SIM-CLI

iOS Simulator & Android Emulator Manager

A powerful, cross-platform command-line tool to streamline your mobile development workflow.

Overview

SIM-CLI provides a simple and unified interface to manage your iOS simulators and Android emulators. Say goodbye to tedious GUI interactions and manage your devices directly from the terminal.

Features

• Device Management: List, start, stop, shutdown, restart, and delete simulators/emulators.
• Deep Linking: Instantly open any URL or deeplink on a running device.
• Media Capture: Take screenshots and record screen activity with ease.
• Clipboard Integration: Copy screenshots and recordings directly to your clipboard.
• GIF Conversion: Automatically convert screen recordings to GIFs.
• Cross-Platform: Works on macOS (with full iOS simulator support) and Linux/Windows (Android emulators only).
• User-Friendly: Clean, intuitive CLI interface with helpful error messages.
• Shorthand Commands: Quick aliases for all commands (e.g., l for list, s for start).
• Smart Device Selection: Easily start the last used device.

Installation

Install via Homebrew (macOS/Linux)

The easiest way to install SIM-CLI is via Homebrew:

brew install annurdien/tap/sim-cli

Build from Source

git clone https://github.com/annurdien/sim-cli.git
cd sim-cli
make build
make install

Usage

Quick Start

# Check system dependencies (iOS, Android, ffmpeg)
sim doctor

# List all available devices
sim list

# Start a device by name
sim start "iPhone 15 Pro"

# Take a screenshot and copy it to the clipboard
sim screenshot "iPhone 15 Pro" --copy

# Open a deeplink or URL
sim open "iPhone 15 Pro" "https://google.com"

# Record a 10-second GIF
sim record "iPhone 15 Pro" --duration 10 --gif

# Stop the device
sim stop "iPhone 15 Pro"

Commands Reference

Here is a complete list of available commands and their options.

Command	Aliases	Description
doctor	-	Check system dependencies for sim-cli.
list	l, ls	List all available simulators and emulators.
start <device>	s	Start a simulator or emulator. Use lts to start the last used device.
stop <device>	st	Stop a running simulator or emulator.
shutdown <device>	sd	Shutdown a simulator or emulator.
restart <device>	r	Restart a simulator or emulator.
delete <device>	d, del	Permanently delete a simulator or emulator.
open <device> <url>	o	Open a deeplink or URL on a running simulator/emulator.
screenshot <device> [file]	ss, shot	Take a screenshot of a device.
record <device> [file]	rec	Record screen activity of a device.
last	-	Show the last used device.
lts	-	A shorthand to start the last used device (sim start lts).
help	-	Show help information.
version	-v	Show version information.

screenshot Options

Flag	Shorthand	Description
--copy	-c	Copy the screenshot to the clipboard.

record Options

Flag	Shorthand	Description
--duration	-d	Duration of the recording in seconds (e.g., --duration 15).
--gif	-g	Convert the recording to a GIF.
--copy	-c	Copy the recording file path to the clipboard.

Safety & Best Practices

Delete Command

The delete command is destructive and permanently removes the simulator or emulator.

• Always double-check the device name or UDID with sim list before deleting.
• Running devices are automatically stopped before deletion.
• Deleted devices must be recreated through Xcode (for iOS) or the AVD Manager (for Android).

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a pull request.

1. Fork the repository.
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature).
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature').
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature).
5. Open a pull request.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.