Fresh Mac Mini Setup for React Native iOS Development

A developer journey log — using a 2024 Mac Mini (Apple M4, 16 GB RAM) to get a React Native project running with full iOS simulator support, multiple GitHub identities, and AI-powered development tools.

🎯 Objective

Set up a clean 2024 Mac Mini for:

React Native development
iOS builds via Xcode
Support for two GitHub accounts (Rover + Client)
Enhanced AI-assisted development with GPT-4o (via ChatGPT Desktop + extensions)

💻 Hardware & OS

Mac Mini (M4, 16 GB RAM)
macOS Sonoma

✅ Key Decisions

Two IDEs for separation:
- Cursor: Used for AI-first dev with Rover
- VS Code: Used for Client work
GitHub identity separation:
- Used SSH keypairs and .gitconfig conditional includes per folder
Environment-specific folders:
- ~/dev/rover/ → Rover repos
- ~/dev/client/ → Client repos

🛠️ Installations & Setup

1. System Essentials

xcode-select --install

Later upgraded to Xcode 16.2 for full simulator compatibility

2. Homebrew (Critical!)

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

3. Package Managers and Runtimes

brew install fnm
fnm install --lts
fnm default lts

brew install rbenv
rbenv install 3.2.2
rbenv global 3.2.2

4. Node/Yarn

corepack enable
yarn -v   # verified v4.9.2

5. CocoaPods for iOS

sudo gem install cocoapods
pod install

6. GitHub SSH Config

Created separate keys and entries in ~/.ssh/config, then separated Git configs via ~/.gitconfig includeIf blocks.

🤖 AI-First Development Workflow

1. ChatGPT Desktop App

Installed from the [official OpenAI app in App Store]
Used native integration with Terminal (on approval)

2. Cursor IDE (AI-enhanced VS Code fork)

Used for Rover-specific dev with seamless inline AI completions and support

3. VS Code + Extensions

Used for Sidebench (client) work
Key extension: ChatGPT – AI Coding Assistant with terminal and code context integration

4. GPT-4o Support

All troubleshooting, builds, error decoding, SDK mismatch, and versioning decisions guided via GPT-4o prompts

🔄 .env Setup

Created multiple environment files in root project folder:

.env.dev
.env.staging
.env.uat
.env.prod

Key variables:

APP=1 for SignAndGlide / APP=2 for TravAssist
ENVIRONMENT=development (or others as needed)

🧩 Troubleshooting Highlights

1. Simulator issues

Initially no simulators listed: waited for Xcode 16.2 full install
Resolved with: xcrun simctl list devices (post-install)

2. iOS build failures

error code 65, Build Failed, and Xcode crashes
Solution: upgrade to Xcode 16.2, set active dev dir:

sudo xcode-select -s /Applications/Xcode-16.2.app/Contents/Developer

3. react-native-image-crop-picker failures

Missing arch patches for Apple Silicon
Reinstalled correct version: yarn add react-native-image-crop-picker@0.41.2

4. Missing environment loading

Fixed .env placement, validated via logging process.env.APP

5. Font errors

Missing fallback for custom font name: 'Arial Regular' — needed mapping or use of iOS-safe fonts

🔋 Bonus: Power Redundancy

Discovered need for UPS battery backup for Mac Mini (don’t just unplug like a laptop) 🙂
Considering a solar-powered solution because that would be fun and want to do

📦 Final Status

✅ Metro running
✅ iOS app builds cleanly
✅ Correct GitHub account separation
✅ Cursor + ChatGPT integration working
✅ Terminal ChatGPT prompts available

📍Next Steps

Automate build scripts and environment selection
Setup Android builds
Explore devcontainers or VMs for isolating environments
Continue using GPT-4o for AI pair programming and deployments

This post was AI aided , developed, debugged, and written with real-time assistance from GPT-4o on a fresh Mac Mini setup.