Installation

Install XcodeBuildMCP via Homebrew or npm. Both give you the CLI and the MCP server. Once installed, head to Setup to wire it into your editor.

Requirements#

• macOS 14.5 Sonoma or later
• Xcode 16.x or later (Xcode 26+ unlocks the Xcode IDE Bridge)
• Node.js 18+ if using the npm install path
• Homebrew if using the Homebrew install path

Option A: Homebrew (recommended, no Node.js)#

brew tap getsentry/xcodebuildmcp
brew install xcodebuildmcp

Option B: npm / npx#

For CLI use, install globally:

npm install -g xcodebuildmcp@latest
xcodebuildmcp --help

For MCP-server-only use, no global install needed, just reference npx in your MCP client config (covered in Setup).

Pin a specific version by replacing @latest with a tag, for example @2.3.2.

Keeping it up to date#

Once installed, run the built-in self-update command:

xcodebuildmcp upgrade

It checks for a newer version and installs it in place using whichever package manager you installed with. See CLI → Keeping the CLI up to date for available flags.

Verify#

Run the doctor to check your environment:

npx --package xcodebuildmcp@latest xcodebuildmcp-doctor

Or, if you installed globally:

xcodebuildmcp-doctor

The doctor reports on Node/Xcode versions, required dependencies, environment variables, and feature availability. Always include its output when filing an issue.

Uninstall#

# Homebrew
brew uninstall xcodebuildmcp

# npm
npm uninstall -g xcodebuildmcp

Next step#

With XcodeBuildMCP installed, head to Setup to wire it into your editor, run the project config wizard, and do your first build.