Android Play Console Release

Use this skill for the practical NowStack Android Play Console path after the Play app/package exists: build a production AAB, validate it, upload it to the Play internal track, and finish the Play Console compliance gates that cannot be safely automated from the API.

Decision

• Use CLI/API for binary work: building, validating, uploading to internal, checking release status, and reading the internal track.
• Use browser UI for Play Console questionnaires: App access/login instructions, Data safety, content rating, target audience, ads, advertising ID, government/financial/health declarations, privacy policy, and final send-for-review decisions.
• Use browser UI when gpc listings/apps mutations fail with rejected-update acknowledgement bugs even when --changes-not-sent-for-review is passed.
• Stop before production or final review submission unless the user explicitly confirms that step.

Preconditions

Read the repo rules before mutations:

.agents/rules/store-release.md
.agents/rules/mobile-app.md
.agents/rules/auth-payments-storage.md

Confirm:

• site-config.ts > androidPackage matches the Play app package.
• mobile-app/app.config.ts resolves the same Android package.
• mobile-app/google-play-service-account.json exists, is ignored, and works with the target Play app.
• The user has explicitly asked for the build/upload/setup mutation.

Never print service-account private keys or commit credential files.

Build

Detect the OS before choosing the build path:

uname -s || node -p "process.platform"

• macOS / Darwin: prefer the repo's configured local EAS build when the user wants to avoid cloud credits but still use EAS-managed Android signing.
• Windows/Linux: do not attempt local Android production builds. Load/follow .agents/skills/ns-setup-expo/SKILL.md, verify eas-cli, eas whoami, linked easProjectId, and expo-doctor, then use EAS cloud for the signed AAB.

macOS local EAS build:

cd mobile-app
eas build --platform android --profile production --local --non-interactive --output /tmp/nowstack-android-local-v<N>.aab

Windows/Linux EAS cloud build:

cd mobile-app
npx eas-cli@latest build --platform android --profile production --non-interactive

Verify generated Expo config before building:

cd mobile-app
npx expo config --type public

Expected success signals:

• EAS increments versionCode.
• Remote Android credentials are used.
• Gradle finishes :app:bundleRelease.
• The AAB is written to the explicit /tmp/...aab output path.

Validate

Run local and server-side validation before mutation:

ls -lh /tmp/nowstack-android-local-v<N>.aab
shasum -a 256 /tmp/nowstack-android-local-v<N>.aab
gpc validate /tmp/nowstack-android-local-v<N>.aab --output json
gpc --app dev.melvynx.nowstack publish /tmp/nowstack-android-local-v<N>.aab --track internal --notes "Initial internal test release." --validate-only --changes-not-sent-for-review

gpc preflight is useful when it works, but do not treat a local CLI crash as a Play rejection. Record the crash and continue with stronger signals.

Upload

Try gpc first:

gpc --app dev.melvynx.nowstack --no-interactive --yes releases upload /tmp/nowstack-android-local-v<N>.aab \
  --track internal \
  --notes "Initial internal test release." \
  --name "1.0.0 (<versionCode>)" \
  --changes-not-sent-for-review \
  --output json

If gpc publish or gpc releases upload validates but fails during real commit, use the bundled direct API fallback:

node .agents/skills/ns-android-play-console-release/scripts/upload-internal-release.cjs \
  --app dev.melvynx.nowstack \
  --aab /tmp/nowstack-android-local-v<N>.aab \
  --service-account mobile-app/google-play-service-account.json \
  --track internal \
  --name "1.0.0 (<versionCode>)" \
  --notes "Initial internal test release."

The script creates an Android Publisher edit, uploads the AAB, assigns the track, and commits with retry. It auto-recovers from both states observed in practice:

• changesNotSentForReview required.
• changesNotSentForReview must not be set.
• Bundle upload not completed yet at commit time.

Verify after upload:

gpc --app dev.melvynx.nowstack releases status --output json

Success looks like:

[
  {
    "track": "internal",
    "status": "completed",
    "versionCodes": ["6"]
  }
]

Play Console UI Gates

Binary upload can be done via CLI/API. Play Console setup is only partly automatable.

Use browser UI for:

• Privacy policy URL.
• Ads declaration.
• App access/login instructions.
• Data safety.
• Content rating.
• Target audience and content.
• Advertising ID.
• Government apps.
• Financial features.
• Health apps.
• Store listing contact details when gpc apps/listings update hits rejected-update acknowledgement bugs.

Known reviewer account pattern for this repo:

Email: appstoretest@email.com
OTP/code: 123456
Instructions:
Open the app, choose Continue with email, enter appstoretest@email.com, then use verification code 123456. If the onboarding paywall appears, continue with the available non-purchase path. No Google or Apple sign-in is required.

Do not claim premium/full paid access unless the account is actually granted it in production.

If Chrome automation is blocked by an extension popup such as 1Password, stop and ask the user to dismiss the popup. Do not switch to risky OS-level browser control for Play Console forms.

Failure Modes

• API_CHANGES_NOT_SENT_FOR_REVIEW even with the flag: use the direct API fallback script or browser UI.
• changesNotSentForReview must not be set: commit the same edit without that query parameter; the fallback script handles this.
• Some of the Android App Bundle uploads are not completed yet: retry commit on the same edit after waiting; the fallback script handles this.
• This Edit has been deleted: the failed CLI edit is gone; create a new edit and re-upload.
• Empty gpc status releases but gpc releases status shows internal: trust the track-specific release status for binary proof.
• Chrome says automation is blocked by another extension UI: user must dismiss the extension popup before browser work can continue.

Report

Include:

• Package name.
• AAB path and SHA256.
• VersionCode.
• Track and status from gpc releases status.
• Which Play Console UI declarations were completed.
• Which UI declarations remain blocked/manual.