xcodebuild "Unable to find a destination matching the provided destination specifier" in CI

By Daniel Zoghalchali·Latchkey

The -destination you passed names a simulator (OS version or device) that is not installed on the runner. xcodebuild lists the destinations it does have so you can pick a real one.

What this error means

xcodebuild fails with "Unable to find a destination matching the provided destination specifier" followed by "Available destinations" and sometimes "Ineligible destinations".

xcodebuild: error: Unable to find a destination matching the provided destination
specifier:
		{ platform:iOS Simulator, OS:17.0, name:iPhone 15 }

	Available destinations for the "App" scheme:
		{ platform:iOS Simulator, OS:18.2, name:iPhone 16 }

Common causes

The named simulator runtime is not installed

The runner image ships a different iOS runtime than the one you requested, so the exact OS/device pair does not exist.

A device name that does not match any simulator

A typo or a renamed device (iPhone 15 vs iPhone 16) means no destination matches the specifier.

How to fix it

List destinations and pick an available one

1. Run xcodebuild -scheme App -showdestinations to see installed simulators.
2. Choose a device and OS that appear in the output.
3. Or omit the OS to let Xcode pick the latest installed runtime.

xcodebuild -scheme App \
  -destination 'platform=iOS Simulator,name=iPhone 16,OS=latest' test

Install the runtime you need

On runners that support it, download the specific simulator runtime before building.

xcodebuild -downloadPlatform iOS

How to prevent it

• Use OS=latest instead of a hard-pinned OS version where possible.
• Check -showdestinations to match the runner image's installed simulators.
• Track which Xcode/runtime each runner image ships and update destinations on upgrade.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

References

• GitHub Actions documentation