Simulators

Create, start, and manage Xcode simulators on your Mac agents.

Open System → Simulators at /system/simulators or in the iOS and tvOS apps. The list groups devices by agent and shows each simulator’s model, runtime, and state. Search the list or filter it by platform and state.

Choose an agent to see its devices, or choose All Agents to see the fleet. The global active agent takes precedence while set. When you clear it, the page restores its saved agent filter.

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Create or start a simulator

1. Choose Create Simulator and select the target Mac agent.
2. Choose one of its installed runtimes and a compatible device model, then enter a name.
3. Use Start or Shut Down from the list. Select the simulator name to open its details.

An agent needs Xcode and simulator management support. If the agent is offline, reconnect it before refreshing its inventory or sending an action.

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Delete multiple simulators

1. Choose Edit to show selection controls.
2. Select individual simulators, or use the checkbox in an agent’s group to select every visible simulator on that Mac that can be deleted. You can select shut-down devices and unavailable devices stuck in Creating. Set your filters before selecting devices.
3. Choose Delete selected, review the device count, and confirm. This removes the selected devices and their data.

The list refreshes after deletion. If a device could not be deleted, review the error before retrying. Choose Done to leave Edit mode.

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Reset to default simulators

Choose Reset to Default Simulators for the Mac whose roster you want to replace. Shut down its simulators before confirming. The agent validates the default roster for its installed runtimes, creates the replacements, and removes the original devices.

Reset removes custom devices and their data, including installed apps and settings. The replacements have new simulator UUIDs. Pairings attached to the removed devices are lost.

If part of the reset fails, read the error and check the refreshed list before retrying. To clear one simulator’s apps and settings while keeping its UUID, use Erase Contents and Settings on its detail page.

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Automate simulators with MCP

Open the Simulators group in Tools or discover it in your MCP client. Use agentId to choose the Mac. Use the simulator UUID as simulatorId for device and app operations, and use bundleId for app operations. Creation uses name, runtimeId, and deviceTypeId from the target agent’s inventory.

Permission	Tools
Read	refresh_simulator_inventory, inspect_simulator, get_simulator_job
Write	create_simulator, rename_simulator, clone_simulator, open_simulator_data_folder, reveal_simulator_app_bundle, open_simulator_app_data_folder
Destructive	boot_simulator, shutdown_simulator, reboot_simulator, erase_simulator, delete_simulators, reset_simulators, launch_simulator_app, terminate_simulator_app

1. Queue refresh_simulator_inventory with the target agentId and a requestId you generate. The response gives you a jobId.
2. Poll get_simulator_job with the same agentId and the returned jobId. QUEUED, RUNNING, and CANCELLING mean the operation is still in progress. On SUCCEEDED, read job.inventory for devices, runtimes, and compatible device types. On failure, review job.error.
3. Queue inspect_simulator with the agent, a simulator UUID from inventory, and a new requestId. Poll its job and read job.details for the simulator and its installed apps. Boot the simulator to load the full app list.

Create and clone jobs return the resulting device UUID in job.simulatorId. Inspection can include paths on the owning Mac. Finder tools open those locations on that Mac.

Keep requestId stable when retrying the same submission. Choose a new ID when changing the operation or its inputs. Erase, delete, and reset require confirm: true. delete_simulators accepts 1 to 200 { agentId, simulatorId } pairs in targets and returns a job or queue error for each target. Poll each accepted job to confirm deletion. A run-scoped tool call can target only the run’s own agent, including every target in a bulk deletion.

To wait for simulator work and pass its results to subsequent actions, use simulator workflow steps.