git:20260701.8f1a092 to git:20260701.bf690c7

---

name: expo-ios-simulator

description: >-

Run and drive an Expo / React Native app on the iOS Simulator. Pick an execution

mode (Expo Go, dev client, Storybook-mobile, web-on-mobile), build and install a

dev client, and clear the recurring Expo/RN prompts that block automation: the

push-token alert that stacks until the overlay darkens the screen, the

"Open in app?" deep-link dialog, the dev menu, and the element-inspector trap.

Sits ON TOP of ios-simulator; failures route to ios-simulator-triage.

Project-agnostic; discovers bundle id and scheme from the app config. Use for

"run my Expo app on the simulator", "load a dev client", or "drive Storybook on iOS".

sources:

- https://docs.expo.dev/develop/development-builds/introduction/ (Expo Go vs development builds; the fixed native set)

- "the reference files below carry the per-command provenance (Expo docs, Apple, AXe --help)"

---

# Expo on the iOS Simulator (layer on top of ios-simulator)

Everything here is Expo / React-Native **runtime** behavior, not the simulator itself

(that is **ios-simulator**, which boots devices, captures screenshots, and grants

permissions). This skill gets an Expo app *running* on a booted simulator and clears the

Expo-specific overlays that stall automation. For "make the app driveable" see

**mobile-accessibility**.

## Before anything

A booted simulator and AXe installed; that is **ios-simulator** `prerequisites.md`. This

skill discovers everything app-specific (bundle id, scheme) from the app config; it never

hardcodes a project's nouns.

## The loop

1. **Pick an execution mode** (`references/execution-modes.md`): Expo Go, a development

build (dev client), Storybook-mobile, or web-on-mobile. The choice is forced by whether

the app has custom native code.

2. **Get the app on the device.** Pure-JS app: Expo Go installs and launches it for you

(`references/expo-go.md`). Anything with native modules or a config plugin: build and

install a dev client (`references/development-builds.md`), then serve Metro and connect

by deep link.

3. **Clear the recurring prompts** (`references/known-prompts.md`): the "Open in app?"

deep-link dialog, the push-token alert that re-fires and stacks on each reload, and the

dev menu; avoid the element-inspector trap. Clear each by accessibility, never coordinates.

4. **Drive it.** The driving primitive is **ios-simulator** `references/driving.md`

(`axe tap --id` / `--label`); what makes the app addressable is **mobile-accessibility**.

## Rules

- Discover bundle id and scheme from the app config; never hardcode them.

- Clear every Expo dialog and overlay by accessibility (`axe tap --label`), not coordinates.

- Every factual claim here and in the references cites a primary source (Expo, Apple, AXe's

own help); a prior-art skill is never a source.

## Out of scope

- The simulator itself, its chrome, capture, and permissions: **ios-simulator**.

- What makes an app addressable (accessibility props): **mobile-accessibility**.

- The dev menu's items and React Native DevTools (shared with Android): **expo-developer-tools**.

- Build, runtime, and automation failures: **ios-simulator-triage**.

## References

- `references/execution-modes.md`: the four ways to run an Expo app and when to use each.

- `references/expo-go.md`: the Expo Go path and its fixed-native-set limit.

- `references/development-builds.md`: building and connecting a dev client.

- `references/known-prompts.md`: the recurring dialogs, the dev menu, and the inspector trap.