FAQ
What is Xcode remote debugging?
It’s debugging a physical iPhone from Xcode when the phone isn’t on your Mac’s Wi‑Fi. Apple’s built-in wireless debugging relies on local-network discovery (Bonjour/mDNS), so it stops working the moment the device joins another network. Nuticast bridges that gap over a mesh VPN — Tailscale, ZeroTier, or Netbird — so Xcode can still find and debug the iPhone on a different Wi‑Fi, from home or another office. Cellular doesn’t work.
Do I need an Apple Developer account?
You need whatever Xcode already requires to run apps on a physical device. Nuticast doesn’t add an extra Apple account requirement.
Which mesh VPNs does Nuticast support?
Tailscale, ZeroTier, and Netbird have dedicated support, plus a Manual IP option that works with any other mesh VPN. Whichever you use must already be installed and signed in on both your Mac and iPhone, on the same network. Nuticast only keeps Xcode’s wireless debugging working over that connection — it doesn’t replace the VPN itself.
Does Nuticast auto-detect my devices on every provider?
For Tailscale and Netbird, yes — Nuticast reads the device list straight from the CLI. ZeroTier doesn’t expose a generic way to list peer names and IPs, so for ZeroTier you paste the device’s IP from the ZeroTier Central or self-hosted dashboard instead.
What if I use a different mesh VPN?
Nuticast isn’t limited to Tailscale, ZeroTier, or Netbird. Pick “Manual IP” when adding a device: make sure your iPhone and Mac are on the same network on whichever mesh VPN you actually run, find the IP that VPN assigned the iPhone, and type it in. Bridging, auto-restart, and status all work the same way from there.
Why won’t the bridge start?
If the iPhone is still on the same Wi‑Fi as your Mac, Nuticast refuses on purpose — starting anyway would conflict with the phone’s normal local presence. Move it to a different Wi‑Fi, then try again. Cellular doesn’t work.
What if my Mac’s network changes?
Active bridges restart automatically when your Mac’s IP changes — for example after switching Wi‑Fi or reconnecting a VPN.
Does the iPhone need to be on Wi‑Fi?
Yes. The iPhone must stay on a Wi‑Fi network for the bridge to work — a different Wi‑Fi from the Mac is the whole point (home, a tester’s office, another building). Cellular doesn’t provide the same system: Apple’s wireless debugging and the mesh-VPN path Nuticast relays don’t run over cellular the way they do on Wi‑Fi.
Does my traffic go through Nuticast’s servers?
No. There’s no cloud relay and no account. Traffic stays on the Tailscale, ZeroTier, or Netbird tunnel you already control.
Do I need a license to try it?
Discovery and pairing are free. Bridging a device over your mesh VPN needs a license.