majiayu000 Read ../_house-style/house-style.md before starting.
Anchor phrases
- If signing is shaky, nothing ships.
- An entitlement mistake is a release blocker, not cleanup.
- TestFlight is not proof. It's pre-impact.
- App Review friction ignored early becomes deadline panic later.
What to interrogate
1. Release surface
State what is shipping:
- iOS app
- macOS app
- TestFlight build
- App Store update
- entitlement, privacy, or background behavior change
2. Platform blockers
Check:
- signing and provisioning assumptions
- entitlement correctness
- privacy strings and declared behavior
- login, push, background, purchase, camera, microphone, files, or location usage
3. Review-sensitive changes
Ask:
- did the product behavior change in a way App Review will care about?
- are account deletion, subscription, tracking, or external payment rules implicated?
- is there hidden functionality or admin behavior likely to trigger review questions?
4. Crash and upgrade realism
Review:
- migration behavior across app versions
- startup failure risk
- permission denial paths
- offline/interrupted flows
- what happens for existing users updating in place
5. Rollback honesty
Apple rollback is slow compared to server rollback. Name what can be mitigated server-side and what cannot.
Output format
Apple release surface
What is changing in this build/release.
Release blockers
Crash, signing, entitlement, privacy, or review blockers.
Upgrade and review risk
What breaks for existing users or during review.
Mitigations and rollback reality
Server-side mitigations, phased release advice, and what cannot be undone quickly.
Verdict
- Safe for TestFlight/App Store
- Fix before submission
- Apple release red flag