Iterate Starter Kit

This .zip file contains the empty starter project we'll be using for the walkthrough.

Download starter kit

Set Up Your Laptop Before the Hackathon

Time needed: ~30-45 minutes (most of it is just waiting for a download)

Please do this before the day of — the first download below is big and slow, and we want everyone ready to start building, not still installing things.

📌 You'll need: a Mac laptop and your iPhone.

⚠️ Heads up #1: your iPhone needs iOS 26 or later, and we'll install the most recent version of Xcode to support it. Check your phone's version under Settings > General > Software Update and update if you're behind.

⚠️ Heads up #2: Step 7 requires turning on Developer Mode on your iPhone, which needs a restart.

✅ Checklist (tick these off as you go)

  • [ ] Step 1: Install Xcode (and set up command line tools)
  • [ ] Step 2: Install Cursor
  • [ ] Step 3: Sign in to Xcode with your Apple ID
  • [ ] Step 4: Trust your computer on your iPhone
  • [ ] Step 5: Download the starter project
  • [ ] Step 6: Run it on the Simulator
  • [ ] Step 7: Run it on your actual iPhone
  • [ ] Step 8 (optional): Set up Figma MCP

If you get through Steps 1-7, you're fully ready for hackathon day. 🎉

Step 1: Install Xcode (and set up command line tools)

Xcode is the program we'll use to run our app. Start this first because it's large (10GB+) and can take 20-40 minutes depending on your internet.

  1. Open the App Store app on your Mac.
  2. Search for Xcode.
  3. Click Get, then Install.
  4. While it downloads, keep reading this guide and move on to Step 2 — you don't need to wait for it to finish.
  5. Once it's done downloading, open Xcode at least once. It will likely ask to install some "additional components" — click Install and let that finish completely before doing anything else in Xcode. This can take another 10-15 minutes, and Xcode won't work properly until it's done — so don't skip ahead to Step 6 or 7 yet.
  6. When Xcode finishes opening, you may see a window asking which platforms to install support for. Make sure iOS (sometimes shown as "iOS Development" or just "iOS") is checked, and that the Simulator is included — it usually is by default, but double check it's ticked. If you don't see this window, don't worry — Xcode will prompt you for it automatically the first time you need it.
  7. Open the Terminal app (Cmd + Space, type "Terminal", press Enter).
  8. Copy and paste this command, then press Enter:
xcode-select -p

You should see a path ending in Xcode.app/Contents/Developer. If you see that, skip to the checkpoint below.

  1. If you saw something else, or an error, your Mac's command line isn't pointed at Xcode yet — this is common on a fresh Mac. Fix it by pasting this and pressing Enter (it'll ask for your Mac password — that's expected):
sudo xcode-select -s /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer

Then run xcode-select -p again to confirm it now shows the right path.

✅ Checkpoint: Xcode opens, shows a "Welcome to Xcode" window without any error messages, any "installing additional components" progress bar has reached 100%, and xcode-select -p in Terminal shows a path ending in Xcode.app/Contents/Developer.

Step 2: Install Cursor

Cursor is the AI coding tool we'll use to actually build your app. It's a completely separate app from Xcode — it doesn't matter how Xcode was installed, Cursor will work alongside it either way.

  1. Go to cursor.com/download.
  2. Click Download for Mac.
  3. Open the downloaded file and drag Cursor into your Applications folder.
  4. Open Cursor and sign in (or create an account) when prompted.

✅ Checkpoint: Cursor opens and you're signed in.

Step 3: Sign in to Xcode with your Apple ID

This step lets you install apps you build onto your own iPhone later — you do not need a paid developer account, your regular Apple ID works.

  1. Open Xcode.
  2. Click the Xcode menu (top-left, next to the Apple logo) → Settings.
  3. Click the Accounts tab.
  4. Click the + button in the bottom-left corner → Apple ID.
  5. Sign in with the same Apple ID you use on your iPhone.

✅ Checkpoint: Your name/email shows up in the Accounts list.

Step 4: Trust your computer on your iPhone

  1. Plug your iPhone into your Mac with a cable.
  2. A popup will appear on your iPhone asking "Trust This Computer?" Tap Trust, then enter your phone's passcode if asked.
  3. If a similar popup appears on your Mac, click Trust there too.

✅ Checkpoint: No more popups, and your iPhone shows up if you click on the Finder sidebar (you should see its name listed under Locations).

Keep your phone plugged in for the next two steps — it's fine to unplug it after Step 7.

Step 5: Download the starter project

  1. Go to the download page.
  2. Click the 'Download starter kit' button.
  3. Find the downloaded ZIP in your Downloads folder and double-click it to unzip.
  4. Move the unzipped folder somewhere you'll remember — e.g. your Desktop.

✅ Checkpoint: You have a folder (not a ZIP) sitting somewhere you can find it, containing a file that ends in .xcodeproj.

Step 6: Run it on the Simulator

The Simulator is a fake iPhone that runs right on your Mac — good for quick testing without needing your real phone plugged in every time.

  1. Inside the folder from Step 5, open App/App.xcodeproj (just double-click it — it'll open in Xcode automatically).
  2. You'll likely see a warning popup when it opens — something like asking if you trust this project, or about it being downloaded from the internet. This is normal and expected for any project you download. Click Continue (or Trust) to proceed.
  3. Give it a minute to finish "indexing" — you'll see a progress bar at the top of the window. Wait for it to finish.
  4. At the top of the Xcode window, there's a dropdown that might say "Any iOS Device." Click it and pick a simulator instead, e.g. iPhone 16.
  5. Press the ▶ Play button in the top-left (or press Cmd + R).
  6. Give it a minute — a phone-shaped window will pop up on your screen showing the app running.

✅ Checkpoint: You see a single button in the middle of the simulator screen. Tap it — a toast message should slide up from the bottom.

⚠️ If you see a red error instead, don't panic — this is exactly the kind of thing the video walkthrough covers troubleshooting for. Re-watch that section, or bring your laptop on hackathon day and we'll help you fix it before we start.

Step 7: Run it on your actual iPhone

This is the same app, but now on your real phone instead of the simulator.

  1. Make sure your iPhone is still plugged in (Step 4).
  2. In Xcode, click the same device dropdown from Step 6, but this time choose your iPhone's name instead of a simulator.
  3. In the file list on the left side of Xcode, click the top item (App, with a blue project icon).
  4. Click the App target, then the Signing & Capabilities tab along the top.
  5. Under Team, choose your name/Apple ID from the dropdown.
  6. Find the Bundle Identifier field on that same tab, and change it to something unique to you — e.g. com.yourname.app. (Everyone doing this guide will collide on the default ID otherwise.)
  7. Press the ▶ Play button again.
  8. You'll likely see one or two popups asking permission to use something in your keychain — it'll mention "Mac Developer" or your name, and say Xcode wants to use a key or certificate stored there. This is normal and expected — it's just Xcode signing the app with a developer certificate it created for you. Type your Mac login password and click Always Allow so it doesn't keep asking.
  9. If this is the first time you've run a dev build on this iPhone, you'll be told you need to turn on Developer Mode:
    • Go to Settings app → Privacy & Security on your iPhone, scroll down, and tap Developer Mode. Turn it on.
    • Your phone will ask you to restart. Go ahead — this is normal, not an error.
    • After it restarts, unlock your phone. A popup will ask you to confirm turning on Developer Mode — tap Turn On, then enter your passcode.
    • Plug your phone back into your Mac if it disconnected during the restart.
    • You only need to do this once per phone.
  10. The first time, your iPhone will refuse to open the app and show an "Untrusted Developer" message instead. That's expected — go to: Settings app → General → VPN & Device Management on your iPhone, tap your Apple ID under "Developer App," then tap Trust.
  11. Go back to Xcode and press ▶ Play one more time.

✅ Checkpoint: The app opens directly on your iPhone, showing the same button and toast.

🗓️ Heads up: apps installed this way stop working after 7 days (a limitation of the free, non-paid developer setup). That's totally normal — just re-run from Xcode to put it back, which takes seconds. Don't worry about this between now and the hackathon.

Step 8 (optional): Set up Figma MCP

This step is optional — skip it if you don't use Figma for your designs, or if you'd rather just describe your design in words to the AI on the day. MCP lets Cursor "see" your actual Figma file and build from it more accurately.

  1. Open Cursor.
  2. Open the command palette:
    • Mac: Cmd + Shift + P
  3. Type "Open chat" and press Enter.
  4. In the chat box, type /add-plugin figma and submit.
  5. Click Add Plugin to install it.
  6. Open the command palette again, type "Cursor Settings," and press Enter.
  7. Click Tools & MCP in the settings sidebar.
  8. Under Installed MCP Servers, find Figma and click Connect — this will open a browser window asking you to log in to Figma and authorize the connection. Approve it.

✅ Checkpoint: Back in Cursor's MCP settings, Figma shows as connected/enabled.

This is the "remote" setup, which Figma recommends for most people — it works straight from your Figma account with no extra desktop app toggling required. The video walkthrough shows this live.

You're ready! 🎉

If you checked off Steps 1-7, your laptop is fully set up. Step 8 is a nice-to-have if you use Figma — don't stress if you skip it.

See you at the hackathon — bring your laptop, your iPhone, and your charger.