# Gplay Tracks

> Inspect and manage Google Play release tracks and their testers. Use when checking what's on a track, creating a closed-testing track before an upload, auditing country availability (read-only), or setting the Google Groups authorized to test a closed track.

- Skill: `pollyglot/gplay-tracks` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add pollyglot/gplay-tracks`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/pollyglot/gplay-tracks/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: PollyGlot (https://skillmd.com/u/pollyglot)
- Updated: 2026-09-21
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/pollyglot/gplay-tracks

---


# gplay tracks (+ availability + testers)

Tracks are where releases live; testers are who may install a closed track.
gplay folds the two together because they are operationally coupled
(DESIGN §10). Shared conventions (auth, `--package`, output, exit codes) are
in `gplay-cli-usage`; shipping builds onto tracks is `gplay-release-flow`.

## Inspect tracks

```bash
gplay tracks list --package com.example.app          # every track on the app
gplay tracks view --track production                 # one track's full state
```

`tracks view` answers "is anything wrong on this track right now?": the latest
release, its status, and rollout fraction.

## Create a closed track

```bash
gplay tracks create qa-team
```

The create endpoint supports **exactly one kind**: a `CLOSED_TESTING` track on
the DEFAULT (phone) form factor, so there is no `--type` / `--form-factor`
flag, and there is **no API path to create open/internal tracks** (those exist
already). Creating a track that already exists surfaces the API error (exit
`30`); gplay does not fake idempotency. Use `--dry-run` to preview the
`TrackConfig`; there is no `--confirm` (a closed test track is low-stakes).

> This is the other half of the release-flow **trackhint**: an
> `upload`/`promote` to a custom closed track that doesn't exist yet fails with
> exit `30` and tells you to run `gplay tracks create <name>` first; gplay
> never auto-creates a track as a side effect. See `gplay-release-flow`.

## Country availability (read-only)

```bash
gplay tracks availability view --track production
```

Availability, which countries a track's artifacts ship to, is **read-only**
at the Developer API level (ADR-0012): there is no writer. To *change* where an
app is available, use the Play Console. The bare `gplay tracks availability`
prints help; the read is `availability view`.

## Testers (closed-track audience)

```bash
gplay testers list --track qa-team
gplay testers set --track qa-team --group qa@googlegroups.com,beta@googlegroups.com
gplay testers set --track qa-team --clear        # close the closed test
```

`testers set` is **declarative**: it replaces the *whole* audience (it maps 1:1
to `testers.update`; there is no add/remove). The API exposes **only Google
Groups**, not individual tester emails. A bare `set` with neither `--group`
nor `--clear` is refused (exit `2`) so a forgotten `--group` can never silently
wipe the list; empty the audience on purpose with `--clear`. No `--confirm`;
`--dry-run` previews.

## Typical closed-test setup

```bash
gplay tracks create qa-team
gplay testers set --track qa-team --group qa@googlegroups.com
gplay releases upload ./app.aab --track qa-team        # see gplay-release-flow
```