xcode-workflows

Xcode Workflows

Use the execute_xcode_command MCP tool for all iOS build operations

The xclaude-plugin provides the execute_xcode_command MCP tool which consolidates all xcodebuild operations into a single, token-efficient dispatcher.

⚠️ CRITICAL: Always Use MCP Tools First

This is the most important rule: When working with iOS builds, you MUST use the execute_xcode_command MCP tool.

• ✅ DO: Invoke execute_xcode_command for all build/test/clean operations
• ✅ DO: If the MCP tool fails, adjust parameters and retry
• ✅ DO: Read error messages and debug the parameters
• ❌ NEVER: Fall back to bash xcodebuild commands
• ❌ NEVER: Use xcodebuild directly in bash
• ❌ NEVER: Run xcrun xcodebuild in a terminal

Why? The MCP tool provides:

• Structured error handling
• Token efficiency (consolidated into 1 tool vs. verbose bash output)
• Proper integration with the xclaude-plugin architecture
• Consistent response formatting

If execute_xcode_command fails, the issue is with parameters or the project - not that you should use bash.

When to Use Bash (And When NOT to)

❌ NEVER Use Bash For These (Use MCP Tools Instead)

Task	❌ WRONG (Bash)	✅ RIGHT (MCP Tool)
List schemes	xcodebuild -list	execute_xcode_command op: "list"
Build app	xcodebuild -scheme...	execute_xcode_command op: "build"
Run tests	xcodebuild -scheme... test	execute_xcode_command op: "test"
Clean build	xcodebuild clean	execute_xcode_command op: "clean"
Get Xcode info	xcodebuild -version	execute_xcode_command op: "version"

✅ Bash is Acceptable For (Non-Build Tasks)

• File operations: mkdir, cp, rm, ls, etc.
• Text inspection: grep, find, cat, etc.
• Git operations: git status, git log, etc.
• Environment checks: which, xcode-select --version, etc.
• Project exploration: find . -name "*.swift", etc.