Podfile.lock is not in sync with the sandbox

What this error means

The installed pods no longer match Podfile.lock — usually a Capacitor plugin was added or updated without syncing the iOS project.

Why it happens

Podfile.lock records the pods that were installed. A plugin change updated one side and not the other, so the Xcode build refuses to continue.

The message tools print

error: The sandbox is not in sync with the Podfile.lock. Run 'pod install' or update your CocoaPods installation.

How to fix it

1. Run npx cap sync ios — it runs pod install for you.
2. Commit the updated Podfile.lock.
3. On CI, run npx cap sync ios before building.

Check a log that shows this

Paste the failing step into the build error explainer. It matches this message, and any others in the same log, in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.

Other iOS build errors

• No signing certificate "iOS Distribution" found
• No profiles for your bundle ID were found
• Xcode: signing requires a development team
• Provisioning profile doesn't support the capability
• CocoaPods could not find compatible versions
• PhaseScriptExecution failed with a nonzero exit code
• Undefined symbols for architecture arm64