Tripod DevicesGetting started
Install the alpha, open it for the first time and know which permissions macOS may ask for.
What you need
- A Mac with Apple silicon, on macOS 26.4 or later.
- Xcode, if you want iOS and watchOS simulators. The app looks for it in
/Applications. - The Android SDK, if you want Android emulators. The app looks in
~/Library/Android/sdk. - Nothing else. There is no account and no sign-in.
Real phones need no SDK. An iPhone needs a cable and a trust prompt, and an Android phone needs USB debugging on. See Devices.
Install
Open the DMG
Download the alpha, open the disk image and drag Tripod Devices into Applications.
Open the app
Tripod Devices opens in its compact window. On a Mac that has Xcode or the Android SDK, simulators and emulators are listed from the start. Without either, you see the welcome card, which offers simulators and emulators and a way to connect a phone.
Pick a device
Choose a simulator, an emulator or a phone. The device appears in the middle, and tools open as cards beside it.
Connect your agent (optional)
The app works on its own. If you use Claude Code, Codex or Cursor, run the installer once. It lives inside the app bundle:
"/Applications/Tripod Devices.app/Contents/MacOS/tripod-devices" install --globalThe Agents card in the app shows the same commands with a copy button. See Agents.
First run
A new install opens compact: the device in the middle, tools in cards beside it. The full window adds a device list and a labelled tool list. Your session, open tools and selected device carry over when you switch.
To try the headline feature, choose Device > Start iOS + Android. The Lean pair page walks through it.
Permissions
The app asks for little. Depending on what you connect, macOS may show:
- Camera and microphone. A wired iPhone's screen reaches your Mac as a capture source, so the first time you view one, macOS can ask. Say yes if you want the mirror.
- Local Network. Needed to find an iPhone that you paired for Wi-Fi.
- Files and folders. The Build and App Data tools read the project or export folder you choose.
None of these leave your Mac. If you said no by mistake, change it in System Settings > Privacy & Security and reopen the app.
Agents ask separately
Permission for an agent to use a device is not a macOS permission. The app asks you in its own window, and a real phone always asks. See Agents.
Updates
Release builds check for an update. That is the one thing the app does over the network on its own.
Tripod Devices docs
One Mac window for iOS Simulators, Apple Watch simulators, Android emulators and real phones, with an iOS and Android Lean pair and tools for coding agents.
iOS + Android Lean pair
Start an iPhone simulator and an Android emulator together in Lean, see both screens, debug either, and stop with everything put back.