asc privacy nutrition labels

Use this skill to configure App Store privacy nutrition labels for an app. This is the "App Privacy" section in App Store Connect where you declare what data your app collects, what purposes it's used for, and how it's protected.

When to use

• User says "set up privacy labels", "configure nutrition labels", "app privacy", "data collection declaration"
• The submission readiness checklist shows "Privacy Nutrition Labels" as incomplete
• User is preparing an app for first submission and needs to declare data practices
• User needs to update privacy declarations after adding new data collection

Preconditions

• Web session authenticated (cached in keychain from prior asc web auth login, or call asc_web_auth MCP tool)
• Know your app ID (ASC_APP_ID or --app)

Data Model

Each privacy declaration is a tuple of three dimensions:

Categories (what data is collected)

Grouped by type:

Purposes (why it's collected)

Data Protections (how it's handled)

Workflow

1. Ask the user what data the app collects

Before proceeding, understand the app's data practices. Ask:

• Does the app collect any user data? If no → use the "No data collected" flow
• What types of data does it collect? (e.g., name, email, location, analytics)
• What purposes? (e.g., app functionality, analytics, advertising)
• Is the data linked to the user's identity?
• Is any data used for tracking?

If the user is unsure, analyze the app's source code to determine data collection practices (look for analytics SDKs, location APIs, user accounts, etc.).

2a. "No data collected" flow

If the app collects no data:

# Create the declaration file
cat > /tmp/privacy.json << 'EOF'
{
  "schemaVersion": 1,
  "dataUsages": []
}
EOF

# Apply (this sets DATA_NOT_COLLECTED)
asc web privacy apply --app "APP_ID" --file /tmp/privacy.json --allow-deletes --confirm

# Publish
asc web privacy publish --app "APP_ID" --confirm

2b. Full data collection flow

Create a declaration file listing all collected data types with their purposes and protections:

cat > /tmp/privacy.json << 'EOF'
{
  "schemaVersion": 1,
  "dataUsages": [
    {
      "category": "EMAIL_ADDRESS",
      "purposes": ["APP_FUNCTIONALITY"],
      "dataProtections": ["DATA_LINKED_TO_YOU"]
    },
    {
      "category": "NAME",
      "purposes": ["APP_FUNCTIONALITY"],
      "dataProtections": ["DATA_LINKED_TO_YOU"]
    },
    {
      "category": "CRASH_DATA",
      "purposes": ["ANALYTICS"],
      "dataProtections": ["DATA_NOT_LINKED_TO_YOU"]
    }
  ]
}
EOF

Each entry in dataUsages specifies:

• category — one category ID from the table above
• purposes — array of purpose IDs (what the data is used for)
• dataProtections — array of protection IDs (how it's handled)

Each combination of (category, purpose, protection) becomes a separate tuple in the API. For tracking data, use DATA_USED_TO_TRACK_YOU as the protection (no purpose needed for tracking entries).

3. Preview changes

asc web privacy plan --app "APP_ID" --file /tmp/privacy.json --pretty

This shows a diff of what will be created, updated, or deleted. Review with the user before applying.

4. Apply changes

asc web privacy apply --app "APP_ID" --file /tmp/privacy.json --allow-deletes --confirm

• --allow-deletes removes remote entries not in the local file
• --confirm confirms destructive operations
• This command never auto-publishes

5. Publish

asc web privacy publish --app "APP_ID" --confirm

This makes the declarations live. Must be done after apply.

6. Verify

asc web privacy pull --app "APP_ID" --pretty

Common App Patterns

Simple app with no tracking, no user accounts

{
  "schemaVersion": 1,
  "dataUsages": [
    {
      "category": "CRASH_DATA",
      "purposes": ["ANALYTICS"],
      "dataProtections": ["DATA_NOT_LINKED_TO_YOU"]
    }
  ]
}

App with user accounts + analytics

{
  "schemaVersion": 1,
  "dataUsages": [
    {
      "category": "NAME",
      "purposes": ["APP_FUNCTIONALITY"],
      "dataProtections": ["DATA_LINKED_TO_YOU"]
    },
    {
      "category": "EMAIL_ADDRESS",
      "purposes": ["APP_FUNCTIONALITY"],
      "dataProtections": ["DATA_LINKED_TO_YOU"]
    },
    {
      "category": "USER_ID",
      "purposes": ["APP_FUNCTIONALITY"],
      "dataProtections": ["DATA_LINKED_TO_YOU"]
    },
    {
      "category": "PRODUCT_INTERACTION",
      "purposes": ["ANALYTICS"],
      "dataProtections": ["DATA_LINKED_TO_YOU"]
    },
    {
      "category": "CRASH_DATA",
      "purposes": ["ANALYTICS"],
      "dataProtections": ["DATA_NOT_LINKED_TO_YOU"]
    }
  ]
}

Health/fitness app

{
  "schemaVersion": 1,
  "dataUsages": [
    {
      "category": "HEALTH",
      "purposes": ["APP_FUNCTIONALITY"],
      "dataProtections": ["DATA_LINKED_TO_YOU"]
    },
    {
      "category": "FITNESS",
      "purposes": ["APP_FUNCTIONALITY"],
      "dataProtections": ["DATA_LINKED_TO_YOU"]
    },
    {
      "category": "PRECISE_LOCATION",
      "purposes": ["APP_FUNCTIONALITY"],
      "dataProtections": ["DATA_LINKED_TO_YOU"]
    }
  ]
}

Session Authentication

If asc web privacy commands fail with 401 or session errors, authenticate via the Blitz MCP tool:

Call the asc_web_auth MCP tool to open the Apple ID login window

Or ask the user to run in their terminal:

asc web auth login --apple-id "EMAIL"

Validation Rules

• DATA_NOT_COLLECTED (empty dataUsages array) is mutually exclusive — cannot coexist with collected data entries
• Each collected-data entry requires at least one purpose and one dataProtection
• DATA_USED_TO_TRACK_YOU entries are stored without a purpose (tracking is category-wide)
• The publish step is required after apply — changes are not live until published

Agent Behavior

• Always ask the user what data their app collects before creating the declaration
• If the user is unsure, analyze the source code for data collection patterns (SDKs, APIs, user auth)
• Use plan to preview changes before apply — show the diff to the user
• Always publish after successful apply
• Use pull to verify the final state
• NEVER print session cookies. All asc web commands handle auth internally
• If auth fails, call asc_web_auth MCP tool or ask user to run asc web auth login

Notes

• Privacy nutrition labels are required for App Store submission
• Changes are not visible until published
• The declaration file format (schemaVersion: 1) is the canonical format used by asc web privacy
• Use asc web privacy catalog to get the full list of available tokens if needed