zepta

A fast terminal CLI for Xcode, iOS, and macOS workflows — build, run, test, and simulate without opening Xcode.

Requirements: Node.js, Xcode (including Command Line Tools). No extra dependencies at runtime.

Install

npm install -g zepta
# or clone and link
npm link

Usage

zepta <command> [options]

| Command | Description | | ----------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- | | context | Show workspace, schemes, build configs, simulators | | build | Build for simulator or device | | run | Build, install, and launch the app | | test | Run tests (test discover, test plans) | | clean | Clean build artifacts / derived data | | logs | Stream app logs by identifier | | project create | Create a new project (stub) | | project packages resolve/update | Resolve or update Swift package dependencies | | project packages add/link/remove | Manage Swift package manifest dependencies | | project packages clear | Clear package caches | | project sync-profiles | Sync provisioning profiles via xcodebuild | | simulator list / simulator boot | List or boot simulators | | simulator erase / delete / prune | Simulator lifecycle cleanup | | simulator runtime / device-types | Runtime and simulator type discovery | | simulator location / media add | Simulate location and import media | | device list / device install | List devices, install app | | ui simulator screen / record | Capture screenshot/video from simulator | | ui simulator open-url / key | Drive URL open and keypress interactions | | ui simulator session / assert | Session metadata and CLI assertions | | license | License status | | init | Save settings to .zepta.json |

Common options: -w/--workspace, -s/--scheme, -S simulator, -D device, -c/--config, --json, --examples, --changelog.

Commercial alternative

Flowdeck is a commercial CLI and workflow tool for Xcode/iOS development. If you need a polished, supported product with more features, check it out.

API compatibility & credits

This project aims to be API-compatible with Flowdeck’s CLI where practical, so scripts and tooling written for Flowdeck can work with zepta. The project is intended to eventually evolve on its own, with its own direction and feature set.

Thanks to the Flowdeck author for the inspiration and for showing what a great Xcode CLI can look like.

Development

Run the test suite (Jest):

npm test

Tests cover CLI parsing, init/config, build/run/clean, simulator/device, and a full workflow: create empty project → init for iPhone 16 → run on simulator.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome. Maintainers: see Publishing for releasing to npm via GitHub Actions. Many commands are still stubs or partial (e.g. project create, run app path resolution, test discover/plans, simulator/device subcommands, ui accessibility). If you implement a missing feature or fix a bug, please open a pull request.

License

MIT