Simpod

Stream and control an iOS Simulator from your browser, terminal, or AI coding agent.

Simpod lets you remotely control an iOS Simulator from your browser, IDE, or AI agent such as Claude Code, Cursor, or Codex. It provides a low-latency live stream, full touch input, accessibility inspection, simulator controls, and a simple CLI—all without Xcode plugins or app instrumentation.

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Features

• Low-latency streaming (up to 60 FPS) with H.264 and automatic MJPEG fallback
• Full simulator control
  • Tap
  • Swipe
  • Pinch
  • Type
  • Hardware buttons
  • Rotation
• Accessibility inspection
  • Live accessibility tree
  • Find elements by label
  • Highlight UI elements in the browser
• Simulator controls
  • Light/Dark mode
  • GPS simulation
  • Status bar overrides
  • Deep links
  • Privacy permissions
• Live simulator logs
• Native device bezels from CoreSimulator
• Browser access over localhost or LAN
• Built-in Agent Skill for AI coding assistants

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Installation

Requirements

• macOS 14+
• Xcode Command Line Tools (xcrun simctl)
• A booted iOS Simulator

Install using Dart:

dart pub global activate simpod

Then simply run:

simpod

Open:

http://127.0.0.1:5210

That's it.

The package already includes:

• Native Swift helper
• Flutter web dashboard

No additional downloads are required.

Alternatively, build the standalone binary:

./build.sh

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How It Works

Simpod launches a lightweight native Swift helper for each simulator.

The helper:

• Captures the simulator framebuffer
• Streams H.264 or MJPEG video
• Injects touch and keyboard events
• Reads the accessibility tree
• Exposes HTTP and WebSocket APIs

The Dart CLI manages helper processes and serves the Flutter web dashboard.

Unlike many simulator automation tools, Simpod works with any booted simulator—no Xcode plugin or app instrumentation required.

┌──────────────┐  capture + HID   ┌─────────────────────┐   HTTP / WS   ┌─────────┐
│ iOS Simulator│ ◀──────────────▶ │ simpod-helper-bin   │ ◀────────────▶ │ Browser │
└──────────────┘                  └──────────▲──────────┘                └─────────┘
                                             │
                                             │
                                   spawns & manages
                                             │
                                   ┌─────────┴─────────┐
                                   │   simpod CLI      │
                                   │ Preview Server    │
                                   └───────────────────┘

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CLI

simpod [device...]                 Start preview
simpod --detach -q                 Run in background
simpod --no-preview                Stream without browser
simpod --list                      List sessions
simpod --kill                      Stop sessions

simpod tap <x> <y>
simpod gesture '<json>'
simpod type '<text>'

simpod button [name]
simpod rotate <orientation>

simpod boot <udid>
simpod shutdown

simpod appearance light|dark
simpod open-url <url>
simpod location <lat> <lon>

simpod status-bar ...
simpod permissions ...
simpod describe
simpod logs

Coordinates use normalized values between 0 and 1, where (0,0) is the top-left corner.

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Examples

# Start preview
simpod

# Run in background
simpod --detach -q

# Tap the center
simpod tap 0.5 0.5

# Type text
simpod type "Hello, world!"

# Press Home
simpod button home

# Rotate device
simpod rotate landscape_left

# Enable Dark Mode
simpod appearance dark

# Open a deep link
simpod open-url "myapp://checkout"

# Inspect the UI
simpod describe | jq

# Stop all sessions
simpod --kill

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Agent Skill

Simpod includes an Agent Skill that teaches AI coding agents how to operate the simulator through the CLI.

It supports:

• Taps
• Gestures
• Typing
• Hardware buttons
• Accessibility-driven interactions
• Simulator configuration
• Browser handoff

Documentation:

• skills/simpod
• skills/simpod/reference

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Project Structure

Package	Language	Purpose
packages/native	Swift	Simulator helper (video capture, input injection, accessibility, WebSocket server)
packages/simpod	Dart	CLI, preview server, session management
packages/simpod_client	Flutter Web	Browser dashboard
packages/simpod_core	Dart	Shared models and protocol definitions

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Development

Build the native helper:

swift build -c release --package-path packages/native

cp -f packages/native/.build/release/simpod-helper-bin \
packages/simpod/lib/bin/

Run the CLI:

cd packages/simpod

dart pub get

dart run bin/simpod.dart

Run the web client:

cd ../simpod_client

flutter run -d chrome

Build a release binary:

./build.sh

The build process:

• Compiles the Swift helper
• Builds the Flutter web app
• Embeds all assets
• Produces a standalone simpod executable

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License

See the LICENSE file.