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react-native-dev-mcp

Quickstart

Requirements: Node 22+. macOS for iOS work (Xcode + simulators); any OS for Android (Android SDK with adb). The server runs locally over stdio — nothing leaves your machine.

1. Add the server to your client

Section titled “1. Add the server to your client”

For Claude Code:

Terminal window
claude mcp add rn-dev -- npx -y react-native-dev-mcp

(Other clients: see Installation.)

2. Check your environment

Section titled “2. Check your environment”

Ask your agent to run the doctor tool. You should see something like:

✅ Host: darwin/arm64, Node 26.0.0
✅ iOS: Xcode 16.4, CocoaPods 1.16.2
✅ Android: adb 1.0.41, emulator yes, Java 17.0.10
⚠️ Metro: not running on :8081
✅ Project: expo · RN 0.85.1 · Expo SDK 56

doctor tells you (and the agent) exactly what is missing and how to fix it.

3. Start Metro and let the agent work

Section titled “3. Start Metro and let the agent work”
Terminal window
npx expo start        # or: npx react-native start

From here the agent can boot a device, build and install the app, read console logs in real time, evaluate JS in the running app, and screenshot the result. See the agent loop for the full workflow.

4. Try these prompts

Section titled “4. Try these prompts”

Talk to your agent in plain language — it picks the right tools:

  • “Run my app on Android and figure out why it’s broken at startup.”
  • “Boot an iPhone simulator, build and install the app, then screenshot the login screen.”
  • “The iOS build is failing. Diagnose it, apply the suggested fix and rebuild until it’s green.”
  • “Watch the console while I tap through checkout and summarize any errors you see.”
  • “What’s in the Redux store right now? Read the auth slice from the running app.”
  • “Open the deep link myapp://profile/42 and verify it lands on the right screen.”