Theme workflow clarification & screencast
Shopigent · GitHub Theme Pull Requests
Shopigent does not give an AI platform direct access to Shopify’s theme editor. The merchant’s MCP client requests specific files from a designated GitHub repository through Shopigent, proposes changes, and asks Shopigent to create a pull request. The merchant reviews and merges that PR in GitHub. Shopify’s separate native GitHub integration synchronizes the connected branch to its associated theme.
Shopigent creates the proposal. The merchant controls the merge. Shopify performs the native synchronization. Theme publication is a separate merchant action.
Watch the recorded workflow
This screencast shows actual Codex tool calls, the dry-run and confirmation response, PR creation, a human review and merge, and the resulting unpublished-theme preview alongside the unchanged live storefront. English narration and synchronized captions are included.
Open the video directly · Download MP4
Browser-compatible MP4: H.264 video, AAC audio, faststart. Runtime: approximately 2 minutes 50 seconds. Once published, this page and its video are intended to be accessible without signing in to Shopify or GitHub.
How are theme updates implemented?
- Read an explicitly named repository file. The merchant chooses a repository connection in Shopigent. The client calls
github_theme_filewith a path and ref; in the video, it requeststemplates/index.jsononmain. Shopigent retrieves that file from GitHub and returns it to the client. The client can use its chosen AI provider to process that returned content; this is not a claim that file content stays on the merchant’s machine. - Propose a targeted change. Codex derives replacement file content from the actual file read. The recorded change replaces one homepage headline, preserving the rest of the file. The PR tool accepts explicitly supplied file changes; the headline example demonstrates that mechanism, not a restriction that all proposals must be text-only.
- Preview and obtain confirmation. A
dryRun: truecall returns a plan without creating a branch, commit, or PR. A subsequent unconfirmed request returnsconfirmation_pending. The merchant explicitly approves PR creation, and the confirmed request uses a token bound to the proposal arguments. Approval to create a PR is not approval to merge or publish. - Create a fresh proposal branch and PR. Shopigent writes the declared changes to a new branch and opens a PR targeting the selected base branch. It does not write this proposal directly to the existing connected branch, merge the PR, or publish a Shopify theme.
- Merchant reviews and merges outside Shopigent. The video shows the merchant inspect the GitHub diff and manually merge the PR into
main. This is a GitHub action performed by the merchant, not a Codex or Shopigent merge operation. - Shopify synchronizes its native theme connection. After the merge, Shopify’s own GitHub integration synchronizes the connected
mainbranch to the associated unpublished theme. Shopigent targets a repository and branch—not a Shopify theme ID. The destination and publication status are determined by the merchant’s Shopify-native theme connection. - Preview without publication. The merchant opens the draft theme’s preview and separately checks the live storefront. No Publish action is performed in this demonstration.
Does the AI platform access and manually edit the store theme?
Not directly through Shopigent’s Shopify theme-editing APIs. In the current GitHub Theme Pull Requests workflow, the AI client reads specifically requested GitHub files through Shopigent and supplies proposed replacement content through MCP. Shopigent applies approved proposals to a fresh GitHub branch and opens a PR. The AI provider is not given a Shopify Admin session or a direct theme-editor capability by this workflow.
The client’s AI provider may receive the requested file content to process the merchant’s instructions. GitHub receives the approved branch, commit, and PR. Shopigent processes the tool inputs and outputs, and its merchant-visible audit log records tool activity; this page does not claim that Shopigent receives or retains no content. See the Privacy Policy for data-handling details.
Clarification of our earlier replies: references to direct theme duplication, theme-file updates, and theme publication described an earlier implementation. The current GitHub-only workflow does not expose those direct Shopify Theme API tools. It does not create a brand-new Shopify theme, install a theme, or publish one. Existing theme files in a merchant-designated repository can be proposed for modification, but merge and publication remain separate merchant-controlled actions.
Full scope of the GitHub functionality
| Tool | Function | Boundary |
|---|---|---|
github_theme_connection |
Returns the merchant’s designated repository connection. | Does not expose connection credentials. |
github_list_theme_branches |
Lists branches in that repository. | Read-only. |
github_theme_file |
Reads an explicitly requested repository file at a ref. | Read-only; no Shopify theme-editor access. |
github_create_theme_pr |
Previews a proposal or, after confirmation, creates a new branch, commits declared file changes, and opens a PR. | No merge, Shopify-native sync, or theme publication operation. |
Repository access uses the Shopigent Connector Public GitHub App, operated by us, or an optional merchant-supplied GitHub token. Repository authorization in Shopigent and Shopify’s native GitHub theme connection are two separate integrations; configuring one does not configure the other.
What the screencast demonstrates
| Sequence | Visible evidence |
|---|---|
| Initial state | The Current theme and a separate GitHub-connected unpublished theme. |
| Explicit read | Codex verifies shopigent-test.myshopify.com, MK-XXXVII/shopigent-kosmos-theme, main, and templates/index.json. |
| Dry-run | Proposed head update/homepage-headline-01, base main, one affected file, and dry_run. |
| Confirmation | confirmation_pending, the client stops, and the merchant explicitly approves PR creation. |
| PR creation | PR #2, Update homepage headline, is returned. |
| Human review and merge | The merchant opens Files changed, reviews the one-line replacement, and manually merges in GitHub. |
| Draft result | The GitHub-connected unpublished theme preview displays Discover something special today. |
| Live result | The original Current theme’s storefront still displays Browse our latest products. |
Before the proposal: Explore our latest products.
Updated through the connected branch after the merchant’s merge; not published.
The original theme is not connected to this GitHub branch.
Its headline remains unchanged in the final comparison.
Important scope of this evidence: the unchanged live storefront follows from this store’s separate theme connections. It is not a blanket guarantee that merging into any GitHub branch cannot affect a live theme. If a merchant connects a branch to a published theme, Shopify’s native integration can synchronize that branch to the published theme. The merchant must choose and verify the destination before merging.
Recorded repository and PR: MK-XXXVII/shopigent-kosmos-theme, PR #2. The screencast provides the visible diff and merge evidence; direct repository access may require GitHub authorization. No reviewer credentials are published on this page.
Review scope
This page addresses item (a): how AI-assisted theme proposals are implemented and the scope of the GitHub functionality. Item (b) was marked resolved by Shopify and is not reopened here. This evidence page does not imply Shopify has accepted the resolution; the review decision remains with Shopify.