Control your App Store release from Claude
Pick how version 2.4 goes live once it's approved: by hand, automatically, or on a date. Then start a phased rollout, pause it when a crash report lands, and finish it when the numbers look right, all by asking Claude.
Setup checked October 2026 against Claude custom connectors
Connect Claude once
01 · Add a custom connector
In Claude, open Customize, then Connectors, and choose Add custom connector. Name it MetaRun and paste the server URL:
https://metarun.dev/api/mcp02 · Connect
Click Connect. Claude opens MetaRun in your browser to sign in; pick read-only or read and change.
03 · Team and Enterprise
An Owner adds the connector once under Organization settings, Connectors. Each member then clicks Connect and signs in to their own MetaRun account.
What Claude handles here
Release settings live in two places in App Store Connect: the version's release option (manual, automatic after approval, or a scheduled date) and the phased release toggle. After launch the phased release has its own pause and resume controls. None of it is hard, but it's always needed at the moment you're watching crash numbers somewhere else.
MetaRun exposes each control as a preview and apply pair. Claude can read the version's state, change the release option before approval, release a version that's waiting for you, and move a phased rollout through start, pause, resume, complete or cancel.
Before you start
- A version that's approved and waiting, or already live with phased release on.
- For release options: a version that hasn't been submitted yet.
- An API key with the Admin or App Manager role.
How it runs
- 01
Read where the version stands
Claude reads the version state first. Release options only change before submission; a manual release only applies to a version that's waiting for developer release.
- 02
Preview the transition
Every control previews the exact transition, for example phased release from active to paused, with a confirm token tied to the current state.
- 03
Apply on your approval
Claude asks before running the apply. If the rollout moved in the meantime (someone paused it in App Store Connect), the token is stale and the apply refuses.
- 04
Check the history
Each change lands in MetaRun's change history, attributed to the agent, next to manual and MILO changes for the same app.
An example session in Claude
What's the release status of my latest version?
- apple_list_versionsVersion 2.4 is Ready for Sale, phased release active.
- apple_list_reviewsSeveral new reviews mention a crash on launch since 2.4.
- apple_preview_phased_releasePreview: pause, from Active to Paused.
- Claude asks before running apple_apply_phased_release. You read the preview above and approve.
- apple_apply_phased_releasePaused. Automatic updates stop; people can still update by hand.
Illustrative: your apps, versions and numbers will differ. The tool names and their order are real.
The MetaRun tools Claude calls
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| apple_list_versionsread | Versions with their state, so the agent knows what's approved and what's live. |
| apple_preview_set_release_optionspreview + apply | Manual, automatic after approval, or scheduled with an earliest release date. |
| apple_preview_phased_releasepreview + apply | Start, pause, resume, complete or cancel a phased rollout. |
| apple_preview_manual_releasepreview + apply | Release an approved version that's waiting for you. Irreversible. |
| apple_preview_set_territory_releasepreview + apply | Change availability, release date or pre-order for individual territories. |
| apple_get_perf_metricsread | Apple's performance metrics for the app, to check before widening a rollout. |
| apple_list_reviewsread | Recent customer reviews, to catch complaints about the new version. |
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.
What Apple enforces, and how MetaRun handles it
A phased release runs for 7 days
Apple widens automatic updates over seven days: 1%, 2%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 50%, then everyone. New downloads and manual updates get the new version from day one.
Pausing has a 30-day budget
You can pause a phased release for up to 30 days in total. Completing it releases to all users at once.
Releasing is irreversible
A manual release can't be undone, which is why the preview says so and the tool is marked outward. Pulling a bad version means a new build, not a rollback.
Release options lock at submission
MetaRun changes a version's release option while the version is being prepared, ready for review or rejected, the states where App Store Connect accepts edits to it. Set it before you submit.
What to ask Claude
- Ask Claude: What's the release status of my latest version?
- Ask Claude: Pause the phased rollout. Some users are reporting a crash.
- Ask Claude: Release version 2.4 now. It's been approved.
How Claude asks before a change
Claude asks before it calls a connector's tool unless you've set that tool to always allow. Keep MetaRun's apply tools on ask: that's the moment you see the change and decide, and it needs the confirm token from a fresh preview either way.
Frequently asked questions
Can Claude pause a phased release?
Yes. apple_preview_phased_release covers start, pause, resume, complete and cancel. The apply runs after you approve it in Claude, and it refuses if the rollout's state changed since the preview.
Can I schedule a release for a specific date?
Yes, before you submit: set the release option to scheduled with an earliest release date. Apple releases on or after that date once the version is approved.
Can MetaRun roll back a release?
No, and neither can Apple. A released version stays released. You can pause a phased rollout to stop automatic updates while you ship a fix.
Is this different from releasing in App Store Connect?
It's the same Apple API calls behind the same buttons. The difference is that Claude reads the state first, previews the transition, and every change is recorded in your history.
How do I connect Claude to App Store Connect?
In Claude, open Customize, Connectors, Add custom connector, paste https://metarun.dev/api/mcp and click Connect to sign in to MetaRun. After that, ask for "phased release" in plain words and Claude picks the MetaRun tools.
Does Claude 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 holds a MetaRun token that you can revoke in Settings at any time.
More with Claude
Claude
Submit for review
Attach the build, clear export compliance, run the readiness sweep, submit.
OpenClaude
Release notes
Write What's New from your changelog and stage it in every language.
OpenClaude
Reply to reviews
Triage App Store reviews, find the themes, and post replies you've approved.
OpenClaude
TestFlight
Hand builds to tester groups, write What to Test, and read crash feedback.
OpenPhased release with another agent
In depth: App Store Connect MCP server
Agent access
14-day free trial with agent access. No credit card. Your Apple key stays encrypted on MetaRun.