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.

Use asc-release-flow for staging, upload, publication, and submission. Switching skills continues the current task with its resolved targets, authorization, and verified progress; it does not require the user to restart the workflow. Continue authorized repairs and return to release execution when healthy. Ask for new authority only when a repair exceeds scope.

Answer order

1. State whether the version is ready, blocked, or already under review.
2. Name each blocker and the evidence that proves it.
3. Separate public-API repairs from web-session and manual work.
4. Run the read-only checks needed to establish the diagnosis. For diagnosis-only requests, report the evidence and one proposed repair command without executing that repair. For authorized execution, continue the repair queue and report completed work and remaining blockers.

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
# The attached build and submission are in .data.relationships and .included
asc versions view --version-id "VERSION_ID" --include build,appStoreVersionSubmission --output json

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

To wait for the review outcome, poll until it settles. The command exits 0 when approved, 1 when rejected, and 7 when still pending at the timeout:

asc status --app "APP_ID" --until review-done --timeout 2h --output json

Status JSON lists suggested follow-ups in summary.nextCommands, each marked with whether it mutates App Store Connect. Treat mutating suggestions as proposals that still need the user's authorization.

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:

1. Cancel only if the active submission must be withdrawn.
2. Repair the proven blockers.
3. Re-run asc validate and the relevant product validators.
4. Confirm no active submission already owns the version or review items.
5. 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

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.