Apple integrates OpenAI, Anthropic AI agents into Xcode
What's the story
Apple has announced the integration of OpenAI and Anthropic's AI-powered coding agents into its Xcode development environment. The new feature, which comes with the release of Xcode 26.3, will allow developers to use Anthropic's Claude Agent and OpenAI's Codex directly within the app. The integration will enable these AI models to perform a range of tasks like writing/editing code, updating project settings, and searching documentation, among others.
Enhanced functionality
AI agents can now perform tasks directly within Xcode
Unlike previous versions where Claude and ChatGPT only provided coding assistance, the latest update allows these AI agents to perform tasks directly within Xcode. This major improvement in functionality will make the development process more efficient for Apple developers. The company is also making Xcode available through Model Context Protocol (MCP), an open-source standard that will let developers plug in other AI tools into the app.
Strategic partnership
Collaboration with OpenAI and Anthropic
Apple worked closely with both OpenAI and Anthropic to design the new experience for developers. The company said it optimized token usage and tool calling, so the agents would run efficiently in Xcode. This collaboration comes just a day after OpenAI launched its AI-powered Codex app on Mac, allowing developers to write code alongside a team of AI agents.
Release details
Availability of Xcode 26.3
Apple has made Xcode 26.3 available to members of the Apple Developer Program from today, with a wider release coming soon on the App Store. This update builds on a previous Xcode 26 release, which first brought support for ChatGPT and Claude into Apple's integrated development environment (IDE) used by those building apps for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and other hardware platforms.
Developer support
AI agents can access Apple's developer documentation
The integrated AI agents in Xcode 26.3 can help developers explore their projects, understand their structure and metadata. They can also build the project and run tests to identify and fix any errors. The models will have access to Apple's current developer documentation, ensuring they use the latest APIs and follow best practices while building apps.