Today we are excited to announce additions to the Alexa Skills Kit (ASK) Skill Management API (SMAPI) and the ASK Command-Line Interface (CLI) that provide programmatic access to the full set of skill beta testing functionality available in the ASK developer console. Now you access beta functions from the command line, or build them into your development tools. With skill beta testing, you can get customer feedback on your skill throughout the testing cycle, and make improvements before you release a skill to production.

Test New Skills and Updates to Existing Skills in Beta Before Releasing to Production

You can invite up to 500 people – family, friends, colleagues, and customers – to beta test your skills before you publish them. You can test brand new skills, or test changes to an existing skill while keeping the current version available for the general public. Using either the developer console, SMAPI, or the CLI, you can:

• Create a beta test for your skill
• Add and remove beta testers using their email addresses
• Send a reminder to testers
• Request feedback
• End a beta test

Skill beta testing is available in all Alexa locales, and you can run a skill beta test for as long as 90 days.

For additional information, read Skill Beta Testing API and the ASK CLI Command Reference. You can also read Skill Beta Testing for Alexa Skills and Ways to Test an Alexa Skill.