ratings-mechanics
How App Store ratings actually behave — per-storefront isolation (your US stars show nowhere else), the never-reset rule, phased release + manual release as rating protection, and where prompting/replying fit. Use when planning ratings strategy for new markets, considering a ratings reset, setting release options, or diagnosing "why is my rating missing in country X.
npx skills add rshankras/claude-code-apple-skills --skill ratings-mechanics --agent claude-code
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for codex, cursor, copilot.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
# Ratings Mechanics The rating is an asset with mechanics most developers learn the hard way. This skill covers the four rules that aren't obvious from the ASC UI. Prompting *code* lives in `generators/review-prompt`; reply *writing* lives in `app-store/review-response-writer` — this skill is the strategy layer that tells you when each matters. ## When This Skill Activates - Localizing or expanding into new storefronts ("why does my app show no rating in Japan?") - Considering the "reset ratings summary" option on a version release - Choosing release options before submitting (phased vs immediate, auto vs manual) - Planning a per-market ratings strategy alongside `product/localization-strategy` - A bad build or review-bomb is threatening the rating ## Rule 1: Ratings are per-storefront — they do not travel Your 4.8★ from 2,000 US ratings renders as **no rating at all** on the Japanese storefront until Japanese users rate the app there. Every storefront starts from zero. Consequences: - ✅ Entering a new market = re-running the early-days ratings playbook *in that market*: prompt eagerly (within guidelines), localize the prompt moment, reply to every early review. - ✅ Weight `request
- When This Skill Activates
- Rule 1: Ratings are per-storefront — they do not travel
- Rule 2: Never reset the ratings summary
- Rule 3: Phased release + manual release are rating armor
- Rule 4: The prompt-and-reply loop is the only rating input you control
- Output Format
- References
What does the ratings-mechanics skill do?
How App Store ratings actually behave — per-storefront isolation (your US stars show nowhere else), the never-reset rule, phased release + manual release as rating protection, and where prompting/replying fit. Use when planning ratings strategy for new markets, considering a ratings reset, setting release options, or diagnosing "why is my rating missing in country X.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add rshankras/claude-code-apple-skills --skill ratings-mechanics --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From rshankras/claude-code-apple-skills, a repository with 589 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.