Mobile MCP MCP — Use Cases, Install & Live Demo

Why use it

Key features

Platform-agnostic: same tools for iOS + Android
Works with simulators, emulators, and real devices
Screenshot + DOM-equivalent view hierarchy
Install APK/IPA from URL or local path
No mobile-testing expertise required

Live Demo

What it looks like in practice

mobile-mcp.replay ▶ ready

0/0

Install

Pick your client

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json · Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mobile-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@mobilenext/mobile-mcp@latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config. Restart after saving.

~/.cursor/mcp.json · .cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mobile-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@mobilenext/mobile-mcp@latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Cursor uses the same mcpServers schema as Claude Desktop. Project config wins over global.

VS Code → Cline → MCP Servers → Edit

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mobile-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@mobilenext/mobile-mcp@latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Click the MCP Servers icon in the Cline sidebar, then "Edit Configuration".

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mobile-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@mobilenext/mobile-mcp@latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Same shape as Claude Desktop. Restart Windsurf to pick up changes.

~/.continue/config.json

{
  "mcpServers": [
    {
      "name": "mobile-mcp",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@mobilenext/mobile-mcp@latest"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Continue uses an array of server objects rather than a map.

~/.config/zed/settings.json

{
  "context_servers": {
    "mobile-mcp": {
      "command": {
        "path": "npx",
        "args": [
          "-y",
          "@mobilenext/mobile-mcp@latest"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to context_servers. Zed hot-reloads on save.

claude mcp add mobile-mcp -- npx -y @mobilenext/mobile-mcp@latest

One-liner. Verify with claude mcp list. Remove with claude mcp remove.

Use Cases

Real-world ways to use Mobile MCP

Smoke-test your app on iOS + Android from one prompt

👤 Mobile QA, devs without a dedicated QA team ⏱ ~20 min intermediate

When to use: You just cut a build and want to know if the sign-up flow still works on both platforms.

Prerequisites

Simulator booted — xcrun simctl boot "iPhone 16" and emulator -avd Pixel_7
App installed — Drag IPA/APK into the simulator or use install_app tool

Flow

Start session

Use mobile-mcp. List all available devices.✓ Copied

→ iOS simulator + Android emulator listed
Run the flow

On both devices in parallel: open my app, tap "Sign Up", enter [email protected] / password123, tap Continue. Screenshot each step.✓ Copied

→ Dual-device screenshot sequence
Assert

On each device, is the "Verify your email" screen visible? If not, report what you see.✓ Copied

→ Per-platform pass/fail with evidence

Outcome: Pass/fail report with screenshots for both platforms in 2 minutes.

Pitfalls

Test account gets locked by anti-spam — Use per-build throwaway emails; rotate test accounts

Combine with: filesystem

Generate App Store screenshots across 5 device sizes

👤 Indie devs submitting to the App Store ⏱ ~25 min intermediate

When to use: You need 6.5", 6.7", 5.5" screenshots and don't want to do it manually.

Prerequisites

Simulators for each required size — Create via xcrun simctl with appropriate device types

Flow

Build matrix

Boot iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 15, iPhone SE simulators. Install my app on each.✓ Copied

→ All three devices ready with app installed
Capture flow

On each device, navigate to the 5 key screens (onboarding, feed, detail, settings, upgrade). Screenshot each at full resolution.✓ Copied

→ Screenshots saved per-device with naming convention

Outcome: App Store-ready screenshots in all required sizes, in one run.

Pitfalls

Screenshots include simulator status bar — Use --status-bar-style=overridden or post-process with crop

Combine with: filesystem

Combinations

Pair with other MCPs for X10 leverage

mobile-mcp + filesystem

Save screenshots into versioned QA folders

Save every screenshot under /qa/$(date)/ with the test name.✓ Copied

mobile-mcp + xcodebuild

Build, install, and test in one flow

Build the iOS app via xcodebuild, install it via mobile-mcp, run the smoke test.✓ Copied

Tools

What this MCP exposes

Tool	Inputs	When to call	Cost
list_devices	none	Always first — know what's available	free
launch_app	device_id, bundle_id	Open your app on the device	free
tap	device_id, selector\|coords	Interact with a button/control	free
type_text	device_id, text: str	Fill a text field (must be focused first)	free
get_view_hierarchy	device_id	Figure out what's on screen	free
screenshot	device_id, path?: str	Visual verification	free

Cost & Limits

What this costs to run

API quota: Local
Tokens per call: View hierarchy can be 10k+ tokens; screenshots are base64
Monetary: Free
Tip: Prefer selector-based tapping over full view-hierarchy dumps to save tokens

Security

Permissions, secrets, blast radius

Minimum scopes: device access (physical USB requires trust dialog)

Credential storage: None

Data egress: None from MCP; screenshots flow to LLM provider if shared

Never grant: production device access with PII

Don't test against production-data devices — use dedicated QA accounts

Troubleshooting

Common errors and fixes

No devices listed

Boot a simulator first: xcrun simctl boot / emulator -avd X

Verify: `xcrun simctl list | grep Booted`

tap_at_coords misses

Run get_view_hierarchy and use selector-based tap — coords break across screen sizes

Real device not trusted

On iOS: Settings → General → Device Management → trust. On Android: enable USB debugging.

Alternatives

Mobile MCP vs others

Alternative	When to use it instead	Tradeoff
XcodeBuildMCP	You need iOS-only build + test, not cross-platform UI automation	No Android; heavier on build tooling
Appium	You want a full CI-grade mobile testing framework	Way more setup; not MCP-native

More

Resources

📖 Read the official README on GitHub

🐙 Browse open issues

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