How I use FlowDeck to let my AI agent build and run my apps – Donny Wals
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A developer shares how FlowDeck, a CLI tool for iOS development, replaced raw xcodebuild and Xcode's MCP bridge in their AI agent workflow. FlowDeck wraps xcodebuild, simctl, and devicectl behind a single consistent interface, returning structured JSON output that keeps agent context windows clean. Key features include one-time project config, structured build error output, app log streaming, and a UI simulator session that captures screenshots and accessibility trees every 500ms for agent-driven UI validation. The post covers setup with Cursor via an agent skill file and a short agents.md rule, and compares FlowDeck to XcodeBuildMCP, noting that FlowDeck's CLI approach lets developers run the same commands their agents run.
Table of contents
Understanding how xcodebuild can fall shortExploring what FlowDeck does differentlySetting up FlowDeck as your agent's go-to toolHow it compares to XcodeBuildMCPSummarySort: