$gpc rtdn

--jsonno auth required for decode

Real-Time Developer Notifications — decode and inspect Pub/Sub messages from Google Play.

usagegpc rtdn <subcommand> [options]

Commands

Command	Description
rtdn status	Check RTDN notification topic configuration
rtdn decode	Decode a base64-encoded Pub/Sub notification payload
rtdn test	Guidance for testing RTDN setup

Overview

Google Play sends Real-Time Developer Notifications (RTDN) via Cloud Pub/Sub when subscription and purchase events occur. GPC provides tools to inspect your RTDN configuration and decode notification payloads.

How RTDN Works

1. You create a Pub/Sub topic in your GCP project
2. You configure the topic in Play Console (Monetization setup)
3. Google Play publishes base64-encoded JSON messages to your topic
4. Your backend subscribes to the topic and processes events

GPC helps with steps 1-2 (checking configuration) and decoding messages for debugging.

---

rtdn status

Check whether RTDN is configured for your app.

Synopsis

gpc rtdn status [options]

Example

gpc rtdn status --app com.example.myapp

RTDN Status — com.example.myapp
──────────────────────────────────────────────────
Topic:   projects/my-project/topics/play-notifications
Enabled: yes

If no topic is configured, GPC shows setup instructions.

---

rtdn decode

Decode a base64-encoded Pub/Sub notification payload into a readable format.

Synopsis

gpc rtdn decode <base64-payload>

Example

gpc rtdn decode "eyJ2ZXJzaW9uIjoiMS4wIiwicGFja2FnZU5hbWUiOiJjb20uZXhhbXBsZSIs..."

packageName   com.example.myapp
eventTime     2026-03-28T10:00:00.000Z
version       1.0
type          subscription
event         SUBSCRIPTION_PURCHASED
subscriptionId  premium_monthly
purchaseToken   abc123def456...

JSON Output

gpc rtdn decode <payload> --output json

Returns the full decoded notification object including all fields.

Notification Types

Subscription events:

Code	Event
1	SUBSCRIPTION_RECOVERED
2	SUBSCRIPTION_RENEWED
3	SUBSCRIPTION_CANCELED
4	SUBSCRIPTION_PURCHASED
5	SUBSCRIPTION_ON_HOLD
6	SUBSCRIPTION_IN_GRACE_PERIOD
7	SUBSCRIPTION_RESTARTED
8	SUBSCRIPTION_PRICE_CHANGE_CONFIRMED
9	SUBSCRIPTION_DEFERRED
12	SUBSCRIPTION_REVOKED
13	SUBSCRIPTION_EXPIRED

One-time product events:

Code	Event
1	ONE_TIME_PRODUCT_PURCHASED
2	ONE_TIME_PRODUCT_CANCELED

Other events: VOIDED_PURCHASE, TEST_NOTIFICATION

---

rtdn test

Shows instructions for sending a test notification from the Play Console.

gpc rtdn test

Setup Guide

1. Create a Pub/Sub topic in your GCP project:

   gcloud pubsub topics create play-notifications

2. Grant publish access to Google Play:

   gcloud pubsub topics add-iam-policy-binding play-notifications \
     --member="serviceAccount:google-play-developer-notifications@system.gserviceaccount.com" \
     --role="roles/pubsub.publisher"

3. Configure in Play Console: Go to Monetization setup > Real-time developer notifications > Set your topic name

4. Send a test notification from the Play Console to verify the setup

5. Decode the test message:

   gpc rtdn decode <base64-payload-from-pubsub>

Notes

• RTDN requires a GCP project with Pub/Sub enabled
• The service account used by GPC does not need Pub/Sub permissions — RTDN uses a separate Google-managed service account for publishing
• Test notifications can only be triggered from the Play Console UI
• RTDN is essential for subscription-based apps to track lifecycle events in real time