name: idb-claude-mobile-testing description: Use when testing Claude Code Mobile app on iOS simulator with IDB CLI, when xc-mcp tools unavailable, or when needing testID-based UI automation - provides systematic workflow for finding elements by testID, tapping, typing, and verifying interactions using IDB accessibility tree

IDB CLI Testing for Claude Code Mobile

Overview

Systematic UI automation using IDB CLI for Claude Code Mobile app testing.

Core principle: Use IDB accessibility tree to find elements by testID (AXUniqueId), extract coordinates, then interact. No guessing coordinates. No MCP dependencies.

When to use: xc-mcp unavailable, expo-mcp local tools unavailable, need autonomous Gate 4A testing

Prerequisites Check

# Verify IDB installed
which idb && which idb_companion

# Start idb_companion (if not running)
ps aux | grep idb_companion || idb_companion &

# Verify simulator booted
idb list-targets | grep Booted

# Verify IDB connected
idb list-apps --udid booted | head -5

Must show: IDB commands working, companion running, simulator booted

Core Workflow: Find by testID → Tap

Step 1: Get UI Tree with testIDs

# Get complete accessibility tree (includes all AXUniqueId = testID)
idb ui describe-all --udid booted > /tmp/ui-tree.json

# Or save to project
idb ui describe-all --udid booted > logs/ui-tree.json

Returns: JSON array of ALL UI elements with:

• AXUniqueId: The testID from React Native
• frame: {x, y, width, height} for tapping
• AXLabel: Visual label text
• enabled: Whether element is interactive
• type: Button, TextArea, StaticText, etc.

Step 2: Find Element by testID

Use jq to parse (or Python/Node.js):

# Find send-button testID
cat logs/ui-tree.json | jq '.[] | select(.AXUniqueId == "send-button")'

# Extract just coordinates
cat logs/ui-tree.json | jq '.[] | select(.AXUniqueId == "send-button") | .frame'
# Returns: {"x":350, "y":798, "width":36, "height":36}

Or find in output directly:

idb ui describe-all --udid booted | grep -A 3 '"AXUniqueId":"send-button"'

Step 3: Calculate Tap Coordinates

Tap at CENTER of element:

center_x = frame.x + (frame.width / 2)
center_y = frame.y + (frame.height / 2)

Example:

• Frame: {x:350, y:798, width:36, height:36}
• Center: x=368, y=816

Step 4: Tap the Element

# Tap send button (calculated center coordinates)
idb ui tap --udid booted 368 816

Verify with screenshot:

xcrun simctl io booted screenshot logs/after-tap.png

Complete Test Workflows

Test 1: Tap Message Input and Type

# 1. Get UI tree
idb ui describe-all --udid booted > logs/ui-tree.json

# 2. Find message-input coordinates
INPUT_COORDS=$(cat logs/ui-tree.json | jq -r '.[] | select(.AXUniqueId == "message-input") | "\(.frame.x + .frame.width/2) \(.frame.y + .frame.height/2)"')

# 3. Tap input field (split coordinates)
IDB_X=$(echo $INPUT_COORDS | cut -d' ' -f1)
IDB_Y=$(echo $INPUT_COORDS | cut -d' ' -f2)
idb ui tap --udid booted $IDB_X $IDB_Y

# 4. Type text
idb ui text --udid booted "Hello Claude"

# 5. Screenshot to verify
xcrun simctl io booted screenshot logs/message-typed.png

Test 2: Tap Send Button

# 1. Find send-button (same process)
SEND_COORDS=$(cat logs/ui-tree.json | jq -r '.[] | select(.AXUniqueId == "send-button") | "\(.frame.x + .frame.width/2) \(.frame.y + .frame.height/2)"')

# 2. Tap send button
idb ui tap --udid booted $(echo $SEND_COORDS | cut -d' ' -f1) $(echo $SEND_COORDS | cut -d' ' -f2)

# 3. Screenshot result
xcrun simctl io booted screenshot logs/message-sent.png

Test 3: Navigate to Settings

# 1. Get fresh UI tree (in case elements moved)
idb ui describe-all --udid booted > logs/ui-tree-2.json

# 2. Find settings-button
SETTINGS_COORDS=$(cat logs/ui-tree-2.json | jq -r '.[] | select(.AXUniqueId == "settings-button") | "\(.frame.x + .frame.width/2) \(.frame.y + .frame.height/2)"')

# 3. Tap settings
idb ui tap --udid booted $(echo $SETTINGS_COORDS | cut -d' ' -f1) $(echo $SETTINGS_COORDS | cut -d' ' -f2)

# 4. Wait for navigation animation
sleep 1

# 5. Screenshot Settings screen
xcrun simctl io booted screenshot logs/settings-screen.png

Python Helper Script (Recommended)

For complex testing, use Python:

#!/usr/bin/env python3
import json
import subprocess
import sys

def get_ui_tree(udid="booted"):
    """Get UI accessibility tree"""
    result = subprocess.run(
        ["idb", "ui", "describe-all", "--udid", udid],
        capture_output=True, text=True
    )
    return json.loads(result.stdout)

def find_element_by_testid(tree, testid):
    """Find element by AXUniqueId (testID)"""
    for element in tree:
        if element.get("AXUniqueId") == testid:
            return element
    return None

def get_tap_coordinates(element):
    """Calculate center coordinates for tapping"""
    frame = element["frame"]
    x = frame["x"] + frame["width"] / 2
    y = frame["y"] + frame["height"] / 2
    return int(x), int(y)

def tap_element(testid, udid="booted"):
    """Find element by testID and tap it"""
    tree = get_ui_tree(udid)
    element = find_element_by_testid(tree, testid)

    if not element:
        print(f"Element with testID '{testid}' not found")
        return False

    if not element.get("enabled", False):
        print(f"Element '{testid}' found but not enabled")
        return False

    x, y = get_tap_coordinates(element)
    print(f"Tapping '{testid}' at ({x}, {y})")

    subprocess.run(["idb", "ui", "tap", "--udid", udid, str(x), str(y)])
    return True

def type_text(text, udid="booted"):
    """Type text into focused field"""
    subprocess.run(["idb", "ui", "text", "--udid", udid, text])

# Usage examples
if __name__ == "__main__":
    # Tap message input
    tap_element("message-input")

    # Type message
    type_text("Hello Claude")

    # Tap send button
    tap_element("send-button")

Save as: scripts/idb-test-helper.py

Use:

python scripts/idb-test-helper.py

Claude Code Mobile testIDs

All interactive elements have testIDs (from codebase review):

ChatScreen:

• chat-header - Header container
• connection-status - Connection indicator
• settings-button - Settings gear icon
• message-list - Messages FlatList
• message-bubble-{id} - Individual message
• message-input - Text input field
• send-button - Send button
• slash-command-menu - Command menu
• slash-command-{name} - Individual command

SettingsScreen:

• settings-header - Header
• back-button - Back navigation
• server-url-input - Server URL field
• project-path-input - Project path field
• auto-scroll-toggle - Auto-scroll switch
• haptic-toggle - Haptic feedback switch
• view-sessions-button - View sessions button

Other Screens:

• filebrowser-header, file-search-input, file-list, file-item-{path}
• codeviewer-header, code-content
• sessions-header, sessions-list, session-item-{id}

Common Mistakes

Red Flags

• "xc-mcp should work" → WRONG if "Not connected". Use IDB.
• "I know where button is" → WRONG. Get UI tree.
• "Coordinates won't change" → WRONG. Re-fetch for accuracy.

Integration with Gate 4A

Complete Gate 4A workflow:

# 1. Screenshot initial state
xcrun simctl io booted screenshot logs/01-initial.png

# 2. Tap message input
idb ui describe-all --udid booted > logs/ui.json
TAP_X=$(cat logs/ui.json | jq '.[] | select(.AXUniqueId == "message-input") | .frame.x + .frame.width/2')
TAP_Y=$(cat logs/ui.json | jq '.[] | select(.AXUniqueId == "message-input") | .frame.y + .frame.height/2')
idb ui tap --udid booted $TAP_X $TAP_Y

# 3. Type message
idb ui text --udid booted "test message"
xcrun simctl io booted screenshot logs/02-typed.png

# 4. Tap send
# (same process with send-button testID)

# 5. Navigate to Settings
# (same process with settings-button testID)

# 6. Verify all 5 screens
# (repeat for each screen's navigation buttons)

Next Steps After Skill

Once skill is created and tested:

1. Use this skill to complete Gate 4A testing
2. Test all 12 Gate 4A criteria autonomously
3. Document results with screenshots
4. Declare Gate 4A PASS/FAIL based on evidence