asc iris — App Store Connect Private API

Access App Store Connect private API (iris) endpoints using cookie-based authentication. The iris API powers the ASC web UI and exposes capabilities not available through the public REST API, such as app creation.

Authentication

Iris uses browser cookies, not JWT API keys. Two resolution methods:

1. Browser auto-extraction (default) — log in to appstoreconnect.apple.com in Chrome/Safari/Firefox. Cookies are extracted automatically via SweetCookieKit.
2. Environment variable — set ASC_IRIS_COOKIES for CI/CD:

   export ASC_IRIS_COOKIES="myacinfo=DAWT...; itctx=eyJ..."
   

The essential cookie is myacinfo (set on .apple.com). Additional cookies (itctx, dqsid, wosid) are collected from appstoreconnect.apple.com.

How to Navigate (CAEOAS Affordances)

Every JSON response contains an "affordances" field with ready-to-run commands:

{
  "source": "browser",
  "cookieCount": 5,
  "affordances": {
    "listApps": "asc iris apps list",
    "createApp": "asc iris apps create --name <name> --bundle-id <id> --sku <sku>"
  }
}

Commands

status — check iris session

asc iris status --pretty

Output:

{
  "data": [{
    "affordances": {
      "createApp": "asc iris apps create --name <name> --bundle-id <id> --sku <sku>",
      "listApps": "asc iris apps list"
    },
    "cookieCount": 5,
    "source": "browser"
  }]
}

If cookies are not found, the error message will suggest logging in to appstoreconnect.apple.com or setting ASC_IRIS_COOKIES.

apps list — list all apps

asc iris apps list --pretty

Output:

{
  "data": [{
    "affordances": {
      "listAppInfos": "asc app-infos list --app-id 1234567890",
      "listVersions": "asc versions list --app-id 1234567890"
    },
    "bundleId": "com.example.app",
    "id": "1234567890",
    "name": "My App",
    "platforms": ["IOS"],
    "primaryLocale": "en-US",
    "sku": "MYSKU"
  }]
}

apps create — create a new app

asc iris apps create \
  --name "My App" \
  --bundle-id com.example.app \
  --sku com.example.app \
  [--primary-locale en-US] \
  [--platforms IOS] \
  [--version 1.0] \
  --pretty

Flag	Required	Default	Description
--name	✅	—	App name (shown on App Store)
--bundle-id	✅	—	Bundle identifier (must match a registered bundle ID)
--sku	✅	—	SKU identifier (unique within your account)
--primary-locale	❌	en-US	Primary locale
--platforms	❌	IOS	One or more: IOS, MAC_OS
--version	❌	1.0	Initial version string

Multi-platform example:

asc iris apps create \
  --name "My Universal App" \
  --bundle-id com.example.universal \
  --sku com.example.universal \
  --platforms IOS MAC_OS \
  --version 2.0 \
  --pretty

Important: The --bundle-id must reference an already-registered bundle identifier. Register one first with asc bundle-ids register if needed.

Typical Workflow

# 1. Check if you're logged in
asc iris status --pretty

# 2. Create a new app
asc iris apps create \
  --name "My New App" \
  --bundle-id com.example.newapp \
  --sku com.example.newapp \
  --pretty

# 3. Continue with public API commands (use the app ID from step 2)
asc versions list --app-id <id>
asc app-infos list --app-id <id>

Troubleshooting

"No App Store Connect cookies found"

• Make sure you're logged in to appstoreconnect.apple.com in your browser
• If using Chrome, the CLI needs Keychain access to decrypt cookies — grant access when prompted
• For CI/CD, set ASC_IRIS_COOKIES with the cookie string

409 ENTITY_ERROR.INCLUDED.INVALID_ID

• Placeholder IDs in the create request must use the ${local-id} format — this is handled automatically by the CLI

Empty results from iris apps list

• This is normal if no apps have been created yet — create one with asc iris apps create