App Store Preview Pipeline

App Store Preview Pipeline

Plan and produce App Store Connect previews and screenshots through a proof-first workflow.

Use This Skill When

• the user wants App Store Connect previews or screenshots for an Apple app
• simulator screenshots should be repeatable across locales or devices
• the project needs stable sample data before marketing capture can begin
• the user wants automation for navigating to specific screens and saving raw captures
• a local preview and export layer is needed before generating final store assets
• the project should own a maintainable screenshot pipeline that can be rerun later without reconstructing steps from chat
• the workflow should pause for review after a small proof set instead of generating everything at once

Required Operating Model

1. Treat final store assets as the output of a multi-stage pipeline, not a one-shot screenshot script.
2. Convert reusable work into project-owned scripts, manifests, sample-data hooks, preview layers, and validation commands so future reruns do not depend on agent memory or chat history.
3. Inspect whether the app already supports deterministic simulator sample data before authoring capture automation.
4. If stable sample data does not exist, ask the user what is available and help define a repeatable seed path before taking screenshots.
5. Ask which screens, locales, devices, coverage goals, and visual requirements matter before writing automation.
6. Generate a small proof set first, get user approval, then expand to batch export.
7. Research the current App Store Connect screenshot specifications before final export when the user wants coverage across as many iPhone or iPad classes as possible.
8. Inspect the project's existing layout first, recommend one or more sensible raw-capture and final-export locations that fit those conventions, let the user choose among those options or provide fully custom paths, then confirm which chosen paths should be committed versus ignored and the target size strategy and opaque image requirement before writing large batches of exported images.
9. Clean up temporary outputs and intermediate artifacts that are safe to remove after delivery.
10. Identify generated, cached, or review-only artifacts that should stay local and remind the user to put those paths in the project's .gitignore; explicitly cover the chosen raw-capture and final-export locations, and if the keep-vs-ignore boundary is unclear, ask the user before changing ignore rules.
11. If this is the first time the project has run the screenshot pipeline, end with a short maintenance handoff: explain how to rerun sample data setup, proof capture, final export, validation, and cleanup, then ask whether that workflow should be written into the project's README or developer documentation.

Project Profile

Look for a screenshot pipeline profile in one of these places before making assumptions:

• app-store-preview-pipeline-profile.yaml
• .ai/app-store-preview-pipeline-profile.yaml
• .github/app-store-preview-pipeline-profile.yaml
• another path explicitly provided by the user

If no profile exists, use the conservative defaults in workflow and recommend creating a project profile before this workflow becomes routine.

Use assets/app-store-preview-pipeline-profile.yaml as the template when a project needs one.

Procedure

1. Follow the end-to-end sequence in workflow.
2. Use sample data to establish a deterministic simulator state contract.
3. Use capture automation to design app-specific scripts for proof captures.
4. Use project layout to keep source captures, preview sources, reviews, and exports separate.
5. Use final export to stage preview review, optional web preview tooling, current size coverage checks, and final batch generation.
6. Use batch pipeline for concrete tool selection (xcrun simctl / idb / Playwright), parallel device runners, and validation patterns once the project is past the proof stage. The reference scripts at assets/capture-screenshots.py, assets/compose-screenshots.mjs, and assets/sync-store-config-screenshots.py are starting templates the project should copy in and adapt rather than reinvent.
7. Use assets/validate-exported-images.py as a template for a project-owned pre-delivery validation command.
8. Use cleanup to remove disposable intermediate artifacts after delivery.
9. Use public examples only as outcome references, never as implementation dependencies.
10. Use cleanup to decide which reproducible-but-local artifacts belong in the project's .gitignore, and ask the user before editing ignore rules when the right boundary is unclear.
11. If the pipeline is being introduced for the first time in a project, finish with the maintenance handoff described in workflow, including the question about writing the rerun process into the project's README or developer docs.

Exit Criteria

• the project has a documented path to deterministic simulator sample data
• the requested screens, locales, devices, and review checkpoints are explicit
• the target size strategy is explicit, especially when the user wants broad iPhone or iPad coverage
• a proof set is generated and reviewed before full batch export
• raw captures and final App Store Connect screenshots or static preview compositions are exported to confirmed destinations
• the project owns reusable scripts or commands for regenerating sample data, raw captures, validation, and final export
• final exported images are flattened and do not contain transparent alpha
• disposable intermediate outputs are identified and cleaned up when safe
• generated or review-only artifacts that should not be committed are identified, and .gitignore handling is either updated or explicitly discussed with the user, including the chosen raw-capture and final-export paths
• if this is the project's first run, the user is told how to maintain and rerun the pipeline later, and is asked whether that process should be documented in the project's README or developer documentation