[BUG] iOS Simulator tool always returns "Xcode not selected" even after xcode-select, Developer Mode, and Developer Tools permission are all correctly configured

Preflight Checklist

• [x] I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
• [x] This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
• [x] I am using the latest version of Claude Code

What's Wrong?

The iOS Simulator tool (attach action) always fails with "Xcode is installed but not selected," even when xcode-select, Developer Mode, and the Developer Tools privacy permission are all verifiably correct on the host Mac.

What Should Happen?

attach should succeed and open the live simulator panel once Xcode is correctly selected system-wide, Developer Mode is enabled, and the app has Developer Tools permission — all three of which were independently confirmed via shell commands.

Error Messages/Logs

Xcode is installed but not selected. Run `sudo xcode-select -s /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer` to use the Claude Code iOS Simulator. This is an Xcode configuration problem on the user's Mac that you cannot fix yourself — the fix command needs their password (sudo). Tell the user now, quoting the exact command from this error, and retry 'attach' after they have run it. If you continue without the native simulator integration — for example by driving the Simulator app with generic screen-control tools — tell the user you are doing that and why; never fall back silently.

Steps to Reproduce

1. On macOS, open the Claude desktop app and start a session that has access to the "Claude Code iOS Simulator" tool.
2. Ask Claude to call the tool's attach action (or ask it to run/preview an iOS app in the simulator).
3. Observe the "Xcode is installed but not selected" error.
4. In a terminal, verify the three prerequisites are actually satisfied:

• xcode-select -p → /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer
• DevToolsSecurity -status → "Developer mode is currently enabled"
• System Settings → Privacy & Security → Developer Tools → Claude.app is listed and enabled

1. Fully quit and relaunch the Claude app (Cmd+Q, then reopen).
2. Retry attach — same identical error.
3. Update the Claude app to the latest version, restart again, retry attach — same identical error persists.

Claude Model

Sonnet (default)

Is this a regression?

I don't know

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

2.1.185 (Claude Code)

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

Other

Additional Information

Operating System

macOS 26.5.2 (Build 25F84), Darwin kernel 25.5.0. Xcode 26.6 (Build 17F113).

Terminal/Shell

N/A — issue occurs via the Claude desktop app's built-in iOS Simulator tool, not a CLI terminal session. (Default shell on the machine is zsh, if relevant.)

Additional Information

Three independent fixes were applied and verified over the course of one session — sudo xcode-select -s ..., enabling Developer Mode (DevToolsSecurity -enable), and adding Claude.app under Developer Tools in Privacy & Security — each followed by a full app restart, and the error text stayed byte-for-byte identical every time (~6 attempts total, including one after updating the app). This strongly suggests the tool checks a state that doesn't reflect the actual, verified system configuration — possibly cached at process start, or read from a sandboxed/incorrect location.