asc app create (UI automation)

Use this skill to create a new App Store Connect app by driving the web UI. This is opt-in, local-only automation that requires the user to be signed in.

Preconditions

• A browser automation tool is available (Playwright, Cursor browser MCP, or equivalent).
• User is signed in to App Store Connect (or can complete login + 2FA).
• The bundle ID must already be registered in the Apple Developer portal.
• Required inputs are known:
  • app name (max 30 characters)
  • bundle ID (must exist and be unused by another app)
  • SKU
  • platform (iOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS)
  • primary language
  • user access (Full Access or Limited Access)

Safety Guardrails

• Never export or store cookies.
• Use a visible browser session only.
• Pause for a final confirmation before clicking "Create" (for standalone scripts).
• Do not retry the Create action automatically on failure.

Workflow

1. Preflight: register bundle ID and verify no existing app

# Register the bundle ID via public API (if not already registered)
asc bundle-ids create --identifier "com.example.app" --name "My App" --platform IOS

# Confirm no app record exists yet
asc apps list --bundle-id "com.example.app" --output json

2. Open App Store Connect

Navigate to https://appstoreconnect.apple.com/apps and ensure the user is signed in.

3. Open the New App form

The "New App" button (blue "+" icon) opens a dropdown menu, not a dialog directly.

• Click the "New App" button to open the dropdown.
• Click the "New App" menu item inside the dropdown.
• The creation dialog/modal appears.

4. Fill required fields (in order)

Platform (checkboxes)

The platforms are checkboxes (not radio buttons). Click the checkbox for the desired platform(s):

• iOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS
• Multiple can be selected.

Name (text input)

• Label: Name
• Max 30 characters.

Primary Language (select/combobox)

• Label: Primary Language
• Use select_option or equivalent with the language label (e.g., "English (U.S.)").

Bundle ID (select/combobox)

• Label: Bundle ID
• This is a <select> dropdown. The options load asynchronously after platform selection.
• Wait for the dropdown to finish loading (it shows "Loading..." initially).
• Select by matching the label text which includes both the name and identifier: "My App - com.example.app"

SKU (text input)

• Label: SKU

User Access (radio buttons) -- REQUIRED

• This field is required. The Create button stays disabled until one option is selected.
• Options: Limited Access or Full Access.
• These are custom radio buttons with <span> overlays.
• Known issue: Accessibility-based clicks may be intercepted by the overlay <span>.
• Workaround: Use scrollIntoView on the radio element first, then click the radio ref directly. This bypasses the overlay interception.

5. Click Create

• The "Create" button is disabled until all required fields are filled and User Access is selected.
• After clicking, the button text changes to "Creating" while processing.
• Wait for navigation to the new app's page (URL pattern: /apps/<APP_ID>/...).

6. Verify creation via API

asc apps view --id "APP_ID" --output json --pretty
# or
asc apps list --bundle-id "com.example.app" --output json

7. Hand off to post-create setup

asc app-setup info set --app "APP_ID" --primary-locale "en-US"
asc app-setup categories set --app "APP_ID" --primary GAMES
asc pricing availability create \
  --app "APP_ID" \
  --territory "USA,GBR" \
  --available true \
  --available-in-new-territories true

Use asc pricing availability create only for the first availability bootstrap. If Apple rejects that public-API bootstrap, authenticate a web session with asc web auth login --apple-id "EMAIL" and retry with asc web apps availability create --app "APP_ID" --territory "USA,GBR" --available-in-new-territories true, or configure Pricing and Availability in App Store Connect. If app availability already exists, switch to asc pricing availability edit --app "APP_ID" ... for later territory changes.

Known UI Automation Issues

"New App" is a dropdown menu, not a direct action

The first click opens a menu with "New App" and "New App Bundle". You must click the menu item, not just the button.

User Access radio buttons have span overlays

Apple's custom radio buttons wrap the <input type="radio"> in styled <span> elements. Direct ref-based clicks may fail with "click target intercepted". The fix is:

1. Scroll the radio element into view (scrollIntoView).
2. Click the radio ref directly (not via offset or label click).

Bundle ID dropdown loads asynchronously

After selecting a platform, the Bundle ID dropdown shows "Loading..." and is disabled. Wait for it to become enabled and populated before selecting.

browser_fill may not trigger form validation

Apple's Ember.js forms use custom change handlers. browser_fill (atomic set) may not trigger validation. If the Create button stays disabled after filling all fields:

• Retype the value slowly (character-by-character) in at least one text field.
• Or click the field, clear it, and type slowly.

Failure Handling

• If any field or button cannot be located, stop and request user help.
• Capture a screenshot and report the last known step.
• Do not retry the Create click automatically.
• On failure, the user should check the browser for validation errors (red outlines, inline messages).

Notes

• This skill is a workaround for a missing public API. Apple's docs explicitly state: "Don't use this API to create new apps; instead, create new apps on the App Store Connect website."
• UI selectors can change without notice. Prefer role/label/text selectors over CSS.
• The only manual step should be signing in. Everything else is agent-drivable.