Sidekick

Sidekick is an AI-enabled commerce assistant embedded in the Shopify Admin. Shopify documents that it answers questions about the merchant's store, analyses store data, generates content, fills admin forms and proposes creation or editing of supported Shopify objects, and that it presents changes for the user to review and approve before they are applied.

Recorded characteristics

Function

Shopify documents Sidekick as an AI-enabled commerce assistant inside the Shopify Admin that provides guidance, generates content, builds apps and completes tasks using everyday language, working within the context of the store and presenting changes for review before they are applied. Two documented modes exist: a conversation started from any admin page, and Sidekick Pulse, an early-access mode that surfaces recommendations on the admin Home page. Documented functions include: answering questions about the store and navigating to any Shopify Admin page; analytics work (generating and refining ShopifyQL queries, creating data explorations, displaying visualisations, exporting reports to CSV, Parquet, JSONL or XML); filling fields and forms on any admin page; creating or editing products, discounts and collections; creating customers and, for B2B stores, companies; creating custom customer segments; creating amount-off and free-shipping discounts; editing existing orders (products, line-item quantities, line-item discounts, custom shipping fee, edit reason, customer notification); creating and editing draft orders; updating metafield values and metaobject entries; generating text (blog posts, product descriptions, emails) and images; generating and editing Shopify Messaging email campaign content; creating and updating Shopify Flow workflows when the Flow app is open; suggesting and applying theme settings changes while in the theme editor; reporting Shopify Balance balances and preparing transfers between Balance accounts or to an added payee; creating to-do lists; recommending apps and starting app installation; and generating custom Shopify Admin apps. Shopify also documents that longer tasks continue in the background after the chat is closed or the user navigates away, with a notification when the result is ready for review. Boundary: this record covers the Sidekick assistant inside the Shopify Admin. It does not cover Shopify Magic generally, Sidekick Pulse as a separate proactive system, Campaign Autopilot, Shopify Flow's own workflow execution, apps generated by Sidekick as independent runtimes, Shopify agentic storefronts, customer-facing AI agents, Shopify's separate ChatGPT/Claude/Perplexity store integrations, or third-party App Store products named "Sidekick".

Data access

Shopify documents that Sidekick works within the context of the merchant's store and uses the page the user is on as context; for example, data from an Analytics page being viewed can be used in its response. Users can reference specific store resources in chat using mentions: blog posts, collections, customers, discounts, apps, locations, marketing automations, metafields, metaobjects, orders, products, pages and segments. Target mode lets the user click specific admin components (buttons, sections, fields) to add them as context. Users can attach files from the Shopify Admin and upload files from their device (reference images for generation must be under 5 MB, maximum 3 files, JPEG/PNG/WebP). Sidekick reads analytics and report data in order to generate ShopifyQL queries and explorations, and Shopify Balance account balances. Sidekick also uses past conversations and recent activity in the admin for personalisation, and can work with supported installed third-party apps to answer questions or find information after the user approves use of that app for the conversation. Access is not unrestricted: Shopify states that staff members interact only with data and features they are authorised to use, and that Sidekick cannot share private information or data from other Shopify merchants. The precise internal data scope, retention and processing arrangements for Sidekick are not established in the pages reviewed.

Actions

Can take actions

External actions

Unknown

Human confirmation

Required

Permission basis

User permissions

Administrative control

Documented controls are primarily the Shopify Admin's own staff permission model and per-surface review steps rather than a dedicated Sidekick administration console. Shopify states that every staff member can use Sidekick based on their admin permissions and that it respects access controls. Specific documented control points: draft-order payment terms can be set by Sidekick only when the user's permissions allow it, and deposits only on the Shopify Plus plan when payment terms already exist; generating or editing apps requires the App development > Develop permission, generated apps are shared at the store level, and their permissions can be reviewed and the app uninstalled like any other app; using a supported installed third-party app requires explicit user approval and activates that app for the current conversation only; Sidekick Pulse requires store-owner or admin-level staff access, recent sales activity, and Shopify Network Intelligence activated in the store; users can manage what Sidekick remembers about preferences, past conversations and recent admin activity. Whether an administrator can disable Sidekick store-wide, restrict its surfaces, or centrally govern its memory is not established in the documentation reviewed.

Default state

Not established

Availability

Shopify states that Sidekick is included with Shopify plans and that features and usage limits vary by plan, and that getting started requires no setup or configuration beyond opening the assistant in the admin. Documented surfaces: desktop admin, the Shopify mobile app on phone and tablet, and question-answering by voice on Apple Watch. Documented limits: Sidekick is not available when the Shopify Admin is used in a mobile browser; on Apple Watch it can answer questions but cannot make changes or navigate the admin; it is unavailable while a dialog is open over the main screen in the Shopify app; on a phone the Online Store Editor experience differs and on a tablet Sidekick is not available in the Online Store Editor. Feature-specific requirements exist: app generation is limited to the Grow, Advanced and Shopify Plus plans and to the desktop web admin, with hourly and weekly generation limits; image generation limits depend on plan and are shared store-wide, with a monthly and a short-term limit; draft-order deposits require Shopify Plus. Sidekick Pulse is early access and available only to certain merchants. Shopify states Sidekick adapts to the store's language settings. Geographic availability is not separately stated in the pages reviewed; a documented VAT registration flow applies to stores located in the European Union or the United Kingdom.

Licensing

Shopify states that using Sidekick does not cost extra and that it is included with the merchant's Shopify plan, with features and usage limits varying by plan. Some functions carry explicit plan requirements (app generation on Grow, Advanced and Plus; draft-order deposits on Plus). No separate Sidekick licence or add-on is documented in the pages reviewed.

External model or provider

Not established

Limitations and uncertainty

Established by current Shopify documentation: Sidekick operates inside the Shopify Admin; it proposes and fills persistent changes to supported Shopify objects; Shopify states it cannot make changes to the store without the user's approval and presents options for review; changes it proposes are visibly marked (fields highlighted in purple, added draft-order line items badged) and take effect only when the user saves, applies or confirms (for example clicking Update order, Save, Apply, or previewing a Balance transfer before completing the request); it operates under the signed-in staff member's admin permissions; longer tasks continue in the background and notify the user when ready for review. Not established: the foundation model or provider used by the Sidekick runtime — Shopify does not identify one in the pages reviewed, and no provider is inferred from Shopify Magic, from Shopify's separate ChatGPT, Claude or Perplexity integrations, or from other Shopify AI partnerships. Whether Sidekick performs consequential write operations inside third-party systems is not established: Shopify states Sidekick can work with supported installed apps to answer questions, find information or complete tasks after per-conversation approval, but does not document the resulting external writes, so external action capability is recorded as unknown. Capability-level operational default is not established: no documented administrative enablement or disablement control for Sidekick itself was found, so availability within plans is not treated as an established default state. Boundaries preserved: background execution is computation continuing after the chat closes and does not establish unattended store modification without approval. Apps generated by Sidekick are separate runtime artifacts; generating and configuring an app is attributed to Sidekick, while operations the installed app later performs belong to that app, which Shopify notes can change customer-facing data and should be tested before installation. Sidekick can create and update Shopify Flow workflows when the Flow app is open, but Shopify Flow's own downstream execution (inventory updates, tagging, holding fulfillment, cancelling orders, notifications, connector actions) is not attributed to Sidekick. Sidekick Pulse surfaces recommendations and, per Shopify, never makes changes without approval; it is not recorded as autonomous store modification. Shopify's separate ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity store integrations have their own authorisation models and are not Sidekick, and their write scopes are not used as evidence here. Documented functional limits include an inability to talk to customers or handle customer support conversations, to share other merchants' data, or to edit images within a store theme or the product list.

Evidence

• Sidekick (Shopify Help Center)

  Supports: Function · General · Human confirmation · Actions · External actions · Limitations · Data access · Primary source

  "You can use Sidekick, an AI-enabled commerce assistant in your Shopify admin, to get guidance, generate content, build apps, and complete tasks using everyday language."

  Sidekick works in two modes: chat, and recommendations surfaced through Sidekick Pulse on admin Home.

  "presents changes for your review before applying them".

  Sidekick can handle tasks such as analyzing data, managing orders, or editing products.

  "Sidekick can also work with third-party apps to answer questions and complete tasks."

  "For longer tasks, Sidekick continues working in the background, even if you close the chat or navigate away, and notifies you when it's ready for review."

  Sidekick uses past conversations and recent activity in the admin to personalise responses.

• Getting started with Sidekick

  Supports: Human confirmation · Data access · Limitations · Availability · General · Actions · Primary source

  "Sidekick can't make changes to your store without your approval, and will only present options for you to review and approve."

  "Sidekick uses the page you're on as context for your question," including data from an Analytics page being viewed.

  Sidekick can't talk to customers, can't share other merchants' data, and can't edit images within a store theme or product list.

  Available on desktop, mobile and tablet via the Shopify app; not available in the Shopify admin in a mobile browser; Apple Watch voice answers only, with no store changes or navigation.

  Input features: attach admin files, upload device files, Target mode, resource mentions, third-party app use, saved prompts.

  "Click Apply to apply the generated content to your store."

• Getting help and guidance from Sidekick

  Supports: Actions · Human confirmation · Permission basis · External actions · Admin controls · Data access · Function · General · Limitations · Primary source

  Form completion: fill fields or forms on any admin page; create or edit products, discounts and collections; create customers and B2B companies; edit existing orders; create and edit draft orders.

  "The order updates only after you review the changes and click Update order"; the draft order "is saved only after you review the changes and click Save"; updated fields are highlighted in purple and added line items badged.

  "Sidekick can set payment terms only when your permissions allow it, and can add a deposit only on the Shopify Plus plan and only when the draft order already has payment terms."

  "Before Sidekick uses an installed app, it asks for your approval. After you approve, the app is activated for the current conversation only."

  Third-party app use is per-conversation and approval-gated; supported apps are those that added Sidekick support.

  Resource mentions cover blog posts, collections, customers, discounts, apps, locations, marketing automations, metafields, metaobjects, orders, products, pages and segments; Target mode adds selected admin components as context.

  Analytics: generate ShopifyQL queries, display visualisations, export reports, and direct users to custom data explorations; Sidekick can navigate to any admin page.

  Shopify Balance: Sidekick reports balances and can move money between Balance accounts or to an added payee, with a Preview review step before the transfer request completes.

  Theme changes: Sidekick must be in the theme editor, and "You must manually save any changes that Sidekick applies to themes."

• Generating content with Sidekick

  Supports: Actions · Function · Human confirmation · Availability · Limitations · Primary source

  Creates custom customer segments; creates amount-off product, amount-off order and free-shipping discounts; updates metafield values and metaobject entries; creates and updates Shopify Flow workflows.

  Generates text, images, Shopify Messaging email campaign content, reports and ShopifyQL queries.

  "You should always review the changes before accepting"; generated fields are highlighted in purple; a previewed image is only added to the store when "Save to store" is clicked.

  Image generation limits depend on the Shopify plan, are shared store-wide, and include a monthly limit and a short-term limit.

  Shopify Flow boundary: Sidekick creates or updates workflows only with the Flow app open in the admin; Flow's own execution is separate.

• Generating apps with Sidekick

  Supports: Licensing · Permission basis · Limitations · Availability · Admin controls · Primary source

  "Generating apps with Sidekick is available only to stores on the Grow plan, Advanced plan, and Shopify Plus plan."

  "To generate or edit apps, staff members need the App development > Develop permission."

  Generated-app boundary: generated apps can change customer-facing data, are installed separately, work only within the admin, access only the store's Admin API, and are shared at store level.

  App generation is only available in the Shopify admin from a desktop web browser, with hourly and weekly generation limits.

  After installing a generated app, its permissions can be reviewed and the app uninstalled like any other app.

• Sidekick Pulse

  Supports: Human confirmation · General · Admin controls · Primary source

  "Sidekick never makes changes to your store without your approval. You review and approve each change before it's applied."

  Pulse boundary: early access, proactive recommendation cards on admin Home that open a Sidekick conversation and build a to-do list.

  Pulse requires store-owner or admin staff access, recent sales activity and Shopify Network Intelligence activated.

• Sidekick: AI-enabled commerce assistant (Shopify product page)

  Supports: Permission basis · Licensing · Default state · Availability · External model · Primary source

  "Every staff member can use Sidekick based on their admin permissions. It respects access controls, so team members only interact with data and features they're authorized to use."

  "Sidekick is included with your Shopify plan. Features and usage limits vary by plan."

  Shopify states getting started requires opening the admin and clicking the Sidekick icon, with "No setup, no configuration"; no administrative enablement control is documented.

  Sidekick adapts to the store's language settings and can assist in multiple languages.

  The product page describes Sidekick as Shopify's AI assistant with direct access to Shopify data but does not identify a foundation model or provider.