app-store-launch-prep

name

app-store-launch-prep

description

Prepare App Store Connect launch materials for an app, including read-only project positioning, product summary, ASO-friendly Chinese and English naming, localized metadata, keywords, privacy configuration, terms/privacy drafts, icon readiness, categories, screenshot/review notes, and launch TODOs. Use when the user asks to prepare App Store/Apple Store Connect listing fields, ASO materials, app naming, launch copy, privacy policy, terms, icon checks/generation, or bilingual store submission assets for any project.

App Store Launch Prep

Overview

Prepare a project for App Store Connect by auditing the app locally, checking current Apple requirements from official sources, then producing bilingual launch materials and a concise list of user-provided data still needed.

Default to Chinese-first communication when the user writes in Chinese. Produce both Simplified Chinese and English assets unless the user narrows the locale scope.

Workflow

1. Audit the project first

   • Read project files before writing copy: README/docs, app config, bundle id, app name, category, icon assets, privacy/legal docs, payment/IAP code, analytics/account/network surfaces, screenshots or design docs.
   • Use rg / rg --files and inspect real files. Do not infer privacy posture from marketing copy alone.
   • For existing apps, identify whether the app is iOS, iPadOS, macOS, visionOS, watchOS, tvOS, or multi-platform.

2. Refresh Apple constraints

   • If producing publish-ready material, browse official Apple Developer / App Store Connect docs for current field constraints, privacy requirements, category guidance, and icon requirements.
   • Prefer official Apple sources. If browsing is unavailable, state that constraints are based on local skill defaults and may need final verification.

3. Position the product

   • Write a concise product summary from repo evidence.
   • Name the target users and core jobs-to-be-done.
   • Evaluate the current name for brandability and ASO. Keep internal app name stable unless the user asks to rename code.
   • Recommend localized App Store names that combine brand + one strong search phrase. Avoid stuffing.

4. Prepare App Store Connect metadata

   • Create or update a launch metadata document, preferably docs/release/app-store-connect-metadata.md when the repo uses docs/.
   • Include Chinese and English versions of:
     • App Name
     • Subtitle
     • Promotional Text
     • Description
     • Keywords
     • What's New draft
     • Support URL / Marketing URL / Privacy Policy URL placeholders
   • Include shared fields:
     • Bundle ID / SKU suggestion
     • Pricing / IAP status
     • Primary and secondary categories
     • App Privacy recommendation
     • Review notes
     • Screenshot plan
     • Launch TODOs
   • Keep all user-facing copy plain and App Store suitable. Avoid unverified superlatives such as "best", "most powerful", or unsupported performance claims.

5. Prepare privacy and terms

   • If legal docs are missing and the user asks to prepare launch materials, create privacy and terms drafts in both Chinese and English.
   • Use Apple standard EULA as the default recommendation unless the user explicitly needs a custom EULA.
   • Clearly mark TODO placeholders for support email, legal operator, URLs, phone, and company/developer name.
   • Do not present legal drafts as legal advice. Keep them practical and aligned with observed app behavior.
   • Privacy configuration must be evidence-based. Only recommend "No, we do not collect data from this app" when the shipped app has no accounts, analytics upload, ads, server-side user content upload, third-party SDK collection, or other developer/partner collection.

6. Handle icon readiness

   • Check whether the app has a valid icon set and a 1024 x 1024 App Store-sized asset.
   • If the user provides or requests an icon, update the app icon assets and any in-app icon usage as requested, then verify dimensions.
   • Preserve or document the source image path so future regeneration is reproducible.

7. Validate

   • Use scripts/check_metadata_lengths.py to check App Store text length/byte limits for prepared copy.
   • Run project-specific checks when files/code changed: tests, build, plist/json validation, icon size checks.
   • If checks cannot run, say exactly what was skipped.

Default Field Limits

Use these as defaults, but verify against official Apple docs for publish-ready work:

• App name: 2-30 characters.
• Subtitle: up to 30 characters.
• Promotional text: up to 170 characters.
• Description: up to 4000 characters.
• Keywords: up to 100 bytes per locale.
• Privacy Policy URL: required for App Store apps.
• Support URL: required.
• App icon: include a 1024 x 1024 asset for App Store submission; platform icon requirements vary.

Naming Guidance

• Prefer Brand + Search Phrase for App Store names, for example Brand: Sticker Cutout or Brand 贴纸抠图.
• Keep the in-app display name shorter when the App Store name carries ASO keywords.
• Do not duplicate words already in the app name inside the keyword field.
• Avoid competitors' app names, Apple trademark misuse, irrelevant keywords, or broad spam terms.
• Keep one primary keyword intent per locale: e.g. remove bg, background eraser, icon maker, 抠图, 去背景, 图标.

Output Shape

When the user asks for files, create/update project docs. When they only ask for advice, provide concise copy blocks and the remaining TODO list.

For a full file deliverable, read references/output-template.md and adapt it to the project. Do not paste the entire template into chat unless the user asks for it.

Useful Script

Run metadata length checks:

python3 scripts/check_metadata_lengths.py \
  --name-en "App Name" \
  --subtitle-en "Subtitle" \
  --keywords-en "keyword,keyword" \
  --promo-en "Promotional text"

The script counts characters for name/subtitle/promo/description and UTF-8 bytes for keywords.