App Store Connect — Full Management Skill

Complete App Store Connect management via REST API and xcodebuild CLI.

Credentials

Load credentials from config/credentials.local.md (gitignored). That file contains:

• Key ID, Issuer ID, Private Key path, Team ID
• Default contact info (company, email, phone, copyright)

Authentication (Required for All API Calls)

import jwt, time, requests

# Load these values from config/credentials.local.md
KEY_ID = "YOUR_KEY_ID"           # See config/credentials.local.md
ISSUER_ID = "YOUR_ISSUER_ID"    # See config/credentials.local.md
KEY_PATH = "/path/to/AuthKey.p8" # See config/credentials.local.md

with open(KEY_PATH, 'r') as f:
    private_key = f.read()

payload = {"iss": ISSUER_ID, "iat": int(time.time()), "exp": int(time.time()) + 1200, "aud": "appstoreconnect-v1"}
token = jwt.encode(payload, private_key, algorithm="ES256", headers={"kid": KEY_ID})
headers = {"Authorization": f"Bearer {token}", "Content-Type": "application/json"}

Core ID Resolution (Always Do First)

Most operations require these IDs. Resolve them before any update:

# 1. Get APP_ID
response = requests.get("https://api.appstoreconnect.apple.com/v1/apps", headers=headers)
for app in response.json()['data']:
    print(f"{app['attributes']['name']} - {app['attributes']['bundleId']} (ID: {app['id']})")
APP_ID = "the-app-id"

# 2. Get VERSION_ID
response = requests.get(f"https://api.appstoreconnect.apple.com/v1/apps/{APP_ID}/appStoreVersions", headers=headers)
VERSION_ID = response.json()['data'][0]['id']

# 3. Get LOCALIZATION_ID (for version-level metadata)
response = requests.get(f"https://api.appstoreconnect.apple.com/v1/appStoreVersions/{VERSION_ID}/appStoreVersionLocalizations", headers=headers)
LOCALIZATION_ID = response.json()['data'][0]['id']

# 4. Get APP_INFO_ID and APP_INFO_LOC_ID (for app-level metadata)
response = requests.get(f"https://api.appstoreconnect.apple.com/v1/apps/{APP_ID}/appInfos", headers=headers)
APP_INFO_ID = response.json()['data'][0]['id']
response = requests.get(f"https://api.appstoreconnect.apple.com/v1/appInfos/{APP_INFO_ID}/appInfoLocalizations", headers=headers)
APP_INFO_LOC_ID = response.json()['data'][0]['id']

Operations Index

API Permissions

• GET apps, versions, localizations, reviews, builds, reports
• UPDATE metadata, screenshots, categories, reviews, TestFlight, releases
• CREATE versions, localizations, screenshots, IAPs, subscriptions, events

Hard Limitations (Cannot Be Done via API)

These operations are confirmed impossible via the App Store Connect REST API as of April 2026. Do NOT attempt these programmatically — they will fail or have no endpoint.

Note on age rating: Despite being listed as "manual" in some guides, age ratings CAN be configured via API using PATCH /v1/ageRatingDeclarations/{id}. This skill covers it in references/metadata-and-localization.md.

Common Errors

Full Workflow Checklist

New App Release

• MANUAL Create app in App Store Connect (no API — see Hard Limitations)
• MANUAL Configure App Privacy questionnaire (no API — see Hard Limitations)
• MANUAL Set app icon in Xcode asset catalog (icon is bundled in build, no API)
• Resolve IDs: APP_ID, VERSION_ID, LOCALIZATION_ID, APP_INFO_ID
• Update description, keywords, promotionalText, supportUrl
• Set subtitle (max 30 chars), copyright, category
• Set age rating declaration (API supported)
• Set content rights declaration
• Upload screenshots for each device size
• Set review contact info
• Archive and upload build via xcodebuild
• Set marketing/support/privacy URLs
• Submit for App Review
• Optionally enable phased release

App Update

• Create new version (or auto-increment)
• Update whatsNew (release notes) for all locales
• Update screenshots if UI changed
• Upload new build
• Submit for review
• Monitor phased release

Ongoing Management

• Monitor and respond to customer reviews
• Manage TestFlight beta testers and builds
• Download sales and finance reports
• Create in-app events for promotions
• Update pricing and availability as needed

App Privacy (Manual)

App Privacy must be configured manually in App Store Connect:

1. App Store Connect -> Apps -> [App] -> App Privacy
2. For apps with no data collection: select "Data Not Collected"
3. Privacy Policy URL: https://yourcompany.com/privacy

Creating a New App (Manual)

1. Go to https://appstoreconnect.apple.com
2. Apps -> + -> New App
3. Platform: iOS, Primary Language: English (U.S.)
4. Bundle ID: select from registered IDs (NOT widget extensions)
5. SKU: unique identifier (e.g., appname001)