Subchapter 22.3
references/app-store-review.mdMarkdown7 KBView on GitHub
The MCP/skill provides instructions to the user’s LLM for a pre-submission Shopify App Store compliance check. The LLM reviews the user’s local codebase and generates a report showing which locally checkable App Store criteria appear satisfied and what changes may be needed to meet them. This report helps the developer prepare for submission; it does not submit the app or replace Shopify’s official review.
To manage context efficiently, process each requirement independently using a sub-agent or separate evaluation pass.
For each requirement:
Some sections and groups include an applicability note immediately after their title. Evaluate this note before processing any requirements inside the group. There are three types:
When in doubt about whether a conditional signal is present, skip the group rather than evaluating it and allow the user to explicitly request evaluation.
Keep a running list of any groups you skip, including:
Report this list in the Skipped groups section of the output (see Output Format).
Note: Gaps in requirement numbering (e.g., missing 1.1.5, 2.2.2) are intentional. Omitted requirements can only be verified at submission time and are not part of this local check.
Fetch the canonical, up-to-date list of requirements before evaluating anything. Follow these steps exactly:
Change into the app’s project directory. Run the fetch from the root of the app you’re reviewing.
Fetch the requirements with the Shopify CLI’s doc fetch command. Do not use a browser, web-fetch tool, curl, or any other tool:
shopify doc fetch --url https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/launch/app-store-review/app-store-ai-self-review-requirementsOptionally pass --output <path> to save the Markdown to a file instead of printing it to stdout (e.g. --output app-store-review-requirements.md).
If the command isn’t available, update the Shopify CLI to the latest version and try again. Do not fall back to fetching the page another way.
The fetched Markdown is the source of truth — it contains every requirement to be evaluated, each with a Description and Verification guidance. Evaluate every requirement listed there using the rules in “How to Process Requirements” above.
Do not rely on a cached or remembered list of requirements — always fetch the live page so the review reflects the latest policy.
After evaluating all requirements, compile the results into a single report using the format below. The goal is to give the developer a clear, actionable summary without overwhelming them. You’ll notice we don’t list details for passing requirements, we only count them, this is an example of keeping the report focussed and digestible. Keep explanations concise. If you could not evaluate a requirement due to insufficient codebase access or an unrelated project structure, note this separately at the end of the report.
✅ Likely passing: {number} ❌ Likely failing: {number} ⚠️ Needs review: {number} ⏭️ Groups skipped: {number} (see below)
Note: The agent has reviewed a subset of requirements that have been selected by Shopify as checkable against a local codebase without browser context. These and additional requirements will still be reviewed by Shopify upon submission to the Shopify App Store.
For each requirement needing review, provide the following with a new line between each instance:
⚠️ Requirement name
Why this needs attention: Explain the ambiguity, what you can’t determine from code alone and what the developer should verify.
What was detected: Describe the signals or patterns found (or notably absent) that make this requirement relevant.
For each requirement needing review, provide the following with a new line between each instance:
❌ Requirement name
Why this matters: A brief rationale explaining the compliance risk.
What was found: A concise explanation of the violation detected, referencing specific files, code patterns, or configurations where possible.
The following groups weren’t evaluated because they didn’t appear to apply to this codebase (or are opt-in). If you’d like me to check any of these anyway, just ask.
For each skipped group:
Unless all requirements are labeled as likely passing, include these helpful resources at the end of the report: