Beta App Review with asc

Submit builds for TestFlight external testing review and manage beta review contact details. Apple requires beta app review before distributing builds to external testers via TestFlight.

Authentication

Set up credentials before any beta review commands:

asc auth login --key-id <id> --issuer-id <id> --private-key-path ~/.asc/AuthKey.p8

CAEOAS — Affordances Guide Next Steps

Every JSON response includes "affordances" with ready-to-run commands:

BetaAppReviewSubmission affordances:

{
  "id": "sub-abc123",
  "buildId": "build-42",
  "state": "WAITING_FOR_REVIEW",
  "affordances": {
    "getSubmission": "asc beta-review submissions get --submission-id sub-abc123",
    "listSubmissions": "asc beta-review submissions list --build-id build-42"
  }
}

BetaAppReviewDetail affordances:

{
  "id": "d-xyz789",
  "appId": "app-1",
  "contactFirstName": "John",
  "contactEmail": "john@example.com",
  "demoAccountRequired": false,
  "affordances": {
    "getDetail": "asc beta-review detail get --app-id app-1",
    "updateDetail": "asc beta-review detail update --detail-id d-xyz789"
  }
}

Nil optional fields (contactFirstName, contactLastName, contactPhone, contactEmail, demoAccountName, demoAccountPassword, notes) are omitted from JSON output.

Commands

submissions list — list beta review submissions for a build

asc beta-review submissions list --build-id <BUILD_ID> [--pretty]

submissions create — submit a build for beta review

asc beta-review submissions create --build-id <BUILD_ID> [--pretty]

Creates a new beta app review submission. The build enters WAITING_FOR_REVIEW state.

submissions get — get a specific submission

asc beta-review submissions get --submission-id <SUBMISSION_ID> [--pretty]

detail get — get beta review contact details for an app

asc beta-review detail get --app-id <APP_ID> [--pretty]

Returns the beta app review detail record (contact info and demo account) for the app. Each app has one beta review detail record.

detail update — update beta review contact details

asc beta-review detail update --detail-id <DETAIL_ID> \
  [--contact-first-name <name>] \
  [--contact-last-name <name>] \
  [--contact-phone <phone>] \
  [--contact-email <email>] \
  [--demo-account-name <username>] \
  [--demo-account-password <password>] \
  [--demo-account-required] \
  [--notes <text>]

Only supplied flags are sent — unspecified fields are left unchanged.

BetaReviewState

State	Description
WAITING_FOR_REVIEW	Submitted, waiting for Apple review
IN_REVIEW	Currently being reviewed
APPROVED	Approved for external testing
REJECTED	Rejected — fix issues and resubmit

Semantic booleans: isPending, isInReview, isApproved, isRejected.

Typical Workflow

APP_ID=$(cat .asc/project.json 2>/dev/null | jq -r '.appId // empty')

# 1. Upload a build
asc builds upload --file MyApp.ipa

# 2. Add the build to an external beta group
BUILD_ID=$(asc builds list --app-id "$APP_ID" | jq -r '.data[0].id')
GROUP_ID=$(asc testflight groups list --app-id "$APP_ID" | jq -r '.data[] | select(.isInternalGroup == false) | .id' | head -1)
asc builds add-beta-group --build-id "$BUILD_ID" --beta-group-id "$GROUP_ID"

# 3. Set up beta review contact details (first time)
asc beta-review detail get --app-id "$APP_ID" --pretty
DETAIL_ID=$(asc beta-review detail get --app-id "$APP_ID" | jq -r '.data[0].id')
asc beta-review detail update --detail-id "$DETAIL_ID" \
  --contact-first-name "John" \
  --contact-last-name "Doe" \
  --contact-email "john@example.com" \
  --contact-phone "+1-555-0100"

# 4. Submit the build for beta app review
asc beta-review submissions create --build-id "$BUILD_ID" --pretty

# 5. Check submission status
asc beta-review submissions list --build-id "$BUILD_ID" --pretty

Key Computed Properties (BetaAppReviewDetail)

Property	Logic
hasContact	contactEmail != nil && contactPhone != nil
demoAccountConfigured	!demoAccountRequired || (name != nil && password != nil)

Resolve App ID

See project-context.md — check .asc/project.json before asking the user or running asc apps list.

Output Flags

--pretty          # Pretty-print JSON
--output table    # Table format
--output markdown # Markdown table