simctl Quick Reference

Essential Commands Only

list devices

Usage: xcrun simctl list devices Output: Device list with UDIDs and states Key: Use booted as UDID for current device

boot

Usage: xcrun simctl boot <device-udid> Output: None (success) or error

launch

Usage: xcrun simctl launch booted <bundle-id> Output: PID of launched app

install

Usage: xcrun simctl install booted <app-path> Output: None (success) or error

io screenshot

Usage: xcrun simctl io booted screenshot <file.png> Output: PNG file saved Options: --type=png|jpeg (default: png)

io recordVideo

Usage: xcrun simctl io booted recordVideo <file.mp4> Output: Video file (Ctrl+C to stop) Options: --codec=h264|hevc (default: hevc)

get_app_container

Usage: xcrun simctl get_app_container booted <bundle-id> data Output: Path to app's data directory

spawn log

Usage: xcrun simctl spawn booted log stream --predicate 'process == "<app>"' Output: Live log stream

Common Patterns

# Get booted device UDID
xcrun simctl list devices | grep Booted

# Quick app test
xcrun simctl boot <udid>
xcrun simctl install booted app.app
xcrun simctl launch booted com.example.app
xcrun simctl io booted screenshot test.png

Troubleshooting

See troubleshooting.md

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