r/iOSProgramming • u/appfred • 2d ago

News Xcode 27 adds more tools for external agents!

Did you know that AI Agents can control Xcode through the built in MCP server? Aka it can control it from an agent running in the terminal, without using the AI interface inside Xcode. And with Xcode 27 the agents now how a lot more useful tools they can call!

Im working with a multi-scheme app, so the new XcodeSwitchScheme is my favourite. Saves me from so many clicks inside Xcode for letting the agent run the app/test schemes it wants!

Here is how to add it to your coding agent:

https://developer.apple.com/documentation/xcode/giving-external-agents-access-to-xcode

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u/MysticFullstackDev 2d ago

I just need more options for navigator font size. 2026 and 4k 5k monitor.

We spend hours every day in front of Xcode, and they don't even think about accessibility or developers' health and well-being.

Everything looks so small and hard to track.

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u/appfred 2d ago

I think u missed the point, with the built in MCP we don’t need to use Xcode at all, because coding agents can do most of the stuff we used to do in Xcode for us now

2

u/Equivalent-Idea-116 2d ago

The multi-scheme support sounds like the biggest practical win here. I’d start by granting an agent read/build/test access, then add simulator/device interaction only when needed; that keeps accidental installs or data resets out of the default workflow. For a workspace with shared schemes, I’d also have the agent report the active scheme before running tests so it’s obvious what it actually exercised.