gpc-monetization
Manage subscriptions, in-app products, purchases, and pricing with GPC.
When to use
- Creating, updating, or deleting subscriptions and base plans
- Managing subscription offers (introductory, upgrade, winback)
- Creating, updating, or syncing in-app products (one-time purchases)
- Verifying, acknowledging, or consuming purchases server-side
- Cancelling, deferring, or revoking subscriptions
- Handling refunds and voided purchases
- Viewing subscription analytics (active, trial, churn, conversion)
- Migrating subscribers to new price points
- Converting prices across regions and currencies
Inputs required
- Authenticated GPC —
gpc auth statusmust show valid credentials - App package name — set via
--apporgpc config set app - Product JSON files — for create/update operations (subscription or IAP definitions)
- Purchase tokens — for verification, acknowledgement, and consumption
- Developer account ID — for some purchase operations (
--developer-id)
Procedure
0. Verify setup
gpc auth status
gpc config get app
Confirm auth is valid and default app is set. If not, Read: the gpc-setup skill.
1. Subscriptions
A. List and inspect subscriptions
# List all subscriptions
gpc subscriptions list
# Get details for a specific subscription
gpc subscriptions get <product-id>
# Paginated listing
gpc subscriptions list --limit 50
B. Create a subscription
Create a JSON file defining the subscription, then:
# Preview first
gpc subscriptions create --file subscription.json --dry-run
# Create
gpc subscriptions create --file subscription.json
# Specify a regions version (defaults to 2022/02)
gpc subscriptions create --file subscription.json --regions-version "2022/02"
Fixed in v0.9.84:
--regions-versionis now actually sent to the Google Play API on subscriptions and one-time-products create, update, and offer commands. In v0.9.77-v0.9.83 it was accepted by GPC but silently ignored. Default is2022/02if not specified. IAP and subscriptionlist --jsonalso now use the unified{ <key>, nextPageToken, meta.count }envelope (GPC v0.9.83).
Read: references/subscription-schema.md for the JSON structure and field reference.
C. Update a subscription
# Update specific fields
gpc subscriptions update <product-id> --file updated.json --update-mask "listings"
# Preview changes
gpc subscriptions update <product-id> --file updated.json --dry-run
# Upsert: create the subscription if it does not already exist
gpc subscriptions update <product-id> --file updated.json --allow-missing
# Control propagation speed (default: LATENCY_SENSITIVE)
gpc subscriptions update <product-id> --file updated.json --latency-tolerance LATENCY_TOLERANT
The --update-mask flag controls which fields are updated. Omit it to replace the entire subscription.
The --allow-missing flag enables upsert behavior: if the subscription does not exist, it will be created instead of returning an error.
The --latency-tolerance flag controls how quickly changes propagate. Use LATENCY_SENSITIVE (default) for immediate propagation, or LATENCY_TOLERANT when you can accept a delay in exchange for higher throughput during bulk operations.
D. Batch operations
# Batch-get multiple subscriptions at once
gpc subscriptions batch-get <id1> <id2> <id3>
# Batch-update multiple subscriptions from JSON
gpc subscriptions batch-update --file batch-updates.json --dry-run
gpc subscriptions batch-update --file batch-updates.json
E. Delete a subscription
gpc subscriptions delete <product-id> --dry-run
gpc subscriptions delete <product-id>
2. Base plans
Base plans define the billing period and pricing for a subscription.
# Activate a base plan (makes it available for purchase)
gpc subscriptions base-plans activate <product-id> <base-plan-id>
# Deactivate a base plan (stops new purchases, existing subscribers unaffected)
gpc subscriptions base-plans deactivate <product-id> <base-plan-id>
# Delete a base plan
gpc subscriptions base-plans delete <product-id> <base-plan-id>
# Migrate prices for a base plan
gpc subscriptions base-plans migrate-prices <product-id> <base-plan-id> --file prices.json
All base plan commands support --dry-run.
3. Subscription offers
Offers define promotional pricing (introductory, upgrade, winback).
# List offers for a base plan
gpc subscriptions offers list <product-id> <base-plan-id>
# Get offer details
gpc subscriptions offers get <product-id> <base-plan-id> <offer-id>
# Create an offer
gpc subscriptions offers create <product-id> <base-plan-id> --file offer.json --dry-run
gpc subscriptions offers create <product-id> <base-plan-id> --file offer.json
# Update an offer
gpc subscriptions offers update <product-id> <base-plan-id> <offer-id> --file offer.json
# Upsert: create the offer if it does not already exist
gpc subscriptions offers update <product-id> <base-plan-id> <offer-id> --file offer.json --allow-missing
# Control propagation speed for bulk offer updates
gpc subscriptions offers update <product-id> <base-plan-id> <offer-id> --file offer.json --latency-tolerance LATENCY_TOLERANT
# Activate / deactivate an offer
gpc subscriptions offers activate <product-id> <base-plan-id> <offer-id>
gpc subscriptions offers deactivate <product-id> <base-plan-id> <offer-id>
# Delete an offer
gpc subscriptions offers delete <product-id> <base-plan-id> <offer-id>
4. In-app products (IAP)
One-time purchases — consumables, non-consumables, entitlements.
A. List and inspect
gpc iap list
# Paginated listing (useful for apps with many products)
gpc iap list --page-size 50
gpc iap list --page-size 50 --next-page <page-token>
gpc iap get <sku>
New in v0.9.51:
gpc iap list(aliased asgpc one-time-products list) now supports--page-sizeand--next-pagefor paginated results. The response includes anextPageTokenfield when more results are available.
B. Create and update
# Create from JSON
gpc iap create --file product.json --dry-run
gpc iap create --file product.json
# Specify a regions version on create (defaults to 2022/02)
gpc iap create --file product.json --regions-version "2022/02"
# Update
gpc iap update <sku> --file updated.json --dry-run
gpc iap update <sku> --file updated.json
# Upsert: create the product if it does not already exist
gpc iap update <sku> --file updated.json --allow-missing
# Control propagation speed
gpc iap update <sku> --file updated.json --latency-tolerance LATENCY_TOLERANT
# Delete
gpc iap delete <sku>
Read: references/iap-schema.md for the JSON structure and field reference.
C. Batch delete
# Delete multiple IAP products at once
gpc iap batch-delete <sku1> <sku2> <sku3> --dry-run
gpc iap batch-delete <sku1> <sku2> <sku3>
D. Sync from directory
Bulk-manage IAP products from a directory of JSON files:
# Preview what would change
gpc iap sync --dir products/ --dry-run
# Apply changes
gpc iap sync --dir products/
Each JSON file in the directory represents one product. GPC compares local files against the Play Store and creates, updates, or deletes as needed.
One-time product offers -- single-offer commands (v0.9.96)
Google Play publishes only batch endpoints for one-time product offers, so otp offers get, create, update, and delete are sent as single-item batch requests and require --purchase-option. Omitting it fails immediately as a missing-option error, before any API call. The - wildcard works only with offers list -- run that first if you do not know which purchase option an offer belongs to.
# Find the purchase option an offer belongs to
gpc otp offers list premium_upgrade
gpc otp offers get premium_upgrade launch_discount --purchase-option buy_once
gpc otp offers create premium_upgrade --file offer.json --purchase-option buy_once
gpc otp offers update premium_upgrade launch_discount --file offer-update.json --purchase-option buy_once
gpc otp offers delete premium_upgrade launch_discount --purchase-option buy_once
offers create probes for the offer ID first and refuses with API_ALREADY_EXISTS (409) rather than overwriting -- the underlying batch endpoint is an upsert. Use offers update to change an existing offer.
Fixed in v0.9.96:
gpc one-time-products create/updateand the four single-offer commands above previously failed with a route-not-found error (Play serves the write route under a different spelling than the read routes). Requires v0.9.96+.
Activating/deactivating OTP offers (v0.9.57+)
One-time product offers support explicit activation/deactivation:
gpc otp offers activate --app com.example.app --product-id sku_id --offer-id offer_id
gpc otp offers deactivate --app com.example.app --product-id sku_id --offer-id offer_id
Matches the subscription-offer lifecycle. Without this, OTP offers relied on state being set through batch update calls only.
OTP offer and purchase-option batch operations (v0.9.79+)
Batch operations on one-time product offers and purchase options:
# Retrieve multiple OTP offers in one call
gpc one-time-products offers batch-get --product-id <sku> --offer-ids "offer_a,offer_b"
# Update multiple OTP offers from JSON
gpc one-time-products offers batch-update --file otp-offers.json --dry-run
gpc one-time-products offers batch-update --file otp-offers.json
# Bulk activate or deactivate OTP offers
gpc one-time-products offers batch-update-states --file otp-states.json --dry-run
gpc one-time-products offers batch-update-states --file otp-states.json
# Delete multiple OTP offers at once
gpc one-time-products offers batch-delete --product-id <sku> --offer-ids "offer_a,offer_b" --dry-run
gpc one-time-products offers batch-delete --product-id <sku> --offer-ids "offer_a,offer_b"
# Bulk delete purchase options across products
gpc one-time-products purchase-options batch-delete --file po-delete.json --dry-run
gpc one-time-products purchase-options batch-delete --file po-delete.json
# Bulk update purchase-option states (activate/deactivate)
gpc one-time-products purchase-options batch-update-states --file po-states.json --dry-run
gpc one-time-products purchase-options batch-update-states --file po-states.json
All batch commands support --dry-run and --json. These operations cover the full v0.9.79 OTP batch surface: 4 offer methods (batch-get, batch-update, batch-update-states, batch-delete) and 2 purchase-option methods (batch-delete, batch-update-states).
5. Purchases — verification and lifecycle
A. Product purchases
# Verify a purchase
gpc purchases get <product-id> <token>
# Acknowledge (required within 3 days or purchase is refunded)
gpc purchases acknowledge <product-id> <token>
gpc purchases acknowledge <product-id> <token> --payload "order-123"
# Consume (for consumable products — allows re-purchase)
gpc purchases consume <product-id> <token>
B. Subscription purchases
# Acknowledge a subscription purchase (v1 — required within 3 days)
gpc purchases subscription acknowledge <subscription-id> <token>
gpc purchases subscription acknowledge <subscription-id> <token> --payload "order-456"
# Get subscription purchase details (v2 API)
# Returns SubscriptionPurchaseV2 with onHoldStateContext, inGracePeriodStateContext (v0.9.76+)
# Both context objects are surfaced in --json output and structured display
gpc purchases subscription get <token>
# Cancel a subscription (v1 — requires subscription-id)
gpc purchases subscription cancel <subscription-id> <token>
# Cancel a subscription (v2 — supports cancellation types)
gpc purchases subscription cancel-v2 <token>
gpc purchases subscription cancel-v2 <token> --type DEVELOPER_CANCELED
# Defer expiry to a later date (v1)
gpc purchases subscription defer <subscription-id> <token> --expiry 2025-06-01T00:00:00Z
# Defer expiry (v2 — supports add-on subscriptions)
gpc purchases subscription defer-v2 <token> --until 2026-07-01T00:00:00Z
# Revoke a subscription (v2 API)
gpc purchases subscription revoke <token>
C. Product purchases (v2 API)
# Get product purchase details (v2 — supports multi-offer OTPs)
gpc purchases product get-v2 <token>
The v2 product purchase API returns ProductPurchaseV2 with line items, offer details, and multi-product bundle support.
D. Orders
# Get order details
gpc purchases orders get <order-id>
# Batch retrieve orders (up to 1000)
gpc purchases orders batch-get --ids "GPA.1234,GPA.5678"
New in v0.9.79: Orders now expose an
OfferPhaseDetailstype that replaces the flatofferPhasefield.OfferPhaseDetailsis a structured object with richer phase information (phase type, cycle counts, and pricing details). The flatofferPhasefield is deprecated; read fromofferPhaseDetailsin new code.
E. Voided purchases and refunds
# List voided purchases (default: in-app only)
gpc purchases voided --start-time 2025-01-01 --end-time 2025-03-01
# Include subscription voids (type=1)
gpc purchases voided --type 1
# Include quantity-based partial refunds
gpc purchases voided --include-partial-refunds
# Refund an order
gpc purchases orders refund <order-id> --full-refund
gpc purchases orders refund <order-id> --prorated-refund
New in v0.9.47:
--type 0(default) returns only in-app purchase voids.--type 1includes subscription voids.--include-partial-refundsincludes quantity-based partial refunds.
All write operations support --dry-run.
Read: references/purchase-verification.md for server-side verification patterns and best practices.
F. Chargeback disputes -- purchases orders review-refund (v0.9.96+)
When a user disputes a charge with their bank, Play sends a pendingRefundReviewNotification RTDN carrying a pendingRefundToken and the disputed orderId. You have 24 hours to answer. Play decides the outcome; your preference and evidence are inputs to that decision, not the decision itself.
# 1. Pull the token out of the notification (full token only in JSON output)
TOKEN=$(gpc rtdn decode "<base64-payload>" --output json \
| jq -r .pendingRefundReviewNotification.pendingRefundToken)
# 2. Answer the dispute
gpc purchases orders review-refund "GPA.1234-5678-9012-34567" \
--app com.example.app \
--pending-refund-token "$TOKEN" \
--preference decline \
--sample-content-provided \
--consumption-percent 82 \
--usage-events-file ./usage-events.json
# Take no side, no evidence
gpc purchases orders review-refund "GPA.1234-5678-9012-34567" \
--pending-refund-token "$TOKEN" \
--preference neutral \
--no-sample-content-provided
| Flag | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
--pending-refund-token |
yes | Token from the pendingRefundReviewNotification |
--preference |
yes | approve, decline, or neutral |
--sample-content-provided / --no-sample-content-provided |
yes (exactly one) | Whether a free sample, trial, or functionality info was offered before purchase. Google has no default, so GPC makes you state it |
--consumption-percent |
no | How much was consumed, 0-100, decimals allowed (sent as milliunits) |
--usage-events-file |
no | JSON array of consumption usage events, max 1,000 |
usage-events.json uses RFC 3339 timestamps, and location.regionCode is a required CLDR region code whenever a location is supplied:
[
{
"consumptionTime": "2026-08-30T10:15:00Z",
"consumptionItemDescription": "Opened chapter 4",
"obfuscatedAccountId": "user-account-id",
"ipAddress": "203.0.113.10",
"location": { "regionCode": "US" }
}
]
Bad input is rejected locally as ORDER_REVIEW_REFUND_INVALID (exit 2) before anything is sent. An empty or whitespace-only --consumption-percent counts as not provided, so a typo never claims "0% consumed" on your behalf. --dry-run previews the request.
6. Real-Time Developer Notifications (RTDN)
RTDN delivers Pub/Sub messages when subscription and purchase events occur. GPC can decode and inspect these notifications.
# Check RTDN topic configuration
gpc rtdn status
# Decode a base64-encoded Pub/Sub notification payload
gpc rtdn decode <base64-payload>
# Show setup instructions for RTDN
gpc rtdn test
Notification types include: SUBSCRIPTION_PURCHASED, SUBSCRIPTION_CANCELED, SUBSCRIPTION_RENEWED, SUBSCRIPTION_REVOKED, SUBSCRIPTION_EXPIRED, ONE_TIME_PRODUCT_PURCHASED, VOIDED_PURCHASE, and more.
New in v0.9.47: RTDN commands help debug subscription lifecycle events. Set up a Pub/Sub topic in GCP, configure it in Play Console > Monetization setup, and use
gpc rtdn decodeto inspect payloads.
New in v0.9.96:
gpc rtdn decoderecognisespendingRefundReviewNotification(a chargeback sent for your review) and surfaces itsorderIdandpendingRefundToken-- the full token is printed only with--output json. It also no longer crashes on a partial chargeback notification. Answer within 24 hours withgpc purchases orders review-refund(section 5F).
7. Subscription analytics
Get insights on subscriber counts, conversion, and churn:
# Active subscribers, in-trial counts, trial→paid conversion, churn cohort
gpc subscriptions analytics
# JSON output for dashboards
gpc subscriptions analytics --json
Reports: active count, in-trial count, cancelled count, trial-to-paid conversion rate, estimated churn by cohort.
8. Base plan price migration
Migrate existing subscribers to a new price point:
# Migrate all subscribers on a base plan to a new price
gpc subscriptions base-plans migrate-prices <product-id> <base-plan-id> \
--file prices.json
# Prices file format: regional prices JSON (same as base plan prices)
Subscribers are notified by Google Play and must accept or cancel. Use --dry-run to preview the migration.
9. Regional pricing
Convert a base price to all Google Play supported regions:
# Convert USD 4.99 to all regional prices
gpc pricing convert --from USD --amount 4.99
# Output as JSON for scripting
gpc pricing convert --from USD --amount 4.99 --json
The conversion uses Google Play's official exchange rates and rounds to locally appropriate price points.
10. Data safety (v0.9.75+)
Manage your app's Data Safety section declarations via the API:
# Get current data safety labels
gpc data-safety get
# Update data safety declarations from CSV
gpc data-safety update --file safety.csv
Verification
gpc subscriptions listreturns your subscriptionsgpc iap listreturns your in-app productsgpc purchases get <product-id> <token>returns v1 purchase details for a valid tokengpc purchases product get-v2 <token>returns v2 purchase details with line itemsgpc purchases orders get <order-id>returns order detailsgpc pricing convert --from USD --amount 9.99 --jsonreturns regional prices- All
--dry-runcommands show what would change without modifying data - JSON output works on all commands (
--jsonflag)
Failure modes / debugging
| Symptom | Likely Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
PRODUCT_NOT_FOUND |
Invalid product ID or SKU | Verify with gpc subscriptions list or gpc iap list |
INVALID_PURCHASE_TOKEN |
Token expired, already consumed, or wrong app | Verify token matches the app and product |
PURCHASE_NOT_ACKNOWLEDGED |
Purchase not acknowledged within 3 days | Acknowledge immediately; if >3 days, purchase was auto-refunded |
SUBSCRIPTION_NOT_FOUND |
Wrong subscription ID in cancel/defer | Use gpc purchases subscription get <token> to find the correct ID |
INVALID_JSON in create/update |
Malformed product JSON file | Validate JSON structure against the schema reference |
PERMISSION_DENIED on purchases |
Service account lacks financial permissions | Grant "View financial data" and "Manage orders" in Play Console |
--update-mask error |
Invalid field path in update mask | Check API docs for valid field names; omit flag to replace all fields |
iap sync deletes unexpected products |
Directory missing some product files | Use --dry-run first; sync deletes products not in the directory |
Missing --purchase-option on otp offers get/create/update/delete |
v0.9.96 routes these through Play's batch offer endpoints, which need a concrete purchase option | Run gpc otp offers list <product-id> to find it; - works only on list |
API_ALREADY_EXISTS on otp offers create |
That offer ID already exists; the batch endpoint is an upsert, so GPC probes and refuses rather than overwriting | Use gpc otp offers update instead |
ORDER_REVIEW_REFUND_INVALID |
--sample-content-provided unanswered, --consumption-percent outside 0-100, or --usage-events-file is not a JSON array of objects |
Pass one of --sample-content-provided / --no-sample-content-provided, use a plain decimal, and make the file an array |
Related skills
- gpc-setup — authentication and configuration required before monetization commands
- gpc-release-flow — releasing app updates that include new products or pricing changes
- gpc-vitals-monitoring — monitoring reviews that mention billing issues
- gpc-ci-integration — automating IAP sync and purchase verification in CI/CD