lookin-mcp-ios

MCP Server for iOS UI inspection — lets any AI agent (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, etc.) inspect live iOS app UI hierarchy, attributes, and screenshots via LookinServer, no Lookin.app required. It discovers LookinServer on ports 47190–47199.

Prerequisites

• iOS App integrated with LookinServerMCP, running on simulator or device
• Node.js 18+

iOS Integration

Add the following to your Podfile:

pod 'LookinServerMCP', :configurations => ['Debug']

Only included in Debug builds — safe to leave in your Podfile permanently.

How It Works

Device Support

The MCP Server supports both iOS simulators and physical devices:

iOS Simulator:

AI Agent (Claude Code / Cursor / Codex / ...)
    ↓ stdio (MCP protocol)
lookin-mcp-ios (Node.js)
    ↓ HTTP local port
LookinServer (embedded in iOS App)

Physical Device:

AI Agent (Claude Code / Cursor / Codex / ...)
    ↓ stdio (MCP protocol)
lookin-mcp-ios (Node.js)
    ↓ native usbmuxd socket (/var/run/usbmuxd)
    ↓ ephemeral local TCP proxy → discovered device port 47190–47199
LookinServer (embedded in iOS App)

Device Selection

• Single device: Automatically connects when the app starts
• Multiple devices: Prompts user to select device via lookin_connect_device tool
• Device events: Automatically reconnects when a physical device is unplugged (falls back to simulator)

Installation

Claude Code

claude mcp add --scope user lookin -- npx -y lookin-mcp-ios

Cursor

Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json (global) or .cursor/mcp.json in your project root:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "lookin": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "lookin-mcp-ios"]
    }
  }
}

Codex

Add to ~/.codex/config.yaml:

mcp_servers:
  - name: lookin
    command: npx
    args:
      - -y
      - lookin-mcp-ios

Tools

lookin_list_devices

Lists all connectable iOS targets: USB physical devices and booted simulators.

Parameters: None

Response: JSON object containing:

• activeTarget — currently connected target (type: "simulator" or "physical")
• devices — array of available devices, each with:
  • udid — unique device identifier
  • name — device name (e.g. "iPhone 15 Pro")
  • type — device type ("simulator" or "physical")
• hint — usage instructions

Example response:

{
  "activeTarget": { "type": "simulator" },
  "devices": [
    { "udid": "ABC123...", "name": "iPhone 16 Pro", "type": "simulator" },
    { "udid": "XYZ789...", "name": "John's iPhone", "type": "physical" }
  ],
  "hint": "Found 2 device(s). Use lookin_connect_device with a udid to connect."
}

lookin_connect_device

Switch the connection target to a physical device or simulator.

Parameters:

Response: Confirmation message and connection status

lookin_get_hierarchy

Returns the full UI view hierarchy tree of the running iOS app.

Parameters:

Example response:

{"appName":"Demo","totalViews":12,"hierarchy":[{"oid":4393842688,"className":"UIWindow","frame":[0,0,390,844],"children":[{"oid":4393842944,"className":"MyViewController","frame":[0,0,390,844],"children":[]}]}]}

Node fields:

• oid — unique view identifier, used as input for other tools
• className — class name
• frame — position and size [x, y, width, height]
• hidden — only present when true
• alpha — only present when not 1.0

lookin_get_attributes

Returns all UI attributes of a specified view.

Parameters:

Response: Attributes grouped by group → section → attribute, each containing:

• identifier — attribute identifier
• setterSelector — setter method name, e.g. setBackgroundColor:
• attrType — value type enum
• value — current value

attrType values:

lookin_get_screenshot

Captures a screenshot of a specified view from the live iOS app rendering.

Parameters:

Response: MCP image content in PNG format, viewable directly by the AI agent.

Typical Workflow

1. lookin_list_devices           → list available iOS targets (simulators and physical devices)
2. lookin_connect_device(target) → select the target device (if multiple devices available)
3. lookin_get_hierarchy          → get the view tree and find the target view's oid
4. lookin_get_attributes(oid)    → inspect all attributes of that view
5. lookin_get_screenshot(oid)    → capture a screenshot to see the current UI state

If only one device is available, steps 1-2 are handled automatically at startup.