AXe documentation
AXe is a CLI for inspecting and automating iOS Simulator apps with Accessibility APIs and HID input. Use it from your terminal, scripts, CI jobs, or AI agents.
What AXe is
AXe helps you automate booted iOS Simulators from the terminal. Use it when you need repeatable simulator interactions: inspect the UI, target controls, perform gestures, enter text, and capture evidence.
What you can automate
Read the current UI
Use describe-ui to inspect the screen, query a point, and find stable accessibility selectors.
Tap, swipe, drag, and type
Drive coordinates, accessibility identifiers, labels, values, gestures, HID keys, and text input.
Capture evidence
Take screenshots, record MP4 video, stream frames, and verify UI state after each important step.
Run repeatable flows
Use axe batch for supported interaction steps, and axe init to install the bundled agent skill.
Recommended workflow
Start with accessibility selectors. Coordinates are useful for debugging, but selectors survive layout and device changes better.
axe list-simulators
axe describe-ui --udid <UDID>
axe tap --label "Sign In" --wait-timeout 5 --udid <UDID>AXe translates logical coordinates for rotated landscape and letterboxed landscape-only apps automatically. Use coordinates from describe-ui; do not rotate them yourself.
axe batch runs interaction primitives only. It does not run slider, drag, screenshot, describe-ui, video commands, list-simulators, or init as batch steps.
Command reference
Use Command Reference as the canonical list of AXe commands, flags, examples, and command-specific notes.