asc What's New Writer
Generate engaging, localized release notes from flexible input. Optionally pair with promotional text updates.
Preconditions
- Metadata pulled locally via or
asc localizations download
- Auth configured for upload ( or env vars).
- The primary locale is unless the user specifies otherwise.
Before You Start
- Read
references/release_notes_guidelines.md
- Identify the latest version directory under (highest semver). Use this for all metadata reads.
- Enumerate existing locales by listing the JSON files in that version directory.
Phase 1: Gather Input
Accept one of three input modes (auto-detect):
Git Log
Parse commits since the last tag:
bash
# Find latest tag
git describe --tags --abbrev=0
# List commits since that tag
git log $(git describe --tags --abbrev=0)..HEAD --oneline --no-merges
Filter out noise: merge commits, dependency bumps, CI changes, formatting-only commits. Extract user-facing changes.
Bullet Points
User provides rough bullets like:
- "improved search"
- "fixed crash on launch"
- "added sleep timer"
Free Text
User describes changes conversationally:
"We made search faster, fixed that annoying crash when you open the app, and added a sleep timer feature"
The skill extracts and structures the changes from the text.
No Input Provided
Prompt the user: "What changed in this release? You can paste git log output, bullet points, or just describe the changes."
Phase 2: Draft Notes (Primary Locale)
Step 1: Classify Changes
Group changes into sections per the guidelines:
- New — new features or capabilities
- Improved — enhancements to existing features
- Fixed — bug fixes users would notice
Omit empty sections. If all changes are fixes, only show "Fixed."
Step 2: Write Benefit-Focused Copy
Follow the tone rules from
references/release_notes_guidelines.md
:
- Describe user impact, not implementation details
- Use direct address ("you") and action verbs
- Be specific — mention concrete improvements
Step 3: Front-Load the Hook
The first ~170 characters are the only visible part before "more." Lead with the single most impactful change in a complete, compelling sentence.
Step 4: Echo Keywords for Conversion
- Read from
metadata/version/{latest}/{primary-locale}.json
- If the field is empty or missing, skip this step
- Identify keywords relevant to the changes being described
- Weave them naturally into the notes — never force or stuff
Step 5: Respect Character Limits
- Keep total length between 500-1500 characters in the primary locale
- This leaves room for localized expansions (some languages expand 30-40%)
- Hard limit: 4,000 characters
Step 6: Optionally Draft Promotional Text
If the user wants it, draft a 170-char promotional text that:
- Summarizes the update's theme in one punchy line
- Can reference seasonal events
- Is updatable without a new submission
Present Draft
Show the draft to the user with character count. Wait for approval before localizing.
Phase 3: Localize
Translate the approved notes to all existing locales.
Translation Rules
- Use formal register and formal "you" forms (Russian: вы, German: Sie, French: vous, Spanish: usted, Dutch: u, Italian: Lei)
- Adapt tone to local market — playful English may need adjustment for formal markets (ja, de-DE)
- Do NOT literally translate idioms — adapt them to local equivalents
- A playful tone in English may need to be more respectful or formal in other cultures
Locale-Specific Keyword Echo
For each locale:
- Read from
metadata/version/{latest}/{locale}.json
- Echo locale-specific keywords naturally in the translated notes
- If keywords field is empty, skip echo for that locale
Validate
- All translations must be ≤ 4,000 characters
- Promotional text must be ≤ 170 characters per locale
- If a translation exceeds the limit, shorten it — never truncate mid-sentence
Phase 4: Review & Upload
Step 1: Present Summary
Show a table of all locales with their notes and character counts:
| Locale | What's New (first 80 chars...) | Chars | Promo Text | Chars |
|--------|-------------------------------|-------|------------|-------|
| en-US | Search just got faster — ... | 847 | New sleep… | 142 |
| ar-SA | البحث أصبح أسرع — ... | 923 | نوم جديد… | 138 |
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
Step 2: Wait for Approval
Do not upload without user confirmation.
Step 3: Upload
Upload via
(verify exact syntax with
):
bash
# Individual locale
asc app-info set --app "APP_ID" --locale "en-US" --whats-new "Your release notes here"
# Bulk via .strings files
asc localizations upload --version "VERSION_ID" --path "./localizations"
If promotional text was drafted, upload it separately (no app submission required).
Step 4: Handle Failures
On partial upload failure:
- Report which locales succeeded and which failed
- Offer to retry failed locales
Metadata File Paths
- Keywords:
metadata/version/{latest-version}/{locale}.json
- Current What's New:
metadata/version/{latest-version}/{locale}.json
- Latest version: highest semver directory under
- Follows the same metadata resolution conventions as
Notes
- What's New is not indexed for App Store search — write for humans, not algorithms.
- Promotional text is the only metadata field updatable without a new submission.
- The 170-char visible window is the most important part of your release notes.
- Each app update triggers algorithm re-evaluation — the act of updating matters, even if the text doesn't affect ranking.
- Ideal update cadence: every 2-4 weeks.
- For full metadata translation (all fields), use instead.
- For keyword research and optimization, use first.