Claude Code · App Store Connect

Do App Store keyword research from Claude Code

Ask Claude Code what people type before they find apps like yours. MetaRun reads App Store autocomplete, checks where you rank in each storefront, tracks the keywords you pick, and lints the keyword field before you stage a change.

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Setup checked October 2026 against Claude Code MCP docs, permissions

01 · Uplink

Connect Claude Code once

01 · Add the server

Run it in any terminal. --scope user makes MetaRun available in every project; leave it out to limit it to the current one.

claude mcp add --transport http --scope user metarun https://metarun.dev/api/mcp

02 · Sign in

In a Claude Code session, run /mcp, choose metarun and authenticate. MetaRun opens in your browser, where you pick read-only or read and change. From a plain shell, claude mcp login metarun does the same.

/mcp

03 · Optional: add the skills too

The MetaRun plug-in bundles the same server with six mission skills (release handoff, worldwide pricing, localization, review inbox, ASO audit, store media).

claude plugin marketplace add metarun/metarun-skills
claude plugin install metarun-skills@metarun

Prefer a personal access token (scripts, CI)?

Add the server with a token

Mint a personal access token in MetaRun under Settings, MCP. It's shown once and can be revoked any time.

claude mcp add --transport http --scope user metarun https://metarun.dev/api/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $METARUN_TOKEN"

Or share it with your team in .mcp.json

Project scope writes .mcp.json at the repo root. Claude Code expands ${METARUN_TOKEN} from each person's environment, so the token itself is never committed.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "metarun": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://metarun.dev/api/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer ${METARUN_TOKEN}" }
    }
  }
}

02 · Briefing

What Claude Code handles here

Apple doesn't publish search volume. The signals you do have are autocomplete suggestions, where you rank today, which apps hold the top spots, and, once enabled, Apple's own search impression reports for your app.

MetaRun turns those into tools. Claude Code can research terms, track them, check ranks on demand, and write keyword fields that fit in 100 characters without repeating what your name already covers.

03 · Preflight

Before you start

Seed terms that describe your app.
The storefronts you care about.
For measured search data: an Admin key, once, to enable Apple's analytics reports.

04 · Execution

How it runs

01
Research
Claude Code expands seed terms with autocomplete and checks who ranks for them.
02
Pick and track
Tracked keywords are checked on a schedule by MetaRun's rank Sentinel, which reports moves of five places or more and entries into the top ten.
03
Write the field
The agent drafts keywords and the lint checks them before the localization preview stages the change.
04
Measure
With search analytics enabled, Apple's own impression and conversion data shows whether the change moved anything.

05 · Session

An example session in Claude Code

Research keywords for a habit tracker in the US storefront. Start from 'habit', 'routine' and 'streak', and show who ranks top 5 for each.

aso_suggest_keywordsAutocomplete for 'habit' in the US storefront.
aso_keyword_leadersThe apps holding the top five spots for each candidate.
aso_track_keywords15 terms tracked in the US and UK.
aso_lint_metadataKeyword field: two words repeat the subtitle.
apple_preview_set_version_localizationPreview: English (U.S.) keywords, 99 of 100 characters.
Claude Code asks before running apple_apply_set_version_localization. You read the preview above and approve.
apple_apply_set_version_localizationApplied.

Illustrative: your apps, versions and numbers will differ. The tool names and their order are real.

06 · Tools

The MetaRun tools Claude Code calls

Tool	What it does
aso_suggest_keywordsread	App Store autocomplete for a seed term in a storefront.
aso_check_rankread	Where the app ranks for a term right now.
aso_track_keywordsMetaRun	Track terms over time, per storefront.
aso_keyword_historyread	Rank history for a tracked term.
aso_keyword_leadersread	Which apps hold the top spots for a term.
aso_lint_metadataread	Rulebook check: wasted characters, repeats, limits.
aso_get_search_performanceread	Apple's measured search impressions and conversion, once reports are enabled.
aso_scan_rivalsMetaRun	What changed in competitors' listings since the last scan.

Each preview has an apply twin (the same name with apply instead of preview) that only runs with the confirm token from a fresh preview, and refuses if App Store Connect changed in between. MetaRun tools save to your MetaRun workspace only (studio projects, tracked keywords), never to Apple.

07 · Apple rules

What Apple enforces, and how MetaRun handles it

The keyword field is 100 characters

Commas count. Spaces after commas are wasted, and words in your name or subtitle are already indexed, so repeating them spends characters for nothing.

Ranks differ per storefront

A term can rank 4th in the US and 60th in the UK. MetaRun tracks and checks per storefront.

Search analytics take a day or two

Apple's analytics reports need a one-time request with an Admin key, and the first reports arrive one to two days later.

Extra languages add keyword room

Storefronts index more than one listing language. The US indexes nine besides English (U.S.), each with its own keyword field.

08 · Comms

What to ask Claude Code

Ask Claude Code: Research keywords for a habit tracker in the US storefront. Start from 'habit', 'routine' and 'streak', and show who ranks top 5 for each.
Ask Claude Code: Track the 15 best terms in the US and UK.
Ask Claude Code: Rewrite the English (U.S.) keyword field using the tracked terms, lint it, and stage it.

09 · Unattended

Run it from a script with Claude Code

claude -p runs one request with no interactive session. The browser sign-in can't complete inside -p, so sign in once interactively first, or configure the server with a personal access token in CI. Tools missing from --allowedTools are refused in -p mode.

Read-only check, safe to schedule

claude -p "Check the current rank of com.example.app for every tracked keyword and list the biggest moves since last week. Read only." \
  --allowedTools "mcp__metarun__aso_suggest_keywords,mcp__metarun__aso_check_rank,mcp__metarun__aso_keyword_history,mcp__metarun__aso_keyword_leaders,mcp__metarun__aso_lint_metadata,mcp__metarun__aso_get_search_performance"

Only reads and previews are on that list, so nothing can reach App Store Connect unattended. Run applies in an interactive session where Claude Code can ask you.

10 · Safety

How Claude Code asks before a change

Claude Code asks before every MCP tool call by default. You can allow a tool for the session or permanently; allow rules look like mcp__metarun__apple_list_versions for one tool, and mcp__metarun__* allows the whole server, applies included. Allowing reads and previews is reasonable. Leave the apply tools on ask: that prompt is the confirm step for every App Store change.

Apple key stays on MetaRun, encryptedPreview before every writeRecorded, revertible from history

11 · FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Does MetaRun show keyword search volume?

No, because Apple doesn't publish it and any number would be an estimate. MetaRun uses autocomplete, live ranks, who holds the top spots, and Apple's own impression data for your app once enabled.

How often are tracked keywords checked?

The rank Sentinel scans tracked keywords on a schedule and records findings such as moves of five or more places. Claude Code can also check any term on demand.

Can Claude Code change my keywords directly?

It stages the change through the same localization preview as any listing edit. You approve it, and it's in your history if you want it back.

How many keywords can I track?

25 on Starter, 200 on Pro, unlimited on Studio, and 10 during the 14-day trial.

How do I connect Claude Code to App Store Connect?

Run claude mcp add --transport http --scope user metarun https://metarun.dev/api/mcp, then run /mcp in Claude Code and sign in to MetaRun in your browser. After that, ask for "aso keywords" in plain words and Claude Code picks the MetaRun tools.

Does Claude Code see my App Store Connect key?

No. Your App Store Connect API key stays envelope-encrypted on MetaRun's servers and is decrypted per request. Claude Code holds a MetaRun token that you can revoke in Settings at any time.

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