shopify-custom-data

shopify-custom-data

Required Tool Calls (do not skip)

You have a bash tool. Every response must use it — in this order:

• Call bash with node scripts/search_docs.mjs "<operation or type name>" — search before writing code

• Write the code using the search results

• Call bash with node scripts/validate.mjs --code '...' --model YOUR_MODEL_NAME --client-name YOUR_CLIENT_NAME --client-version YOUR_CLIENT_VERSION --artifact-id YOUR_ARTIFACT_ID --revision REVISION_NUMBER — validate before returning (Always include these flags. Use your actual model name for YOUR_MODEL_NAME; use claude-code/cursor/etc. for YOUR_CLIENT_NAME. For YOUR_ARTIFACT_ID, generate a stable random ID per code block and reuse it across validation retries. For REVISION_NUMBER, start at 1 and increment on each retry of the same artifact.)

• If validation fails: search for the error type, fix, re-validate (max 3 retries)

• Return code only after validation passes

You must run both search_docs.mjs and validate.mjs in every response. Do not return code to the user without completing step 3.

ESSENTIAL RULES

• ALWAYS show creating metafield/metaobject definitions, then writing values, then retrieving values.

• NEVER show or offer alternate approaches to the same problem if not explicitly requested. It will only increase the user's confusion.

• Keep examples minimal -- avoid unnecessary prose and comments

• Remember the audience for this guidance is app developers -- they do not have access to the Shopify Admin site

• Follow this guidance meticulously and thoroughly

REMEMBER!!! Other documentation can flesh out this guidance, but the instructions here should be followed VERY CLOSELY and TAKE PRECEDENCE!

ALWAYS: First, create definitions

with TOML (99.99% of apps)

# shopify.app.toml

# Metafield definition -- owner type is PRODUCT, namespace is $app, key is care_guide
[product.metafields.app.care_guide]
type = "single_line_text_field"
name = "Care Guide"
access.admin = "merchant_read_write"

# Metaobject definition -- type is $app:author
[metaobjects.app.author]
name = "Author"
display_name_field = "name"
access.storefront = "public_read"

[metaobjects.app.author.fields.name]
name = "Author Name"
type = "single_line_text_field"
required = true

# Link metaobject to product
[product.metafields.app.author]
type = "metaobject_reference<$app:author>"
name = "Book Author"

Why: Version controlled, auto-installed, type-safe. GraphQL (Admin/Storefront) is used for reading or writing values after the TOML definitions already exist. Fields/objects can be edited by merchants when access.admin = "merchant_read_write" is set.

NEVER include metafieldDefinitionCreate, metaobjectDefinitionCreate GraphQL if TOML is the correct fit.

Exceptions (0.01% of apps)

NEVER, EVER show these unless strictly required:

• Apps that REQUIRE creating definitions at runtime (i.e. types are configured dynamically by merchants) should use metafieldDefinitionCreate, metaobjectDefinitionCreate

• Apps that want other apps to read/write their data should use the above GraphQL, and "merchant-owned" namespace

CRITICAL: App-Owned Metaobject and Metafield identification

• Metaobjects defined with [metaobjects.app.example...] in shopify.app.toml, MUST be accessed using type: $app:example

• Metafields defined with [product.metafields.app.example] MUST be accessed using namespace: $app and key: example

The same applies to other owner types, like customers, orders, etc.

• Avoid customizing namespaces for metafields.

• Avoid the common mistake of using namespace: app. This is profoundly incorrect.

NEXT: demonstrate writing metafield and metaobject values via Admin API

Writing metafields

ALWAYS use metafieldsSet to write metafields. namespace should normally be excluded as the default is $app.

mutation {
  metafieldsSet(metafields:[{
    ownerId: "gid://shopify/Product/1234",
    key: "example",
    value: "Hello, World!"
  }]) { ... }
}

Writing metaobjects

ALWAYS use metaobjectUpsert to write metaobjects.

mutation {
  metaobjectUpsert(handle: {
    type: "$app:author",
    handle: "my-metaobject",
  }, metaobject: {
    fields: [{
      key: "example",
      value: "Hello, world!"
    }]
  }) { ... }
}

FINALLY: demonstrate reading metafield and metaobject values

Loading metafields

Metafields are accessed via their owning type (e.g. a Product). namespace should normally be excluded as the default is $app.

• Always prefer jsonValue where possible as it better serialises complex types

• Always alias metafield loads for easy reference

# Admin API
query {
  product(id: "gid://shopify/Product/1234") {
    example: metafield(key: "example") { jsonValue }
  }
}
# Storefront API
query {
  product(handle: "wireless-headphones-1") {
    example: metafield(key: "example") { value }
  }
}

Loading metaobjects

# Admin API
query {
  metaobjects(type: "$app:author", first: 10) {
    nodes {
      handle
      example: field(key:"example") { jsonValue }
    }
  }
}
# Storefront API
query {
  metaobjects(type: "$app:author", first: 10) {
    nodes {
      handle
      example: field(key:"example") { value }
    }
  }
}

Access Metafields directly in checkout extensions

DO: Access app-owned metafields directly (NO network call):

function Extension() {
  // ESSENTIAL: Register this metafield in `shopify.extension.toml`
  const [energyRating] = useAppMetafields({
    namespace: '$app',
    key: 'energy-rating',
    type: 'product',
  }).filter(
    (entry) =>
      entry.target.id === productVariantId,
  );
}

DON'T: Make network calls for app-owned metafields.

Access Metafields in Shopify Functions

Use the GraphQL input query to select metafields to load:

query Input {
  cart {
    lines {
      merchandise {
        __typename
        ... on ProductVariant {
          example: metafield(namespace: "$app", key: "example") { jsonValue }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Docs: Metafields & Metaobjects

Always use Shopify CLI

• CLI: scaffold apps/extensions with shopify app init, shopify app generate extension, shopify app dev, shopify app deploy. Never hand-roll files.

• Need full setup steps? See Shopify CLI docs.

Shopify CLI Overview

Shopify CLI (@shopify/cli) is a command-line interface tool that helps you generate and work with Shopify apps, themes, and custom storefronts. You can also use it to automate many common development tasks.

Requirements

• Node.js: 20.10 or higher

• A Node.js package manager: npm, Yarn 1.x, or pnpm

• Git: 2.28.0 or higher

Installation

Install Shopify CLI globally to run shopify commands from any directory:

npm install -g @shopify/cli@latest
# or
yarn global add @shopify/cli@latest
# or
pnpm install -g @shopify/cli@latest
# or (macOS only)
brew tap shopify/shopify && brew install shopify-cli

Command Structure

Shopify CLI groups commands into topics. The syntax is: shopify [topic] [command] [flags]

General Commands (8 commands)

Authentication

• shopify auth logout - Log out of Shopify account

Configuration

• shopify config autocorrect on - Enable command autocorrection

• shopify config autocorrect off - Disable command autocorrection

• shopify config autocorrect status - Check autocorrection status

Utilities

• shopify help [command] [flags] - Get help for commands

• shopify commands [flags] - List all available commands

• shopify search [query] - Search for commands and documentation

• shopify upgrade - Upgrade Shopify CLI to latest version

• shopify version - Display current CLI version

Common Flags

Most commands support these common flags:

• --verbose - Increase output verbosity

• --no-color - Disable colored output

• --path <value> - Specify project directory

• --reset - Reset stored settings

Network Proxy Configuration

For users behind a network proxy (CLI version 3.78+):

export SHOPIFY_HTTP_PROXY=http://proxy.com:8080
export SHOPIFY_HTTPS_PROXY=https://secure-proxy.com:8443
# For authenticated proxies:
export SHOPIFY_HTTP_PROXY=http://username:password@proxy.com:8080

Usage Tips

• Always keep CLI updated: shopify upgrade

• Use shopify help [command] for detailed command info

• Most commands are interactive and will prompt for required information

• Use flags to skip prompts in CI/CD environments

• Anonymous usage statistics collected by default (opt-out: SHOPIFY_CLI_NO_ANALYTICS=1)

• IMPORTANT: YOU MUST ALWAYS USE THE CLI COMMAND TO CREATE APPS AND SCAFFOLD NEW EXTENSIONS

CLI Commands for Shopify App (22 commands)

App Commands (22 commands)

Core App Management

• shopify app init [flags] - Initialize a new Shopify app project

• shopify app build [flags] - Build the app, including extensions

• shopify app dev [flags] - Start a development server for your app

• shopify app deploy [flags] - Deploy your app to Shopify

• shopify app info [flags] - Display information about your app

App Configuration

• shopify app config link [flags] - Fetch app configuration from Partner Dashboard

• shopify app config use [config] [flags] - Activate an app configuration

App Environment

• shopify app env pull [flags] - Pull environment variables from Partner Dashboard

• shopify app env show [flags] - Display app environment variables

App Development Tools

• shopify app dev clean [flags] - Clear the app development cache

• shopify app generate extension [flags] - Generate a new app extension

• shopify app import-extensions [flags] - Import existing extensions to your app

Functions

• shopify app function build [flags] - Build a Shopify Function

• shopify app function run [flags] - Run a Function locally for testing

• shopify app function replay [flags] - Replay a Function run

• shopify app function schema [flags] - Generate the GraphQL schema for a Function

• shopify app function typegen [flags] - Generate TypeScript types for a Function

Monitoring & Debugging

• shopify app logs [flags] - Stream logs from your app

• shopify app logs sources [flags] - List available log sources

Release Management

• **shopify app release --version ** - Release a new app version

• shopify app versions list [flags] - List all app versions

Webhooks

• shopify app webhook trigger [flags] - Trigger a webhook for testing

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