# nomad-cli/shenzhen

CLI for Building & Distributing iOS Apps (.ipa Files)

Repository: https://github.com/nomad-cli/shenzhen
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/shenzhen
Language: Ruby
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Archived: true
Last push: 2021-06-20T10:17:38+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 10/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 5087, "days_push": 1900, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases, archived
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 4633, forks 481 (observed 2026-08-28T04:08:55.387680+00:00)

## What it is
Shenzhen is a Ruby-based command-line tool for building iOS apps into .ipa files and distributing them to services like iTunes Connect, HockeyApp, TestFairy, and S3. It automates the build-and-distribute workflow that would otherwise require clicking through Xcode.

## Use cases
- build an .ipa file from the command line without opening Xcode
- distribute iOS beta builds to HockeyApp or TestFairy
- upload iOS apps to iTunes Connect from a script
- deploy .ipa files to Amazon S3 or FTP for enterprise distribution
- automate iOS app builds in CI pipelines

## When to choose
- you maintain a legacy iOS toolchain already using shenzhen
- you need simple scripted .ipa building and distribution on older Xcode versions

## When to avoid
- you use Swift 3, watchOS, or modern Xcode - the deprecated Xcode 6 build API breaks
- you want a maintained tool - use fastlane (gym) instead
- you need support or bug fixes - the project is unmaintained since 2021

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: abandoned
- function: cli, deployment, developer-tools
- domain: mobile-development, developer-tools
- platform: cli
- tags: ios, ipa, xcode, app-distribution, ruby, testflight, hockeyapp, command-line, macos

## Member repositories
- nomad-cli/shenzhen (main) score 10

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:55.387680+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T18:19:35.597856+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/nomad-cli/shenzhen (fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:55.387680+00:00, sha 870bebe88a89)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.