Build Distribution

Connect your CI pipeline so every build lands in App Center automatically — no manual uploads.

How it works

CI pipeline
  → POST /api/v1/builds (tapflow relay)
  → Build appears in App Center
  → Team opens browser, picks a device, and tests
      PO / PM: does it match the spec?
      Designer: does it match the design?
      Backend: is the API wired up correctly?
      QA: any bugs to report?

The CI job uploads the build artifact. From there, anyone on the team can test directly in the browser — no IDE, no device setup needed.

Two testing paths

This guide covers the manual review path: CI delivers the build; people do the testing.

For automated testing where an LLM agent controls the simulator, see MCP in CI/CD. That is a separate, experimental feature.

Prerequisites

Requirement	Notes
tapflow relay	Running and reachable from your CI environment
Personal Access Token	Create one in Settings → Tokens with builds:write scope

1. Generate a token

In the dashboard, go to Settings → Tokens → New Token.

• Name: something descriptive, e.g. GitHub Actions
• Scope: builds:write
• Expiry: optional

Copy the token — it is shown only once. Store it as a CI secret (e.g. TAPFLOW_PAT).

2. Upload the build

Call POST /api/v1/builds after the build artifact is ready.

# iOS (.app.zip)
curl -X POST https://your-relay/api/v1/builds \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TAPFLOW_PAT" \
  -F "file=@MyApp.app.zip" \
  -F "status=In Progress" \
  -F "label=$GIT_BRANCH"

# Android (.apk)
curl -X POST https://your-relay/api/v1/builds \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TAPFLOW_PAT" \
  -F "file=@MyApp.apk" \
  -F "status=In Progress" \
  -F "label=$GIT_BRANCH"

status=In Progress signals to the team that the build is ready for review.
Use label to attach context — branch name, ticket number, or a short description.

iOS builds

.ipa files are not supported. Use .app.zip only.
Build with xcodebuild -sdk iphonesimulator, then zip the .app folder.

3. Post build metadata (optional)

Attach commit and branch info as a comment so reviewers know what changed.

BUILD_ID=$(curl -sf -X POST https://your-relay/api/v1/builds \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TAPFLOW_PAT" \
  -F "file=@MyApp.app.zip" \
  -F "status=In Progress" \
  -F "label=$GIT_BRANCH" | jq -r '.id')

curl -X POST https://your-relay/api/v1/comments \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TAPFLOW_PAT" \
  -F "build_id=$BUILD_ID" \
  -F "body=Branch: $GIT_BRANCH
Commit: $GIT_SHA
$GIT_COMMIT_MSG"

GitHub Actions example

name: Upload to tapflow

on:
  push:
    branches: [main, 'release/**']
  pull_request:

jobs:
  upload:
    runs-on: macos-latest

    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Build app
        run: |
          xcodebuild -scheme MyApp -sdk iphonesimulator \
            -configuration Debug \
            CONFIGURATION_BUILD_DIR=build/Debug
          cd build/Debug && zip -r MyApp.app.zip MyApp.app

      - name: Upload to tapflow
        env:
          TAPFLOW_PAT: ${{ secrets.TAPFLOW_PAT }}
          TAPFLOW_RELAY_URL: ${{ secrets.TAPFLOW_RELAY_URL }}
          BRANCH: ${{ github.head_ref || github.ref_name }}
          COMMIT: ${{ github.sha }}
          COMMIT_MSG: ${{ github.event.head_commit.message || github.event.pull_request.title }}
        run: |
          BUILD_RESPONSE=$(curl -sf -X POST "$TAPFLOW_RELAY_URL/api/v1/builds" \
            -H "Authorization: Bearer $TAPFLOW_PAT" \
            -F "file=@build/Debug/MyApp.app.zip" \
            -F "status=In Progress" \
            -F "label=$BRANCH")

          BUILD_ID=$(echo "$BUILD_RESPONSE" | jq -r '.id')

          COMMENT="Branch: $BRANCH"$'\n'"Commit: $COMMIT"$'\n'"$COMMIT_MSG"

          curl -sf -X POST "$TAPFLOW_RELAY_URL/api/v1/comments" \
            -H "Authorization: Bearer $TAPFLOW_PAT" \
            -F "build_id=$BUILD_ID" \
            -F "body=$COMMENT"

Build status reference

Status	Meaning
Backlog	Uploaded but not yet ready for review
In Progress	Ready — team can start testing
Done	Stakeholders approved
Rejected	Issues found, needs fixes

CI sets In Progress on upload. Done and Rejected are set manually after review.