Codex and Claude Agent are now integral parts of Apple’s Xcode.
Apple is adding coding agents with Xcode 26.3, allowing developers to generate, modify, and manage code directly within their development environment.
Active AI assistants in the IDE
With the update, developers can use Codex from OpenAI and Claude Agent from Anthropic. These agents can now also perform actions within Xcode instead of mainly providing suggestions. Think of writing and editing code, adjusting project settings, searching documentation, and automating repetitive tasks.
OpenAI’s Codex gets a permanent place in the project sidebar. This allows developers to run multiple tasks in parallel, for example generating code while documentation is being analyzed or test scenarios are being prepared. This aligns with the broader trend toward agent-based development workflows.
Open integrations via MCP
Apple is also opening up Xcode through the Model Context Protocol (MCP), an open standard that allows external AI tools to be integrated. This enables teams to also connect other AI models and automation tools to their development environment, without being dependent on a single vendor.
Xcode 26.3 is available today for members of the Apple Developer Program. A public release via the App Store will follow later.
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