apple-docs-mcp MCP — Use Cases, Install & Live Demo

Name: apple-docs-mcp MCP Server
Author: kimsungwhee

Why use it

Key features

Search Apple docs across SwiftUI, UIKit, Foundation, ARKit, Core ML, Metal, Vision
WWDC 2014-2025 video search with transcripts and code examples
Framework-scoped symbol search
Platform compatibility + deprecation tracking
Offline-bundled WWDC session index

Live Demo

What it looks like in practice

apple-docs.replay ▶ ready

0/0

Install

Pick your client

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json · Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apple-docs": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "apple-docs-mcp"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config. Restart after saving.

~/.cursor/mcp.json · .cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apple-docs": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "apple-docs-mcp"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Cursor uses the same mcpServers schema as Claude Desktop. Project config wins over global.

VS Code → Cline → MCP Servers → Edit

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apple-docs": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "apple-docs-mcp"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Click the MCP Servers icon in the Cline sidebar, then "Edit Configuration".

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apple-docs": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "apple-docs-mcp"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Same shape as Claude Desktop. Restart Windsurf to pick up changes.

~/.continue/config.json

{
  "mcpServers": [
    {
      "name": "apple-docs",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "apple-docs-mcp"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Continue uses an array of server objects rather than a map.

~/.config/zed/settings.json

{
  "context_servers": {
    "apple-docs": {
      "command": {
        "path": "npx",
        "args": [
          "-y",
          "apple-docs-mcp"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to context_servers. Zed hot-reloads on save.

claude mcp add apple-docs -- npx -y apple-docs-mcp

One-liner. Verify with claude mcp list. Remove with claude mcp remove.

Use Cases

Real-world ways to use apple-docs-mcp

How to stop your agent from hallucinating SwiftUI APIs

👤 iOS devs using Claude/Cursor ⏱ ~10 min beginner

When to use: Agent suggests APIs that don't exist in the iOS version you target.

Prerequisites

Node 18+ — nvm install 20

Flow

Install

Install via: npx -y @kimsungwhee/apple-docs-mcp@latest (or add to MCP config).✓ Copied

→ Tools appear
Ground your question

Use search_apple_docs to find 'navigationDestination' and get_platform_compatibility to check it's available on iOS 16+.✓ Copied

→ Official doc entry + minimum deployment target
Cite in code

Now write the navigation code citing the doc you just read.✓ Copied

→ Code + citations

Outcome: Code that compiles against your deployment target.

Pitfalls

WWDC-only APIs shown before release — Check get_platform_compatibility — beta APIs are flagged

Combine with: github

How to find the WWDC session that explains a feature

👤 iOS devs adopting a new feature ⏱ ~10 min beginner

When to use: Docs are terse; the context is in a WWDC talk you didn't watch.

Flow

Search WWDC

search_wwdc_videos 'Observation framework Swift macro' years=[2023,2024].✓ Copied

→ Session list
Pull transcript + code

get_wwdc_video_details for the top hit. Extract the code samples.✓ Copied

→ Transcript + code snippets

Outcome: Context + working code without watching the video.

How to plan a migration off a deprecated API

👤 iOS devs maintaining older codebases ⏱ ~10 min intermediate

When to use: A warning says 'deprecated in iOS 17' and you want the replacement.

Flow

Confirm deprecation

get_platform_compatibility for UIActivityIndicatorView.startAnimating.✓ Copied

→ Availability timeline
Find recommended replacement

find_similar_apis — what's the SwiftUI equivalent?✓ Copied

→ ProgressView() with appropriate args

Outcome: Confident migration plan with references.

Combine with: github

Combinations

Pair with other MCPs for X10 leverage

apple-docs + github

Ground a migration PR with docs + WWDC references

Find the SwiftUI replacement for our UIKit ActivityViewController usage, cite Apple docs and WWDC sessions, and draft a migration PR.✓ Copied

apple-docs + filesystem

Scan local code for deprecated APIs and suggest replacements

Grep my Sources/ for any API marked deprecated per apple-docs-mcp; produce a migration checklist.✓ Copied

Tools

What this MCP exposes

Tool	Inputs	When to call	Cost
search_apple_docs	query: str, platform?: str	Find any API by name or topic	free
get_apple_doc_content	url_or_id	Read full page after search	free
list_technologies	category?, include_beta?: bool	Browse frameworks	free
search_framework_symbols	framework, query	Scoped symbol lookup	free
get_related_apis	symbol	Inheritance/conformance traversal	free
get_platform_compatibility	symbol	Check availability	free
find_similar_apis	symbol	Replacements for deprecated APIs	free
get_sample_code	topic?	Find Apple sample projects	free
search_wwdc_videos	query, years?: int[], topics?: str[]	Find WWDC talks	free
get_wwdc_video_details	session_id	Full session context	free

Cost & Limits

What this costs to run

API quota: developer.apple.com has reasonable-use rate limits; tool caches to reduce calls
Tokens per call: Docs: 500-3000 tokens. Transcripts: up to 20k tokens for long sessions
Monetary: Free
Tip: Use search_framework_symbols instead of broad search_apple_docs to save tokens.

Security

Permissions, secrets, blast radius

Minimum scopes: None — public docs only

Credential storage: None

Data egress: developer.apple.com + bundled offline index

Never grant: Nothing to grant

Apple docs get revised without notice; Claude responses may lag the live site by a few days.

Troubleshooting

Common errors and fixes

Search returns no results

Query may be too specific — try the class name alone or use list_technologies to browse.

Doc content looks truncated

Some pages are large; the tool truncates — pass the URL to get_apple_doc_content which handles pagination.

WWDC video not found

Some older sessions are not transcribed. Use search_wwdc_videos with years filter.

Alternatives

apple-docs-mcp vs others

Alternative	When to use it instead	Tradeoff
apple-docs via firecrawl	You want raw scraping	No WWDC index, no structure
context7 MCP	You want general library docs, not Apple-specific	Weaker Apple coverage

More

Resources

📖 Read the official README on GitHub

🐙 Browse open issues

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