Frequently Asked Questions

Getting Started

What authentication method should I use?

Use a service account for CI/CD pipelines and automation. Use OAuth for local development and interactive use. Application Default Credentials (ADC) work automatically in Google Cloud environments (Cloud Build, Cloud Run, GKE). See Authentication for setup instructions.

How do I install GPC?

Three options:

# npm (requires Node.js 20+)
npm install -g @gpc-cli/cli

# Homebrew (macOS/Linux)
brew install yasserstudio/tap/gpc

# Standalone binary (no dependencies)
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/yasserstudio/gpc/main/scripts/install.sh | sh

See Installation for full details including Docker and CI/CD setup.

What Node.js version is required?

Node.js 20 or later. If you use the standalone binary or Homebrew, no Node.js installation is needed.

How do I update GPC?

# npm
npm update -g @gpc-cli/cli

# Homebrew
brew upgrade gpc

# Standalone binary — download the latest from GitHub Releases

GPC checks for updates automatically (once per 24 hours) and shows a notification when a new version is available.

Comparison & Migration

How is GPC different from Fastlane supply?

GPC covers 227 API endpoints -- Fastlane supply covers about 20. GPC gives you reviews, vitals, subscriptions, purchases, reports, user management, Managed Google Play private app publishing (v0.9.56, first Android publishing CLI to support it), and more. It has no Ruby dependency, supports structured JSON output for CI/CD, and starts in under 500ms (vs 2-3 seconds for Fastlane).

GPC reads Fastlane's metadata/ directory format natively, so migration starts with zero file changes. See Migrating from Fastlane for a step-by-step guide.

Why TypeScript and not Go?

Android developers already have Node.js — React Native, build tools, linters. npm install is in every CI pipeline. And @gpc-cli/api works as a standalone typed SDK in any Node.js project — build dashboards, Slack bots, or custom automation on top of the same API client GPC uses. A Go binary can't offer that.

Can I migrate from the Play Console UI?

Yes. See Migrating from Console UI for a mapping of every Play Console UI task to its GPC command equivalent.

CI/CD

Can I use GPC in CI/CD?

Yes. GPC is designed for CI/CD:

• JSON output when piped (automatic)
• Semantic exit codes (0-6) for branching logic
• Environment variable config (GPC_SERVICE_ACCOUNT, GPC_APP)
• --dry-run on every write operation
• --no-interactive mode (auto-detected in CI)

See the CI/CD guide for copy-pasteable GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Bitbucket, and CircleCI configs.

Is it stable enough for production CI/CD?

2,495 tests across 7 packages. 90%+ line coverage on all core packages. Every write operation supports --dry-run. Semantic exit codes for CI branching. Validated against production apps. The CLI is in a pre-release stability soak before v1.0.

Configuration

Does GPC support multiple apps?

Yes. Use the --app flag per command, set GPC_APP as an environment variable, or set up named profiles for different apps/accounts.

Is GPC free?

Yes. GPC is free to use with no tiers, seat pricing, or usage limits. Source code is public at github.com/yasserstudio/gpc. The license is source-available rather than OSI open source, and outside contributions are deferred until v1.0.0. See Why GPC Is Free to Use for the full stance, what is not for sale today, and what may change after v1.0.0.

Features

Can I extend GPC with plugins?

Yes. GPC has a plugin system with lifecycle hooks (beforeCommand, afterCommand, onError), custom command registration, and API request interception. A first-party CI plugin (@gpc-cli/plugin-ci) is included. See Plugin Development for the SDK documentation.

What is the difference between iap and otp commands?

The iap commands use the legacy in-app purchases API. The otp (one-time products) commands use the modern monetization API with richer features like regional pricing, product tags, and offer management. New projects should use otp.

Can GPC tell me if my app is ready to release?

Yes. gpc doctor --score gives an A–F release-readiness grade based on authentication, API access, configuration, credential hygiene, connectivity, and (with --verify) signing-key consistency. Add --badge to get a shareable shields.io badge you can commit into your README, and --json for a machine-readable breakdown in CI.

Can GPC summarize or analyze my reviews?

Yes. gpc status --full adds a local topic, sentiment, and keyword breakdown of recent reviews to the health snapshot, and gpc reviews list --sort newest|oldest|rating sorts the fetched window. The analysis runs locally with no external NLP service, so no review text leaves your machine.

Can AI assistants use GPC?

Yes. GPC ships 19 agent skills that teach AI coding assistants (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.) how to use every GPC workflow:

gpc install-skills

The interactive wizard lets you pick skills and target agents. See Agent Skills for the full list.

What Google Play APIs does GPC cover?

227 endpoints across the Android Publisher API v3, Play Developer Reporting API v1beta1, Play Custom App Publishing API v1, and Games Configuration API v1configuration. This includes apps, releases, tracks, listings, images, reviews, vitals, subscriptions, in-app products, one-time products, purchases, users, testers, device tiers, data safety, recovery, external transactions, internal sharing, generated APKs, Play Games achievements and leaderboard configuration (new in v0.9.86), and Managed Google Play private app publishing (first Android publishing CLI to support this). See API Coverage for the full endpoint map.

How do I upload an AAB from the command line?

gpc releases upload app-release.aab --track internal

Add --rollout 10 for staged rollouts, --changelog-ai --locales auto for AI-translated release notes, or --dry-run to validate without uploading. See releases for all options.

How do I automate staged rollouts?

Use gpc train for automated staged rollouts with time gates and crash rate gates:

gpc train --track production --stages 1,5,10,25,50,100 --gate crash-rate:2

Each stage advances only after the gate conditions are met. See train for the full pipeline configuration.

How do I translate release notes for the Play Store?

gpc changelog generate --target play-store --locales auto --ai

This generates "What's new" text from your git history, translates it into every configured locale with 500-character budget enforcement, and writes the result to your draft release. Bring your own LLM key (Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, or Vercel AI Gateway). See Multilingual Release Notes for the full guide.

Does GPC work with Managed Google Play?

Yes. GPC is the first Android publishing CLI to support the Play Custom App Publishing API. Publish private enterprise apps via CI/CD:

gpc enterprise publish app.aab --title "Internal Tools"

See Enterprise Publishing for setup and requirements.

Color & Output

How do I disable colored output?

Three ways:

# Per-command flag
gpc status --no-color

# Environment variable (standard no-color.org spec)
NO_COLOR=1 gpc status

# GPC-specific variable
GPC_NO_COLOR=1 gpc status

All three disable ANSI color sequences. NO_COLOR is checked first per the no-color.org standard.

How do I force colors in CI?

CI environments (where stdout is not a TTY) output no color by default. To force color — for example to preserve color in GitHub Actions logs — use FORCE_COLOR:

FORCE_COLOR=1 gpc vitals crashes --app com.example.myapp

FORCE_COLOR is ignored if NO_COLOR or GPC_NO_COLOR is also set.

What shows a first-run hint?

When GPC detects no configuration file exists and is not running in JSON, CI, or quiet mode, it shows a one-time hint on stderr:

✦ First time? Run gpc config init to get set up.

Run gpc config init to start the interactive setup wizard.

Policy & Compliance

Will my app listing be shared with third-party US app stores?

Starting July 22, 2026, Google Play makes US app and game listings (name, icon, description, screenshots, and videos) available to enrolled third-party US Android app stores, to comply with a US court order. On June 22, 2026, Google notified developers that listings are included unless you opt out by July 22, 2026.

Downloads still complete through Google Play on the same terms (Play's service fee still applies), but third-party stores are not governed by Play's content policies. This is a Play Console setting — there is no Play Developer API for it, so GPC cannot change it for you. Opt out (or confirm your choice) in the Play Console. See Google's announcement.

Troubleshooting

How do I report a bug?

Open an issue at github.com/yasserstudio/gpc/issues. Include the output of gpc doctor and any error messages. Use GPC_DEBUG=1 to capture detailed logs.

How do I diagnose setup problems?

Run gpc doctor — it checks your authentication, configuration, API connectivity, and version. See Troubleshooting for common issues and solutions.