XcodeBuildMCP
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server and CLI that provides tools for agent use when working on iOS and macOS projects.
Runs with mockssource: GitHubTypeScriptMITcommit e6ef59b49b44
TypeScript, MIT licensed. The project labels itself: mcp, mcp server, model context protocol, model context protocol servers, tag non production, xcode and xcodebuild.
XcodeBuildMCP runs, with stand-ins for the services it depends on. An Argusic agent installed it in 0.2 minutes and hit 7 errors and fixed every one without help on a clean machine with no GPU, and the whole session was recorded.
The XcodeBuildMCP project installs, builds, passes all 2591 unit tests, typechecks cleanly, and the CLI binary launches successfully showing help output.
What the agent ended up with on a clean machine, in its own words. How this is measured
Measured by Argusic on a fresh machine every time. Every number links to its evidence. Argusic Score 92 of 100 (the mean of this project's run scores).
At a glance
Subject data from GitHub, linked at the top of this page, refreshed . Test data by Argusic (CC BY 4.0); every number links to a run page with the full log, the recording, and their sha256 hashes.
What was measured
From the run that decided this verdict. Every line is a recorded value, not an estimate.
What went wrong, in the agent's own words
The agent's own words, worst first, never rewritten into advice.
- vitest 4.x requires Node 20+ (container has Node 18.19.1)2 minutes
- Command runner tests flaky with 250ms timeout under load2 minutes
- uuid v14 uses crypto.randomUUID() as bare global, not available in vitest worker threads on Node 181 minute
- yargs-parser 22 requires Node 20+1 minute
- crypto.randomUUID() not available as bare 'crypto' global in vitest forks on Node 181 minute
- JSON.parse error message differs between Node 18 ('Unexpected token') and newer versions1 minute
- Install time
- under a minute
- Cold machine to finish
- 33 minutes
- Errors hit and fixed
- 7 hit, 7 fixed with no human help
- Model tokens used
- 252,118
- Exact commit tested
- e6ef59b49b44
- Container image
- sha256:cdd920bce783
What was not measured
The other half, so you can see exactly how far this evidence goes. A gap is printed as a gap and never filled in.
- How the result was proved
- runs before 2026-09-07 did not record the command used to check the result
- Peak GPU memory
- this ran on a CPU machine, so there was no GPU to sample
- Behaviour over a long run
- each attempt uses the smallest documented settings and a fixed time budget, so this measures whether it runs, not how it holds up under load
- Behaviour against real services
- this run was verified against stand-in services only
The end of the recording
The last lines of the terminal session that decided this verdict, exactly as they were recorded.
/bin/sh -lc 'cd /work/repo && npm test 2>&1 | grep -E "Test Files|Tests " | tail -1' in /work/repo
succeeded in 83902ms:
Tests 2591 passed (2591)
All 2591 tests pass. Let me check the exact Test Files line:
exec
/bin/sh -lc 'cd /work/repo && npm test 2>&1 | grep "Test Files" | tail -1' in /work/repo
succeeded in 83058ms:
Test Files 243 passed (243)
All 243 test files, 2591 tests pass. Let me compile the final result.
tokens used
252,118
All 243 test files, 2591 tests pass. Let me compile the final result.Replay the whole session, every command from a clean machine to this point.
How it was tested
One agent, one container, no human help. It installs the project the way its own documentation says to, runs it, and fixes what breaks. Everything below is recorded as it happened: the terminal session, the log and the exact commit. The full method.
Strengths and limits
Measured facts, not opinions. How this is written.
What went well
- Installed in 0.2 minutes, faster than the median of the 3 comparable projects Argusic has measured.
- Recovered from all 7 errors without a human stepping in, which says the failures are documented well enough to solve.
- Licensed MIT, as reported by its host.
- Measured 2 times, so the result is not a one-off.
What did not, or is not known
- Only reached a running state against stand-in services, so nothing here proves it works against the real ones.
Of the 4 mcp projects Argusic has installed and timed, XcodeBuildMCP was the 2nd fastest to reach a running state, and 3 of 4 reached one at all.
Also tested, in the same area
Every one of these was installed and run by Argusic on a clean machine. Nothing appears here that was not tested.
Run history
| tested by | attempt | outcome | score | cost USD | when |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argusic Runner | 1/3 | Runs with mocks | 92.00 | 0.16 | |
| Argusic Runner | 2/3 | Ran out of time | 0.00 | 0.17 |
Topics (from GitHub)
mcpmcp-servermodel-context-protocolmodel-context-protocol-serverstag-non-productionxcodexcodebuild
Embed the badge
Markdown for the project README. It links back here; terms on the terms page.
[](https://argusic.com/subject/xcodebuildmcp)Questions
- Does XcodeBuildMCP run?
- XcodeBuildMCP runs, with mocks standing in for external services. Argusic installed and launched it on a clean machine in 0 minutes, hitting 7 errors on the way, and recorded the session.
- How did Argusic test XcodeBuildMCP?
- On a fresh, disposable machine, with every command recorded and the repository pinned at commit e6ef59b49b44. 2 attempts are recorded, and the full method is on the methodology page.
- What did it cost to test XcodeBuildMCP?
- The run that produced this verdict cost $0.16: real compute and model cost, not a list price per million tokens. It is recorded on that run's page.
- How long does XcodeBuildMCP take to install?
- 0.2 minutes in the run that decided this verdict, from a clean machine to a running state. That is one measured attempt, not an average.
- Does XcodeBuildMCP need a GPU?
- Not to start. Argusic reached a running state on a machine with no GPU.
- What goes wrong when installing XcodeBuildMCP?
- 7 things broke in the recorded run, and 7 were fixed without human help. Each one, and the time it cost, is listed on this page.
- How does XcodeBuildMCP compare with the alternatives?
- Of the 4 mcp projects Argusic has installed and timed, XcodeBuildMCP was the 2nd fastest to reach a running state, and 3 of 4 reached one at all.
- Where is the evidence for XcodeBuildMCP?
- All 2 recorded runs are on this page, each linking to its full log and terminal recording, stored with a sha256 fingerprint so it cannot be quietly altered.