asc-metadata-sync

name: asc-metadata-sync description: Sync, validate, and apply App Store metadata with the current asc canonical metadata workflow. Use when updating metadata, localizations, keywords, or migrating legacy fastlane metadata.

asc metadata sync

Use this skill to keep App Store metadata in sync with App Store Connect. Prefer the canonical asc metadata workflow for app-info and version localization fields. Use the lower-level asc localizations and asc migrate commands only when the user specifically needs .strings files or legacy fastlane-format metadata.

Current canonical workflow

1. Pull canonical metadata

asc metadata pull --app "APP_ID" --version "1.2.3" --platform IOS --dir "./metadata"

If the app has multiple app-info records, resolve the app-info ID first and pass it explicitly:

asc apps info list --app "APP_ID" --output table
asc metadata pull --app "APP_ID" --app-info "APP_INFO_ID" --version "1.2.3" --platform IOS --dir "./metadata"

2. Edit local files

Canonical files are written under:

• metadata/app-info/<locale>.json for app-level fields: name, subtitle, privacyPolicyUrl, privacyChoicesUrl, privacyPolicyText
• metadata/version/<version>/<locale>.json for version fields: description, keywords, marketingUrl, promotionalText, supportUrl, whatsNew

Copyright is not a localization field. Manage it with:

asc versions update --version-id "VERSION_ID" --copyright "2026 Your Company"

3. Validate before upload

asc metadata validate --dir "./metadata" --output table

For subscription apps, include the extra Terms of Use / EULA heuristic:

asc metadata validate --dir "./metadata" --subscription-app --output table

4. Preview and apply

Run a dry run first:

asc metadata push --app "APP_ID" --version "1.2.3" --platform IOS --dir "./metadata" --dry-run --output table

Apply after the plan looks correct:

asc metadata push --app "APP_ID" --version "1.2.3" --platform IOS --dir "./metadata"

Use asc metadata apply when the user wants the apply-named command shape for the same canonical files:

asc metadata apply --app "APP_ID" --version "1.2.3" --platform IOS --dir "./metadata" --dry-run
asc metadata apply --app "APP_ID" --version "1.2.3" --platform IOS --dir "./metadata"

For a review-artifact workflow with explicit approval before mutation, use the metadata review commands introduced in asc 2.6.1:

asc metadata plan --app "APP_ID" --version "1.2.3" --platform IOS --dir "./metadata" --review-dir ".asc/metadata/review"
asc metadata approve --review-dir ".asc/metadata/review" --all
asc metadata status --review-dir ".asc/metadata/review" --output table
asc metadata apply --app "APP_ID" --version "1.2.3" --platform IOS --dir "./metadata" --review-dir ".asc/metadata/review" --confirm

Use asc metadata approve --key "version:1.2.3:en-US:whatsNew" or --scope app-info,version when the user wants selective approval artifacts before the guarded apply. Version-scoped keys include the App Store version string.

Keyword-only workflow

Use this when only the version-localization keywords field should change:

asc metadata keywords diff --app "APP_ID" --version "1.2.3" --platform IOS --dir "./metadata"
asc metadata keywords apply --app "APP_ID" --version "1.2.3" --platform IOS --dir "./metadata" --confirm

For importing keyword research:

asc metadata keywords import --dir "./metadata" --version "1.2.3" --locale "en-US" --input "./keywords.csv"
asc metadata keywords sync --app "APP_ID" --version "1.2.3" --platform IOS --dir "./metadata" --input "./keywords.csv"

Quick field updates

For one-off version-localization edits, pass an explicit version selector. Use --version-id for deterministic updates when you already have it, or --version plus --platform when working from a version string.

asc apps info edit --app "APP_ID" --version-id "VERSION_ID" --locale "en-US" --whats-new "Bug fixes and improvements"
asc apps info edit --app "APP_ID" --version "1.2.3" --platform IOS --locale "en-US" --description "Your app description here"
asc apps info edit --app "APP_ID" --version "1.2.3" --platform IOS --locale "en-US" --keywords "keyword1,keyword2,keyword3"
asc apps info edit --app "APP_ID" --version "1.2.3" --platform IOS --locale "en-US" --support-url "https://support.example.com"

For app-info fields, prefer the post-create setup command:

asc app-setup info set --app "APP_ID" --primary-locale "en-US" --privacy-policy-url "https://example.com/privacy"
asc app-setup info set --app "APP_ID" --locale "en-US" --name "Your App Name" --subtitle "Your subtitle"

Lower-level localization files

Use .strings files when the user specifically wants import/export files instead of canonical JSON:

asc localizations list --version "VERSION_ID" --output table
asc localizations download --version "VERSION_ID" --path "./localizations"
asc localizations upload --version "VERSION_ID" --path "./localizations" --dry-run
asc localizations upload --version "VERSION_ID" --path "./localizations"

For app-info localizations:

asc apps info list --app "APP_ID" --output table
asc localizations list --app "APP_ID" --type app-info --app-info "APP_INFO_ID" --output table
asc localizations download --app "APP_ID" --type app-info --app-info "APP_INFO_ID" --path "./app-info-localizations"
asc localizations upload --app "APP_ID" --type app-info --app-info "APP_INFO_ID" --path "./app-info-localizations" --dry-run
asc localizations upload --app "APP_ID" --type app-info --app-info "APP_INFO_ID" --path "./app-info-localizations"

Legacy fastlane metadata

Use this only for existing fastlane-format trees:

asc migrate export --app "APP_ID" --version-id "VERSION_ID" --output-dir "./fastlane"
asc migrate validate --fastlane-dir "./fastlane"
asc migrate import --app "APP_ID" --version-id "VERSION_ID" --fastlane-dir "./fastlane" --dry-run
asc migrate import --app "APP_ID" --version-id "VERSION_ID" --fastlane-dir "./fastlane" --confirm

Deliverfile metadata_path and screenshots_path values take precedence and resolve relative to the Deliverfile. With --fastlane-dir "./fastlane", use metadata_path "./metadata" rather than "./fastlane/metadata"; the latter resolves to ./fastlane/fastlane/metadata. Fix stale values in the Deliverfile, or remove them to use the conventional metadata/ and screenshots/ directories.

Paths outside the selected Fastlane directory fail unless the operator explicitly trusts them with --allow-external-metadata or --allow-external-screenshots. Keep those flags off for untrusted imports.

Inspect the validation body as well as the process exit: asc migrate validate can return a report with valid: false and a nonzero errorCount while exiting 0. A confirmed import can print status: "partial" with completed stages and failure details while exiting nonzero, so non-empty stdout does not mean success.

Character limits

Agent behavior

• Start with asc metadata pull unless the user specifically asks for .strings or fastlane metadata.
• Always run asc metadata validate before remote writes.
• Preview remote changes with --dry-run when the command supports it.
• Use asc metadata plan plus approve/status when the user wants a durable review artifact before apply.
• For quick edits, always pass --version-id or --version plus --platform; do not rely on ambiguous latest-version behavior.
• Keep app-info fields and version fields separate.
• Use --output table for human verification and JSON for automation.