asc screenshots pipeline (xcodebuild -> AXe -> frame -> asc)

Use this skill for agent-driven screenshot workflows where the app is built and launched with Xcode CLI tools, UI is driven with AXe, and screenshots are uploaded with asc.

Current scope

• Implemented now: build/run, AXe plan capture, frame composition, and upload.
• Device discovery is built-in via asc screenshots list-frame-devices.
• Local screenshot automation commands are experimental in asc cli.
• Framing is pinned to Koubou 0.18.1 for deterministic output.
• Feedback/issues: https://github.com/rudrankriyam/App-Store-Connect-CLI/issues/new/choose

Defaults

• Settings file: .asc/shots.settings.json
• Capture plan: .asc/screenshots.json
• Raw screenshots dir: ./screenshots/raw
• Framed screenshots dir: ./screenshots/framed
• Default frame device: iphone-air

1) Create settings JSON first

Create or update .asc/shots.settings.json:

{
  "version": 1,
  "app": {
    "bundle_id": "com.example.app",
    "project": "MyApp.xcodeproj",
    "scheme": "MyApp",
    "simulator_udid": "booted"
  },
  "paths": {
    "plan": ".asc/screenshots.json",
    "raw_dir": "./screenshots/raw",
    "framed_dir": "./screenshots/framed"
  },
  "pipeline": {
    "frame_enabled": true,
    "upload_enabled": false
  },
  "upload": {
    "version_localization_id": "",
    "device_type": "IPHONE_65",
    "source_dir": "./screenshots/framed"
  }
}

If you intentionally skip framing, set:

• "frame_enabled": false
• "upload.source_dir": "./screenshots/raw"

2) Build and run app on simulator

Use Xcode CLI for build/install/launch:

xcrun simctl boot "$UDID" || true

xcodebuild \
  -project "MyApp.xcodeproj" \
  -scheme "MyApp" \
  -configuration Debug \
  -destination "platform=iOS Simulator,id=$UDID" \
  -derivedDataPath ".build/DerivedData" \
  build

xcrun simctl install "$UDID" ".build/DerivedData/Build/Products/Debug-iphonesimulator/MyApp.app"
xcrun simctl launch "$UDID" "com.example.app"

Use xcodebuild -showBuildSettings if the app bundle path differs from the default location.

3) Capture screenshots with AXe (or asc screenshots run)

Prefer plan-driven capture:

asc screenshots run --plan ".asc/screenshots.json" --udid "$UDID" --output json

Useful AXe primitives during plan authoring:

axe describe-ui --udid "$UDID"
axe tap --id "search_field" --udid "$UDID"
axe type "wwdc" --udid "$UDID"
axe screenshot --output "./screenshots/raw/home.png" --udid "$UDID"

Minimal .asc/screenshots.json example:

{
  "version": 1,
  "app": {
    "bundle_id": "com.example.app",
    "udid": "booted",
    "output_dir": "./screenshots/raw"
  },
  "steps": [
    { "action": "launch" },
    { "action": "wait", "duration_ms": 800 },
    { "action": "screenshot", "name": "home" }
  ]
}

4) Frame screenshots with asc screenshots frame

asc cli pins framing to Koubou 0.18.1. Install and verify before running framing steps:

pip install koubou==0.18.1
kou --version  # expect 0.18.1
# If Koubou reports missing device frames, run once with network access:
kou setup-frames

List supported frame device values first:

asc screenshots list-frame-devices --output json

Frame one screenshot (defaults to iphone-air):

asc screenshots frame \
  --input "./screenshots/raw/home.png" \
  --output-dir "./screenshots/framed" \
  --device "iphone-air" \
  --output json

Supported --device values:

• iphone-air (default)
• iphone-17-pro
• iphone-17-pro-max
• iphone-16e
• iphone-17
• mac

5) Upload screenshots with asc

Generate and review artifacts before upload:

asc screenshots review-generate --framed-dir "./screenshots/framed" --output-dir "./screenshots/review"
asc screenshots review-open --output-dir "./screenshots/review"
asc screenshots review-approve --all-ready --output-dir "./screenshots/review"

Upload from the configured source directory (default ./screenshots/framed when framing is enabled):

asc screenshots upload \
  --version-localization "LOC_ID" \
  --path "./screenshots/framed" \
  --device-type "IPHONE_65" \
  --output json

List or validate before upload when needed:

asc screenshots sizes --output table
asc screenshots list --version-localization "LOC_ID" --output table

Agent behavior

• Always confirm exact flags with --help before running commands.
• Re-check command paths with asc screenshots --help because screenshot commands are evolving quickly.
• Keep outputs deterministic: default to JSON for machine steps.
• Prefer asc screenshots list-frame-devices --output json before selecting a frame device.
• Ensure screenshot files exist before upload.
• Use explicit long flags (--app, --output, --version-localization, etc.).
• Treat screenshot-local automation as experimental and call it out in user-facing handoff notes.
• If framing fails with a version error, re-install pinned Koubou: pip install koubou==0.18.1.
• If framing fails because device frames are missing, run kou setup-frames once with network access.

6) Multi-locale capture (optional)

Do not use xcrun simctl launch ... -e AppleLanguages for localization. -e is an environment variable pattern and does not reliably switch app language.

For this pipeline, use simulator-wide locale defaults per UDID. This works with asc screenshots capture, which relaunches the app internally.

# Map each locale to a dedicated simulator UDID.
# (Create these simulators once with `xcrun simctl create`.)
declare -A LOCALE_UDID=(
  ["en-US"]="UDID_EN_US"
  ["de-DE"]="UDID_DE_DE"
  ["fr-FR"]="UDID_FR_FR"
  ["ja-JP"]="UDID_JA_JP"
)

set_simulator_locale() {
  local UDID="$1"
  local LOCALE="$2"            # e.g. de-DE
  local LANG="${LOCALE%%-*}"   # de
  local APPLE_LOCALE="${LOCALE/-/_}" # de_DE

  xcrun simctl boot "$UDID" || true
  xcrun simctl spawn "$UDID" defaults write NSGlobalDomain AppleLanguages -array "$LANG"
  xcrun simctl spawn "$UDID" defaults write NSGlobalDomain AppleLocale -string "$APPLE_LOCALE"
}

for LOCALE in "${!LOCALE_UDID[@]}"; do
  UDID="${LOCALE_UDID[$LOCALE]}"
  echo "Capturing $LOCALE on $UDID..."
  set_simulator_locale "$UDID" "$LOCALE"

  xcrun simctl terminate "$UDID" "com.example.app" || true
  asc screenshots capture \
    --bundle-id "com.example.app" \
    --name "home" \
    --udid "$UDID" \
    --output-dir "./screenshots/raw/$LOCALE" \
    --output json
done

If you launch manually (outside asc screenshots capture), use app launch arguments:

how to use asc-shots-pipeline
CursorClaude CodeClineCodexWindsurfGooseGitHub CopilotVS CodeGemini CLIKiloOpencodeKimi CLIRoo ClineAiderContinueZedBolt.newLovablev0Replit AgentSweepSmol DeveloperDevinCavemanAmpAntigravity
How to use asc-shots-pipeline on Cursor
AI-first code editor with Composer
1
Prerequisites
Before installing skills in Cursor, ensure your development environment meets these requirements:
›Cursor installed and configured on your development machine
›Node.js version 16.0+ with npm package manager (verify with node --version)
›Active project directory or workspace where you want to add asc-shots-pipeline
2
Execute installation command
Execute the skills CLI command in your project's root directory to begin installation:
$npx skills add https://github.com/rudrankriyam/asc-skills --skill asc-shots-pipelinecopy
The skills CLI fetches asc-shots-pipeline from GitHub repository rudrankriyam/asc-skills and configures it for Cursor.
3
Select Cursor when prompted
The CLI will show a list of available agents. Use arrow keys to navigate and space to select Cursor:
◆ Which agents do you want to install to?
│
│ ── Universal (.agents/skills) ── always included ────
│   • Amp
│   • Antigravity
│   • Cline
│   • Codex
│ ●Cursor(selected)
│   • Cursor
│   • Windsurf
4
Verify installation
Confirm successful installation by checking the skill directory location:
.cursor/skills/asc-shots-pipeline
Reload or restart Cursor to activate asc-shots-pipeline. Access the skill through slash commands (e.g., /asc-shots-pipeline) or your agent's skill management interface.
⚠
Security & Verification Notice
We perform automated surface-level scans (Gen AI Scanner, Socket, Snyk) during installation. These checks detect common vulnerabilities but do not guarantee complete security. Always review skill source code and verify the publisher's reputation before production use.
Skills execute code in your development environment. Always verify the publisher's identity, review recent commits, and test in isolated environments before production deployment.
Additional Resources
›View source code on GitHub›Skills CLI documentation›Learn more about Cursor›What are agent skills?