How to run XCUITests in Microsoft AppCenter from Azure DevOps

I've posted issues in the respective Microsoft Github repositories, but given that they redirected me to Stackoverflow, I'm gonna re-post the question here.

My question is: How to run the automated XCUITests in Microsoft AppCenter from Azure DevOps?

I studied the documentation on how to manually build the app from the console and then upload it to AppCenter (which works). Now I would like to use the official Azure App Center Test task, which should do a similar thing. Unfortunately, these two documentations are significantly different and I have no idea what information I have to provide to that step in order to make it work.

The biggest difference I noticed, is that the AppCenter documentation uses "build-for-testing" and a DerivedData directory where it builds stuff that gets uploaded, whereas the AppCenterTest task requests an IPA, a build directory and a Test IPA path. How to obtain these artifacts?

I tried something like this:

- task: Xcode@5
  inputs:
    actions: 'clean build test'
    configuration: 'Debug'
    sdk: 'iphoneos'
    xcWorkspacePath: 'MyProject/MyProject.xcworkspace'
    scheme: 'MyProject'
    packageApp: true
    exportPath: '$(build.artifactStagingDirectory)/debug'
    signingOption: 'manual'
    signingIdentity: '$(APPLE_CERTIFICATE_SIGNING_IDENTITY)'
    provisioningProfileUuid: '$(APPLE_PROV_PROFILE_UUID)'
    destinationPlatformOption: 'iOS'
    destinationSimulators: 'iPhone 11'
    publishJUnitResults: true

- task: Xcode@5
  inputs:
    actions: 'build-for-testing'
    configuration: 'Debug'
    sdk: 'iphoneos'
    xcWorkspacePath: 'MyProject/MyProject.xcworkspace'
    scheme: 'MyProject'
    packageApp: false
    args: '-derivedDataPath $(build.artifactStagingDirectory)/DerivedData'

- task: AppCenterTest@1
  inputs:
    appFile: '$(build.artifactStagingDirectory)/DerivedData/Build/Products/Debug-iphoneos/MyProject.app'
    artifactsDirectory: '$(build.artifactStagingDirectory)/AppCenterTest'
    frameworkOption: 'xcuitest'
    xcUITestBuildDirectory: '$(ProjectDir)/Build/Products/Debug-iphoneos'
    xcUITestIpaFile: '$(build.artifactStagingDirectory)/DerivedData/Build/Products/Debug-iphoneos/MyProjectUITests-Runner.app'
    credentialsOption: 'serviceEndpoint'
    serverEndpoint: 'MyCustomer AppCenter Deployment'
    appSlug: 'MyCustomer/MyProject-iOS'
    devices: 'iphoneDevices'
    localeOption: 'en_US'
    skipWaitingForResults: true

but I'm getting an error similar to ##[error]Error: Cannot find any file based on /Users/runner/runners/2.163.1/work/1/a/DerivedData/Build/Products/Debug-iphoneos/MyProject.app

Does anyone have a full working example and could provide an example YAML file that:

• Builds a native iOS app with XCode that has at least one UI test
• Uploads the app to AppCenter and runs that UI test on a real device

We ended up with the following build script that actually works. Please note, that you can't combine steps arbitrarily, as xcode build-for-testing does not allow providing signing certificates and thus cannot be combined with packageApp: true

# Xcode
# Build, test, and archive an Xcode workspace on macOS.
# Add steps that install certificates, test, sign, and distribute an app, save build artifacts, and more:
# https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/devops/pipelines/languages/xcode

trigger:
- master

pool:
  vmImage: 'macos-latest'

steps:
########################################
# Install development certificates     #
########################################
- task: InstallAppleCertificate@2
  inputs:
    certSecureFile: 'MyCompany-distribution.p12'
    certPwd: $(P12password)
    keychain: 'temp'

- task: InstallAppleProvisioningProfile@1
  inputs:
    provisioningProfileLocation: 'sourceRepository'
    provProfileSourceRepository: 'Signing/Distribution_Profile.mobileprovision'

########################################
# Build App and test it locally        #
########################################
- task: Xcode@5
  inputs:
    actions: 'clean build test'
    configuration: 'Debug'
    sdk: 'iphoneos'
    xcWorkspacePath: 'TestApp-iOS/TestApp-iOS.xcodeproj'
    scheme: 'TestApp-iOS'
    destinationPlatformOption: 'iOS'
    destinationSimulators: 'iPhone 11'
    publishJUnitResults: true

###############################################
# Run automated UI Tests on physical devices  #
###############################################
- task: Xcode@5
  inputs:
    actions: 'build-for-testing'
    configuration: 'Debug'
    sdk: 'iphoneos'
    xcWorkspacePath: 'TestApp-iOS/TestApp-iOS.xcodeproj'
    scheme: 'TestApp-iOS'
    packageApp: false
    args: '-derivedDataPath $(build.artifactStagingDirectory)/DerivedData'

- task: Xcode@5
  inputs:
    actions: 'build'
    configuration: 'Release'
    sdk: 'iphoneos'
    xcWorkspacePath: 'TestApp-iOS/TestApp-iOS.xcodeproj'
    scheme: 'TestApp-iOS'
    packageApp: true
    exportPath: '$(build.artifactStagingDirectory)/release'
    signingOption: 'manual'
    signingIdentity: '$(APPLE_CERTIFICATE_SIGNING_IDENTITY)'
    provisioningProfileUuid: '$(APPLE_PROV_PROFILE_UUID)'
    destinationPlatformOption: 'iOS'
    destinationSimulators: 'iPhone 11'

- task: AppCenterTest@1
  inputs:
    appFile: '$(Build.ArtifactStagingDirectory)/release/TestApp-iOS.ipa'
    artifactsDirectory: '$(Build.ArtifactStagingDirectory)/AppCenterTest'
    frameworkOption: 'xcuitest'
    xcUITestBuildDirectory: '$(build.artifactStagingDirectory)/DerivedData/Build/Products/Debug-iphoneos'
    credentialsOption: 'serviceEndpoint'
    serverEndpoint: 'MyCompany AppCenter Deployment'
    appSlug: 'MyCompany/Moments-iOS'
    devices: 'MyCompany/iphone11'
    localeOption: 'en_US'
    skipWaitingForResults: true
    showDebugOutput: true