expo-ios-simulator ยท diff
git:20260630.f776d64 to git:20260630.e647538
47 added, 9 removed. Audit A to A.
---
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 blacks the screen, 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".
- status: scaffold
- sources: []
+ status: draft
+ 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). For "make the app driveable" see mobile-accessibility.
+ 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
- ## Scope
- TODO
+ 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 -> ios-simulator. A11y -> mobile-accessibility.
- Build/runtime failures -> ios-simulator-triage.
+
+ - The simulator itself, its chrome, capture, and permissions: **ios-simulator**.
+ - What makes an app addressable (accessibility props): **mobile-accessibility**.
+ - 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.