]

Goal	Command
List schemes	xcodebuild -list
Build	xcodebuild build -scheme <name>
Test	xcodebuild test -scheme <name> -destination '<spec>'
Build for testing	xcodebuild build-for-testing -scheme <name> -destination '<spec>'
Test without build	xcodebuild test-without-building -scheme <name> -destination '<spec>'
Archive	xcodebuild archive -scheme <name> -archivePath <path>.xcarchive
Clean	xcodebuild clean -scheme <name>

Required: -scheme is always required. Add -workspace or -project when multiple exist. For tests: -destination is required for iOS/tvOS/watchOS/visionOS targets.

For build settings, SDK selection, or CI configuration, see xcodebuild-basics.md.

Common Destinations

Platform	Destination Specifier
macOS	'platform=macOS'
iOS Simulator	'platform=iOS Simulator,name=iPhone 17'
iOS Device	'platform=iOS,id=<UDID>'
tvOS Simulator	'platform=tvOS Simulator,name=Apple TV'
watchOS Simulator	'platform=watchOS Simulator,name=Apple Watch Series 11 (46mm)'
visionOS Simulator	'platform=visionOS Simulator,name=Apple Vision Pro'
Generic (build only)	'generic/platform=iOS'

Note: Simulator names change with each Xcode release. Always verify available simulators:

xcrun simctl list devices available

For all platforms, multiple destinations, or troubleshooting destination errors, see destinations.md.

Simulator Management (simctl)

xcrun simctl manages the full simulator lifecycle and enables test automation without launching Xcode.

Goal	Command
List available simulators	xcrun simctl list devices available
Create simulator	xcrun simctl create "<name>" "<type>" "<runtime>"
Boot / shutdown	xcrun simctl boot <UDID> / xcrun simctl shutdown <UDID>
Install app	xcrun simctl install booted <path.app>
Launch app	xcrun simctl launch booted <bundle-id>
Grant permissions	xcrun simctl privacy booted grant all <bundle-id>
Push notification	xcrun simctl push booted <bundle-id> <file.apns>
Set appearance	xcrun simctl ui booted appearance dark
Override status bar	xcrun simctl status_bar booted override --time "9:41"
Open URL / deep link	xcrun simctl openurl booted "<url>"
Take screenshot	xcrun simctl io booted screenshot <file.png>
Record video	xcrun simctl io booted recordVideo <file.mov>
Set location	xcrun simctl location booted set <lat>,<lon>
Stream logs	xcrun simctl spawn booted log stream --predicate '...'
Download runtime	xcodebuild -downloadPlatform iOS

For app lifecycle, environment variables, privacy services, media, diagnostics, and runtime management, see simctl.md.

Physical Device Deployment (devicectl)

xcrun devicectl manages physical devices running iOS 17+. Introduced in Xcode 15.

Goal	Command
List devices	xcrun devicectl list devices
List devices (JSON)	xcrun devicectl list devices --json-output /tmp/devices.json
Install app	xcrun devicectl device install app --device <ID> <path>
Launch app	xcrun devicectl device process launch --device <ID> <bundle-id>
Copy file from device	xcrun devicectl device copy from --device <ID> ...
List installed apps	xcrun devicectl device info apps --device <ID>

Important: Requires iOS 17+, Developer Mode enabled, and valid code signing. JSON output is the only stable scripting interface.

For file transfer, process management, device pairing, limitations, and troubleshooting, see devicectl.md.

Code Signing

Goal	Command
List signing identities	security find-identity -v -p codesigning
Disable signing (build)	CODE_SIGNING_ALLOWED=NO
Auto provisioning	-allowProvisioningUpdates
Verify signature	codesign --verify --verbose=4 MyApp.app

For CI keychain setup, manual vs automatic signing, and build settings, see code-signing.md.

Reference Files

Topic	File	When to Read
xcrun Basics	xcrun-basics.md	Tool resolution, Xcode switching, SDK paths
Project Discovery	project-discovery.md	Mixed projects, shared schemes
Swift Package Manager	swift-package-manager.md	Cross-compilation, Package.swift syntax
xcodebuild Basics	xcodebuild-basics.md	Build settings, SDK selection
Destinations	destinations.md	All platforms, multiple destinations
Testing	testing.md	Test filtering, parallel execution, coverage
Archiving	archiving.md	Archive creation
Simulator Management	simctl.md	Device lifecycle, app management, automation
Physical Devices	devicectl.md	iOS 17+ device deployment
Code Signing	code-signing.md	Certificates, provisioning, CI keychain
Profiling & Results	profiling-and-results.md	xctrace, xcresulttool, coverage
Distribution	distribution.md	IPA export, notarization, App Store upload
Binary Tools	binary-tools.md	lipo, otool, dsymutil, atos, plutil, docc
CI/CD Patterns	ci-cd-patterns.md	Complete pipelines, GitHub Actions, log capture
Troubleshooting	troubleshooting.md	Error index across all topics

Common Pitfalls

1. swift build with Xcode submodules: Only works for standalone packages. Use xcodebuild with the package's scheme instead.
2. Missing destination for iOS: Use -destination 'generic/platform=iOS' for builds, or specify a simulator for tests.
3. Unnecessary workspace flag: Only use -workspace for CocoaPods or multi-project setups. Standard projects with SPM dependencies just use .xcodeproj.
4. Case-sensitive scheme names: Run xcodebuild -list to see exact scheme names.
5. Outdated simulator names: Names change with Xcode versions. Run xcrun simctl list devices available.
6. Code signing errors: Add CODE_SIGNING_ALLOWED=NO for builds that don't require signing.
7. Stale xcrun cache: After Xcode upgrades, run xcrun --kill-cache.
8. devicectl only works with iOS 17+: Older devices are invisible to devicectl.
9. xctrace outputs to stderr: Redirect with 2>&1 when parsing xcrun xctrace list devices.
10. JSON output for scripting: Both simctl and devicectl provide JSON output flags — always prefer structured output over parsing human-readable text.