> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.asccli.sh/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Publish

# publish

> High-level publish workflows for TestFlight and App Store

The `publish` command is the high-level publishing surface for TestFlight and
the canonical App Store upload + submit flow.

## Usage

```bash theme={null} theme={null}
asc publish <workflow> [flags]
```

## Canonical paths

Use these top-level workflows deliberately:

* `asc publish testflight` - canonical high-level TestFlight publish path
* `asc publish appstore` - canonical high-level App Store publish path
* `asc release stage` - prepare an App Store version without submitting it

In 1.0, the deprecated `asc release run` path was removed. Use
[Migrate to 1.0](/migrate-to-1-0) if you still have older automation that
expects a single deprecated release command.

## Workflows

### TestFlight workflow

Upload and distribute to TestFlight:

```bash theme={null} theme={null}
asc publish testflight \
  --app APP_ID \
  --ipa /path/to/MyApp.ipa \
  --group "External Testers"
```

This workflow:

1. Uploads the build
2. Waits for processing
3. Distributes to specified beta groups

### App Store workflow

Ship to the App Store with the canonical publish command:

```bash theme={null} theme={null}
asc publish appstore \
  --app APP_ID \
  --ipa /path/to/MyApp.ipa \
  --version 1.2.0 \
  --submit \
  --confirm
```

This workflow:

1. Uploads the IPA
2. Finds or creates the matching App Store version
3. Attaches the processed build
4. Optionally submits for review with `--submit`
5. Prints the resulting build/version/submission identifiers

## TestFlight flags

<ParamField path="--app" type="string" required>
  App ID for the build
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--file" type="string" required>
  Path to IPA file
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--groups" type="string">
  Comma-separated beta group names or IDs

  Example: `"External Testers,Internal Team"`
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--wait" type="boolean">
  Wait for build processing to complete

  Default: `true`
</ParamField>

## 1.0 migration note

If older automation still invokes the deprecated `asc release run`, replace it with
`asc publish appstore --submit --confirm` for end-to-end shipping or
`asc release stage` for pre-submit preparation work.

## Example workflows

### Publish to TestFlight

```bash theme={null} theme={null}
asc publish testflight \
  --app 123456789 \
  --ipa build/MyApp.ipa \
  --group "External Testers,Beta Team"
```

### Publish to App Store

```bash theme={null} theme={null}
asc publish appstore \
  --app 123456789 \
  --ipa build/MyApp.ipa \
  --version 1.2.0 \
  --submit \
  --confirm
```

### CI/CD integration

```yaml theme={null} theme={null}
# GitHub Actions
- name: Publish to TestFlight
  run: |
    asc publish testflight \
      --app ${{ secrets.APP_ID }} \
      --ipa MyApp.ipa \
      --group "External Testers"
```

## Output

```
Uploading build...
Build uploaded successfully
Waiting for processing...
Build processed (VALID)
Distributing to beta groups...
Build distributed to External Testers

Publish complete!
Build ID: build-id-here
```

## Error handling

If any step fails, the workflow stops and reports the error:

```
Upload failed: Invalid IPA file
```

You can retry individual steps using the lower-level commands:

```bash theme={null} theme={null}
asc builds upload --app 123456789 --ipa MyApp.ipa
asc builds add-groups --build-id BUILD_ID --group "External Testers"
```

## Related

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Builds command" icon="box" href="/commands/builds">
    Manage builds and uploads
  </Card>

  <Card title="Release command" icon="rocket" href="/commands/release">
    Pre-submit release staging
  </Card>

  <Card title="Automation guide" icon="robot" href="/guides/automation">
    Workflow automation patterns
  </Card>
</CardGroup>