What the source did
- Builds apps and games with AI coding agents; 2048 Meadow, a puzzle game, was built with Codex.
- Before upload, the coding agent ran a release gate: 154 Swift package tests, Debug and Release builds, device archive and App Store export, privacy manifests checked inside the final build, no screenshot fixtures or StoreKit test catalog left in production, and the display name checked against the listing.
- The gate caught real gaps before Apple did: missing App Group privacy manifests, export-compliance metadata, an inconsistent installed name, iPad support, screenshot coverage and the production StoreKit setup.
- The agent uploaded the build with a command-line tool for App Store Connect.
- Apple still rejected the game as "design spam", too similar to others in the genre, so he added a seventh check comparing the app with the top 10 in its category.
- An earlier reading app for kids was rejected 4 times for minor bugs behind its sign-up, PIN and paywall screens.
- Heads-up: he says the game has earned $0 so far, and his newer games launch on web game portals first so he can see whether players come back.
“The clone / design-spam pass is the one my gate still misses”— frederik (@froessell), X
Summary written by Agent Cookbook from the original post. See the original for the full context. How we source recipes
Our notes
- What it takes
- A coding agent with Xcode command-line access and your App Store Connect listing to compare against.
- Where it breaks
- A green gate doesn't cover originality: his game passed 154 tests and was rejected as design spam.
- Human checkpoint
- You read the clone check and submit for review yourself.
- Tools involved
- Codex or Claude Code, Xcode, App Store Connect
✓ Verified Source link checked and still live. Notes by Thomas, editor. How we verify
Read their guide
Made and published by frederik. Start here; it is their original, not ours.
Their prompt
From frederik (@froessell) Their exact wording: the release gate from his Oct 16 article, which he wrote up for any iOS app. Source ↗
Before I submit this iOS app, run a release gate and report pass or fail for each item:
1. Run all tests, then build Debug and Release, archive for a device and export for App Store distribution.
2. Open the exported build and confirm the privacy manifests for the app and every extension are inside it.
3. Compare my App Privacy answers in App Store Connect with what the code actually collects and sends.
4. Confirm no debug fixtures, test data or .storekit files are in the production build.
5. Check that the display name, bundle ID, supported devices and screenshots match the App Store listing.
6. Check that every in-app purchase is configured for production and that Restore Purchases works.
For anything that fails, give me the file and the fix.
7. Compare the app with the top 10 games in its category and list what makes it clearly different, so review doesn't see it as a copy.
Approval rule
🛡
The agent reports pass or fail and proposes fixes; you decide what ships and you submit for review. Sending, buying, posting, and deleting always need a human.
Set it up
- Save his gate as a prompt or skill in the repo your coding agent works in.
- Run it after the final build and before you upload anything.
- Fix every fail it reports, then run the gate again until each item passes.
- Read item 7 yourself. A green gate doesn't mean review will see the app as original.
- Walk through sign-up, PINs and paywalls as a first-time user before you submit.
- Submit for review yourself.
Common failures
⚠
- Treating 154 passing tests as approval. His game passed and was still rejected as too similar to others.
- Privacy manifests missing from extensions such as widgets, which only show up when you inspect the exported build.
- Test fixtures or .storekit files shipping in the production build.
- Onboarding screens a reviewer has to get through first (account, PIN, paywall) breaking on a fresh device.
Variations
- He said in the thread he's adding a grep for live secrets (sk_live keys, service_role tokens, private tokens) to the gate.
- Rewrite item 7 for non-games: compare against the top apps in your category.
- Launch games on a web portal first, then bring only the ones players come back to through App Review.
Get the 10 best agent setups. Free.
Plus new recipes every week. One email, no spam.
Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy