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Shopify Permissions & AI Safety

What Claude is allowed to do in your store — and how you stay in control.

4 min readEasy

Why this matters

There are two separate permission layers, and the difference matters. Shopify granted scopes are what the ZYLX app can TECHNICALLY access — you approved them on Shopify's install screen. ZYLX active permissions are what Claude is actually ALLOWED to use — you control them in Settings → Shopify Permissions. Claude obeys ZYLX permissions even when Shopify granted more. That's why connecting with broad scopes is safe: granting a scope doesn't switch anything on inside ZYLX.

What it unlocks

  • Per-area read and write toggles (products, content, themes, navigation, orders, customers, and more)
  • Five AI permission modes, from read-only to full autonomy
  • A Danger Zone for high-risk write access with explicit confirmations
  1. 1

    The two permission layers

    Why this matters: Separating 'what the app could do' from 'what the AI may do' means you can approve broad Shopify scopes once, then dial actual access up or down at any time without reinstalling anything.

    • Shopify granted scopes: set during install on Shopify's consent screen. They're the ceiling — nothing in ZYLX can ever exceed them.
    • ZYLX active permissions: per-area toggles in Settings → Shopify Permissions. They decide what Claude's tools may use right now.
    • Defaults: when you connect, read access is enabled for granted areas; ALL write access starts OFF.
  2. 2

    AI permission modes

    Why this matters: The mode is a single dial for how independent Claude is allowed to be. It applies on top of the per-area toggles — both must allow an action.

    • read_only — Claude can look at data, nothing else.
    • suggest_only — Claude can read and create suggestions; nothing can ever be applied.
    • approval_required (default) — Claude may apply a change only after you approve it in the queue.
    • auto_apply_approved — approved changes can be applied without a second confirmation, and direct writes are possible within your toggles.
    • full_autonomy — Claude may apply changes without per-change approval. Only for stores where you fully trust the setup.
    • On top of all modes sits a global server switch (ENABLE_WRITE_ACTIONS): when it's off, no Shopify write can happen in any workspace, period.
  3. 3

    The Danger Zone

    Why this matters: Write access to products, content, navigation, themes, and orders/customers can change what your customers see and buy. These need an explicit, deliberate confirmation — a toggle you can't flip by accident.

    • Each high-risk area (products, content, navigation, themes, orders/customers) requires its own confirmation before the matching write toggle can be enabled.
    • 'Allow AI to use all granted Shopify scopes' unlocks everything Shopify granted — it requires typing ALLOW FULL SHOPIFY ACCESS exactly.
    • Even with full access enabled, write actions still respect your AI mode, the approval queue, and the global write switch.
  4. 4

    Changing what Shopify granted

    Why this matters: Sometimes the blocker isn't ZYLX — it's that a scope was never approved during install. Toggles for ungranted scopes are disabled and labeled accordingly.

    • To ADD scopes: open Integrations and click Reconnect — Shopify shows the consent screen again with the current scope list.
    • To REMOVE all access: click Disconnect in ZYLX, or uninstall the app in your Shopify admin. Both revoke access immediately.
    • After reconnecting, your ZYLX permission choices are preserved; new scopes appear as available toggles.
  5. 5

    How Claude experiences this

    Why this matters: Claude's MCP tools check every layer on every call — workspace access, connection status, granted scopes, active permissions, AI mode, the global switch, and approval status for writes. Blocks come back as clear explanations, not silent failures.

    • If a ZYLX toggle is off, Claude is told: 'Blocked by ZYLX Shopify Permissions: write_products is disabled for this workspace.'
    • If Shopify never granted the scope: 'Blocked by Shopify granted scopes: read_orders was not approved during Shopify installation.'
    • Claude never receives your Shopify credentials — only ZYLX's own access key. All Shopify calls happen inside ZYLX, under these rules.

Troubleshooting

  • A toggle is greyed out

    Shopify didn't grant that scope during install. Click Reconnect on the Integrations page and approve it on Shopify's screen.

  • Claude says writes are blocked even though I enabled the toggle

    Check the AI permission mode (read_only and suggest_only never write), the Danger Zone confirmation for that area, and whether the change was approved in your queue. The global ENABLE_WRITE_ACTIONS switch must also be on at the server level.

  • I enabled full access but want to undo it

    Flip 'Allow AI to use all granted Shopify scopes' off in the Danger Zone — your individual toggles take effect again immediately.