build-ios-apps — Codex plugin: what it does, how to install
An iOS and Swift development toolkit for Codex and ChatGPT that handles SwiftUI refactoring, ETTrace profiling, memgraph leak checks, and simulator runs.
Open on GitHubWhat build-ios-apps does
This plugin delivers nine targeted skills for Swift and iOS workflows. It covers App Intents, App Shortcuts, and SwiftUI patterns, including iOS 26+ Liquid Glass APIs. It breaks large views into smaller components.
Simulator builds rely on a local .mcp.json config wired to XcodeBuildMCP. Through this bridge, Codex mirrors simulators in its browser, refreshes SwiftUI previews, and records symbolicated ETTrace profiles. Leak investigations compare memgraph snapshots.
Without XcodeBuildMCP active, simulator debugging cannot run. The .codex-plugin/plugin.json manifest connects the agent definitions and skill scripts across the plugin directory.
What it helps with
- capture symbolicated ETTrace profiles during simulator runs
- track down memory leaks by comparing memgraphs
- design App Intents and Shortcuts for system interactions
- refactor massive SwiftUI views into smaller subviews
Example prompts for the agent
- Analyze memory leaks by comparing these two memgraph snapshots
- Refactor ProfileView.swift to break down this large view structure
- Record an ETTrace performance profile on the simulator for our checkout flow
Questions about build-ios-apps
How do you install build-ios-apps in Codex?
The plugin lives under plugins/build-ios-apps/ in the openai/plugins repository. Codex reads .codex-plugin/plugin.json to register the manifest and load skills automatically.
What does the build-ios-apps plugin do?
It equips Codex and ChatGPT with workflows for iOS engineering, including SwiftUI audits, simulator debugging via XcodeBuildMCP, ETTrace performance profiling, and memgraph leak analysis.
What is required for simulator debugging in build-ios-apps?
Simulator execution, hot reloads, and debugging depend on the XcodeBuildMCP server, which is configured in the plugin's local .mcp.json file.
Source text
build-ios-apps · MIT
# Build iOS Apps Plugin
This plugin packages iOS and Swift workflows in `plugins/build-ios-apps`.
It currently includes these skills:
- `ios-debugger-agent`
- `ios-simulator-browser`
- `ios-ettrace-performance`
- `ios-memgraph-leaks`
- `ios-app-intents`
- `swiftui-liquid-glass`
- `swiftui-performance-audit`
- `swiftui-ui-patterns`
- `swiftui-view-refactor`
## What It Covers
- designing App Intents, app entities, and App Shortcuts for system surfaces
- building and refactoring SwiftUI UI using current platform patterns
- reviewing or adopting iOS 26+ Liquid Glass APIs
- auditing SwiftUI performance and guiding profiling workflows
- capturing symbolicated ETTrace simulator profiles for focused app flows
- capturing and comparing iOS memgraphs to root-cause leaks
- debugging iOS apps on simulators with XcodeBuildMCP-backed flows
- mirroring Simulator in the browser and hot-reloading package-backed SwiftUI previews
- restructuring large SwiftUI views toward smaller, more stable compositions
## Plugin Structure
The plugin now lives at:
- `plugins/build-ios-apps/`
with this shape:
- `.codex-plugin/plugin.json`
- required plugin manifest
- defines plugin metadata and points Codex at the plugin contents
- `.mcp.json`
- plugin-local MCP config
- wires in XcodeBuildMCP for simulator build/run/debug workflows
- `agents/`
- plugin-level agent metadata
- currently includes `agents/openai.yaml` for the OpenAI surface
- `skills/`
- the actual skill payload
- each skill keeps the normal skill structure (`SKILL.md`, optional
`agents/`, `references/`, `assets/`, `scripts/`)
© OpenAI · MIT · openai/plugins
