feat!: replace node-ios-device with devicectl (CoreDevice) - #261
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Device detection, install and launch now go through `xcrun devicectl` (Xcode 15+). The native node-ios-device module is removed: iOS 17+ devices connect exclusively through CoreDevice/RemoteXPC and are invisible to the old MobileDevice.framework API, even over USB. - device.detect() shells out to `devicectl list devices` and returns paired physical iOS devices (incl. Wi-Fi/local network devices); failures degrade to an empty device list with a warning issue instead of failing the whole ioslib.detect() call - device.install() installs via `devicectl device install app`; the logPort TCP relay is gone - new device.launch() launches with an attached console and emits log lines, waiting for a locked device to be unlocked first - new device.lockState() exposes the device lock state BREAKING CHANGE: requires Xcode 15+ command line tools. The device info shape changed (deviceColor, hardwareModel, modelNumber and serialNumber are gone; identifier, marketingName and connectionType are new) and device.install() no longer relays app logs via options.logPort - use device.launch() instead.
Verified against a physical iPhone over wifi: - buffer the app's stderr until stdout activity confirms the launch, so a failed launch's devicectl error block never leaks into the app log stream (devicectl routes the app's stderr - i.e. all NSLog output - to its own stderr, together with its error blocks) - filter devicectl's own progress lines from the log stream and emit the restored app-started event when the launch is confirmed - recognize SpringBoard's 'Locked' denial in the devicectl output and return to waiting instead of erroring; lockState can time out on locked devices over wifi - only a definitive 'unlocked' lockState answer triggers a launch attempt while waiting, an unknown state keeps polling - TestApp: stop redirecting stderr to a file (the console capture needs it), log to both stdout and stderr, and exit after 10s so the full launch/log/quit cycle is testable
cb1kenobi
requested changes
Aug 8, 2026
Uses --json-output - as suggested in the PR review; the dash makes devicectl stream the JSON directly, while /dev/stdout would break subcommands like 'device info' that save their output atomically.
cb1kenobi
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Aug 9, 2026
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Tested and works! Nice job!
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Appreciate it a lot, Chris! Thank you! |
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Warning
BREAKING CHANGE — released as 6.0.0. Requires Xcode 15+, changes the device info shape and removes the
install()log relay (uselaunch()instead). Details under Breaking changes below.Summary
Reimplements the
devicemodule on top ofxcrun devicectl(CoreDevice, Xcode 15+) and removes the nativenode-ios-devicemodule — along with its Node-ABI-specific prebuilt binaries. iOS 17+ devices connect exclusively through CoreDevice/RemoteXPC and are invisible to the old MobileDevice.framework API, even over USB.Ported APIs
devices()device.detect()— viadevicectl list devices; now also detects Wi-Fi / local-network devicesinstallApp()device.install()— viadevicectl device install app; also works over Wi-Filog(udid, port)device.launch()— launches the app with an attached console and relays log lines (app-started/log/app-quitevents); waits for a locked device to be unlocked firsttrackDevices()New:
device.lockState(udid, cb)exposes the device lock state.Breaking changes
deviceColor,hardwareModel,modelNumber,serialNumberremoved;identifier,marketingName,connectionTypeaddeddevice.install()no longer relays app logs viaoptions.logPort— usedevice.launch()insteaddevice.detect()failures now degrade to an empty device list plus a warning issue instead of failing the entireioslib.detect()callTesting
Verified against a physical iPhone (iOS 27) over Wi-Fi: detection, lock state, install (~6s), launch with full console capture (stdout + stderr/NSLog incl. multi-line messages), locked-device wait → unlock → launch, and clean
app-quitpropagation. The bundledtest/TestAppfixture was modernized for this flow (no stderr file redirect, self-quits after 10s).