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.