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simulator_clone

Clone an existing simulator to create an identical copy with a new name. The cloned simulator inherits all installed apps, user data, settings, and configurations from the source device. This is a fast way to duplicate a pre-configured test environment without setting everything up from scratch.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`deviceId`	string	Yes	—	The UDID of the source simulator to clone. Use `simulator_list` to find the UDID.
`newName`	string	Yes	—	The name for the newly cloned simulator.

Usage Examples

Clone a pre-configured test simulator

“Clone my test iPhone so I have a backup before I run destructive tests”

{
  "deviceId": "F3A1B2C3-D4E5-6789-ABCD-EF0123456789",
  "newName": "iPhone 16 Pro - Test Backup"
}

Clone a simulator for parallel testing

“Duplicate my iPad simulator so I can run two test suites in parallel”

{
  "deviceId": "B2C3D4E5-F6A7-8901-BCDE-F12345678901",
  "newName": "iPad Pro 13-inch - Parallel Runner 2"
}

Clone a simulator with a specific app configuration

“Clone the simulator where I’ve already set up the staging environment”

{
  "deviceId": "A1B2C3D4-E5F6-7890-ABCD-EF1234567890",
  "newName": "iPhone 15 - Staging Clone"
}

Example Output

Simulator cloned successfully.

Source: iPhone 16 Pro (F3A1B2C3-D4E5-6789-ABCD-EF0123456789)
Clone:  iPhone 16 Pro - Test Backup (7E8F9A0B-C1D2-3456-789A-BCDEF0123456)
Runtime: iOS 18.0
State: Shutdown

The cloned simulator contains all apps, data, and settings from the source.

simulator_list — Find the UDID of the simulator you want to clone
simulator_create — Create a brand new simulator from scratch instead of cloning
simulator_boot — Boot the cloned simulator to start using it
simulator_delete — Delete a cloned simulator you no longer need
simulator_erase — Erase the clone without deleting the device

Tips