| name | asc-submission-health |
| description | Diagnose App Store submission blockers and operate review health with asc, including readiness validation, repair routing, status monitoring, cancellation, and retry decisions. Use when validation fails, a version is not in a valid state, review status is unclear or stuck, or a failed submission must be repaired and retried. For staging, upload, publication, and submission execution, use asc-release-flow. |
App Store submission health
Use this skill to explain why a release cannot proceed and to manage an existing review submission. Hand healthy release execution back to asc-release-flow.
Ownership boundary
This skill owns:
- readiness validation and blocker diagnosis;
- public-API, web-session, and manual repair routing;
- review status and history;
- cancellation and retry decisions.
Do not stage, upload, publish, or submit a healthy release from this skill.
Answer order
- State whether the version is ready, blocked, or already under review.
- Name each blocker and the evidence that proves it.
- Separate public-API repairs from web-session and manual work.
- Give one next command. Do not dump the entire repair catalog.
Establish the target
- Resolve
APP_ID, the version string or VERSION_ID, BUILD_ID, platform, and any known SUBMISSION_ID.
- Configure auth with
asc auth login or ASC_* environment variables.
- Use
ASC_BYPASS_KEYCHAIN=1 only for repository tests and isolated verification, not normal user sessions.
- Prefer IDs once the target is resolved; stop when app, version, or product resolution is ambiguous.
Diagnose readiness
Run the canonical readiness report first:
asc validate --app "APP_ID" --version "1.2.3" --platform IOS --output table
Use --version-id "VERSION_ID" when known. Add --strict when warnings must fail automation.
Ask the review-specific doctor for an ordered explanation:
asc review doctor --app "APP_ID" --version "1.2.3" --platform IOS --output table
Collect direct evidence when the report points at the build or version:
asc builds info --build-id "BUILD_ID" --output table
asc versions view --version-id "VERSION_ID" --include-build --include-submission --output table
For digital goods, run only the relevant product validator:
asc validate iap --app "APP_ID" --output table
asc validate subscriptions --app "APP_ID" --output table
Treat the ordered remediation plan from asc validate as the repair queue. Fix and verify one class of blocker before moving to the next.
Route repairs
Use public API commands when the blocker is build processing, metadata, screenshots, review details, encryption, content rights, age rating, availability, or version-scoped product metadata.
Read references/readiness-repairs.md when diagnostics identify one of those common blockers or a first-release availability gap.
Read references/digital-goods.md only when IAP or subscription validation fails, Apple requires first-review attachment, or a versioned product must join an existing review submission.
Read references/app-privacy.md only when validation reports an App Privacy advisory or the publish state cannot be confirmed through the public API.
When validation reports a Game Center component or version blocker, hand it to asc-release-flow and request the multi-item reference's Prepare every item section. Do not route Game Center through general readiness or digital-goods repairs.
Use the web-session commands only for a gap the public API cannot cover, and say that an authenticated Apple web session is required. Keep a manual App Store Connect fallback when the user declines web-session automation.
Decide whether the version is healthy
A version is ready to return to asc-release-flow when:
asc validate has no blocking issues;- the attached build is
VALID;
- metadata, screenshots, app info, review details, content rights, encryption, age rating, pricing, and availability are resolved;
- the relevant
asc validate iap and/or asc validate subscriptions checks have no blocking issues, and the required digital-goods versions are prepared;
- any Game Center version items have been checked through
asc-release-flow's multi-item submission reference;
- App Privacy is confirmed or published.
Do not call a version ready merely because one validator exits successfully. Report any warning that still needs a web-session or manual check.
Monitor review
Use app-scoped status when the submission ID is unknown:
asc review status --app "APP_ID" --version "1.2.3" --platform IOS --output table
Use exact submission or version IDs when available:
asc submit status --id "SUBMISSION_ID" --output table
asc submit status --version-id "VERSION_ID" --output table
Use the release dashboard for surrounding build and review signals:
asc status --app "APP_ID" --include builds,appstore,submission,review --output table
Use history to distinguish a current stall from earlier rejected or completed submissions:
asc review history --app "APP_ID" --version "1.2.3" --paginate --output table
Cancel an unhealthy submission
Resolve the exact active submission before cancelling. Preview status first, then require confirmation:
asc submit status --id "SUBMISSION_ID" --output table
asc submit cancel --id "SUBMISSION_ID" --confirm
When resolving by version, include the app for the modern review-submission lookup:
asc submit status --version-id "VERSION_ID" --output table
asc submit cancel --version-id "VERSION_ID" --app "APP_ID" --confirm
The lower-level equivalent is valid when the exact review submission is already known:
asc review submissions-cancel --id "SUBMISSION_ID" --confirm
Do not cancel a submission solely because review is taking longer than expected. Confirm the state and the user's intent first.
Decide when to retry
There is no dedicated retry command. Use this sequence:
- Cancel only if the active submission must be withdrawn.
- Repair the proven blockers.
- Re-run
asc validate and the relevant product validators.
- Confirm no active submission already owns the version or review items.
- Hand the healthy version and any preserved
SUBMISSION_ID to asc-release-flow for submission execution. Reuse an inspected READY_FOR_REVIEW draft; create a submission only when no matching draft or active submission exists.
Common failure routing
| Symptom | First evidence | Repair route |
|---|
| Version is not in a valid state | asc validate, asc review doctor | ordered readiness repairs |
| Export compliance must be approved | build info and encryption declaration | readiness repairs |
| Multiple app infos found | asc apps info list --app "APP_ID" | resolve exact app-info ID |
| IAP or subscription is not ready | product validator | digital-goods reference |
| Game Center component or version is not ready | asc validate diagnostic | asc-release-flow multi-item preparation section |
| App Privacy publish state is unclear | validation advisory | App Privacy reference |
| Review appears stuck | review status plus history | monitor; cancel only with evidence and approval |
Guardrails
- Do not use removed
submit-preflight or submit-create shortcuts.
- Do not submit from this skill; return healthy execution to
asc-release-flow.
- Do not treat web-session automation as public App Store Connect API coverage.
- Do not retry until the earlier submission state and blocker repairs are verified.
- Use
--output table for human diagnosis and JSON for automation.
- For macOS, use
--platform MAC_OS while keeping the same health lifecycle.
