Skip to main content

Get started with the extension

This is a five-minute walkthrough: install the extension, open an Xcode project, and run your app on a simulator — all inside VSCode. You need a Mac with Xcode installed.

tip

Everything here works in Cursor too — it's a fork of VSCode, so the extension installs and behaves the same way.

1. Install the extension​

Install VSCode if you don't have it, then install SweetPad from the VSCode Marketplace.

Install extension

2. Get an Xcode project​

Any Swift app project works. If you're starting fresh, you can create one in Xcode, or use a project generator like XcodeGen or Tuist that keeps your project structure in a config file. A plain Swift Package works too — just a folder with a Package.swift in it.

Xcode

3. Open the project folder​

Open the project's root folder in VSCode — the folder that contains your .xcodeproj or .xcworkspace, not the .xcodeproj/.xcworkspace itself.

Once it opens, look for the SweetPad lollipop icon 🍭 in the left sidebar. That's your home base.

Opened project

The sidebar has a few sections:

  • Build — your schemes, each with a ▶️ button to build and run.
  • Destinations — everywhere you can run: simulators, connected devices, and macOS.
  • Tools — one-click install for the helper tools SweetPad can use.

4. Build and run​

Click ▶️ next to a scheme. SweetPad asks which simulator or device to use, builds the app, boots the simulator, and launches it. Wait for the build to finish and your app appears.

That's it — you just built and ran an Xcode app from VSCode. 🎉

Where to go next​

Demo​

Here's the whole flow in a few seconds: