---
name: ios-device-automation-260c329a6019
description: |
  Vision-driven iOS device automation using Midscene CLI. Operates entirely from screenshots — no DOM or accessibility labels required. Can interact with all visible elements on screen regardless of technology stack.
  Control iOS devices with natural language commands via WebDriverAgent.
  
  Triggers: ios, iphone, ipad, ios app, tap on iphone, swipe, mobile app ios,
  ios device, ios testing, iphone automation, ipad automation, ios screen, ios navigate

  Powered by Midscene.js (https://midscenejs.com)
allowed-tools:
  - Bash
---

# iOS Device Automation

> **CRITICAL RULES — VIOLATIONS WILL BREAK THE WORKFLOW:**
>
> 1. **Never run midscene commands in the background.** Each command must run synchronously so you can read its output (especially screenshots) before deciding the next action. Background execution breaks the screenshot-analyze-act loop.
> 2. **Run only one midscene command at a time.** Wait for the previous command to finish, read the screenshot, then decide the next action. Never chain multiple commands together.
> 3. **Allow enough time for each command to complete.** Midscene commands involve AI inference and screen interaction, which can take longer than typical shell commands. A typical command needs about 1 minute; complex `act` commands may need even longer.

Automate iOS devices using `npx @midscene/ios@1`. Each CLI command maps directly to an MCP tool — you (the AI agent) act as the brain, deciding which actions to take based on screenshots.

## Prerequisites

Midscene requires models with strong visual grounding capabilities. The following environment variables must be configured — either as system environment variables or in a `.env` file in the current working directory (Midscene loads `.env` automatically):

```bash
MIDSCENE_MODEL_API_KEY="your-api-key"
MIDSCENE_MODEL_NAME="model-name"
MIDSCENE_MODEL_BASE_URL="https://..."
MIDSCENE_MODEL_FAMILY="family-identifier"
```

Example: Gemini (Gemini-3-Flash)

```bash
MIDSCENE_MODEL_API_KEY="your-google-api-key"
MIDSCENE_MODEL_NAME="gemini-3-flash"
MIDSCENE_MODEL_BASE_URL="https://generativelanguage.googleapis.com/v1beta/openai/"
MIDSCENE_MODEL_FAMILY="gemini"
```

Example: Qwen3-VL

```bash
MIDSCENE_MODEL_API_KEY="your-openrouter-api-key"
MIDSCENE_MODEL_NAME="qwen/qwen3-vl-235b-a22b-instruct"
MIDSCENE_MODEL_BASE_URL="https://openrouter.ai/api/v1"
MIDSCENE_MODEL_FAMILY="qwen3-vl"
```

Example: Doubao Seed 1.6

```bash
MIDSCENE_MODEL_API_KEY="your-doubao-api-key"
MIDSCENE_MODEL_NAME="doubao-seed-1-6-250615"
MIDSCENE_MODEL_BASE_URL="https://ark.cn-beijing.volces.com/api/v3"
MIDSCENE_MODEL_FAMILY="doubao-vision"
```

Commonly used models: Doubao Seed 1.6, Qwen3-VL, Zhipu GLM-4.6V, Gemini-3-Pro, Gemini-3-Flash.

If the model is not configured, ask the user to set it up. See [Model Configuration](https://midscenejs.com/model-common-config) for supported providers.

## Commands

### Connect to Device

```bash
npx @midscene/ios@1 connect
```

### Take Screenshot

```bash
npx @midscene/ios@1 take_screenshot
```

After taking a screenshot, read the saved image file to understand the current screen state before deciding the next action.

### Perform Action

Use `act` to interact with the device and get the result. It autonomously handles all UI interactions internally — tapping, typing, scrolling, swiping, waiting, and navigating — so you should give it complex, high-level tasks as a whole rather than breaking them into small steps. Describe **what you want to do and the desired effect** in natural language:

```bash
# specific instructions
npx @midscene/ios@1 act --prompt "type hello world in the search field and press Enter"
npx @midscene/ios@1 act --prompt "tap Delete, then confirm in the alert dialog"

# or target-driven instructions
npx @midscene/ios@1 act --prompt "open Settings and navigate to Wi-Fi, tell me the connected network name"
```

### Disconnect

```bash
npx @midscene/ios@1 disconnect
```

## Workflow Pattern

Since CLI commands are stateless between invocations, follow this pattern:

1. **Connect** to establish a session
2. **Launch the target app and take screenshot** to see the current state, make sure the app is launched and visible on the screen.
3. **Execute action** using `act` to perform the desired action or target-driven instructions.
4. **Disconnect** when done

## Best Practices

1. **Be specific about UI elements**: Instead of vague descriptions, provide clear, specific details. Say `"the Settings icon in the top-right corner"` instead of `"the icon"`.
2. **Describe locations when possible**: Help target elements by describing their position (e.g., `"the search icon at the top right"`, `"the third item in the list"`).
3. **Never run in background**: Every midscene command must run synchronously — background execution breaks the screenshot-analyze-act loop.
4. **Batch related operations into a single `act` command**: When performing consecutive operations within the same app, combine them into one `act` prompt instead of splitting them into separate commands. For example, "open Settings, tap Wi-Fi, and check the connected network" should be a single `act` call, not three. This reduces round-trips, avoids unnecessary screenshot-analyze cycles, and is significantly faster.
5. **Summarize report files after completion**: After finishing the automation task, collect and summarize all report files (screenshots, logs, output files, etc.) for the user. Present a clear summary of what was accomplished, what files were generated, and where they are located, making it easy for the user to review the results.

**Example — Alert dialog interaction:**

```bash
npx @midscene/ios@1 act --prompt "tap the Delete button and confirm in the alert dialog"
npx @midscene/ios@1 take_screenshot
```

**Example — Form interaction:**

```bash
npx @midscene/ios@1 act --prompt "fill in the username field with 'testuser' and the password field with 'pass123', then tap the Login button"
npx @midscene/ios@1 take_screenshot
```

## Troubleshooting

### WebDriverAgent Not Running
**Symptom:** Connection refused or timeout errors.
**Solution:**
- Ensure WebDriverAgent is installed and running on the device.
- See https://midscenejs.com/zh/usage-ios.html for setup instructions.

### Device Not Found
**Symptom:** No device detected or connection errors.
**Solution:**
- Ensure the device is connected via USB and trusted.

### API Key Issues
**Symptom:** Authentication or model errors.
**Solution:**
- Check `.env` file contains `MIDSCENE_MODEL_API_KEY=<your-key>`.
- See https://midscenejs.com/zh/model-common-config.html for details.

---
Source attribution: modbender
Original project: https://github.com/modbender/skill-library-mcp/blob/d9c8fe903b5b4e82237dbe8d0df8567783022e18/data/midscene-ios-automation/SKILL.md
License: MIT
License information: https://opensource.org/license/mit
Original upstream instructions; downloaded from Mega AI Hub.

## Upstream license notice

MIT License

Copyright (c) 2025 skill-library-mcp contributors

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
SOFTWARE.



# Mega AI Hub resource metadata

Creator / publisher: modbender
Original project: https://github.com/modbender/skill-library-mcp/blob/d9c8fe903b5b4e82237dbe8d0df8567783022e18/data/midscene-ios-automation/SKILL.md
Attribution basis: Source repository record

Fields of work: Development & Engineering, Product Management
Roles: Mobile Developer, QA / Test Engineer, Product Manager
Specialties: Mobile, API
Tools: Midscene, Midscene Cli
Country applicability: Country not specified
Classification basis: Source category, role and specialization labels
Instruction SHA-256: b23302fb111436e20a8ca7ce26ab54c80922fcd06cc34dcce61257e2189c4704