Xcode · App Store Connect

Control your App Store release from Xcode

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 Xcode.

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Setup checked October 2026 against Apple: extending and customizing agents, giving external agents access to Xcode

01 · Uplink

Connect Xcode once

01 · Add the MetaRun plug-in

In Xcode 27, open Settings, Intelligence, Plug-ins. Choose Add Plug-in, then Add from URL, and paste:

https://github.com/metarun/metarun-skills

02 · Or with one click

Opens Xcode's plug-in sheet with the repository filled in.

xcode://agent-plugin-clone?repo=https%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com%2Fmetarun%2Fmetarun-skills

03 · Sign in

Install MetaRun from the list, then click Sign in next to it. MetaRun opens in your browser; pick read-only or read and change.

04 · Ask the coding assistant

Claude Agent, Codex and Gemini in Xcode all get MetaRun's tools and its six workflow skills.

Attach build 312 to version 2.4 and tell me what blocks submission.

02 · Briefing

What Xcode 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. Xcode 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.

03 · Preflight

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.

04 · Execution

How it runs

01
Read where the version stands
Xcode 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
Xcode 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.

05 · Session

An example session in Xcode

Schedule 2.4 to go live on 14 October at 09:00 UTC, with phased release.

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.
Xcode 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.

06 · Tools

The MetaRun tools Xcode 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.

07 · Apple rules

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.

08 · Comms

What to ask Xcode

Ask Xcode: Schedule 2.4 to go live on 14 October at 09:00 UTC, with phased release.
Ask Xcode: The fix in build 315 is in review. Pause the 2.4 rollout until it ships.
Ask Xcode: 2.4 is approved and waiting. Release it now.

09 · Safety

How Xcode asks before a change

Xcode asks before an agent uses a tool it hasn't been allowed. Tools you've allowed are listed in Settings, Intelligence, under Permissions, where you can remove them. Leave MetaRun's apply tools off that list so every App Store change asks first; reads and previews are safe to allow.

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

10 · FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can Xcode pause a phased release?

Yes. apple_preview_phased_release covers start, pause, resume, complete and cancel. The apply runs after you approve it in Xcode, 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 Xcode reads the state first, previews the transition, and every change is recorded in your history.

How do I connect Xcode to App Store Connect?

In Xcode 27, add the plug-in from https://github.com/metarun/metarun-skills (Settings, Intelligence, Plug-ins, Add from URL) and click Sign in next to MetaRun. After that, ask for "phased release" in plain words and Xcode picks the MetaRun tools.

Does Xcode 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. Xcode holds a MetaRun token that you can revoke in Settings at any time.

More with Xcode

Xcode

Submit for review

Attach the build, clear export compliance, run the readiness sweep, submit.

Open

Xcode

Release notes

Write What's New from your changelog and stage it in every language.

Open

Xcode

Reply to reviews

Triage App Store reviews, find the themes, and post replies you've approved.