iOS Development Bridge (idb) MCP server

This MCP server provides integration between Model Context Protocol (MCP) and Facebook's iOS Development Bridge (idb), allowing you to manage iOS devices and execute tests automatically through MCP.

Installation

Prerequisites

Before installing the MCP-IDB server, you need to install idb (iOS Development Bridge):

brew tap facebook/fb
brew install idb-companion

# verify installation
idb

Installing MCP-IDB Server

To start the MCP-IDB server, run:

npx -y @noahlozevski/mcp-idb

Configuration

Setting Up mcp-config.json

To use idb in your MCP configuration, add the following to your mcp-config.json file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "idb": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@noahlozevski/idb"]
    }
  }
}

Usage

The MCP-IDB server enables several use cases:

• Automated test development
• Screenshot testing
• Automated interactions (e.g., "tap the home button on the screen")
• Installing and removing applications

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues, check these common problems and solutions:

• idb companion not found: Verify that idb-companion is properly installed via Homebrew

• Device not detected: Ensure your iOS device is:

  • Connected via USB
  • Trusted on your computer
  • Has developer mode enabled

For more details about idb, visit the official idb GitHub repository.

How to add this MCP server to Cursor

There are two ways to add an MCP server to Cursor. The most common way is to add the server globally in the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file so that it is available in all of your projects.

If you only need the server in a single project, you can add it to the project instead by creating or adding it to the .cursor/mcp.json file.

Adding an MCP server to Cursor globally

To add a global MCP server go to Cursor Settings > MCP and click "Add new global MCP server".

When you click that button the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file will be opened and you can add your server like this:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "cursor-rules-mcp": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "cursor-rules-mcp"
            ]
        }
    }
}

Adding an MCP server to a project

To add an MCP server to a project you can create a new .cursor/mcp.json file or add it to the existing one. This will look exactly the same as the global MCP server example above.

How to use the MCP server

Once the server is installed, you might need to head back to Settings > MCP and click the refresh button.

The Cursor agent will then be able to see the available tools the added MCP server has available and will call them when it needs to.

You can also explictly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.