Apple Tester Skill

Purpose

apple-tester is a tester harness, not an autonomous runtime. Default usage is direct command execution + dev watch loop. Use server mode only when you need persistent session state or streamed logs.

Use apple-tester as the only public entrypoint. Do not invoke apple-driver (or agent-apple) directly for daemon/session workflows.

Strict loop

Always run this loop:

snapshot
Plan one action
Execute one action
Verify with is / get / assert
Repeat

Never run free-form multi-action plans without verification.

Quick start

If apple-tester is not on your PATH yet, install it once from the repo root:

pnpm apple-tester:cli:install

apple-tester doctor --build-driver
apple-tester server start
apple-tester session start --macos
apple-tester snapshot --json
apple-tester tap @m1
apple-tester is visible @m1
apple-tester session stop
apple-tester server stop

Host input safety

macOS host-input gestures are blocked by default to avoid stealing local mouse/keyboard focus.

Use --allow-host-input only for explicit gesture actions:

apple-tester session start --macos --allow-host-input
apple-tester hold @m1 --duration-ms 900 --allow-host-input
apple-tester right-click @m3 --allow-host-input

iOS flow

apple-tester server start
apple-tester session start --ios --udid <SIM_UDID>
apple-tester snapshot --json
apple-tester tap @i1
apple-tester swipe --from 200,700 --to 200,250
apple-tester session stop
apple-tester server stop

macOS gestures

apple-tester hold @m1 --duration-ms 900 --allow-host-input
apple-tester longpress --coords 640,380 --allow-host-input
apple-tester right-click @m3 --allow-host-input
apple-tester swipe --from 400,500 --to 900,500 --duration-ms 500 --allow-host-input

Promotion

Promotion compiles a successful exploratory run into deterministic XCTest files and a promotion manifest:

apple-tester promote --run-id <RUN_ID> --platform ios --name "Login Smoke"
apple-tester promote --run-id <RUN_ID> --platform ios --name "Login Smoke" --dry-run --diff-lines 120
apple-tester promote --run-id <RUN_ID> --platform ios --name "Login Smoke" --dry-run --write-report ./artifacts/promotion-report.json

Output targets:

iOS: apps/ios/UITests/Generated/*.swift
macOS: apps/macos/UITests/Generated/*.swift

Log streaming for agents

For parser-friendly polling, prefer NDJSON log output:

apple-tester logs --json --follow | jq -c '.entries[] | {seq, level, message}'

Canonical local development loop

pnpm dev:watch

This performs deterministic change detection and targeted rebuilds without relaunching apps by default (--no-relaunch).

Notes

right-click is macOS-only.
hold/longpress use press-and-hold semantics on macOS and best-effort equivalent on iOS.
Prefer accessibility identifiers in app code for stable promoted tests.
Use apple-tester logs --follow for live daemon diagnostics when actions fail.

Technique Map

Identify scope — Determine what the skill applies to before executing.
Follow workflow — Use documented steps; avoid ad-hoc shortcuts.
Verify outputs — Check results match expected contract.
Handle errors — Graceful degradation when dependencies missing.
Reference docs — Load references/ when detail needed.
Preserve state — Don't overwrite user config or artifacts.

Technique Notes

Skill-specific technique rationale. Apply patterns from the skill body. Progressive disclosure: metadata first, body on trigger, references on demand.

Prompt Architect Overlay

Role Definition: Specialist for apple-tester domain. Executes workflows, produces artifacts, routes to related skills when needed.

Input Contract: Context, optional config, artifacts from prior steps. Depends on skill.

Output Contract: Artifacts, status, next-step recommendations. Format per skill.

Edge Cases & Fallbacks: Missing context—ask or infer from workspace. Dependency missing—degrade gracefully; note in output. Ambiguous request—clarify before proceeding.