Install

Python 3.10+ required

SimDrive requires Python 3.10 or newer. macOS system Python is 3.9 and will fail with No matching distribution found for simdrive. Check yours:

python3 --version

If you’re on 3.9 or older, install a supported version:

brew install python@3.12     # or use pyenv: pyenv install 3.12

Requirements

• macOS (Apple silicon or Intel)
• Xcode 15 or later, with command-line tools installed (xcode-select --install)
• Python 3.10+

SimDrive drives the iOS Simulator via simctl and (optionally) paired physical devices via WebDriverAgent. Linux and Windows are not supported — the underlying tools are macOS-only.

Install

pip install simdrive

Verify:

simdrive version
simdrive doctor          # walks every dependency, prints a green/red table

doctor is your first stop whenever something looks off — it surfaces missing Xcode, broken simulator runtimes, stale simctl caches, and WDA bootstrap issues without spinning up a real session.

SimDrive requires no license or account — every tool is available immediately after install, on any number of machines, including CI runners. See License for details.

Wire SimDrive into your MCP client

SimDrive runs as an MCP server. Add it once, your agent gets all 36 tools.

Claude Code

Add to .claude/mcp.json (project-scoped) or ~/.claude/mcp.json (global):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "simdrive": { "command": "simdrive" }
  }
}

Or use the CLI:

claude code mcp add simdrive simdrive

Restart Claude Code. Type /mcp to confirm simdrive is listed and connected.

Claude Desktop

Edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "simdrive": { "command": "simdrive" }
  }
}

Quit and relaunch Claude Desktop.

Cursor

Edit ~/.cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "simdrive": { "command": "simdrive" }
  }
}

Restart Cursor.

Smoke test

In your MCP client, ask:

Use simdrive to start a session against the default simulator, observe the home screen, and stop the session.

You should see your agent call session_start, observe, and session_end in that order. If it does — you’re wired in.

Next

Reproduce your first bug

60-second loop: ticket → repro → recording attached to PR.

Understand the MCP model

Why SimDrive is MCP-native and what that buys you.