---
title: "The whole pipeline, one page"
description: "How raw app screenshots become a store-ready deliverable, in four stages, plus the optional Pro stage that shows you the exact App Store Connect change before you publish it yourself."
canonical: "https://shotops.dev/docs/mcp/full-flow"
last_updated: "2026-09-07"
shotops_mcp_version: "0.9.6"
result_contract_version: "2.0.0"
---
# The whole pipeline, one page

How raw app screenshots become a store-ready deliverable, in four stages, plus the optional Pro stage that shows you the exact App Store Connect change before you publish it yourself.

Every other page on this site covers one stage well. This page shows how the stages connect — from the screenshots already on your phone or in your repository to the file you hand `fastlane` or App Store Connect.

## The whole pipeline, one page

ShotOps has one continuous job: turn raw app screenshots into a store-ready deliverable. Four stages get you there, and the same Tidebook example runs through all four.

1. 1 — Raw screens Five flat PNGs, straight from the simulator or a device. Nothing styled yet. ![Five raw weather app screens from the landing-page parallax rail, shown without device frames.](https://shotops.dev/studio/docs/media/assets/spine-screens.svg) _Five raw Tidebook screens before device frames, captions or panel composition._
2. 2 — Styled preview ShotOps places each screen in a 3D device mockup, adds your captions, and composes the panels at App Store sizes — low-resolution, free, and fast enough to iterate on the design. ![Stage two App Store strip preview: five weather screenshots rendered inside phone devices on framed panels with captions.](https://shotops.dev/studio/docs/media/assets/spine-preview.svg) _The same screens as a low-resolution preview strip, ready for a quick design decision._
3. 3 — Saved, editable project Once the design holds, save it. The look, the captions and every locale stay editable after the conversation that made them ends. ![Stage three: the weather app strip saved as an editable project with a look, captions and two locales.](https://shotops.dev/studio/docs/media/assets/spine-project.svg) _The same five panels, saved as an editable project with its look, its captions and its two locales._
4. 4 — Store-ready bundle Full-resolution panels, one folder per locale, zipped into the shape `fastlane deliver` already expects. ![Stage four: a screenshot bundle for the weather app, shaped for fastlane with one folder per locale and numbered screenshots.](https://shotops.dev/studio/docs/media/assets/spine-bundle.svg) _One zip, one folder per locale, uploaded by your own fastlane._

> ShotOps stops at the bundle The last mile — actually publishing to the App Store — is always yours. ShotOps never holds an Apple or store credential, so it is never the thing that uploads, submits or releases. You run `fastlane`, or App Store Connect, yourself.

A Pro plan adds one more stop before that last mile, without changing who makes it: [Review a release locally](https://shotops.dev/docs/mcp/workflows/local-release-review) reads your live App Store Connect state, computes the exact difference your bundle would make, and opens that diff in a read-only page on your own machine — so you know precisely what would change before you run `fastlane` and make it change for real.

## Where each stage runs

| Stage | Runs on | Costs |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Raw screens | Wherever they already are | Nothing |
| Styled preview | Your computer (Local MCP) or ShotOps Cloud (Hosted MCP) | Free |
| Saved project | ShotOps account storage | Free |
| Store-ready bundle | Your computer or ShotOps Cloud | Store-ready output and Hosted rendering — see Plans and output |
| Release review (Pro) | Your computer only | Included with Pro; see Review a release locally |
| Publishing | Your fastlane, your App Store Connect | Nothing ShotOps charges for |

## Continue

- [Render your first preview](https://shotops.dev/docs/mcp/workflows/first-strip) walks the first two stages start to finish.
- [Work on a saved project](https://shotops.dev/docs/mcp/workflows/saved-project) covers stage three.
- [Ship every locale](https://shotops.dev/docs/mcp/workflows/localization) covers stage four for more than one language.
- [Review a release locally](https://shotops.dev/docs/mcp/workflows/local-release-review) covers the optional Pro stage before you publish.