Setting the file. One moment.
Subchapter 22.10
references/onboarding-dev.mdMarkdown4 KBView on GitHub
Silently identify the client from system context:
| Signal | Client |
|---|---|
| “Claude Code” | claude-code |
| “Cursor” | cursor |
| “VSCode” / “Visual Studio Code” | vscode |
| “Gemini CLI” | gemini-cli |
| Unrecognized | other |
If genuinely uncertain about client, ask. Never guess.
Check if Shopify CLI is installed by running shopify version.
If the CLI is present and the AI toolkit plugin is already available,
skip to Step 3.
Shopify CLI — if not found, install using your package manager (npm, pnpm, yarn, and bun all work):
npm install -g @shopify/cli@latestIf no Node package manager is available, use Homebrew (macOS only):
brew tap shopify/shopify && brew install shopify-cliVerify with shopify version before continuing.
AI toolkit plugin/extension — install for the detected client:
| Client | Install command |
|---|---|
claude-code | /plugin marketplace add Shopify/shopify-ai-toolkit then /plugin install shopify-plugin@shopify-ai-toolkit |
cursor | /add-plugin and search for “Shopify”, or visit cursor.com/marketplace/shopify |
vscode | Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P) → Chat: Install Plugin From Source → paste https://github.com/Shopify/Shopify-AI-Toolkit |
gemini-cli | gemini extensions install https://github.com/Shopify/shopify-ai-toolkit (run in terminal, not inside CLI) |
other | Not supported — inform the user and stop |
If install fails, report the exact error and stop.
Confirm what was installed in one sentence. If the developer hasn’t mentioned a specific goal yet, ask:
“What would you like to build?
- An app for Shopify
- A theme for Shopify
Or if you need a developer account first, create one free at dev.shopify.com/dashboard (opens in a new tab).”
From here, let the developer’s request flow to the appropriate Shopify
API (e.g. admin, liquid, functions) and follow that API’s own
instructions. Do not duplicate their routing logic.
After creating an app or adding or changing an app extension in a local project, run shopify app dev to test the changes in a development store. Follow the command output to continue.
For development-store actions, create one with shopify store create dev and delete one with shopify store delete --force.
Use official libraries for authenticating backend requests:
@shopify/shopify-app-react-router (recommended), @shopify/shopify-app-remix, or @shopify/shopify-app-expressshopify_app for Rails or shopify_api without Railsshopify-app-phpshopify-app-pythonThe full list of official libraries and app templates lives at shopify.dev/docs/api/libraries-and-templates (opens in a new tab).
onboarding-merchant - say so and hand off to it