Set up your App Store Connect API key for Appstead

Create the Sales and Reports API key, download its .p8 file once, and add the credentials Appstead needs for a live workspace.

A live Appstead workspace connects directly to App Store Connect. You give Appstead an API key with the Sales and Reports role, then it uses that key to read your app and sales-report data. No Appstead account or server is involved.

Live workspaces are part of Appstead Pro. If you want to try the app before connecting an account, the built-in demo workspace needs no key at all.

What you need

Appstead asks for four things when you add a live workspace:

• An App Store Connect Issuer ID
• An API Key ID
• The private .p8 key file
• Your Vendor Number for sales reports

Before you start

You need an Admin account in App Store Connect to generate team keys. If you sign in with a Developer or App Manager role, the Generate button will not appear. Ask your team's Admin or Account Holder to create the key, or to make you an Admin.

The key must be a Team Key, not an Individual Key. Apple does not let individual keys access Sales and Finance data, so an individual key will fail validation in Appstead.

Create a new key for Appstead instead of reusing a key from another tool. The key needs the Sales and Reports role. That is the access level Appstead uses for its live workspace setup.

Apple only lets you download the private .p8 file once. Keep it private and available until you import it. Never put it in a code repository or send it in email or chat.

1. Create the API key

1. Sign in to App Store Connect and open API Keys. If you are navigating by hand, it is under Users and Access, in the Integrations tab, under App Store Connect API.
2. Make sure the Team Keys tab is selected, then choose Generate API Key or the Add (+) button.
3. Name the key Appstead, or another name you will recognize.
4. Under Access, select Sales and Reports.
5. Choose Generate.

Apple's API-key guide has the full current flow and role details.

2. Copy the IDs and download the .p8 file

From the Team Keys page, gather these three items together:

• Issuer ID: the account-level ID shown near the top of the page. It is the same for every key on the account.
• Key ID: the ID shown in the row for this new key.
• Private Key: choose Download API Key in that row to save the .p8 file.

The Key ID and .p8 file must belong to the same API key. The download link disappears once you have used it. If it is gone, create a replacement key. Apple does not keep another copy of the private file.

3. Find your Vendor Number

Appstead uses your Vendor Number to request sales reports. Open Payments and Financial Reports in App Store Connect. The number appears as Vendor # in the top left. It is an account-level number, not an app's Apple ID.

4. Add the live workspace in Appstead

1. Open Appstead, go to Settings, and choose Add Workspace. If you have no workspace yet, the empty screen offers Add Live Workspace, and the demo Overview offers Connect App Store. All three open the same form.
2. If you are not on Appstead Pro yet, the Pro screen appears first. The form opens as soon as Pro is active.
3. Give the workspace a name you will recognize, such as your studio name.
4. Paste the Issuer ID and Key ID.
5. Choose Choose .p8 File and select the downloaded private key.
6. Enter the Vendor Number.
7. Choose Validate & Save. Appstead checks the credentials with Apple before it saves anything or starts importing.

If you already set this workspace up on another device signed in to the same iCloud account, Appstead may find the credentials in iCloud Keychain and offer to continue with them instead.

What to expect after connecting

• The first import loads the last 90 days of daily sales reports so the Overview and Trends fill in right away. You can keep using the app while it runs.
• Later refreshes extend history further back, up to the rolling year of daily reports Apple makes available.
• Apple typically publishes yesterday's report around 7 AM Pacific. Until then, the newest day will be missing, not zero.
• The most recent five days are re-fetched on every refresh and shown as preliminary, because Apple can still revise them.

More than one App Store Connect account

Each Appstead workspace holds one account's credentials. For a second account, such as a client or an old team, repeat these steps with a key generated under that account and add it as a separate workspace. Switching between workspaces takes a tap.

If the .p8 download fails on iPhone or iPad

Apple's download can fail on iPhone or iPad. Download the file on a Mac instead, transfer it directly with AirDrop or Files, then import it into Appstead. Delete temporary copies once the import succeeds.

If Appstead cannot validate the key

If Apple rejects the credentials, check these in order:

• The Issuer ID and Key ID have no extra spaces.
• The selected .p8 file belongs to that Key ID.
• The key is a Team Key with the Sales and Reports role, and has not been revoked.
• The Vendor Number belongs to the App Store Connect account you are adding.

If Appstead reports that the credentials work but an agreement is missing, App Store Connect accepted the key but your Account Holder still needs to accept a required agreement before sales reports can be served. Accept it on the Agreements page in App Store Connect, then try again.

Removing a workspace or revoking a key

To disconnect, open the workspace in Settings and choose Remove Workspace. You can remove it from this device only, which keeps it on your other devices, or from all devices.

Removing a workspace does not revoke the key at Apple. If the .p8 file was ever exposed, or you simply no longer use it, revoke the key on the Team Keys page in App Store Connect. A revoked key stops working in Appstead immediately, so generate a new one before revoking if you plan to keep the workspace.

Your key stays private

Appstead keeps the private key in Keychain for that workspace. It does not send your API key, sales data, or business metrics to an Appstead server.