[Feature]: WordSearch

[Lanadya]

Feature Description

I am not that experienced (maybe dumb suggestion) - could you make the search for a certain word in Xcode possible? Sometimes in my huge project, I use oversight and have the same files/commands/etc. in different locations in Xcode and the mcp does not notice and can‘t search itself after the doubled up words.

Use Cases

No response

Example Interactions

No response

[cameroncooke]

@Lanadya Thanks for the feedback. I'm not sure I fully understand what you're asking. Could you provide an example of the problem you're facing and what the expected behaviour is?

[Lanadya]

Hi Cameron,I had a threat safe cash issue and couldn’t fix it until I put it in the search in Xcode in the navigator and then I’ve been shown all places where threat save cash has been used in my project.That helped to find a solution for my build problems. The MCP couldn’t do it itself so I had to do it manually if this subscription is still not clear please get back to me. I will try better. Attached I Send the photos.Thank you for your marvelous work!!!!NinaAm 30.04.2025 um 13:34 schrieb Cameron Cooke @.***>: cameroncooke left a comment (cameroncooke/XcodeBuildMCP#16) @Lanadya Thanks for the feedback. I'm not sure I fully understand what you're asking. Could you provide an example of the problem you're facing and what the expected behaviour is?

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[Lanadya]

Hi Cameron, I had a ThreadSafeCache issue and couldn’t fix it until I put the word in the search in Xcode in the navigator and then I’ve been shown all places where ThreadSafeCache has been used in my project. That helped to find a solution for my build problems. The MCP cannot look how often and in what file a certain command (or whatever else) is. it if this description is still not clear please get back to me. I will try better. Attached I Send the photos. Thank you for your marvelous work!!!! Nina image0.jpegimage1.jpeg

[cameroncooke]

@claude please review this issue

[claude[bot]]

Claude finished @cameroncooke's task —— View job

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Analysis of WordSearch Feature Request

I'll analyze this feature request for adding text/word search functionality to XcodeBuildMCP.

Todo List:

• [x] Review the feature request details and user needs
• [x] Examine current XcodeBuildMCP architecture and existing search tools
• [x] Look at images provided by the user showing Xcode's search functionality
• [x] Assess technical feasibility and implementation approaches
• [x] Provide recommendations and next steps

Understanding the Request

Based on @Lanadya's description and the screenshots provided, they want the ability to search for specific text/code across their Xcode project files through the MCP server. The specific use case mentioned was searching for "ThreadSafeCache" to identify all locations where this class/pattern was used in the codebase, which helped debug build issues.

The screenshots show Xcode's built-in search functionality that displays:

• Multiple Swift files containing the search term
• Line-by-line matches with context
• File paths and specific code locations
• Highlighted search terms within the code

Current XcodeBuildMCP Architecture Analysis

Existing Capabilities:

• 15 workflow groups with 84+ specialized tools
• Project Discovery: discover_projs tool for finding .xcodeproj and .xcworkspace files
• Command Infrastructure: Robust CommandExecutor interface for running shell commands
• File System Access: FileSystemExecutor interface for file operations
• Plugin Architecture: Auto-discovery system that would easily accommodate new search tools

Missing Capabilities:

• No existing text/content search functionality
• No grep, ripgrep, or similar search utilities exposed as MCP tools
• No source code indexing or search capabilities

Technical Feasibility Assessment

✅ Highly Feasible - This feature aligns perfectly with XcodeBuildMCP's architecture:

Implementation Approaches

1. Command-Line Based Search (Recommended)

// New workflow group: `text-search`
- `search_code` - Search for text/patterns across project files
- `search_files` - Find files by name pattern
- `search_regex` - Advanced regex-based code search

Benefits:

• Leverages existing CommandExecutor infrastructure
• Uses proven tools (grep, ripgrep, find)
• Fast and reliable
• Works with all file types (Swift, Objective-C, C++, etc.)
• Supports regex patterns for advanced searching

2. Xcode Integration Approach
Could potentially use xcodebuild with specific flags, but this would be limited compared to general text search.

3. File System + Parser Approach Custom implementation using FileSystemExecutor, but this would be more complex and slower.

Recommended Implementation

New Workflow Group: text-search Location: src/mcp/tools/text-search/

Core Tools:

1. search_code - Primary text search across project files

   • Parameters: searchTerm, projectPath, fileTypes?, caseSensitive?, regex?
   • Uses ripgrep (faster) or grep fallback
   • Returns: File paths, line numbers, matched content with context

2. search_files - Find files by name/path patterns

   • Parameters: pattern, projectPath, maxDepth?
   • Uses find command
   • Returns: Matching file paths

3. search_replace - Search and replace text (advanced feature)

   • Parameters: searchTerm, replacement, projectPath, dryRun?
   • Interactive confirmation for safety

Example Usage:

// Find all uses of "ThreadSafeCache" in Swift files
search_code({
  searchTerm: "ThreadSafeCache",
  projectPath: "/path/to/project", 
  fileTypes: ["swift"],
  caseSensitive: true
})

// Returns:
// AssetManagerTypes.swift:97: guard let url = Bundle(for: CoreCommon.ThreadSafeCache...
// ThreadSafeAssetManager.swift:216: private var imageCache = CoreCommon.ThreadSafeCache...
// ThreadSafeCache.swift:489: // ThreadSafeCache.swift

Integration Strategy

1. Plugin Auto-Discovery: Follows existing patterns, tools automatically registered
2. Dependency Injection: Uses CommandExecutor for testability
3. Error Handling: Consistent with existing tool response patterns
4. Dynamic Loading: Compatible with XCODEBUILDMCP_DYNAMIC_TOOLS=true mode
5. Cross-Platform: Works with all supported project types (iOS, macOS)

Development Effort

Estimated Effort: Medium (1-2 weeks)

• Tool implementation: ~3-5 days
• Testing: ~2-3 days
• Documentation: ~1 day

Prerequisites:

• ripgrep available on system (fallback to grep)
• Basic command-line tools (find, grep)

Recommendation

✅ APPROVE - This is an excellent feature request that:

1. Addresses Real Need: Solves actual debugging/development workflow issues
2. Fits Architecture: Perfect match for XcodeBuildMCP's plugin system
3. High Value: Would be useful for many developers working with large codebases
4. Straightforward Implementation: Leverages existing infrastructure
5. Future-Proof: Can be extended with more advanced features

Next Steps:

1. Create new text-search workflow group
2. Implement search_code as primary tool
3. Add comprehensive test coverage
4. Update documentation
5. Consider additional tools (search_files, search_replace) in future iterations

This feature would make XcodeBuildMCP significantly more useful for code exploration and debugging workflows, directly addressing @Lanadya's use case and many similar scenarios.

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