Store managers frequently encounter operational bottlenecks when configuring store automations. While Shopify Flow provides powerful event-driven logic, setting up triggers, conditions, and actions manually often requires understanding GraphQL Admin API variables, nested boolean filters, and object payloads. Shopify Sidekick bridges this gap by functioning as an AI-powered co-pilot inside Shopify Flow: merchants describe what operational outcomes they want in plain English, and Sidekick builds, refines, and troubleshoots visual workflows directly on the Flow canvas.
How Sidekick Operates Inside Shopify Flow
Sidekick does not replace Shopify Flow; rather, it acts as a conversational interface for Flow's underlying workflow engine. When you open the Shopify Flow app in your Shopify admin, Sidekick gains contextual awareness of your automation environment.
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| Shopify Admin (Desktop) -> Apps -> Shopify Flow |
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| Merchant Plain-Text | -- Prompt --> | Shopify Sidekick AI |
| Operational Intent | | Parsing & Architecture |
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| Shopify Flow Canvas: Auto-Generated Draft Workflow |
| - Trigger: Event Listener (e.g., Order created, Risk analyzed) |
| - Conditions: Criteria & Filters (e.g., total > $200 AND VIP tag) |
| - Actions: Tasks & App Connectors (e.g., Hold fulfillment, Email) |
| - Status: Inactive (Tagged automatically as "sidekick") |
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| |
v v
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| AI-Assisted Troubleshooting | | Simulated Test Runs |
| - Resolves "Data not found" | | - Sidekick generates pass/ |
| - Injects "For each" loops | | fail test events |
| - Fixes API list mismatches | | - Safely previews logic paths |
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| Manual Review & Final Verification -> Merchant Turns On Workflow |
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Essential Prerequisites and Guardrails
Before delegating workflow construction to Sidekick, keep the following architectural facts in mind:
- Desktop Requirement: Generating and updating Shopify Flow workflows with Sidekick requires a desktop browser.
- Context Sensitivity: You must open the Flow app (
Apps > Flow) before prompting Sidekick so that the assistant recognizes the workflow canvas context. - Default Inactive State: Every workflow generated by Sidekick is marked Inactive by default and automatically tagged with
sidekick. It never executes live operations until you explicitly review and activate it. - Human Oversight: Sidekick prepares drafts and modifies steps. Store managers retain sole authority over final publication by clicking Turn on workflow.
Step-by-Step Guide: Building Workflows with Natural Language Prompts
Step 1: Open Shopify Flow and Sidekick
- In your Shopify admin, navigate to Apps and click Flow.
- Click the Sidekick icon located in the top navigation bar or floating widget.
- The Sidekick drawer opens with contextual awareness of your store's automation library.
Step 2: Formulate Structured Prompts
To get precise workflows on the first attempt, structure your plain-language instruction around three core automation pillars:
- When (the Trigger / event).
- If (the Condition / criteria).
- Then (the Action / intended outcome).
Step 3: Practical Scenario Prompts and Generated Logic
| Store Management Scenario | Plain-Language Prompt Example | Generated Flow Components |
|---|---|---|
| High-Value Customer Order Tagging | "When an order is created, if the order total is greater than $200 and the customer has made more than 3 orders, tag the order as VIP-HighValue and send an internal notification email to staff@store.com." | Trigger: Order created; Condition: Order total >= $200 AND Customer orders count > 3; Actions: Add order tags ("VIP-HighValue"), Send internal email |
| Low Inventory Restock Warning | "When inventory level changes, check if available quantity drops below 10 units. If so, tag the product as low-stock and add a note to the product." | Trigger: Inventory quantity changed; Condition: Available inventory <= 10; Actions: Add product tags ("low-stock"), Add product note |
| High-Risk Fraud Prevention & Fulfillment Hold | "When order risk is analyzed, check if the recommendation is cancel or risk level is high. If true, hold fulfillment order with the reason Suspected fraud and add the order tag Fraud-Review." | Trigger: Order risk analyzed; Condition: Risk level == HIGH; Actions: Hold fulfillment order (Reason: "Suspected fraud"), Add order tags ("Fraud-Review") |
| International Currency Fulfillment Routing | "When an order is paid, if the shipping address country is not United States, add the tag International-Fulfillment and send a Slack message to the logistics channel." | Trigger: Order paid; Condition: Shipping address country code != "US"; Actions: Add order tags ("International-Fulfillment"), Send Slack message |
Step 4: Inspect and Refine the Canvas
When Sidekick finishes assembling the logic, it presents a summary in the chat panel along with a button linking directly to the created workflow. Click the link to view the visual nodes on the canvas. If any parameter requires tweaking, you can either edit the node directly or enter a follow-up prompt:
- "Add an additional condition that excludes orders placed with gift cards."
- Click Apply changes to accept Sidekick's modification, or Discard changes to revert to the previous draft.
Troubleshooting and Error Correction Using Sidekick
A major friction point for store managers building automations is resolving configuration mismatches in Flow. Sidekick can inspect error logs on the canvas and automatically resolve them.
Resolving the "Data not found" Error
The most common validation error in Shopify Flow is Data not found. This occurs when an action requires a single resource (such as a single Product or single Fulfillment Order), but the upstream trigger or "Get data" action provides a list of resources.
For example, when using a Scheduled time trigger followed by Get product data, passing those items directly into Add product tags triggers a Data not found failure because the action cannot accept an array directly.
How to fix it with Sidekick:
- Open the invalid workflow in the editor.
- In Sidekick, enter:
Fix the Data not found error on the Add product tags action. - Sidekick detects the type mismatch, inserts a For each action between the data retrieval step and the tagging step, and connects the loop.
- Review the change on screen and click Apply changes.
Fixing Fulfillment Order Loop Mismatches
When an order contains multiple fulfillment orders, an action like Mark a fulfillment order as fulfilled fails if connected directly to an Order created trigger.
- Prompt Sidekick: "The Mark fulfillment order action says data is missing. Please loop through all fulfillment orders on the order."
- Sidekick will configure the
fulfillmentOrderslist into an iterative For each loop block automatically.
Overcoming Asynchronous API Timing Issues
Store managers often mistakenly use the Order created trigger to inspect payment fraud risk or UTM marketing parameters. In Shopify's backend GraphQL API, risk assessment and fulfillment payloads populate seconds or minutes after order creation. Running checks immediately on Order created frequently results in empty variables.
- Troubleshooting prompt: "My fraud tag workflow is running before risk evaluation finishes. How should I fix the trigger?"
- Sidekick will explain the asynchronous timing and offer to replace
Order createdwith the dedicated Order risk analyzed trigger.
Testing Workflows Safely Before Live Activation
Shopify Flow includes a built-in testing suite so merchants never have to risk corrupting live customer profiles or triggering accidental outbound emails. Sidekick can generate simulated test events directly from your store data.
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| 1. Open Workflow in Flow Editor -> Click "Test your workflow" |
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| 2. Select "Generate events" with Sidekick |
| - Sidekick analyzes store data and generates 2 test events: |
| * Event A: Criteria Met (Simulated Pass) |
| * Event B: Criteria Not Met (Simulated Fail) |
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| 3. Visual Path Highlighting & Logic Verification |
| - Green/highlighted paths show the exact branch taken |
| - Inspect the "Preview" tab on actions to check Liquid values |
| - Actions do not send live emails, webhooks, or change data |
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| 4. Verification Complete -> Click "Turn on workflow" |
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Steps to Run Sidekick Test Generation:
- Open the draft workflow in the Flow editor.
- On the workflow trigger node, click Test your workflow.
- In the dialog, select Generate events.
- Sidekick inspects existing store data (such as historical orders or current catalog items) and creates two simulated scenarios:
- One scenario that meets the conditions (evaluating to True).
- One scenario that fails the conditions (evaluating to False).
- Select either event from the Saved events list.
- Observe the highlighted paths across your canvas. Click individual conditions and actions, then switch to the Preview tab to verify that dynamic Liquid variables and tags resolve accurately.
- Once logic paths confirm intended behavior, exit test mode and click Turn on workflow.
Best Practices and Operational Boundaries
To get the most out of Sidekick and Shopify Flow, keep these operational principles in mind:
- Specific Over Vague Prompts: Instead of asking "Automate my VIP orders", specify "When an order is created, if subtotal exceeds $150 and customer country is Canada, tag order with 'VIP-CA'".
- Consolidate Trigger Fan-Out: Avoid creating 15 separate workflows that all listen to the
Order createdtrigger, as this can degrade performance and hit concurrency limits. Use Sidekick to combine multiple condition branches under a single unified workflow. - Monitor the 1,000 Workflow Limit: Shopify stores support a maximum of 1,000 active and inactive workflows combined. Regularly ask Sidekick to help identify redundant or obsolete drafts.
- Plan Requirements for Advanced Actions: While Sidekick can assemble advanced workflows, certain connector actions (such as
Send HTTP requestto external webhooks) require a Shopify Grow, Advanced, or Plus subscription. - Respect Boundaries: Sidekick cannot write arbitrary custom third-party API adapters from scratch if no Flow connector exists. For external platforms without native Flow extensions, use supported connectors (such as Slack, Google Sheets, or webhooks) or collaborate with a Shopify Partner developer.
By combining Sidekick's conversational interface with Shopify Flow's visual engine, store managers can automate repetitive fulfillment, fraud review, and inventory alerts in minutes without writing a single line of backend logic.