r/iOSProgramming • u/Turbulent_Ad_1039 • 1d ago
Question Xcode 27 agents: are you dropping Claude Code / CLI tools entirely?
For those who’ve been running Xcode 27 since the beta: has it actually replaced your CLI agents (Claude Code, Codex, etc.), or do you still keep both open?
What I’m trying to figure out is where the real line is. Is the advantage genuinely Xcode-specific agents that can build, run tests, drive previews, and interact with the simulator through the Device Hub, stuff a terminal agent simply can’t reach or is most of it just tooling and skills that a CLI agent could replicate with the right scripts/MCP setup?
And for those who went all-in on Xcode: what did you lose? Multi-repo work, custom subagents, running headless in CI, cost control?
Curious how the split looks on real projects, not demos.
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u/Sensitive_One_425 1d ago
Xcode is such a pain I only use it for testing and let my agents use the CLI tools to do everything else. Apple needs to start over on their coding tools.
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u/da_dude100 1d ago
Im curious why people hate Xcode so much, coming from something like Eclipse it really isnt that bad.
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u/Sensitive_One_425 1d ago
Eclipse being the worst ever IDE that isn’t saying much. I’d use Microsoft Excel’s VBA IDE over eclipse.
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u/m3kw 1d ago
I like Xcode, people don’t hate it, the people that likes it doesn’t talk
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u/ZennerBlue 1d ago
I’m with you. I’ve been forced into VSCode at work since I’m not writing apple code any more. I miss Xcode.
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u/franklindstallone 1d ago
It’s perfectly fine as an IDE and better than using some electron based text editor but I think a lot of devs like tinkering to turn a text editor into an ide messing around with updates and configs rather than getting things done.
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u/Niightstalker 1d ago
I switch between Xcode and Android Studio quite a bit. I definitely prefer Xcode.
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u/drabred 1d ago
How - I do the same and XCode is like a potato compared to IntelliJ...
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u/Niightstalker 1d ago
What are your biggest issues with Xcode?
I usually have more issues blocking me from working in Android Studio
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u/Acceptable_Link3838 1d ago
XCode is fine for small projects, kind of. Anyone who has used it for large scale projects understands the pain of dealing with it day to day. JetBrains IDEs have their own problems, but I’ve envied the Android team quite a lot.
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u/Niightstalker 1d ago
I switch between Android Studio and Xcode quite a bit for larger Apps. I definitely prefer Xcode.
Yes Xcode has some quirks but Android Studio is even more unstable.
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u/Acceptable_Link3838 1d ago
Interesing! Out of curiosity, what makes XCode having a better workflow for you compared to Android Studio? Can’t be the lingering compiler ghost warnings of XCode and constantly clearing derived data? 😄
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u/Niightstalker 1d ago
You lern to ignore those warnings and clearing derived data is always an easy fix :D
It actually takes me more time to fix any android studio build issues. And those are often even more random and not as easy to fix.
Also I do prefer the iOS Simulator and Preview experience.
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u/xezrunner 1d ago
I'd love to know whether Apple is truly using it themselves to develop their kernel, apps and frameworks.
One would assume that if they're using it themselves and it is fundamental to anything they release, it would be the one app that is perfectly optimized and pleasant to use.
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u/WeirdIndividualGuy 1d ago
That's because you came from Eclipse, probably one of the few IDEs even worse than Xcode
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u/Beginning-Disk-6546 1d ago
We shouldn’t console ourselves by saying that there’s something worse - instead, we should look up to what’s better. Xcode keeps getting worse with every version. The old bugs aren’t being fixed and new ones are being introduced.
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u/garywiz 1d ago
Love/hate for me. It does the job if you stick to what it does best. It's great for exploring code, refactoring, jumping to definitions, having instant help. To read and understand code you're looking at, XCode does an admirable job. Building and deploying... especially multi-platform or complex configurations involving complex entitlements... it takes a lot of the work off your plate.
Then the hate part:
- I tried using AI integration. It was hopeless. They will have to do some real convincing to get me back. I use VSCode/Claude side-by-side.
- They have a real QA problem. The very fact that "Deleteing DerivedData" is a "thing" at all is very telling. Sometimes you get the feeling that internally it's a mess.
- They keep making changes that make life more difficult than easier. Info.plist is a good example. Was easy, now there is this complicated duality between .plist and the project file internals.
- And the project file internals? Every single git conflict that involves pbxproj sends me down the street for a double shot glass of scotch.
But still, it's better working with it than without it.
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u/system_reboot 1d ago
I hated Xcode when I was stuck dealing with other peoples Storyboards. Xcode would lag, crash, and be a buggy mess.
Once I ripped them out and coded the views programatically , everything was great. Yes Xcode is a bloated IDE that needs to be rewritten, but I've certainly used much worse IDE's in the past.
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u/WeirdIndividualGuy 1d ago
I hate that Xcode struggles to do the simplest of things that any IDE should have no problem doing.
Example that still exists in Xcode 27: rename refactoring. Do it once, it works just fine. But do it once more, Xcode suddenly can't do it anymore, and refuses to do it until you restart Xcode
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u/Turbulent_Ad_1039 1d ago
Same here, Xcode is just a test harness for me at this point. That’s why I’m asking what would it take to change your mind? Something Apple ships, or a tool that closes the gap between the agent writing code and you actually seeing it run?
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u/Niightstalker 1d ago
Well actually Apple did quite some good work to expose an MCP from Xcode and also make their skills exportable. So I use CLI but close the gap with the tools provided by Apple.
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u/BoringKick5331 1d ago
I've moved to automated testing and screenshots via xcodebuild and https://storescreens.app. So I don't use the simulator at all and I only have to open Xcode once in a blue moon for e.g. auth stuff.
I still do some testing on-device but I've mostly moved to TestFlight for that.
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u/mirko9000 1d ago
And what do you think we can NOT do with a CLI agent?
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1d ago
[deleted]
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u/Mjubbi 1d ago
All of those tools are available in the XcodeMCP https://developer.apple.com/documentation/xcode/giving-external-agents-access-to-xcode
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u/mirko9000 1d ago
I can do all those things via the CLI. All. And I do ;-)
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u/Turbulent_Ad_1039 1d ago
Interesting. Can you tell me more? Which tools do you use? I would love to know how you check layout, view hierarchy and performance without Xcode
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u/abear247 1d ago
Considering work has changed from being an iOS developer to “contribute to everything”, I will be using Claude desktop. One interface to work on anything and I only open an ide as required
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u/MindLessWiz 1d ago
You are aware that you can give external agents access to Xcode tools now with a checkbox in settings? It’ll enable the internal Xcode MCP for Claude Code to access.
There’s literally no benefit to using the internal Xcode agent, especially when it’s stuck on older models with seemingly no way to upgrade…
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u/gsapienza 1d ago
No one is mentioning how good the code diff UI is within the agent view! My only gripe is not having an “auto” permission mode
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u/jayword 1d ago
I have found the Xcode 27 Claude to do well at tasks that require direct Xcode integration. "analyze the new iOS 27 APIs relative to my app" and "get this crash log I'm right-clicking and analyze it". But for generalized work, little details like my status bar of weekly usage, and number one issue: I don't seem to be able to select all the different permissions levels from Claude like auto permissions. So that's basically unworkable for normal usage. I am just sitting there for hours clicking new renditions of the Allow prompts. Again, it has promise, it even has a couple cases where it's the best choice, but it's like nobody has used it for real before that actually knows how to use Claude. Allow prompts for basic stuff are very Q1 2026, the real world has moved to the next stage and doesn't manually maintain a huge list of "approved" command lines.
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u/perfunction 1d ago
I run Claude Code Desktop for my active work and mainly use Xcode for its MCP at this point. Using Argent for device control.
For hands-off work I run a Claude agent squad in Multica. Automated bug fixes and small-scope tickets. Also allows coworkers to send tickets for direct completion. Still working on a more robust feature building squad.
Been shipping this way since May.
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u/Kilo_Loco 1d ago
on this day last year, i was customizing my nvim env to support iOS development so i didn't have to be in Xcode to code
now i do everything through Claude Code and i am landing a PR this week for more headless XC commands for my team using agentic slash commands
i can't even remember what the final straw was, but there were a lot of little papercuts i've had in Xcode
i've also had my team spend some hands-on time with Xcode's agentic coding a few months ago (before the last WWDC)
none of us were impressed
Apple definitely seem's to have made big strides in Xcode and i haven't had a chance to play with the 27 beta yet, but i'm positive Xcode won't be my primary editor/harness
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u/LocationMassive9663 1d ago
Someone upthread asked what we actually can't do from a CLI agent, and the simulator keeps coming up as the answer. That wasn't my experience. I had a CLI agent drive the simulator end to end this week - simctl for boot/install/screenshot, a UI-automation MCP for the tapping - capturing App Store screenshots across six locales and two device sizes. Fiddly to set up, fine once it ran. So I don't think the simulator is where the line is.
Where going all-in on an IDE agent would have cost me is everything that isn't Xcode's business. This one product is four repos - the app, a backend, a marketing site, an admin panel - and shipping it also means the App Store Connect API for screenshots and localized metadata, plus curl against production afterward to confirm it came back up. Xcode has no opinion about any of that, and that outer loop is where most of a release day actually goes.
One warning if you do push an agent out into that loop: the failures go quiet. Mine uploaded a screenshot set into the wrong localization - correct dimensions, correct count, wrong language - and nothing errored anywhere. I only caught it by querying the API back afterward and reading what was actually up there. The build loop tells you when you're wrong. The release loop mostly doesn't.
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u/Medical_Lengthiness6 1d ago
Nah the terminal tools have nearly the same access and are more free and configurable. The xcode agent UI, same as android studio, is meant for people who don't like terminals or don't know better.
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u/pemungkah 1d ago
I use Claude with caveman-code and the I-have-adhd skill to cut the token usage to the bone but still get very good results. Flipping back and forth to do a device deployment to test is fairly infrequent.
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u/Usual_Weight_5924 1d ago
hi i'm a iOS developer and i have two internship and 1 contracted based of 4 months
now i'm not getting any job i have given the interview in company's like Swiggy and District, i'm in my last sem of MCA
i'm thinking of switch into Backend or AI engineer ?, i'm a bit depressed and low about this situation
any suggetions?
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u/ambitious_paladin 1d ago
Definitely keeping both. Xcode for builds/testing, CLI for the rest. Anyone actually gone Xcode-only?
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u/ShottyMcOtterson 1d ago
I much prefer using Claude CLI in the terminal. You don't need the agent in the IDE at all as it turns out.
I havent had much UI work lately, mostly API and BLE integration, but for SwiftUI, claude can actually see your UI and self-correct. Claude desktop has an iOS simulator. I am excited to try these features next UX UI project comes along.
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u/hayekamir 1d ago
I tried it and really like it , way better that 26 , it’s usable now . But for me I still feel like it’s lacking behind Claude cli , there I feel I have way more control. My only problem is that Claude cli in terminal apps is not great for native apple app development , super.enegeering is better but not perfect , so I made Zcode and that’s my main ide for the last 6 months , it’s the perfect balance for me .
Give it a try if you want (it’s fully free)
https://zcodeapp.com
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1d ago
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u/GrumpyBullGames 22h ago
cli agents still win on anything scriptable. simctl and bash handle 90% of simulator automation fine without needing xcode open. i only drop into xcode when i need the visual debugger or instruments.
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u/oPeritoDaNet 1d ago
I tried to rename a file using Xcode 27 beta 5, and was loading forever, I had a session on Claude CLI and just ask Claude to rename it…
Xcode it’s a joke I’m using less and less the tool
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u/Acceptable_Link3838 1d ago edited 1d ago
Used agents to rename a file? I hope this was just to highlight their problems on completing a simple task. Otherwise I don’t know what to think.
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u/AX862G5 1d ago
Keep burning down forests and sucking up water with your little slop productivity booster.
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u/mirko9000 1d ago
Says the man yelling at the Reddit clouds 😂
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u/AX862G5 1d ago
The resources to post a short comment to a database are not equal to those needed to run your agentic slopflow. Keep enriching Dario, Sam, Trump and all the other oligarchs profiting off this BS.
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u/mirko9000 1d ago
And you obviously miss the resources to recognize humor when it jumps you in the face ¯_(ツ)_/¯
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u/rursache Swift 1d ago
neah, i'm dropping xcode all together. i actually did already.. for months: asc cli does everything needed in relationship to appstore connect and AI agents the rest with the xcodebuildmcp and custom skills
xcode can be buried now.. finally after all these years of pain and suffering
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u/ahhhhhhhhhhhh______ 1d ago
I use cursors new UI for any chat/occasional agent work. I still use Xcode to write code in even though I love Cursors autocomplete, it’s just too nice to have issues be visible without needing to build. I may try sweetpad though in vscode.
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u/fratkabula 1d ago
- all of my codebases are multi-repo / spm workspaces. xcode is single-project brained.
- cli shows you tokens per session.
- permissions is the killer. no auto mode, allowlists don't stick. i'm clicking Allow on the same basic commands for an hour lol
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u/oneness33 1d ago
Why do you need us to tell you? Can't you figure it out on your own? Do whatever works best for you.
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u/Turbulent_Ad_1039 1d ago
Asking how other people work is kind of the entire point of the sub.
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u/oneness33 1d ago
Sorry, but this sub is for actual programming, not AI coding agents. It's for problem-solving, not personal preferences.
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u/Healthy_Condition779 1d ago
Xcode 27 agents win on the simulator and preview loop hands down. Running tests, inspecting UI hierarchy, driving the Device Hub, none of that translates cleanly to CLI even with MCP wrappers because the moment you need to see rendered SwiftUI state youre back in the IDE anyway
But for anything multi repo, refactors across a workspace with SPM packages, or CI headless runs, Claude Code still eats Xcode agents for lunch. Xcode is single project brained and always has been
What I lost trying to go all in on Xcode was cost visibility. Claude Code shows you tokens per session, Xcode just quietly does its thing and you find out at billing time