axe

Included with Lifetime

$97 forever

Control iOS Simulators via accessibility APIs. Use this skill when the user wants to automate iOS simulator interactions, tap buttons by accessibility label, type text, swipe, take screenshots, describe the UI accessibility tree, or test iOS apps programmatically.

Design

What this skill does


# axe - iOS Simulator Accessibility Control

Control iOS Simulators using accessibility APIs for UI automation and testing.

## Prerequisites

- Xcode with iOS Simulator
- `axe` CLI in PATH

## Getting Simulator UDID

Always use explicit UDIDs when multiple simulators might be running:

```bash
# List available simulators
xcrun simctl list devices available

# List only booted simulators
xcrun simctl list devices booted

# Boot a simulator
xcrun simctl boot "iPhone 17 Pro"

# Shutdown
xcrun simctl shutdown booted
xcrun simctl shutdown <UDID>
```

## axe Commands

### Describe UI (Accessibility Tree)

Get the full accessibility tree to find elements:

```bash
axe describe-ui --udid <UDID>
```

### Tap Elements

```bash
# By accessibility label (preferred)
axe tap --udid <UDID> --label "Button Label"

# By accessibility identifier
axe tap --udid <UDID> --id "buttonIdentifier"

# By coordinates (fallback, e.g., for tab bars)
axe tap --udid <UDID> -x 352 -y 832
```

### Type Text

```bash
axe type --udid <UDID> --text "Hello world"
```

### Swipe

**IMPORTANT**: Uses `--start-x/--start-y/--end-x/--end-y`, NOT `--from-x/--to-x`:

```bash
# Swipe up (scroll down)
axe swipe --udid <UDID> --start-x 200 --start-y 600 --end-x 200 --end-y 300

# Swipe down (scroll up)
axe swipe --udid <UDID> --start-x 200 --start-y 300 --end-x 200 --end-y 600
```

### Hardware Buttons

```bash
axe button --udid <UDID> --name home
axe button --udid <UDID> --name lock
```

## Screenshots (via simctl)

```bash
xcrun simctl io booted screenshot /tmp/screenshot.png
xcrun simctl io <UDID> screenshot /tmp/screenshot.png
```

## Common Gotchas

### axe swipe parameters
Use `--start-x/--start-y/--end-x/--end-y`, NOT `--from-x/--to-x`. This is a common mistake.

### simctl has no input command
`xcrun simctl io` only supports `screenshot` and `recordVideo`. For touch/swipe input, use `axe`.

### Sheet/modal timing
When opening a sheet and immediately tapping a button inside, add `sleep 0.5` between actions. The sheet needs time to fully present before buttons are tappable.

### Multiple simulators
Always use explicit UDID, not "booted", when multiple simulators are running. Check with `xcrun simctl list devices booted`.

### iOS 26+ Toggle issues
axe taps don't reliably trigger SwiftUI Toggle actions on iOS 26+. Manual testing may be required for toggle interactions.

### Entitlements require signing
`CODE_SIGNING_ALLOWED=NO` prevents entitlements (like HealthKit) from being applied. Use ad-hoc signing for entitlement-dependent features.

### Empty accessibility tree
If `axe describe-ui` returns an empty tree (frame `{0,0,0,0}`, no children) even though the app is visibly running, the simulator has entered a bad state. Fix by rebooting:

```bash
xcrun simctl shutdown <UDID> && xcrun simctl boot <UDID>
```

This is not an app code issue.

### Tab bar items
Tab bar items often require coordinates instead of labels. Use `axe describe-ui` to find element frames, then tap by coordinates. Tab bars are typically around y~832 on standard iPhone sizes.

## Recommended Workflow

- Run `xcrun simctl list devices booted` to get the UDID
- Use `axe describe-ui --udid <UDID>` to explore the accessibility tree
- Prefer `--label` for tapping when possible (more resilient to layout changes)
- Fall back to coordinates for elements without accessible labels
- Add `sleep 0.5` between actions that trigger animations/transitions
- Take screenshots with `xcrun simctl io` to verify state

Files: 1

Size: 3.7 KB

Complexity: 8/100

Category: Design

Source: https://github.com/aliceisjustplaying/claude-resources-monorepo/tree/main/skills/axe

Related in Design

contribute

Included

Local-only OSS contribution command center. Auto-refreshes the user's in-flight PR and issue state on invoke so conversations start with full context — no need to brief Claude on what's in flight. Helps the user find issues to contribute to on GitHub, builds per-repo dossiers of what each upstream expects (CLA, DCO, branch convention, AI policy, draft-first, review bots, issue templates), runs deterministic gates before any external action so AI-assisted contributions don't reach maintainers as slop. State is markdown-only: candidate files at ~/.contribute-system/candidates/, repo dossiers at ~/.contribute-system/research/, append-only event log at ~/.contribute-system/log.jsonl. No database, no cloud calls. Use when the user asks about their PRs / issues / contributions, wants to find new work to take on, claim an issue, build/refresh a repo's dossier, or draft a Design Issue or PR. Trigger with "/contribute", "what's my PR status", "find a contribution", "claim issue X", "draft a Design Issue for Y", "refresh dossier for Z".

Designscripts

architectural-analysis

Included

User-triggered deep architectural analysis of a codebase or scoped subtree across eight modes — information architecture, data flow, integration points, UI surfaces, interaction patterns, data model, control flow, and failure modes. This skill should be used when the user asks to "diagram this codebase," "map the architecture," "show the data flow," "give me an ERD," "trace control flow," "find the integration points," "verify the layout pattern," "audit the UX architecture," or any similar request whose primary deliverable is mermaid diagrams plus cited reports under docs/architecture/. Dispatches haiku/sonnet sub-agents in parallel for per-mode exploration, then verifies every citation mechanically before any node lands in a diagram. Not for one-off prose explanations of code (use code-explanation) or for high-level system design from scratch (use system-design).

Designscripts

mcp

Included

Model Context Protocol (MCP) server development and tool management. Languages: Python, TypeScript. Capabilities: build MCP servers, integrate external APIs, discover/execute MCP tools, manage multi-server configs, design agent-centric tools. Actions: create, build, integrate, discover, execute, configure MCP servers/tools. Keywords: MCP, Model Context Protocol, MCP server, MCP tool, stdio transport, SSE transport, tool discovery, resource provider, prompt template, external API integration, Gemini CLI MCP, Claude MCP, agent tools, tool execution, server config. Use when: building MCP servers, integrating external APIs as MCP tools, discovering available MCP tools, executing MCP capabilities, configuring multi-server setups, designing tools for AI agents.

Designscripts

react-native-skia

Included

Design, build, debug, and optimise high-polish animated graphics in React Native or Expo using @shopify/react-native-skia, Reanimated, and Gesture Handler. Use when the user wants canvas-driven UI, shaders, paths, rich text, image filters, sprite fields, Skottie, video frames, snapshots, web CanvasKit setup, or performance tuning for custom motion-heavy elements such as loaders, hero art, cards, charts, progress indicators, particle systems, or gesture-driven surfaces. Also use when the user asks for fluid, glow, glass, blob, parallax, 60fps/120fps, or GPU-friendly animated effects in React Native, even if they do not explicitly say "Skia". Do not use for ordinary form/layout work with standard views.

Designscripts

plaid

Included

Product Led AI Development — guides founders from idea to launched product. Six capabilities: Idea (discover a product idea), Validate (pressure-test the idea against fatal flaws, problem reality, competition, and 2-week MVP feasibility), Plan (vision intake + document generation), Design (translate image references into a design.md spec), Launch (go-to-market strategy), and Build (roadmap execution). Use when someone says "PLAID", "plaid idea", "help me find an idea", "product idea", "idea from my business", "idea from my expertise", "plaid validate", "validate my idea", "pressure-test", "is this idea good", "find fatal flaws", "validate the problem", "plan a product", "define my vision", "generate a PRD", "product strategy", "plaid design", "design from image", "translate image to design", "create design.md", "extract design tokens", "plaid launch", "go-to-market", "launch plan", "GTM strategy", "launch playbook", "plaid build", "build the app", "start building", or "execute the roadmap".

Designscripts

nextjs-framer-motion-animations

Included

Adds production-safe Motion for React or Framer Motion animations to Next.js apps, including reveal, hover and tap micro-interactions, whileInView, stagger, AnimatePresence, layout and layoutId transitions, reorder, scroll-linked UI, and lightweight route-content transitions. Use when the user asks to add, refactor, or debug Motion or Framer Motion in App Router or Pages Router codebases, especially around server/client boundaries, reduced motion, LazyMotion, bundle size, hydration, or route transitions. Avoid for GSAP-style timelines, WebGL or 3D scenes, heavy scroll storytelling, or CSS-only effects unless Motion is explicitly requested.

Designscripts