Get started building on Shopify. Use when a developer asks to build an app, build a theme, create a dev store, set up a partner account, scaffold a project, or get started developing for Shopify. NOT for merchants managing stores.
The `shopify-onboarding-dev` skill is designed to assist developers in getting started with building on the Shopify platform. It streamlines the setup process for creating apps, themes, or developer stores by guiding users through environment detection, prerequisite installation, and post-install setup. The skill eliminates uncertainty by automatically identifying the development client and ensuring that the necessary tools, including the Shopify CLI and AI toolkit plugin, are installed correctly. It focuses exclusively on developer onboarding, providing a clear path from initial setup to accessing Shopify’s development resources without duplicating API-specific logic.
The skill is compatible with Claude Code, Claude Desktop, and Cursor. It can also detect VSCode and Gemini CLI environments, though other clients are not supported.
Developers need to have Shopify CLI installed. Node package managers such as npm, pnpm, yarn, or bun are supported for installation. On macOS, Homebrew can also be used. The AI toolkit plugin must be installed for the detected client.
No. This skill is exclusively for developer onboarding. Managing products, orders, or customers is handled by the merchant skill available at shopify.com/SKILL.md.
If installation fails, the skill instructs to report the exact error and stop. It does not attempt to modify or guess install commands.
Yes. After setup, the skill allows the developer’s request to flow to the appropriate API-specific skill such as shopify-admin, shopify-liquid, or shopify-functions without duplicating routing logic.
Quick Setup:
.claude/skills/Repository
shopify/shopify-ai-toolkit