06-reference

app store submission canonical sources

Sat May 02 2026 20:00:00 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time) ·reference ·source: catalogued from public docs (Apple, Hudson, AvdLee, fastlane) ·by Ray (AI COO catalogue compilation)
iosapp-storetestflightapp-store-connectdeploymentreference-cataloguesquarely

iOS App Store Submission — Canonical Sources

Why this is in the vault

The /squarely-deploy skill encodes the WORKFLOW for iOS deployment. This note is the REFERENCE companion — when the skill needs deeper context (Apple guideline change, new TestFlight feature, fastlane integration, certificate edge case), this is the catalogue to consult. Per founder’s “get sources ingested + turn into skills” direction (2026-05-03).

Discipline note: the linked sources are copyrighted. This catalogue is intentionally a thin index — link + 1-sentence summary in our own words + scenario-mapping. Do not paste content from these pages back into the vault; fetch them at the point of need.

Apple official sources (canonical, evergreen)

TitleURLWhat it covers (our words)When to consult
Distributing your app for beta testing and releaseshttps://developer.apple.com/documentation/xcode/distributing-your-app-for-beta-testing-and-releasesApple’s top-level entry point linking the archive → upload → TestFlight → release chain.First lookup whenever a step in the deploy workflow is unclear; canonical roadmap of what an Xcode-driven release path looks like.
App Review Guidelineshttps://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/Apple’s submission rulebook organised into Safety, Performance, Business, Design, Legal sections.Before any submission of a new feature category (UGC, IAP, anonymous chat, external links). Re-read whenever Apple posts a guidelines update note.
App Store Connect API — overviewhttps://developer.apple.com/app-store-connect/api/Marketing-side overview of what the REST API can automate (TestFlight, builds, sales, in-app purchases).When deciding whether a new automation should hit the ASC API directly or piggyback on Xcode/fastlane.
App Store Connect API — full referencehttps://developer.apple.com/documentation/appstoreconnectapiEndpoint-level reference for the ASC REST API.When asc-api.sh needs a new endpoint, request shape, or resource type.
ASC API release noteshttps://developer.apple.com/documentation/appstoreconnectapi/app-store-connect-api-release-notesVersion-by-version log of API additions and breaking changes.Whenever an automation breaks or before deciding to depend on a new endpoint; check release notes for deprecations.
ASC API — Get started (App Store Connect Help)https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/get-started/app-store-connect-api/Step-by-step for enabling API access and team-level permission setup.First-time provisioning of an ASC API key for a new team or product.
Creating API Keys for App Store Connect APIhttps://developer.apple.com/documentation/appstoreconnectapi/creating-api-keys-for-app-store-connect-apiMechanics of generating, scoping, and revoking ASC API keys (.p8 files, Key ID, Issuer ID).When rotating, scoping, or troubleshooting an ASC API key. Cross-reference our 1Password storage pattern.
TestFlight overview (ASC Help)https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/test-a-beta-version/testflight-overviewThe end-to-end TestFlight flow — test info, builds, internal vs external groups, beta review.Setting up a new TestFlight track or onboarding new tester groups for Squarely or future apps.
TestFlight (developer landing)https://developer.apple.com/testflight/Product page describing tester limits (100 internal / 10,000 external) and platform support.Quick capacity check or to confirm what platforms support TestFlight.
Invite external testershttps://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/test-a-beta-version/invite-external-testers/Mechanics of public TestFlight links, group management, and external-tester beta review.Before opening a public TestFlight beta or sharing a build with non-team testers.
Testing IAP / subscriptions in TestFlighthttps://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/test-a-beta-version/testing-subscriptions-and-in-app-purchases-in-testflight/What StoreKit behaviour looks like in TestFlight builds vs Sandbox vs Production.Debugging “0 products returned” or subscription-state issues that only appear in TestFlight.
App build statuses (ASC Help reference)https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/reference/app-uploads/app-build-statuses/Glossary of every status string ASC may report on an uploaded build.When a build is stuck — look up the exact status before guessing.
Distribute (developer landing)https://developer.apple.com/distribute/Apple’s catalog of all distribution paths (App Store, TestFlight, Enterprise, web distribution, unlisted).Choosing which distribution model fits a new RDCO product (e.g., MAC info-product as App Store vs unlisted).
Set distribution methods (ASC Help)https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/manage-your-apps-availability/set-distribution-methods/How to flip distribution method on an existing app in ASC.Switching a Squarely-adjacent app between public, unlisted, or pre-order.
Distributing your app from your websitehttps://developer.apple.com/documentation/appdistribution/distributing-your-app-from-your-websiteThe EU/Alternative Distribution path Apple opened in 2024.Only relevant if RDCO ships an EU-only build outside the App Store; out of scope for Squarely now.
Unlisted App Distributionhttps://developer.apple.com/support/unlisted-app-distribution/Apply-by-form path to publish an app discoverable only via direct link.If an internal-tool or limited-audience RDCO app should not appear in App Store search.
Upcoming Requirementshttps://developer.apple.com/news/upcoming-requirements/Rolling list of SDK / OS / privacy deadlines Apple is enforcing.Quarterly check, and before any cycle that may butt up against an SDK floor (e.g., iOS 26 SDK floor in April 2026).

Paul Hudson / HackingWithSwift (Swift-native deep dives)

Hudson’s site is heavier on Swift/SwiftUI tutorials than on App Store mechanics — most of the App Store content lives on the forum side and in Hacking with Swift+ subscriber lessons. Use his content for Swift-language root-causing of submission failures, not as a primary distribution-process source.

Title / areaURLWhat it covers (our words)When to consult
HackingWithSwift homehttps://www.hackingwithswift.com/Top-level entry; search bar is the fastest path to specific topics.When a Swift / SwiftUI / Xcode error needs a tutorial-grade explanation rather than docs-grade.
HackingWithSwift forums (search)https://www.hackingwithswift.com/forumsCommunity Q&A — strong on TestFlight rejections, build-failure post-mortems, CloudKit-in-TestFlight oddities.When a TestFlight or App Store error message returns no useful hits in Apple’s forums. Search by exact error string.
Hacking with Swift+ (subscriber)https://www.hackingwithswift.com/plusPaid track including the “Ultimate Portfolio App” project which walks through real submission incl. accessibility, IAP, and pre-launch readiness.When upgrading our submission-readiness checklist; this is the most opinionated Swift-native take. Subscriber-gated.

Hudson also publishes via twostraws GitHub and YouTube — use those when a topic doesn’t surface on the main site.

Antoine van der Lee / SwiftLee (App Store Connect deep dive)

AvdLee is the primary independent authority on the ASC API in Swift. His SDK is the de facto Swift wrapper.

TitleURLWhat it covers (our words)When to consult
App Store Connect API SDK in Swift: Creating Developer Toolshttps://www.avanderlee.com/swift/app-store-connect-api-adoption/Article walking through JWT auth (Issuer ID + Key ID + .p8) and using the AvdLee Swift SDK to call ASC endpoints.When evaluating whether to build a Swift-native ASC tool versus the shell wrapper at ~/.claude/scripts/asc-api.sh.
AvdLee/appstoreconnect-swift-sdk (GitHub)https://github.com/AvdLee/appstoreconnect-swift-sdkSwift SDK generated from Apple’s OpenAPI spec; ~7yrs maintained, 38+ releases.If/when we want a typed Swift API for an internal RDCO tool; also valuable as a reference for endpoint coverage.
AvdLee blog indexhttps://www.avanderlee.com/recents/Weekly Swift posts; periodically covers App Store Optimization and Xcode-side release tooling.Periodic browsing for ASC-adjacent best practices; not a primary submission source.

fastlane (the canonical iOS automation toolkit)

fastlane is the industry-standard wrapper around App Store Connect, TestFlight, code signing, and metadata sync. We are intentionally taking a direct-API path with asc-api.sh for the /squarely-deploy skill, but fastlane remains the reference implementation for what a complete release pipeline looks like.

TitleURLWhat it covers (our words)When to consult
fastlane homehttps://fastlane.tools/Project landing — “App automation done right.” Lists actions and platforms.Quick orientation for newcomers to the toolkit.
fastlane docshttps://docs.fastlane.tools/Full action reference and getting-started guides for iOS and Android.Lookup when our own automation needs a precedent for a given step.
iOS App Store deployment guidehttps://docs.fastlane.tools/getting-started/ios/appstore-deployment/Reference recipe for screenshots → code signing → build → upload → submit lane.When sketching the shape of our /squarely-deploy workflow; mine for step ordering and gotchas.
deliver / upload_to_app_store actionhttps://docs.fastlane.tools/actions/upload_to_app_store/Detailed parameter list for binary upload, metadata sync, screenshots, and review submission.Cross-check parameter names and required fields; many ASC API calls have analogous fastlane semantics.
appstore actionhttps://docs.fastlane.tools/actions/appstore/Alias for upload_to_app_store with App Store-specific defaults.Cross-reference when deliver docs feel ambiguous.

When to use fastlane vs our direct-API skill: use /squarely-deploy (asc-api.sh) for the routine Squarely release loop because it has zero Ruby toolchain dependency and we control every step. Reach for fastlane only if (a) we need Match-style certificate management across multiple machines, (b) we add a second iOS app and the per-app boilerplate of asc-api.sh starts to hurt, or (c) Apple ships a feature fastlane covers and we don’t yet.

Anthropic Codex iOS plugin docs

The Codex iOS plugin / Hudson + AvdLee skills the founder installed on 2026-04-30 weren’t surfaced as a single canonical doc page in this catalogue pass — they live in ~/.agents/skills/ (currently empty on this machine, may be installed elsewhere) and the Anthropic plugin marketplace.

TitleURLWhat it covers (our words)When to consult
Anthropic Plugins directoryhttps://claude.com/pluginsAnthropic’s official plugin marketplace; iOS-relevant skills (Hudson, AvdLee, Codex iOS) are discoverable here.When checking whether a published skill already covers a problem before we hand-write one.
anthropics/claude-plugins-official (GitHub)https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-officialSource for the Anthropic-managed plugin directory; useful for reading skill SKILL.md files directly.When we want to read a skill’s instructions to mine patterns for our own.

Open question: confirm exact install paths of the Hudson + AvdLee + Codex iOS skills the founder installed 2026-04-30. They were not under ~/.agents/skills/ at the time of this catalogue (2026-05-03 02:00 ET).

Mapping against Ray Data Co

Direct application: the /squarely-deploy skill at ~/.claude/skills/squarely-deploy/SKILL.md references this note in its cross-references. When the skill’s Known gotchas section surfaces an unfamiliar error or edge case, this note is the lookup index for “where in Apple/Hudson/fastlane docs the answer lives.”

Cross-cutting capability per founder’s framing: this catalogue serves Squarely now, future iOS apps under RDCO, future Mac apps. Same reference set; updated when Apple ships major API or process changes.

The two highest-leverage links to keep mental cache of:

  1. App Review Guidelines — the rulebook. If an app gets rejected, start here, not Stack Overflow.
  2. ASC API release notes — the change log. If automation breaks, start here.

Open follow-ups