Build Xcode project for iOS device

SkillDev tools

This skill should be used when the user invokes "/xcode-build-device" to build the current Xcode project for a physical iOS device (generic destination).

Available today. Use it from your connected AI after setup.

Connect ahel once, and every AI you use reads what you have installed.

Then ask your AI: use the Build Xcode project for iOS device skill

What this skill tells your AI

The instructions your AI receives, as published by xenodium/emacs-skills in skills/xcode-build-device/SKILL.md and read by ahel’s review.

Build the Xcode workspace or project under the current working directory for a physical iOS device. Uses a generic device destination (no specific UDID). Requires a configured signing team in the project — otherwise xcodebuild will fail with a code-signing error.

How to build

The shared agent-skill-xcode.el lives in the sibling xcode-shared directory at skills/xcode-shared/agent-skill-xcode.el in the emacs-skills plugin. All four /xcode-* skills load it from there.

emacsclient --eval "(progn (load \"/path/to/skills/xcode-shared/agent-skill-xcode.el\" nil t) (agent-skill-xcode-build-device :project-dir \"$(pwd)\"))"

The function:

  • Locates the first .xcworkspace (preferred) or .xcodeproj in :project-dir.
  • Picks a scheme via xcodebuild -list -json.
  • Runs xcodebuild build -destination 'generic/platform=iOS'.
  • Returns "Build succeeded: ..." on success, or "Build FAILED: ...\n--- last 40 lines ---\n..." on failure.

Rules

  • Pass the agent's current working directory as :project-dir via $(pwd). Do not assume a hard-coded path.
  • The shared elisp lives under xcode-shared/agent-skill-xcode.el — load it from there, not from this skill's directory.
  • Run via the Bash tool with a single emacsclient --eval invocation.
  • Report the returned status string verbatim on failure.
  • If the failure mentions code signing, point the user to Xcode → target → Signing & Capabilities → Team. Don't try to fix signing automatically.
  • If the user wants to also run the app on-device, suggest /xcode-run-device.

Signals

GitHub stars
135
Forks
17
Last commit
Jul 2026
Advanced
Catalog kind
skill
Gateway key
xcode-build-device
Source
github.com/xenodium/emacs-skills