physical_device_console

Stream real-time console output (system logs, os_log messages, print() statements, and crash information) from a connected physical iOS device. This tool captures the unified log stream from the device for a specified duration, making it invaluable for debugging issues that only reproduce on real hardware such as push notifications, HealthKit access, Bluetooth interactions, and camera usage.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`deviceId`	string	Yes	—	The UDID of the target device (obtain from `physical_device_list`)
`timeout`	number	No	`10`	Duration in seconds to capture console output before stopping

Usage Examples

Capture a quick log snapshot

“Show me the console logs from my iPhone for the last few seconds”

{
  "deviceId": "00008130-001A2B3C4D5E6F78"
}

Extended log capture for debugging

“Stream logs from my iPhone for 30 seconds while I reproduce the crash”

{
  "deviceId": "00008130-001A2B3C4D5E6F78",
  "timeout": 30
}

Capture logs from a different device

“Get 15 seconds of console output from the iPad”

{
  "deviceId": "00008103-000A1B2C3D4E5F60",
  "timeout": 15
}

Brief log check after app launch

“Capture 5 seconds of logs right after launching the app”

{
  "deviceId": "00008130-001A2B3C4D5E6F78",
  "timeout": 5
}

Example Output

Console output from iPhone 15 Pro Max (00008130-001A2B3C4D5E6F78)
Duration: 10 seconds
---

2025-01-15 14:23:01.234 FitnessTracker[1842:45678] [AppDelegate] Application did finish launching
2025-01-15 14:23:01.456 FitnessTracker[1842:45678] [HealthKitManager] Requesting HealthKit authorization...
2025-01-15 14:23:01.789 FitnessTracker[1842:45678] [HealthKitManager] Authorization granted for: stepCount, activeEnergyBurned, workoutType
2025-01-15 14:23:02.012 FitnessTracker[1842:45678] [WorkoutService] Fetching workouts for date range: 2025-01-08 to 2025-01-15
2025-01-15 14:23:02.345 FitnessTracker[1842:45678] [WorkoutService] Found 12 workouts in range
2025-01-15 14:23:02.567 FitnessTracker[1842:45690] [NetworkClient] POST /api/v2/sync — 200 OK (234ms)
2025-01-15 14:23:03.890 FitnessTracker[1842:45678] [CoreData] Merged 12 workout records from remote
2025-01-15 14:23:04.123 FitnessTracker[1842:45678] [UI] Dashboard loaded with 12 workouts, 47,832 steps today

--- End of capture (10 seconds) ---

When no relevant logs are produced:

Console output from iPhone 15 Pro Max (00008130-001A2B3C4D5E6F78)
Duration: 10 seconds
---

2025-01-15 14:25:01.001 kernel[0:0] [IOHIDSession] Session opened
2025-01-15 14:25:05.234 SpringBoard[55:1234] [Display] Screen brightness adjusted

--- End of capture (10 seconds) ---

Note: Very few app-level logs were captured. Make sure the target app is running
and producing output during the capture window.

physical_device_launch — Launch the app before capturing logs to see startup output
physical_device_list — Find the UDID of the device to stream logs from
physical_device_install — Install a debug build with verbose logging enabled