asc-cli-usage

name: asc-cli-usage description: Guidance for using asc cli in this repo (flags, output formats, pagination, auth, and discovery). Use when asked to run or design asc commands or interact with App Store Connect via the CLI.

asc cli usage

Use this skill when you need to run or design asc commands for App Store Connect.

Command discovery

• Always use --help to discover commands and flags.
  • asc --help
  • asc builds --help
  • asc builds list --help
• Use asc search for local, deterministic command discovery when you know the workflow but not the command path.
  • asc search "submit app for review"
  • asc search --output table "upload build"
• Use asc schema to inspect bundled App Store Connect endpoint schemas and request/query fields before designing API-facing commands.
  • asc schema --pretty "GET /v1/apps"
  • asc schema --method POST appStoreVersions
• Use asc capabilities to explain CLI-supported, partial, web-session, and public-API-limited workflow coverage.
  • asc capabilities --area release --output table
  • asc capabilities --status web-session --output table
  • asc capabilities --status not-public-api --output markdown

Canonical verbs (current asc)

• Prefer view over legacy get aliases for read-only commands in docs and automation.
  • asc apps view --id "APP_ID"
  • asc versions view --version-id "VERSION_ID"
  • asc pricing availability view --app "APP_ID"
• Prefer edit for update-only availability surfaces and other canonical edit flows.
  • asc pricing availability edit --app "APP_ID" --territory "USA,GBR" --available true
  • asc app-setup availability edit --app "APP_ID" --territory "USA,GBR" --available true
  • asc xcode version edit --build-number "42"
• Use asc pricing availability create to initialize app availability before using the update-only edit command. If Apple rejects the public-API bootstrap, authenticate a web session and use asc web apps availability create, or configure Pricing and Availability in App Store Connect.
  • asc pricing availability create --app "APP_ID" --territory "USA,GBR" --available true --available-in-new-territories true
  • asc web apps availability create --app "APP_ID" --territory "USA,GBR" --available-in-new-territories true
• Keep set where the CLI intentionally models a higher-level replacement/configuration flow and --help still shows set as the canonical verb.

Flag conventions

• Use explicit long flags (e.g., --app, --output).
• Prefer explicit flags in automation; some newer commands can prompt for missing fields when run interactively.
• Destructive operations require --confirm.
• Use --paginate when the user wants all pages.

Output formats

• Output defaults are TTY-aware: table in interactive terminals, json when piped or non-interactive.
• Use --output table or --output markdown only for human-readable output.
• --pretty is only valid with JSON output.

Authentication and defaults

• Prefer keychain auth via asc auth login.
• Fallback env vars: ASC_KEY_ID, ASC_ISSUER_ID, ASC_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH, ASC_PRIVATE_KEY, ASC_PRIVATE_KEY_B64.
• ASC_APP_ID can provide a default app ID.
• When permissions are unclear, inspect exact API key role coverage with asc web auth capabilities.
  • This lives under the web-session auth surface.
  • It can resolve the current local auth by default, or inspect a specific key with --key-id.
• Create an App Store Connect team API key through a cached Apple Account web session with asc web api-keys create.
  • An Account Holder or Admin session is required; use asc web auth login --apple-id "user@example.com" first when needed.
  • The command saves the one-time P8 as AuthKey_<KEY_ID>.p8 without printing its contents; choose an explicit private directory with --output-dir.
  • Example: asc web api-keys create --name "CI uploads" --role APP_MANAGER --output-dir "./keys" --output json.

Reuse authentication before requesting another code

• API-key authentication (asc auth) and Apple Account web sessions (asc web auth) are separate. Prefer the existing keychain API profile for supported operations; inspect asc auth status and command capabilities before starting a web login. A profile name is a local label, not an app-level permission boundary.
• For web-only work, check asc web auth status --apple-id "user@example.com" --output json first. Reuse an authenticated cached session and verify its provider matches the intended account before mutations. Do not log out or clear trust/session state as routine preparation.
• Give one process ownership of an interactive sign-in for an Apple Account. While a code prompt is pending, continue that same process; coordinate or serialize other agents instead of starting another login that may invalidate its challenge.
• Match a code to the current prompt. A trusted-device notification code and an SMS fallback code belong to different verification steps. Once the CLI announces phone delivery, use the newly delivered phone code, not the earlier notification code. Do not deliberately submit bad codes as a normal resend strategy; inspect the installed command's help for supported recovery.
• On failure, distinguish code rejection from a timeout after verification or provider selection. Inspect the exact error and installed version before requesting more codes. Increasing a request timeout is not proof that an interactive-session problem is fixed.
• After login, verify authenticated and the selected provider with a separate status read; confirm the next web operation reuses the cache before reporting success. Apple may expire sessions later, so do not promise permanent unattended authentication.
• Inspect asc web auth login --help before configuring a supported --two-factor-code-command. Keep credentials and codes out of logs, source, shell history, and PRs. Do not assume a password-manager passkey can be supplied to the CLI or that browser sign-in refreshes its cache; use only authentication mechanisms explicitly supported by the installed CLI.

Apple Ads

• Use asc ads --help before choosing a command.
• Apple Ads uses asc ads auth, --ads-profile, and ASC_ADS_* variables. It does not use App Store Connect API credentials.
• Direct resource commands use Platform API v1 with --ad-account or ASC_ADS_AD_ACCOUNT_ID. Deprecated Campaign Management API v5 commands live under asc ads v5 and use --org or ASC_ADS_ORG_ID; never substitute one ID for the other.
• Discover ad-account access with asc ads auth discover --output json or inspect one ACL response with asc ads acls list --output json.
• Body commands use --file with the exact schema named by the leaf help. V1 query filters use singular value, and bulk bodies may use wrapper objects rather than v5 arrays.
• Apple Ads resource commands emit JSON. Use --paginate only where help shows it; reports and most query bodies carry pagination inside the JSON file.
• Deletes and spend-, billing-, delivery-, targeting-, or access-sensitive mutations require --confirm. An explicitly paused campaign create is the main documented safe exception.
• For live mutation tests, create paused resources with a clear test name, save every ID, pause spend-bearing resources first, and delete only resources created by the test.

Timeouts

• ASC_TIMEOUT / ASC_TIMEOUT_SECONDS control request timeouts.
• ASC_UPLOAD_TIMEOUT / ASC_UPLOAD_TIMEOUT_SECONDS control upload timeouts.