Inspectors

SimDeck can show what an app is rendering, not just the pixels on screen.

Use the built-in accessibility fallback for any app. Add an in-app inspector when you want framework-level trees, source locations, and debug actions.

Sources

Source	Best for	Setup
Accessibility	Any app	None
Swift agent	UIKit and SwiftUI apps you control	Add the Swift package in debug builds
NativeScript	NativeScript apps	Install @nativescript/simdeck-inspector
React Native	React Native apps	Import react-native-simdeck/auto
Flutter	Flutter apps	Start simdeck_flutter_inspector
DevTools	WebKit, Metro, Chrome Inspector, app runtimes	Use the browser DevTools panel

Use From The CLI

simdeck describe <udid>
simdeck describe <udid> --format agent --max-depth 3
simdeck describe <udid> --format agent --max-depth 3 --interactive
simdeck snapshot <udid> --format agent --max-depth 3 -i
simdeck describe <udid> --source native-ax
simdeck describe <udid> --source react-native

describe defaults to native-ax for speed. Use --source auto to select the best available in-app inspector and fall back to accessibility. Add --interactive or -i for a smaller agent-oriented tree of actionable elements plus ancestors. Agent output includes refs such as @e3; reuse them with simdeck press @e3.

Use From The Browser

Open the SimDeck UI and select a device. The inspector pane shows the active tree source and any fallback reason. When multiple sources are available, switch sources from the inspector controls.

The DevTools panel can open:

• Safari and inspectable WKWebView targets.
• React Native Metro targets.
• Local Chrome Inspector targets.
• Connected app runtime inspector targets.

For app-owned WKWebView on iOS 16.4 or newer, set isInspectable = true.

Choosing A Source

• Use Accessibility when you cannot modify the app or when accessibility is the thing you are testing.
• Use Swift for UIKit properties, SwiftUI publishing, or debug view edits.
• Use NativeScript, React Native, or Flutter when you want framework names and source locations.
• Use DevTools for web content, Metro debugging, console evaluation, or familiar browser inspection.

Troubleshooting

If SimDeck falls back to accessibility:

1. Make sure the app is foregrounded.

2. Confirm the inspector starts in debug builds.

3. Confirm the app points at the active SimDeck port.

4. Force the source from the CLI to see the fallback reason:

   simdeck describe <udid> --source react-native

See Troubleshooting.