AI & MCP

How do you connect Claude to Shopify?

Connect Claude to Shopify by adding a Shopify MCP server to your Claude Desktop config, providing a Shopify custom-app access token, and restarting Claude. Once configured, Claude can read orders, update inventory, process returns, and run analytics through natural-language prompts.

By Saara Editorial Team · Updated

Direct answer

Claude connects to Shopify through a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server. You install the MCP server, give it a Shopify access token scoped to the actions you want to allow, register it in claude_desktop_config.json, and restart Claude Desktop. The Shopify tools then appear in Claude's tool picker and can be invoked conversationally.

Step-by-step setup

Five steps from zero to a working Claude + Shopify connection:

  • 1. In Shopify admin, create a custom app with the scopes you need (read_orders, write_inventory, write_returns, etc.) and copy the Admin API access token.
  • 2. Install Claude Desktop and open Settings -> Developer -> Edit Config.
  • 3. Add a mcpServers entry pointing at the Saara Shopify MCP package (npx -y @saara/shopify-mcp) with SHOPIFY_STORE and SHOPIFY_ACCESS_TOKEN env vars.
  • 4. Fully quit and relaunch Claude Desktop - the new tools appear in the tool picker.
  • 5. Test with a read-only prompt first: 'List my 5 most recent Shopify orders.' Then move to writes once you've verified scopes.

Example claude_desktop_config.json

{ "mcpServers": { "saara-shopify": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@saara/shopify-mcp"], "env": { "SHOPIFY_STORE": "your-store.myshopify.com", "SHOPIFY_ACCESS_TOKEN": "shpat_xxx" } } } }

Common prompts once connected

Examples of what Claude can do once the Shopify MCP server is live:

  • "Show me yesterday's orders by SKU and flag any with a refund request."
  • "Increase inventory on SKU FALL-24-BLK-M by 50 across all locations."
  • "Approve the return for order #10234 and issue store credit instead of a refund."
  • "What's my 30-day return rate broken down by category?"

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to write code to connect Claude to Shopify?

No. Editing one JSON config file and supplying a Shopify access token is enough. The MCP server handles all Admin API calls under the hood.

Can I do the same thing in ChatGPT?

Yes. ChatGPT supports MCP servers in its developer/desktop modes - the same Saara Shopify MCP server works in both Claude and ChatGPT.

What scopes should the Shopify access token have?

Grant only the scopes you actually want the assistant to use. For read-only analytics: read_orders, read_products, read_customers. For ops: add write_inventory, write_returns, write_fulfillments.

Is this safe for a production store?

Yes if you scope the token tightly, keep it in environment variables (never in committed config), and start with read-only access before enabling writes. Saara's MCP server also supports audit logging.

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