Asc Workflow

asc workflow

Use this skill when you need lane-style automation inside the CLI using:

• asc workflow run
• asc workflow validate
• asc workflow list

This feature is best for deterministic automation that lives in your repo, is reviewable in PRs, and can run the same way locally and in CI.

Command discovery

• Always use --help to confirm flags and subcommands:
  • asc workflow --help
  • asc workflow run --help
  • asc workflow validate --help
  • asc workflow list --help

End-to-end flow

1. Author .asc/workflow.json
2. Validate structure and references:
   • asc workflow validate
3. Discover available workflows:
   • asc workflow list
   • asc workflow list --all (includes private helpers)
4. Preview execution without side effects:
   • asc workflow run --dry-run beta
5. Execute with runtime params:
   • asc workflow run beta BUILD_ID:123456789 GROUP_ID:abcdef

File location and format

• Default path: .asc/workflow.json
• Override path: asc workflow run --file ./path/to/workflow.json <name>
• JSONC comments are supported (// and /* ... */)

Output and CI contract

• stdout: structured JSON result (status, steps, durations)
• stderr: step command output, hook output, dry-run previews
• asc workflow validate always prints JSON and returns non-zero when invalid

This enables machine-safe checks:

asc workflow validate | jq -e '.valid == true'
asc workflow run beta BUILD_ID:123 GROUP_ID:xyz | jq -e '.status == "ok"'

Schema (what the feature supports)

Top-level keys:

• env: global defaults
• before_all: command run once before steps
• after_all: command run once after successful steps
• error: command run when any failure occurs
• workflows: named workflow map

Workflow keys:

• description
• private (not directly runnable)
• env
• steps

Step forms:

• String shorthand: "echo hello" -> run step
• Object with:
  • run: shell command
  • workflow: call sub-workflow
  • name: label for reporting
  • if: conditional var name
  • with: env overrides for workflow-call steps only

Runtime params (KEY:VALUE / KEY=VALUE)

• asc workflow run <name> [KEY:VALUE ...] supports both separators:
  • VERSION:2.1.0
  • VERSION=2.1.0
• If both separators exist, the first one wins.
• Repeated keys are last-write-wins.
• In step commands, reference params via shell expansion ($VAR).
• Avoid putting secrets in .asc/workflow.json; pass them via CI secrets/env.

Run-tail flags

asc workflow run also accepts core flags after the workflow name:

• --dry-run
• --pretty
• --file

Examples:

• asc workflow run beta --dry-run
• asc workflow run beta --file .asc/workflow.json BUILD_ID:123

Execution semantics

• before_all runs once before step execution
• after_all runs only when steps succeed
• error runs on failure (step failure, before/after hook failure)
• Sub-workflows are executed inline as part of the call step
• Maximum sub-workflow nesting depth is 16

Env precedence

Main workflow run:

• definition.env < workflow.env < CLI params

Sub-workflow call step ("workflow": "...", "with": {...}):

• sub-workflow env defaults
• caller env (including CLI params) overrides
• step with overrides all

Sub-workflows and private workflows

• Use "workflow": "<name>" to call helper workflows.
• Use "private": true for helper-only workflows.
• Private workflows:
  • cannot be run directly
  • can be called by other workflows
  • are hidden from asc workflow list unless --all is used
• Validation catches unknown workflow references and cyclic references.

Conditionals (if)

• Add "if": "VAR_NAME" on a step.
• Step runs only if VAR_NAME is truthy.
• Truthy: 1, true, yes, y, on (case-insensitive).
• Resolution order for if lookup:
  1. merged workflow env/params
  2. os.Getenv(VAR_NAME)

Dry-run behavior

• asc workflow run --dry-run <name> does not execute commands.
• It prints previews to stderr.
• Dry-run shows raw commands (without env expansion), which helps avoid secret leakage in previews.

Shell behavior

• Run steps use bash -o pipefail -c when bash is available.
• Fallback is sh -c when bash is unavailable.
• Pipelines therefore fail correctly in most CI shells when bash exists.

Practical authoring rules

• Keep workflow files in version control.
• Use IDs in step commands where possible for deterministic automation.
• Use --confirm for destructive asc operations inside steps.
• Validate first, then dry-run, then real run.
• Keep hooks lightweight and side-effect aware.

{
  "env": {
    "APP_ID": "123456789",
    "VERSION": "1.0.0"
  },
  "before_all": "asc auth status",
  "after_all": "echo workflow_done",
  "error": "echo workflow_failed",
  "workflows": {
    "beta": {
      "description": "Distribute a build to a TestFlight group and notify",
      "env": {
        "GROUP_ID": ""
      },
      "steps": [
        {
          "name": "list_builds",
          "run": "asc builds list --app $APP_ID --sort -uploadedDate --limit 5"
        },
        {
          "name": "list_groups",
          "run": "asc testflight groups list --app $APP_ID --limit 20"
        },
        {
          "name": "add_build_to_group",
          "if": "BUILD_ID",
          "run": "asc builds add-groups --build $BUILD_ID --group $GROUP_ID"
        },
        {
          "name": "notify",
          "if": "SLACK_WEBHOOK",
          "run": "echo sent_release_notice"
        }
      ]
    },
    "release": {
      "description": "Submit a version for App Store review",
      "steps": [
        {
          "workflow": "sync-metadata",
          "with": {
            "METADATA_DIR": "./metadata"
          }
        },
        {
          "name": "submit",
          "run": "asc submit create --app $APP_ID --version $VERSION --build $BUILD_ID --confirm"
        }
      ]
    },
    "sync-metadata": {
      "private": true,
      "description": "Private helper workflow (callable only via workflow steps)",
      "steps": [
        {
          "name": "migrate_validate",
          "run": "echo METADATA_DIR_is_$METADATA_DIR"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

Useful invocations

# Validate and fail CI on invalid file
asc workflow validate | jq -e '.valid == true'

# Show discoverable workflows
asc workflow list --pretty

# Include private helpers
asc workflow list --all --pretty

# Preview a real run
asc workflow run --dry-run beta BUILD_ID:123 GROUP_ID:grp_abc

# Run with params and assert success
asc workflow run beta BUILD_ID:123 GROUP_ID:grp_abc | jq -e '.status == "ok"'