torchinlane

A global Dart CLI for Flutter app distribution: scaffold fastlane, build and upload to TestFlight/App Store and Google Play, translate store changelogs into 32 locales via the Claude API, and generate store-ready screenshot marketing prompts.

Requirements

Dart SDK ^3.5.0
Flutter project layout (pubspec.yaml, ios/, android/)
Ruby + fastlane installed for deploy (gem install fastlane or via Bundler)
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY env var for changelog translate
App Store Connect API key (.p8) for iOS deploy/changelog push
Google Play service account JSON for Android deploy/changelog push

Install

dart pub global activate torchinlane

Make sure ~/.pub-cache/bin is on your PATH so the torchinlane executable is found:

export PATH="$PATH:$HOME/.pub-cache/bin"

Upgrading to a new version

Important: upgrading the CLI does not touch already-scaffolded projects. When a new torchinlane version ships, each existing project must run torchinlane update to pick up template changes (new scripts/build.sh steps, Fastfile fixes, etc.). Skipping it means your project keeps running the old generated files.

dart pub global activate torchinlane   # 1. upgrade the CLI itself
torchinlane update                     # 2. run inside each project to re-sync

update never overwrites your own files (torchinlane.yaml, release notes, ExportOptions.plist) and backs up every changed file as *.bak.

First-time users don't need update. A fresh torchinlane init always generates from the current version's templates, so every change is already included. update only matters for projects scaffolded by an older CLI.

Usage

Run inside any Flutter project (needs pubspec.yaml, ios/, android/).

`torchinlane init`

Interactively scaffolds ios/fastlane/, android/fastlane/, fastlane/ChangelogHelper.rb, changelogs/<locale>/release_notes.txt, and a torchinlane.yaml config file for your project's bundle IDs, team IDs, and API keys.

torchinlane init

After it finishes, place your credentials at the fixed default paths it prints:

App Store Connect .p8 key → ios/fastlane/api_key.p8
Google Play service account JSON → android/fastlane/fastlane-service-account.json

Both paths are added to .gitignore automatically.

init also writes an executable scripts/build.sh — an interactive, menu-driven wrapper for the whole build+deploy flow (see below).

`scripts/build.sh` — interactive build & deploy

Instead of remembering torchinlane deploy flags, run the generated script from your project root:

sh scripts/build.sh

It walks you through the release step by step, in this order:

Only-upload mode — skip building and just upload the AAB/IPA already in build/ (for retrying a failed upload).
Platforms — build Android, iOS, or both.
Upload + target — whether to upload, and to Internal (TestFlight / Play Internal testing) or Production (App Store / Play production).
Release notes — type your English (source-locale) notes right in the terminal, ending with an empty line. The previous notes are cleared first so a stale note is never shipped. An empty note is allowed (the stores keep their current text). If ANTHROPIC_API_KEY is set, the notes are translated into every configured locale; otherwise only the source note ships. Notes are cleared again after a successful upload.

Version bump — shows the exact resulting version for each choice before you pick, then runs torchinlane bump:

Version bump — current: 0.1.7
  1) patch  -> 0.1.8+1   (bug fix; z+1, build+1)
  2) minor  -> 0.2.0+1   (new feature; y+1, z=0, build+1)
  3) major  -> 1.0.0+1   (breaking change; x+1, y=z=0, build+1)
  4) build  -> 0.1.7+1   (same version, build+1 — re-upload)
  5) skip   -> 0.1.7   (no change)

Deep clean — optionally wipe native caches (.gradle, Pods, DerivedData) before building.

Builds are always obfuscated with --split-debug-info (symbol maps kept in build/debug-info), and iOS builds verify that dSYMs were generated so Crashlytics symbolication works. Uploads go through the fastlane lanes that init scaffolded.

`torchinlane uninstall`

Removes everything torchinlane init created — ios/fastlane/, android/fastlane/, fastlane/, ios/ExportOptions.plist, scripts/build.sh, and torchinlane.yaml. Leaves changelogs/ untouched.

torchinlane uninstall          # asks for confirmation
torchinlane uninstall --yes    # skip confirmation

`torchinlane update`

After you upgrade the CLI itself:

dart pub global activate torchinlane   # get the latest CLI
torchinlane update                     # re-apply its templates to this project

update reads your torchinlane.yaml and re-renders the generated files — iOS/Android Fastfiles + Appfiles, fastlane/ChangelogHelper.rb, and scripts/build.sh — so a project picks up template fixes shipped in a newer CLI version. For each file that changed it prints a line diff and asks before writing; every overwritten file is backed up as <file>.bak (gitignored). User-owned files (ios/ExportOptions.plist, your release notes, and torchinlane.yaml) are never touched.

torchinlane update            # diff + confirm each changed file
torchinlane update -y         # apply all changes without prompting
torchinlane update --dry-run  # show what would change, write nothing

For a full clean regeneration instead (overwrites everything, re-asks the prompts), use torchinlane init --force.

`torchinlane deploy`

Runs flutter clean && flutter pub get, builds (obfuscated), and uploads via fastlane. Android and iOS build/upload independently — if one fails the other still runs, and the command reports which platform(s) failed at the end.

torchinlane deploy --platform ios,android --target internal
torchinlane deploy --platform ios --target production
torchinlane deploy --platform android --target production
torchinlane deploy --platform ios,android --target production
torchinlane deploy --platform android --target internal --upload-only
torchinlane deploy --dry-run

Flags

Flag	Default	What it does
`--platform`	`ios,android`	Which platform(s) to build/deploy. `ios`, `android`, or `ios,android`.
`--target`	`internal`	`internal` = TestFlight (iOS) / Internal Testing track (Android). `production` = App Store / Play Store production track — see below, this still requires a manual final step.
`--upload-only`	off	Skip `flutter build`; upload the AAB/IPA that's already in `build/`. Useful for retrying a failed upload without rebuilding.
`--skip-clean`	off	Skip `flutter clean && flutter pub get` before building. Faster iteration when you know the build is already clean.
`--deep-clean`	off	Also wipe `android/.gradle`, `android/app/build`, `ios/Pods`, `ios/Podfile.lock` before building. Use when you suspect stale native caches.
`--skip-release-notes`	off	Upload without attaching changelog text, regardless of what's in `changelogs/`.
`--dry-run`	off	Print every command that would run, without executing anything. Good for sanity-checking a config before a real deploy.

`--target internal` — what happens

Android: builds an AAB, uploads it to the Play Console Internal Testing track as a draft. Visible immediately to your internal testers list, no review needed.
iOS: builds an IPA, uploads it to App Store Connect and submits it to TestFlight. Available to internal testers right away; external testers need Apple's (usually quick) beta review.

`--target production` — what happens

This uploads the build to the production track/App Store, but does not publish it live — the final "make it public" step is manual, on purpose, so a script can never accidentally ship to real users.

Android: uploads the AAB to the Play Console production track with release_status: draft. It sits there until you go to Play Console → Production → Review release → Start rollout to production.
iOS: uploads the IPA to App Store Connect with submit_for_review: false and automatic_release: false. The build appears in App Store Connect but is never submitted for review automatically. You attach it to a version and hit Submit for Review yourself.

So torchinlane deploy --target production gets the binary in front of Apple/Google, but you still press the final button in each store's dashboard.

`torchinlane bump`

torchinlane bump build   # 1.0.16+57 -> 1.0.16+58
torchinlane bump patch   # 1.0.16+57 -> 1.0.17+58
torchinlane bump minor   # 1.0.16+57 -> 1.1.0+58
torchinlane bump major   # 1.0.16+57 -> 2.0.0+58

`torchinlane changelog`

Requires ANTHROPIC_API_KEY in the environment.

torchinlane changelog translate --from en   # writes changelogs/<locale>/release_notes.txt for 31 other locales
torchinlane changelog push --platform ios,android  # push notes to stores without a binary upload
torchinlane changelog clear  # empty all release_notes.txt after a release

How to update the changelog for a release

torchinlane init scaffolds an empty changelogs/<locale>/release_notes.txt for every locale. torchinlane deploy reads these files and attaches them to the store upload automatically — if a file is empty, deploy does not fail, it just uploads without release notes for that locale.

Find your source locale. It's whatever you entered at the Source locale for changelog translation prompt during torchinlane init (check changelogs.source_locale in torchinlane.yaml if you forgot — it defaults to en).
Write your release notes into that locale's file. For example, if your source locale is en:
```
echo "Bug fixes and performance improvements." > changelogs/en/release_notes.txt
```
Or open changelogs/en/release_notes.txt in an editor and write freely — multi-line text is fine.
(Optional) Translate to the other 31 store locales using the Claude API:
```
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your-key
torchinlane changelog translate --from en
```
This reads changelogs/en/release_notes.txt and writes a translated version into every other changelogs/<locale>/release_notes.txt. Skip this step if you only ship one locale, or want to write translations by hand.
Deploy. torchinlane deploy picks up the notes automatically:
```
torchinlane deploy --platform ios,android --target internal
```
Pass --skip-release-notes to upload a build without attaching any changelog, regardless of what's in the files.
After the release, clear the notes so next time's changelog doesn't accidentally reuse old text:
```
torchinlane changelog clear
```

If you'd rather push updated release notes to the stores without shipping a new binary (e.g. you forgot to add notes to an already-uploaded build), use:

torchinlane changelog push --platform ios,android

`torchinlane screenshots`

torchinlane screenshots capture --platform ios --locale en   # interactive: navigate, press Enter, repeat
torchinlane screenshots prompts   # analyzes the project and writes screenshots/store_prompts.md

`torchinlane doctor`

torchinlane doctor

Configuration

torchinlane init writes torchinlane.yaml to your project root. It is safe to commit — it holds paths and IDs, not secrets. Credential paths (asc_key_path, service_account_json) are fixed defaults, not prompted for, and are added to .gitignore automatically.

app_name: MyApp
ios:
  bundle_id: com.example.myapp
  team_id: ABCDE12345
  itc_team_id: ABCDE12345 # optional, defaults to team_id
  apple_id: you@example.com
  asc_key_id: XXXXXXXXXX
  asc_issuer_id: xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx
  asc_key_path: ios/fastlane/api_key.p8 # fixed default, not prompted
  firebase_crashlytics: false # optional, uploads dSYMs when true
android:
  package_name: com.example.myapp
  service_account_json: android/fastlane/fastlane-service-account.json # fixed default, not prompted
changelogs:
  dir: changelogs # optional
  source_locale: en # optional
  locales: [ar, bn, cs, ...] # optional, defaults to 32 store locales
build:
  obfuscate: true
  split_debug_info: build/debug-info
screenshots:
  output_dir: screenshots
  ios_devices: []
  android_devices: []
  locales: [en]

Troubleshooting

torchinlane: command not found — ~/.pub-cache/bin is not on PATH (see Install above).
torchinlane doctor fails on fastlane — install fastlane and confirm fastlane --version runs from your project's ios/ or android/ dir.
changelog translate errors with a missing key — export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY in your shell before running the command.
Deploy fails to authenticate with App Store Connect — verify asc_key_path points at a valid .p8 file and asc_key_id/asc_issuer_id match the key generated in App Store Connect > Users and Access > Keys.
Deploy fails to authenticate with Google Play — verify the service account JSON path is correct and the service account has been granted access to the app in Play Console.

License

MIT

torchinlane

Requirements

Install

Upgrading to a new version

Usage

`torchinlane init`

`scripts/build.sh` — interactive build & deploy

`torchinlane uninstall`

`torchinlane update`

`torchinlane deploy`

Flags

`--target internal` — what happens

`--target production` — what happens

`torchinlane bump`

`torchinlane changelog`

How to update the changelog for a release

`torchinlane screenshots`

`torchinlane doctor`

Configuration

Troubleshooting

License

Libraries

torchinlane package

torchinlane

Requirements

Install

Upgrading to a new version

Usage

torchinlane init

scripts/build.sh — interactive build & deploy

torchinlane uninstall

torchinlane update

torchinlane deploy

Flags

--target internal — what happens

--target production — what happens

torchinlane bump

torchinlane changelog

How to update the changelog for a release

torchinlane screenshots

torchinlane doctor

Configuration

Troubleshooting

License

Libraries

torchinlane package

`torchinlane init`

`scripts/build.sh` — interactive build & deploy

`torchinlane uninstall`

`torchinlane update`

`torchinlane deploy`

`--target internal` — what happens

`--target production` — what happens

`torchinlane bump`

`torchinlane changelog`

`torchinlane screenshots`

`torchinlane doctor`