gpd-cli-usage

name

gpd-cli-usage

description

Guidance for using the Google Play Developer CLI (gpd) — flags, output formats, authentication, pagination, safety conventions, and command discovery. Use when asked to run or design gpd commands, set up service account auth, configure GPD_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_KEY, understand gpd output formats, or learn gpd flag conventions. Triggers: "gpd command", "gpd CLI", "Google Play CLI", "gpd auth", "gpd flags", "gpd output", "Play Developer CLI", "GPD_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_KEY".

GPD CLI Usage

Iron Law

NEVER GENERATE GPD COMMANDS WITHOUT RUNNING gpd --help OR SUBCOMMAND --help FIRST

Always use --help to discover current flags and subcommands. The gpd CLI evolves — never assume flags from memory.

Command discovery

• Always use --help to confirm commands and flags.
  • gpd --help
  • gpd publish --help
  • gpd monetization --help

Flag conventions

• Use explicit long flags (for example: --package, --track, --status).
• No interactive prompts; destructive operations require --confirm.
• Use --all when the user wants all pages.

Output formats

• Default output is minified JSON.
• Use --pretty for readable JSON during debugging.

Authentication and defaults

• Service account auth via GPD_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_KEY is required.
• Validate access for a package:
  • gpd auth check --package com.example.app

Safety

• Use --dry-run when available before destructive operations.
• Prefer edit lifecycle (gpd publish edit create) for multi-step publishing.

Anti-Patterns

• Don't generate gpd commands from memory. The gpd CLI evolves — flags and subcommands change between versions. Always run gpd <subcommand> --help before generating a command; the Iron Law exists for this reason.
• Don't omit --confirm on destructive operations. Commands like gpd publish halt and gpd publish rollback require --confirm; omitting it will either fail or prompt interactively, breaking automation.
• Don't use short flags in scripts. Always use explicit long flags (--package, --track, --status) to ensure scripts are readable and resilient to positional changes.

Verify

After running any gpd command:

• Check that the exit code is 0: echo $? — a non-zero exit means the operation failed even if no error was printed.
• Validate auth before running a sequence: gpd auth check --package com.example.app — a missing or expired GPD_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_KEY will cause silent failures mid-sequence.

Documentation Sources

Source	How to Access	Purpose
gpd CLI help	gpd --help, gpd <command> --help	Discover current flags, subcommands, and options
gpd subcommand help	gpd publish --help, gpd monetization --help	Command-specific flags and usage