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Introduction

SweetPad helps you build, run, debug, and test your Xcode projects for iOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS, and visionOS — without living inside Xcode. It works with Xcode workspaces and projects, Tuist, XcodeGen, and Swift Packages.

SweetPad comes in two forms — pick whichever fits how you work:

  • VSCode extension — build, run, and debug from the editor sidebar, with logs, tests, formatting, and autocomplete built in. This works in Cursor too.
  • SweetPad CLI — the sweetpad command-line tool ("xcodebuild for humans") that does the same from the terminal, no editor needed.
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Both products drive Xcode's own command-line tools under the hood, so you still need Xcode installed on your Mac.

Get started​

What you get​

The VSCode extension gives you:

  • 🛠️ Build & Run apps on simulators, macOS, and physical devices straight from the SweetPad sidebar — with support for Xcode workspaces, Xcode projects, Tuist, XcodeGen, and Swift Package Manager (Package.swift).
  • 🐞 Debug with breakpoints, step, watch, and the rest of LLDB via the CodeLLDB extension — on the Simulator and on physical iOS devices.
  • 📋 Logs from devices and simulators stream os_log / Logger / print / NSLog into the build terminal so you don't have to keep Console.app open.
  • 🧪 Tests show up in VSCode's native Testing panel with gutter ▶️ buttons; supports XCTest and Swift Testing.
  • ✍️ Format on save with swift-format (Xcode's bundled copy by default) or any other Swift formatter you prefer.
  • 💡 Autocomplete via SourceKit-LSP — backed by xcode-build-server or SweetPad's built-in build server — including inline compiler diagnostics in the Problems panel.
  • 🌳 Git worktrees — switch the active workspace between parallel checkouts of the same project in one command.

And the same building, running, and testing is available from the terminal:

  • 💻 SweetPad CLI — the standalone sweetpad command-line tool to build, run, and test your projects, and to script them into git hooks and CI.
  • 🤖 Agent CLI / RPC server — an opt-in server so scripts and AI coding agents can drive your VSCode session from the outside.

Reference​

When you need the exact name of something: