Help
### Publish your skill to the Alexa Skills Store
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You can publish your skills created using Alexa Skill Blueprints to the
[Alexa Skills Store](https://www.amazon.ca/b?node=16286269011) in Canada
for customers to discover, use, and review. Unlike sharing, where only
people with access to your shared link can use your skill, when you
publish your skill anyone can discover and use your skill from the Alexa
Skills Store. Once your skill is published, customers can review and
rate your skill up to 5 stars like any other skill on the Alexa Skills
Store.
#### Understanding the publication review process
Once you've tested your skill and determined it's ready to publish,
you'll need to set up the Alexa Skills Store name, opening phrase, and
other skill details to pass the review process. All skills submitted for
publication to the Alexa Skills Store are reviewed by Amazon and must
adhere to the [content
guidelines](https://blueprints.amazon.ca/help/terms?page=content-guidelines)
before the skills can be published. The review process can take 1 to 2
business days.
**Note**: Once you submit your skill for publication, you cannot edit
it. However, if you have not submitted your skill for review you can
cancel publishing it at any time. To edit your skill once you submit it
for review, you will need to withdraw your submission, edit your skill,
and then resubmit it for review.
#### How to publish your skill
Go to the **Skills You've Made** page and select the skill you want to
publish. Choose **Publish to Skills Store** in your menu options. If
your skill is Shared, you will need to revoke sharing to be able to
publish.
#### Set the opening phrase and skill name
Enter in your **Alexa Skills Store name**, which will be displayed to
customers on the Alexa Skills Store to help them discover your skill.
The skill name can be different than the **Opening phrase**, which
customers will use to open and use your skill. After you've set the
opening phrase and Alexa Skills Store name, you'll need to fill in the
**Created by** field with your name or company name. One-word names or
brand names require documentation from you demonstrating that you are
the owner of the brand or have rights to use it. Amazon will review this
information before publication. [Learn
more](https://blueprints.amazon.ca/help/frequently-asked-questions#branddocument)
**Opening phrase**
Customers launch your skill using an opening phrase that is simple to
use and remember. Your opening phrase can be different than the name you
choose for your skill in the Alexa Skills Store. When setting the
opening phrase for your skill, you'll need to adhere to the following
rules to get the skill approved and published:
- Don't use a one‐word opening phrase, unless it is a brand. You'll
need to provide documentation demonstrating that you are the owner
of the brand or have rights to use it when submitting your skill for
review. [Learn
more](https://blueprints.amazon.ca/help/frequently-asked-questions#branddocument)
- Avoid using names of people or places, for example, "molly" or
"seattle", unless the opening phrase contains other words in
addition to the name. For example, "molly's horoscope".
- Avoid spelling out letters phonetically in your opening phrase.
Simply include periods after each letter to indicate to Alexa that
it's an abbreviation. For example, a skill titled "USC Trivia"
would need "USC" represented as "u. s. c." and not "you ess see".
- Choose an opening phrase that is easy to pronounce correctly and is
phonetically distinct to avoid being misinterpreted as other similar
sounding words.
- Don't use an opening phrase that might clash with existing Alexa
features such as: What's the Weather, Set a reminder etc. For
example, if your opening phrase is too similar to the built‐in
"weather" command, Alexa may respond with the weather instead of
launching your skill. Make sure to test your opening phrase to avoid
any overlap with built‐in features.
**Note**: Always test your opening phrase to make sure your skill
launches successfully. Once your skill is published to the Alexa Skills
Store, you cannot edit or change the opening phrase for your skill.
Once you've tested your new opening phrase as well as set your Alexa
Skills Store and Created by names, choose the **Next: Details** button
to proceed to the next step.
**Adding your Skill Details for the Alexa Skill Store**
1. The **Category** is based off of the original blueprint used to make
your skill. Categories help customers search and find your skill in
the Alexa Skills Store. You can use the pre-selected category or
choose a different one that best represents your skill.
2. You can also add **Keywords** that relate to or describe your skill
to further help customers find your skill quickly and easily.
3. You'll need to add a **Skill Icon**, which you can make using the
**Icon Creator** or upload your own .png or .jpeg with a 1:1 ratio.
4. Provide a **Short description** of your skill. This is a quick
sentence that describes your skill and what customers can do with
it.
5. You'll also need to provide a **Detailed description**. This
outlines everything that your skill can do, what actions a user can
take, and what customers should expect from your skill.
6. Once you're done adding your Category, Keywords, Skill Icon, Short
and Detailed Descriptions, choose the **Next: Policy** button to
continue.
**Fill out the Policy details for your skill**
You'll need to answer a few questions about your skill content and its
intended audience. Any skills you publish will only be available to
customers in the Canada at this time. In order to be published, your
skill must comply with Amazon's [content
guidelines](https://blueprints.amazon.ca/help/terms?page=content-guidelines).
You must indicate if your skill has child related content, advertising
or promotional materials so that Amazon can review your skill
accordingly.
If you have your own Terms of Use for your content, include the URL to
your page. Once you've completed the Policy details, choose the **Next:
Review** button.
#### Review and Submit your skill
You can edit any of the information outlined on this page, which
includes:
- Opening phrase
- Alexa Skills Store name
- Created by name
- Category
- Keywords (optional)
- Skill icon
- Short description
- Detailed description
- Policy questions
- Terms of use URL (optional)
Once you've reviewed this information, select **Publish to Store**.
#### What to expect after you submit a skill for publishing
After you submit a skill for publication, you'll see a notification on
the skill's detail page letting you know that **Your skill is in
review**. You will also receive updates by email on the status of your
skill.
Once your skill is reviewed, you will receive an email and a
notification on the skill's detail page that your skill was
**Approved** or **Rejected**.
If your skill was rejected, the email will outline what went wrong and
steps you can take to edit and resubmit your skill. You can also review
the [Blueprints content
guidelines](https://blueprints.amazon.ca/help/terms?page=content-guidelines)
for details on appropriate content for the Alexa Skills Store.
Once your skill is published, you will be notified on the skill's
detail page that **Your skill is live**. You can view your skill in the
Alexa Skills Store. From the Alexa Skills Store, you have the option to
**Share** your skill, which gives you a link to your skill in the Alexa
Skills Store that you can share with others via email, social media, or
on your own website.
#### Withdraw or Edit your skill
Once your skill is in the review process, you won't be able to edit any
of the skill content. You'll have to withdraw your skill from
publication first, edit your skill, then resubmit it for review.
To withdraw your skill, select the **Withdraw Submission** button in
your menu options.
After your skill is published, you'll have the option to **Edit your
skill** in your menu options. If you want to change aspects of your
skill, select **Edit** to change your content and resubmit it for
review. This lets customers currently using your skill to still have
access to it and get updates once your edits are approved and published.
#### Remove your skill from the Alexa Skills Store
If your skill is live in the Alexa Skills Store and you no longer want
others to access it, you will need to remove it from the Alexa Skills
Store. Once it is removed, anyone who used the skill will not be able to
access it. The skill will then be set to **Private** so only you can use
it. You can always go through the publishing process again if you wish
to have it in the Alexa Skills Store at a later date.
To remove your skill, select the **Remove from Store** button in your
menu options. You will see a pop-up message that will ask you if you
want to remove your skill.
**Note**: Once you confirm that you wish to remove your skill, it will
take up to 2 hours to remove it from the Alexa Skills Store.
