build-and-release-ios-app

name	build-and-release-ios-app
status	draft
description	Draft skill for building and releasing iOS or macOS Catalyst apps. Current coverage is the App Store Connect API key TestFlight upload path; expand before publishing into the full lifecycle from app/design import through build, test, metadata, screenshots, TestFlight, and App Review submission.

Build and Release an iOS App

Status: draft. This v1 body only covers the headless TestFlight upload path. Before publishing, expand it into the full build-and-release lifecycle.

What this is

A fastlane setup that builds, signs, and uploads an iOS (and macOS Catalyst) app to TestFlight with one credential: an App Store Connect API key (.p8). No interactive Apple ID login, no portal clicking for signing, no certs to restore on a fresh machine. The key mints the distribution cert and provisioning profile on demand, so a brand-new CI runner needs nothing but the .p8, the key ID, and the issuer ID.

When to use

• Headless CI/CD where you cannot do a browser-based Apple Sign-In.
• A fresh machine with no signing assets restored.
• You want store metadata + screenshots reproducible from versioned files, not hand-typed.
• Works for native Xcode projects, Expo (expo prebuild), and Capacitor (npx cap sync ios).

Prerequisites

• An App Store Connect API key with App Manager / Admin role. Three values: key_id, issuer_id, and the .p8 file (keep it gitignored, never commit it).
• Xcode + installed. A scheme that archives.