Developers building for Apple platforms are now able to utilize AI coding assistants like Claude Agent and Codex within their integrated development environment (IDE) and across the entire application creation process.
Apple has unveiled a preview of Xcode 26.3, which now features built-in compatibility for AI coding agents, including Anthropic’s Claude Agent and OpenAI’s Codex.
Unveiled on February 3rd, Xcode 26.3, Apple’s dedicated IDE for its platforms, is currently accessible as a release candidate for participants in the Apple Developer Program, with its official App Store launch anticipated shortly. This updated iteration builds upon the smart functionalities first seen in Xcode 26 in June 2025, which provided an intelligent assistant for authoring and modifying Swift code.
With Xcode version 26.3, these coding agents gain expanded access to Xcode’s functionality. Tools such as Codex and Claude Agent are now capable of operating independently across the entire development cycle, facilitating more efficient processes and quicker refinements. According to Apple, these agents are able to consult documentation, navigate file architectures, modify project configurations, and visually confirm their progress by rendering Xcode previews and sequentially applying corrections and builds. This enables developers to seamlessly integrate the sophisticated reasoning of these agents into their daily development tasks.
Apple states that leveraging the combined strength of these agents with Xcode’s inherent features yields optimal outcomes for Apple platform development. A further enhancement in Xcode 26.3 is the inclusion of Model Context Protocol (MCP) support, an open standard empowering developers to integrate any compliant agent or utility with Xcode.
