Xcode MCP Router

You MUST use this skill for ANY Xcode MCP interaction — setup, tool usage, workflow patterns, or troubleshooting.

Xcode 26.3 ships an MCP server (xcrun mcpbridge) that exposes 20 IDE tools to external AI clients. This router directs you to the right specialized skill.

When to Use

Use this router when:

• Setting up Xcode MCP for the first time
• Configuring xcrun mcpbridge for any MCP client
• Using any Xcode MCP tool (file ops, build, test, preview)
• Building, testing, or previewing via MCP tools
• Troubleshooting mcpbridge connection issues
• Window/tab targeting questions
• Permission dialog confusion

Routing Logic

1. Setup/Connection → xcode-mcp-setup

Triggers:

• First-time Xcode MCP setup
• Client-specific config (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, VS Code, Gemini CLI)
• Connection errors ("Connection refused", "No windows")
• Permission dialog confusion
• Multi-Xcode targeting (MCP_XCODE_PID)
• Schema compliance issues with strict clients

Invoke: /skill axiom-xcode-mcp-setup

2. Using Tools & Workflows → xcode-mcp-tools

Triggers:

• How to build/test/preview via MCP
• Workflow patterns (BuildFix loop, TestFix loop)
• Tool gotchas and anti-patterns
• Window/tab targeting strategy
• When to use MCP tools vs CLI (xcodebuild)
• Destructive operation safety (XcodeRM, XcodeMV)

Invoke: /skill axiom-xcode-mcp-tools

3. Tool API Reference → xcode-mcp-ref

Triggers:

• Specific tool parameters and schemas
• Input/output format for a tool
• "How does XcodeGrep work?"
• "What params does BuildProject take?"
• Tool category listing

Invoke: /skill axiom-xcode-mcp-ref

Decision Tree

digraph xcode_mcp_router {
    rankdir=TB;
    "User has Xcode MCP question" [shape=ellipse];
    "Setup or connection?" [shape=diamond];
    "Using tools or workflows?" [shape=diamond];
    "Need specific tool params?" [shape=diamond];

    "xcode-mcp-setup" [shape=box];
    "xcode-mcp-tools" [shape=box];
    "xcode-mcp-ref" [shape=box];

    "User has Xcode MCP question" -> "Setup or connection?";
    "Setup or connection?" -> "xcode-mcp-setup" [label="yes"];
    "Setup or connection?" -> "Using tools or workflows?" [label="no"];
    "Using tools or workflows?" -> "xcode-mcp-tools" [label="yes"];
    "Using tools or workflows?" -> "Need specific tool params?" [label="no"];
    "Need specific tool params?" -> "xcode-mcp-ref" [label="yes"];
    "Need specific tool params?" -> "xcode-mcp-tools" [label="general question"];
}

Anti-Rationalization

Conflict Resolution (vs Other Routers)

Example Invocations

User: "How do I set up Xcode MCP with Claude Code?" -> Invoke: /skill axiom-xcode-mcp-setup

User: "How do I build my project using MCP tools?" -> Invoke: /skill axiom-xcode-mcp-tools

User: "What parameters does BuildProject take?" -> Invoke: /skill axiom-xcode-mcp-ref

User: "My mcpbridge connection keeps failing" -> Invoke: /skill axiom-xcode-mcp-setup

User: "How do I target a specific Xcode window?" -> Invoke: /skill axiom-xcode-mcp-tools

User: "Can I render SwiftUI previews via MCP?" -> Invoke: /skill axiom-xcode-mcp-tools (workflow), then /skill axiom-xcode-mcp-ref (params)

User: "Cursor can't parse Xcode's MCP responses" -> Invoke: /skill axiom-xcode-mcp-setup (schema compliance section)

Resources

Skills: xcode-mcp-setup, xcode-mcp-tools, xcode-mcp-ref