tuist xcodebuild

Extend xcodebuild with server capabilities

Overview

The tuist xcodebuild command extends Apple’s xcodebuild CLI with server capabilities such as selective testing, build analytics, and insights. It provides the same interface as xcodebuild while adding powerful features from Tuist Cloud.

All standard xcodebuild arguments are passed through, so you can use it as a drop-in replacement.

Usage

tuist xcodebuild <action> [xcodebuild-arguments...]

Subcommands

tuist xcodebuild test

Runs tests with insights and analytics.

tuist xcodebuild test [xcodebuild-arguments...]

All arguments are passed through to xcodebuild’s test action.

Example

tuist xcodebuild test -scheme MyAppTests -destination 'platform=iOS Simulator,name=iPhone 15' -parallel-testing-enabled YES

tuist xcodebuild test-without-building

Runs tests without building first, with insights.

tuist xcodebuild test-without-building [xcodebuild-arguments...]

All arguments are passed through to xcodebuild’s test-without-building action.

Example

tuist xcodebuild test-without-building -scheme MyAppTests -destination 'platform=iOS Simulator,name=iPhone 15' -testConfiguration Debug

tuist xcodebuild build

Builds with insights and analytics.

tuist xcodebuild build [xcodebuild-arguments...]

All arguments are passed through to xcodebuild’s build action.

Example

tuist xcodebuild build -scheme MyApp -destination 'platform=iOS Simulator,name=iPhone 15'

tuist xcodebuild build-for-testing

Builds for testing with insights.

tuist xcodebuild build-for-testing [xcodebuild-arguments...]

All arguments are passed through to xcodebuild’s build-for-testing action.

Example

tuist xcodebuild build-for-testing -scheme MyAppTests -destination 'platform=iOS Simulator,name=iPhone 15'

tuist xcodebuild archive

Creates an archive with insights.

tuist xcodebuild archive [xcodebuild-arguments...]

All arguments are passed through to xcodebuild’s archive action.

Example

tuist xcodebuild archive -scheme MyApp -archivePath ./build/MyApp.xcarchive

Server capabilities

When connected to Tuist Cloud, tuist xcodebuild provides:

Selective testing

Automatically runs only tests affected by code changes, significantly reducing test execution time. The command:

1. Hashes your project’s targets and dependencies
2. Compares against cached test results on the server
3. Runs only tests for changed code
4. Uploads new test results for future runs

This works automatically for unit tests when using tuist xcodebuild test.

Build analytics

Collects and uploads build metrics including:

• Build duration and status
• Compilation times per target
• Error and warning counts
• Device and configuration information
• Test results and coverage

Analytics are viewable in the Tuist Cloud dashboard.

Insights

Provides intelligent insights into your builds:

• Performance bottlenecks
• Flaky test detection
• Build time trends
• Error patterns

Drop-in replacement

Replace xcodebuild with tuist xcodebuild in your existing scripts and CI workflows:

Before:

xcodebuild test -scheme MyApp -destination 'platform=iOS Simulator,name=iPhone 15'

After:

tuist xcodebuild test -scheme MyApp -destination 'platform=iOS Simulator,name=iPhone 15'

All xcodebuild options, flags, and arguments work exactly the same way.

CI integration

Use tuist xcodebuild in your CI pipelines to get insights and selective testing:

GitHub Actions

- name: Run tests
  run: |
    tuist xcodebuild test \
      -scheme MyApp \
      -destination 'platform=iOS Simulator,name=iPhone 15'

GitLab CI

test:
  script:
    - tuist xcodebuild test -scheme MyApp -destination 'platform=iOS Simulator,name=iPhone 15'

Jenkins

stage('Test') {
  steps {
    sh 'tuist xcodebuild test -scheme MyApp -destination "platform=iOS Simulator,name=iPhone 15"'
  }
}

Authentication

To use server capabilities, authenticate with Tuist Cloud:

tuist auth

Or set the TUIST_CONFIG_TOKEN environment variable in CI.

Examples

Basic test run

tuist xcodebuild test -scheme MyAppTests

Test with specific device

tuist xcodebuild test \
  -scheme MyAppTests \
  -destination 'platform=iOS Simulator,name=iPhone 15 Pro'

Build for multiple destinations

tuist xcodebuild build \
  -scheme MyApp \
  -destination 'platform=iOS Simulator,name=iPhone 15' \
  -destination 'platform=iOS Simulator,name=iPad Pro (12.9-inch)'

Archive for distribution

tuist xcodebuild archive \
  -scheme MyApp \
  -archivePath ./build/MyApp.xcarchive \
  -configuration Release

Test with parallel execution

tuist xcodebuild test \
  -scheme MyAppTests \
  -destination 'platform=iOS Simulator,name=iPhone 15' \
  -parallel-testing-enabled YES

Limitations

• Selective testing: Currently only works for unit tests (not UI tests)
• Analytics: Requires authentication with Tuist Cloud
• Network: Requires internet connection to upload analytics

Related

• Test command
• Build command
• Auth command