---
name: asc-shots-pipeline
description: Orchestrate iOS screenshot automation with xcodebuild/simctl for build-run, AXe for UI actions, JSON settings and plan files, Koubou-based framing (`asc screenshots frame`), and screenshot upload (`asc screenshots upload`). Use when users ask for automated screenshot capture, AXe-driven simulator flows, frame composition, or screenshot-to-upload pipelines.
---

# asc screenshots pipeline (xcodebuild -> AXe -> frame -> asc)

Use this skill for agent-driven screenshot workflows where the app is built and launched with Xcode CLI tools, UI is driven with AXe, and screenshots are uploaded with `asc`.

## Current scope
- Implemented now: build/run, AXe plan capture, frame composition, and upload.
- Device discovery is built-in via `asc screenshots list-frame-devices`.
- Local screenshot automation commands are experimental in asc cli.
- Framing is pinned to Koubou `0.20.0` for deterministic output.
- Feedback/issues: https://github.com/rorkai/App-Store-Connect-CLI/issues/new/choose

## Defaults
- Settings file: `.asc/shots.settings.json`
- Capture plan: `.asc/screenshots.json`
- Raw screenshots dir: `./screenshots/raw`
- Framed screenshots dir: `./screenshots/framed`
- Default frame device: `iphone-air`

## 1) Create settings JSON first

Create or update `.asc/shots.settings.json`:

```json
{
  "version": 1,
  "app": {
    "bundle_id": "com.example.app",
    "project": "MyApp.xcodeproj",
    "scheme": "MyApp",
    "simulator_udid": "booted"
  },
  "paths": {
    "plan": ".asc/screenshots.json",
    "raw_dir": "./screenshots/raw",
    "framed_dir": "./screenshots/framed"
  },
  "pipeline": {
    "frame_enabled": true,
    "upload_enabled": false
  },
  "upload": {
    "version_localization_id": "",
    "device_type": "IPHONE_65",
    "source_dir": "./screenshots/framed"
  }
}
```

If you intentionally skip framing, set:
- `"frame_enabled": false`
- `"upload.source_dir": "./screenshots/raw"`

## 2) Build and run app on simulator

Use Xcode CLI for build/install/launch:

```bash
xcrun simctl boot "$UDID" || true

xcodebuild \
  -project "MyApp.xcodeproj" \
  -scheme "MyApp" \
  -configuration Debug \
  -destination "platform=iOS Simulator,id=$UDID" \
  -derivedDataPath ".build/DerivedData" \
  build

xcrun simctl install "$UDID" ".build/DerivedData/Build/Products/Debug-iphonesimulator/MyApp.app"
xcrun simctl launch "$UDID" "com.example.app"
```

Use `xcodebuild -showBuildSettings` if the app bundle path differs from the default location.

## 3) Capture screenshots with AXe (or `asc screenshots run`)

Prefer plan-driven capture:

```bash
asc screenshots run --plan ".asc/screenshots.json" --udid "$UDID" --output json
```

Useful AXe primitives during plan authoring:

```bash
axe describe-ui --udid "$UDID"
axe tap --id "search_field" --udid "$UDID"
axe type "wwdc" --udid "$UDID"
axe screenshot --output "./screenshots/raw/home.png" --udid "$UDID"
```

Minimal `.asc/screenshots.json` example:

```json
{
  "version": 1,
  "app": {
    "bundle_id": "com.example.app",
    "udid": "booted",
    "output_dir": "./screenshots/raw"
  },
  "steps": [
    { "action": "launch" },
    { "action": "wait", "duration_ms": 800 },
    { "action": "screenshot", "name": "home" }
  ]
}
```

## 4) Frame screenshots with `asc screenshots frame`

The asc CLI pins framing to Koubou `0.20.0`.
Install and verify before running framing steps:

```bash
pip install koubou==0.20.0
kou --version  # expect 0.20.0
# After upgrading from 0.18.x, or if Koubou reports missing device frames,
# run once with network access:
kou setup-frames
```

List supported frame device values first:

```bash
asc screenshots list-frame-devices --output json
```

Frame one screenshot (defaults to `iphone-air`):

```bash
asc screenshots frame \
  --input "./screenshots/raw/home.png" \
  --output-dir "./screenshots/framed" \
  --device "iphone-air" \
  --output json
```

Supported `--device` values:
- iPhone: `iphone-air` (default), `iphone-17-pro`, `iphone-17-pro-max`, `iphone-16e`, `iphone-17`
- iPad: `ipad-pro-13`, `ipad-pro-11`, `ipad-air-13`, `ipad-air-11`, `ipad-mini`
- Other: `mac`, `watch-series-11`, `watch-ultra-3`, `apple-tv`

## 5) Upload screenshots with asc

Generate and review artifacts before upload:

```bash
asc screenshots review-generate --framed-dir "./screenshots/framed" --output-dir "./screenshots/review"
asc screenshots review-open --output-dir "./screenshots/review"
asc screenshots review-approve --all-ready --output-dir "./screenshots/review"
```

For reviewed multi-locale sets, prefer the plan/apply flow so existing remote screenshot counts are included before upload:

```bash
asc screenshots plan --app "APP_ID" --version "1.2.3" --review-output-dir "./screenshots/review" --output json
asc screenshots apply --app "APP_ID" --version "1.2.3" --review-output-dir "./screenshots/review" --confirm --output json
```

Upload from the configured source directory (default `./screenshots/framed` when framing is enabled):

```bash
asc screenshots upload \
  --version-localization "LOC_ID" \
  --path "./screenshots/framed" \
  --device-type "IPHONE_65" \
  --output json
```

List or validate before upload when needed:

```bash
asc screenshots sizes --output table
asc screenshots list --version-localization "LOC_ID" --output table
```

Change the order of an uploaded set without re-uploading. `--ids` must list every screenshot in the set exactly once, in the new order. If a screenshot is added after the command reads the set, App Store Connect rejects the update and keeps the order it had before the update; list the set again and re-run. An order-only change made by someone else is not detected and is overwritten.

```bash
asc localizations screenshot-sets list --localization-id "LOC_ID" --include appScreenshots
asc screenshots list --set-id "SET_ID" --output table
asc screenshots reorder --set-id "SET_ID" --ids "THIRD_ID,FIRST_ID,SECOND_ID"
```

## Agent behavior
- Always confirm exact flags with `--help` before running commands.
- Re-check command paths with `asc screenshots --help` because screenshot commands are evolving quickly.
- Keep outputs deterministic: default to JSON for machine steps.
- Prefer `asc screenshots list-frame-devices --output json` before selecting a frame device.
- Ensure screenshot files exist before upload.
- Reorder an uploaded set with `asc screenshots reorder`; never delete and re-upload screenshots to change their order.
- Use explicit long flags (`--app`, `--output`, `--version-localization`, etc.).
- Treat screenshot-local automation as experimental and call it out in user-facing handoff notes.
- Use `asc screenshots plan` / `asc screenshots apply` for reviewed batches when you need append-limit guardrails across existing remote screenshots.
- If framing fails with a version error, re-install pinned Koubou: `pip install koubou==0.20.0`.
- If framing fails because device frames are missing, run `kou setup-frames` once with network access.

## 6) Multi-locale capture (optional)

Do not use `xcrun simctl launch ... -e AppleLanguages` for localization.
`-e` is an environment variable pattern and does not reliably switch app language.

For this pipeline, use simulator-wide locale defaults per UDID. This works with
`asc screenshots capture`, which relaunches the app internally.

```bash
# Map each locale to a dedicated simulator UDID.
# (Create these simulators once with `xcrun simctl create`.)
declare -A LOCALE_UDID=(
  ["en-US"]="UDID_EN_US"
  ["de-DE"]="UDID_DE_DE"
  ["fr-FR"]="UDID_FR_FR"
  ["ja-JP"]="UDID_JA_JP"
)

set_simulator_locale() {
  local UDID="$1"
  local LOCALE="$2"            # e.g. de-DE
  local LANG="${LOCALE%%-*}"   # de
  local APPLE_LOCALE="${LOCALE/-/_}" # de_DE

  xcrun simctl boot "$UDID" || true
  xcrun simctl spawn "$UDID" defaults write NSGlobalDomain AppleLanguages -array "$LANG"
  xcrun simctl spawn "$UDID" defaults write NSGlobalDomain AppleLocale -string "$APPLE_LOCALE"
}

for LOCALE in "${!LOCALE_UDID[@]}"; do
  UDID="${LOCALE_UDID[$LOCALE]}"
  echo "Capturing $LOCALE on $UDID..."
  set_simulator_locale "$UDID" "$LOCALE"

  xcrun simctl terminate "$UDID" "com.example.app" || true
  asc screenshots capture \
    --bundle-id "com.example.app" \
    --name "home" \
    --udid "$UDID" \
    --output-dir "./screenshots/raw/$LOCALE" \
    --output json
done
```

If you launch manually (outside `asc screenshots capture`), use app launch arguments:

```bash
xcrun simctl launch "$UDID" "com.example.app" -AppleLanguages "(de)" -AppleLocale "de_DE"
```

## 7) Parallel execution for speed

Run one locale per simulator UDID in parallel:

```bash
#!/bin/bash
# parallel-capture.sh

declare -A LOCALE_UDID=(
  ["en-US"]="UDID_EN_US"
  ["de-DE"]="UDID_DE_DE"
  ["fr-FR"]="UDID_FR_FR"
  ["ja-JP"]="UDID_JA_JP"
)

capture_locale() {
  local LOCALE="$1"
  local UDID="$2"
  local LANG="${LOCALE%%-*}"
  local APPLE_LOCALE="${LOCALE/-/_}"

  echo "Starting $LOCALE on $UDID"
  xcrun simctl boot "$UDID" || true
  xcrun simctl spawn "$UDID" defaults write NSGlobalDomain AppleLanguages -array "$LANG"
  xcrun simctl spawn "$UDID" defaults write NSGlobalDomain AppleLocale -string "$APPLE_LOCALE"
  xcrun simctl terminate "$UDID" "com.example.app" || true

  asc screenshots capture \
    --bundle-id "com.example.app" \
    --name "home" \
    --udid "$UDID" \
    --output-dir "./screenshots/raw/$LOCALE" \
    --output json

  echo "Completed $LOCALE"
}

for LOCALE in "${!LOCALE_UDID[@]}"; do
  capture_locale "$LOCALE" "${LOCALE_UDID[$LOCALE]}" &
done

wait
echo "All captures done. Now framing..."
```

Or use `xargs` with `locale:udid` pairs:

```bash
printf "%s\n" \
  "en-US:UDID_EN_US" \
  "de-DE:UDID_DE_DE" \
  "fr-FR:UDID_FR_FR" \
  "ja-JP:UDID_JA_JP" | xargs -P 4 -I {} bash -c '
    PAIR="{}"
    LOCALE="${PAIR%%:*}"
    UDID="${PAIR##*:}"
    LANG="${LOCALE%%-*}"
    APPLE_LOCALE="${LOCALE/-/_}"
    xcrun simctl boot "$UDID" || true
    xcrun simctl spawn "$UDID" defaults write NSGlobalDomain AppleLanguages -array "$LANG"
    xcrun simctl spawn "$UDID" defaults write NSGlobalDomain AppleLocale -string "$APPLE_LOCALE"
    xcrun simctl terminate "$UDID" "com.example.app" || true
    asc screenshots capture --bundle-id "com.example.app" --name "home" --udid "$UDID" --output-dir "./screenshots/raw/$LOCALE" --output json
  '
```

## 8) Full multi-locale pipeline example

```bash
#!/bin/bash
# full-pipeline-multi-locale.sh

declare -A LOCALE_UDID=(
  ["en-US"]="UDID_EN_US"
  ["de-DE"]="UDID_DE_DE"
  ["fr-FR"]="UDID_FR_FR"
  ["es-ES"]="UDID_ES_ES"
  ["ja-JP"]="UDID_JA_JP"
)

DEVICE="iphone-air"
RAW_DIR="./screenshots/raw"
FRAMED_DIR="./screenshots/framed"

# Step 1: Parallel capture with per-simulator locale defaults
for LOCALE in "${!LOCALE_UDID[@]}"; do
  (
    UDID="${LOCALE_UDID[$LOCALE]}"
    LANG="${LOCALE%%-*}"
    APPLE_LOCALE="${LOCALE/-/_}"

    xcrun simctl boot "$UDID" || true
    xcrun simctl spawn "$UDID" defaults write NSGlobalDomain AppleLanguages -array "$LANG"
    xcrun simctl spawn "$UDID" defaults write NSGlobalDomain AppleLocale -string "$APPLE_LOCALE"
    xcrun simctl terminate "$UDID" "com.example.app" || true

    asc screenshots capture \
      --bundle-id "com.example.app" \
      --name "home" \
      --udid "$UDID" \
      --output-dir "$RAW_DIR/$LOCALE" \
      --output json
    echo "Captured $LOCALE"
  ) &
done
wait

# Step 2: Parallel framing
for LOCALE in "${!LOCALE_UDID[@]}"; do
  (
    asc screenshots frame \
      --input "$RAW_DIR/$LOCALE/home.png" \
      --output-dir "$FRAMED_DIR/$LOCALE" \
      --device "$DEVICE" \
      --output json
    echo "Framed $LOCALE"
  ) &
done
wait

# Step 3: Generate review (single run, aggregates all locales)
asc screenshots review-generate \
  --framed-dir "$FRAMED_DIR" \
  --output-dir "./screenshots/review"

# Step 4: Upload (run per locale if needed)
for LOCALE in "${!LOCALE_UDID[@]}"; do
  asc screenshots upload \
    --version-localization "LOC_ID_FOR_$LOCALE" \
    --path "$FRAMED_DIR/$LOCALE" \
    --device-type "IPHONE_65" \
    --output json
done
```


---
Source attribution: rudrankriyam
Original project: https://github.com/rudrankriyam/app-store-connect-cli-skills/blob/7de1ef7cc831f62d205dfa589063f3831f66391b/skills/asc-shots-pipeline/SKILL.md
License: MIT
License information: https://opensource.org/license/mit
Original upstream instructions; downloaded from Dave AI.

## Upstream license notice

MIT License

Copyright (c) 2026 Rudrank Riyam

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
SOFTWARE.



# Dave AI resource metadata

Creator / publisher: rudrankriyam
Original project: https://github.com/rudrankriyam/app-store-connect-cli-skills/blob/7de1ef7cc831f62d205dfa589063f3831f66391b/skills/asc-shots-pipeline/SKILL.md
Attribution basis: Source repository record

Fields of work: Development & Engineering, Product Management
Roles: Mobile Developer, Product Manager, QA / Test Engineer
Specialties: Frontend, Git, Mobile
Tools: Asc, Axe, Xcodebuild
Country applicability: Country not specified
Classification basis: Source catalog labels
Instruction SHA-256: e373b45622b525027b46eb2c322a83b8ce3a3bcd972ada2892d0cd41fbdbd11f