# Argent vs. MobileBuildMCP The build passed, and your agent launched the app on the simulator through MobileBuildMCP (formerly XcodeBuildMCP). Next you want to know if login works, why the feed is slow and whether it holds up on Android. MobileBuildMCP, maintained by Sentry, gets the app built and running on Apple platforms. Argent tests the running app on iOS and Android: it taps through it, reads network traffic on the iOS simulator and profiles slow screens. Based on each tool's public documentation, checked October 20, 2026. ## Before launch and after launch MobileBuildMCP builds, tests and debugs your app with Xcode's own tools. Argent doesn't build apps. It works with the app once it is running. | Feature | Argent | MobileBuildMCP | | --- | --- | --- | | Where it fits | After launch: driving, debugging and profiling the running app | Before and at launch: building, testing and running Xcode projects | | iOS | Simulators, plus physical iPhones over USB with taps, swipes, typing, screenshots and flow replays | Simulators and devices. On a physical iPhone: build, install, launch and test, with no UI automation or log capture | | Android | Emulators and physical devices over adb | Not included | | Other platforms | Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV, Electron and Chromium apps | macOS, tvOS, watchOS and visionOS | | Xcode builds and tests | Not included. Argent drives any app that is already built and installed | Builds for simulators, devices and macOS, runs XCTest, builds Swift packages, scaffolds projects | | UI automation | Taps, swipes, pinches, typing and hardware buttons, using the accessibility tree | Simulator taps, swipes, typing, gestures and view hierarchy | | Debugging | Native view tree on the iOS simulator, plus screenshots and the element tree on demand. No breakpoints | Simulator logs and LLDB: breakpoints, backtraces, variables, raw commands | | Network inspection | Request URLs and status codes on the iOS simulator, with no proxy or certificate. Not in Flutter apps yet | Not included | | Profiling | Instruments on iOS: CPU hotspots and UI hangs, each with a suggested fix. Perfetto on Android: UI freezes | Not included | | Repeatable tests | Recorded YAML flows with optional screenshot checks, replayable in CI with `argent e2e run` | Your existing XCTest suites on simulators, devices and macOS | | Device clouds | BrowserStack, AWS Device Farm, Limrun and TestMu AI, plus Argent Cloud with dedicated iOS simulators at a flat monthly price | Not included | Sources: docs.swmansion.com/argent, github.com/getsentry/MobileBuildMCP and its tools reference. Checked October 20, 2026. ## Built for AI agents > Argent is the single most impactful dev tool released this year that's improved my workflow. The fact that it gives Claude Code "eyes" to close the loop made me able to leave it with a problem and come back with it solved end-to-end 😎 — [Hirvesh](https://x.com/hirvesh/status/2057345274251493722) ### Built by Software Mansion We are Software Mansion: we help our clients build software across mobile, web, and beyond, from native iOS and Android to cross-platform apps, open-source projects, and developer tools. [Read the blog](/blog/) ## Keep MobileBuildMCP for the Xcode side Some jobs need Xcode's own tools, and MobileBuildMCP handles them well. ### A crash needs a breakpoint Sometimes logs aren't enough and you want the frame variables. MobileBuildMCP attaches LLDB to a simulator app, sets breakpoints, reads the backtrace and accepts raw LLDB commands. Argent has no breakpoint debugger. ### Your targets include macOS, watchOS or visionOS MobileBuildMCP covers every Apple platform. Argent reaches iOS and Apple TV, plus Electron and Chromium desktop apps, but not native macOS apps. ### Your tests already live in XCTest Why rewrite a working suite? MobileBuildMCP runs it on simulators, devices and macOS. It can also build the tests once and rerun them without rebuilding. ## What Argent sees that MobileBuildMCP doesn't ### Find the code behind a frozen scroll Argent records the app with Xcode Instruments and tells the agent which hangs to fix first. ### Tell a UI bug from a backend bug An empty list can be a layout bug or a failed API call. Argent shows the agent the status codes of your app's requests on the iOS simulator, so it knows which one to fix. ### Check the Android version too MobileBuildMCP stops at Apple platforms. Argent also tests and profiles your Android app, whether it's Kotlin, Flutter or React Native. ### Test on the iPhone in your hand MobileBuildMCP can install your app on an iPhone but can't tap through it there. Argent drives the phone over USB. ## MobileBuildMCP and XcodeBuildMCP questions ### What happened to XcodeBuildMCP? It was renamed. Sentry released XcodeBuildMCP 2.7.1 as MobileBuildMCP, and the npm package, CLI and Homebrew formula now use the new name. The GitHub repository moved to getsentry/MobileBuildMCP, so old setup guides that say XcodeBuildMCP point to the same project. ### Is Argent a replacement for MobileBuildMCP? For testing and debugging the running app, yes. Argent has no build tool of its own, but your agent can build with xcodebuild or your usual scripts from the shell. Argent covers the rest. It drives the running app, reads its network traffic on the iOS simulator and profiles it with Instruments. It drives and profiles the Android version too. ### Does MobileBuildMCP work with Android apps? No. It works with Apple platform projects only: iOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS and visionOS. Argent supports Android emulators and physical Android devices alongside iOS, and Android work runs on Linux and Windows too. ### Can MobileBuildMCP profile performance or inspect network requests? Its tools reference lists neither. Argent does both. It profiles with Xcode Instruments on iOS and Perfetto on Android, and on the iOS simulator it lists your app's requests with their status codes. Android network capture is limited to JavaScript apps like React Native. ### Does Argent work with SwiftUI and UIKit apps? Yes. Argent finds buttons and fields through the iOS accessibility tree, so it doesn't matter what the app is written in. Taps, screenshots, flows, Instruments profiling, the native view tree and network capture on the simulator all work for native apps. A few extras, like the component tree and JS evaluation, are only for React Native and Expo. ### Is MobileBuildMCP free? Yes. It is open source under the MIT license and maintained by Sentry. Argent is free to use as well. Hosted iOS simulators on Argent Cloud cost $299 per Runner each month, with room for six running in parallel. ## Your build is green. Now run the app. Install Argent with one command next to your MobileBuildMCP setup. Your agent can then test, debug and profile the app on iOS and Android. Argent Cloud adds hosted iOS simulators when your Mac isn't enough. - [Get started](/) - [Read the docs](https://docs.swmansion.com/argent/docs/fundamentals/getting-started) Features checked October 20, 2026, from argent.swmansion.com, docs.swmansion.com/argent and github.com/getsentry/MobileBuildMCP. MobileBuildMCP (formerly XcodeBuildMCP) is a project maintained by Sentry. Xcode is a trademark of Apple Inc. React Native, Swift, SwiftUI, Expo, Android, and Flutter are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Use of these names does not imply endorsement.