asc-cli

name

asc-cli

description

Use the asc (App Store Connect CLI) to manage iOS/macOS apps — TestFlight builds, beta groups, distribution, App Store submissions, release, user reviews, analytics reports, crash logs, and more. Triggers when user mentions "asc", "TestFlight", "beta test", "app store review", "App Store Connect", "release v1.x", "public tester", "add build to test", "check crashes", "what's new", "store listing", "submit to app store review", "approve and release", or any App Store Connect operation.

ASC CLI

Use asc to manage App Store Connect from the command line.

Installation

iSH (Alpine Linux, aarch64) uses prebuilt linux_arm64 binary from GitHub Releases.

# 1. Check latest version at https://github.com/rorkai/App-Store-Connect-CLI/releases/latest
# 2. Download linux_arm64 binary
VERSION="1.2.6"  # or latest
curl -L -o /usr/local/bin/asc \
  "https://github.com/rorkai/App-Store-Connect-CLI/releases/download/${VERSION}/asc_${VERSION}_linux_arm64"
chmod +x /usr/local/bin/asc

# 3. Verify
asc version

Updating: repeat the same curl + chmod with the new version.

macOS (separate machine): use brew install asc or macOS_arm64 binary.

Auth Setup

Getting an API Key (Step-by-Step Guide)

App Store Connect uses API keys for machine-to-machine access. The user needs an Apple Developer account with the appropriate role (Account Holder, Admin, or App Manager).

Step 1 — Open API Keys page: Tell the user to visit App Store Connect → Users and Access → Integrations → API Keys. They must sign in with their Apple Developer account.

Step 2 — Generate a private key: Click the "+" button, give the key a name (e.g. "Minis CI"), and choose the access role:

• App Manager — enough for TestFlight builds, App Store submissions, reviews
• Admin — needed for user management, agreements, finance reports

After clicking "Generate", a .p8 private key file downloads immediately. Save it — Apple only shows the download link once.

Step 3 — Collect three pieces of information: The API Keys page shows a table. Find the newly created key row:

• Key ID — the 10-character string in the first column (e.g. ABC123XYZ9)
• Issuer ID — shown at the top of the page (a UUID like aaaaaaaa-bbbb-cccc-dddd-eeeeeeeeeeee)
• Private key file — the .p8 file downloaded in Step 2

Step 4 — Get the .p8 file into iSH: The user can share the .p8 file to Minis as an attachment, or place it in a mounted folder under /var/minis/mounts/.

Step 5 — Run auth login: iSH has no system keychain, so use --bypass-keychain:

# Copy the .p8 into /root/ (not /tmp/ — /tmp is wiped on restart)
cp /var/minis/attachments/AuthKey_XXXX.p8 /root/AuthKey_XXXX.p8
chmod 600 /root/AuthKey_XXXX.p8

asc auth login --bypass-keychain \
  --name "ProfileName" \
  --key-id "KEY_ID" \
  --issuer-id "ISSUER_ID" \
  --private-key /root/AuthKey_XXXX.p8

Step 6 — Verify:

asc auth status --validate
# Should show "validation: works"
asc apps list --output table
# Should list the user's apps

Detecting & Handling Auth Problems

When a user asks to do something with asc but auth is not set up yet, do not run the command blindly. Instead:

1. Run asc auth status --validate 2>&1 to check current state
2. If it returns an error or shows no credentials, tell the user:

   "asc auth is not configured yet. An App Store Connect API Key is needed. Would you like me to walk you through generating one?"

3. If the user agrees, walk through Steps 1–6 above
4. If the user already has a .p8 file but hasn't configured auth, just do Steps 5–6
5. If asc is not installed, see Installation first

Auth Files Location

• Config: /root/.asc/config.json
• Private Key: /root/AuthKey_*.p8

Both must be in /root/ for persistence across iSH restarts. /tmp/ is lost on reboot.

Environment

• Installed: /usr/local/bin/asc (linux_arm64 binary, iSH Alpine)
• Auth: /root/.asc/config.json, private key at /root/AuthKey_*.p8

Core Workflows

1. List Apps

asc apps list --output table

Get APP_ID from the output. All subsequent commands need --app APP_ID.

2. TestFlight

List builds:

asc builds list --app APP_ID --output table

List beta groups:

asc testflight groups list --app APP_ID --output table

Add build to public beta group + submit review:

asc publish testflight \
  --app APP_ID \
  --build BUILD_ID \
  --group "GROUP_ID" \
  --test-notes "Notes" \
  --locale "en-US" \
  --submit --confirm

View tester metrics:

asc testflight metrics app-testers --app APP_ID --paginate --output json

List crash submissions:

asc testflight crashes list --app APP_ID --paginate --output json

Get crash log:

asc testflight crashes log --submission-id SUBMISSION_ID

3. App Store Release

Stage version (create version + copy metadata + attach build):

asc release stage \
  --app APP_ID \
  --version "1.X" \
  --build BUILD_ID \
  --copy-metadata-from "1.Y" \
  --exclude-fields "whatsNew" \
  --confirm

Update what's new (en-US):

asc localizations update \
  --version VERSION_ID \
  --locale "en-US" \
  --whats-new "Release notes text..."

Create Chinese locale:

asc localizations create --version VERSION_ID --locale "zh-Hans"

Fill required fields for new locale:

asc localizations update \
  --version VERSION_ID \
  --locale "zh-Hans" \
  --description "App description" \
  --keywords "keyword1,keyword2" \
  --support-url "https://..." \
  --whats-new "Update notes"

Validate readiness:

asc validate --app APP_ID --version "1.X"

Submit for review:

asc review submit --app APP_ID --version "1.X" --build BUILD_ID --confirm

Release after approval (manual release):

asc versions release --version-id VERSION_ID --confirm

4. User Reviews

asc reviews list --app APP_ID --output table

5. Auth & General

asc auth status --validate    # Check auth health
asc version                   # Show version
asc <command> --help          # Built-in help is authoritative

Idempotent Operations

• Adding a build to a group multiple times is safe — returns "already has beta app review submission"
• release stage with --confirm is idempotent — creates version only if not exists
• builds list always shows latest builds at top; head -N to limit

Notes

• No real-time download/install counts per build — Apple API only returns cumulative tester-level metrics
• Crashes API does not expose build number — filter by upload timestamp instead
• TestFlight build valid 90 days from upload
• Always use --confirm on destructive commands; try --dry-run first where available
• Metrics return sessions/crashes per tester over 365 days by default