---
title: Filter webhook deliveries
description: >-
  Use the filter field to gate webhook deliveries based on current payload
  values.
source_url:
  html: 'https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/build/webhooks/delivery-filtering'
  md: 'https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/build/webhooks/delivery-filtering.md'
---

# Filter webhook deliveries

By default, a subscription fires for every event that matches its topic. Delivery filtering lets you narrow that without changing your topic or subscription configuration.

`filter` is an optional expression on a webhook subscription that evaluates against the payload and suppresses the delivery if the expression resolves to false.

![What are filters](https://shopify.dev/assets/assets/images/apps/webhooks/customize/filters-8aQe8VKG.png)

***

## Filters

Shopify evaluates the expression against the payload after the event occurs, using current field values at the time of delivery. Without it, every matching event fires a delivery regardless of its payload values:

## Without filter

##### shopify.app.toml

```toml
[webhooks]
api_version = "2026-04"

[[webhooks.subscriptions]]
topics = ["products/update"]
uri = "https://example.com/webhooks"
```

##### {} Response

```json
{
  "id": 9554194432293,
  "title": "T-Shirt",
  "status": "active",
  "vendor": "My Store",
  "product_type": "Shirts",
  "variants": [
    {
      "id": 123456789,
      "title": "Default Title",
      "price": "29.99",
      "taxable": true,
      "weight": 0.2
    }
  ],
  "tags": "cotton"
}
```

Adding `filter` suppresses deliveries where the expression evaluates to false. You can set it in your [app configuration file](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/structure/configuration) using the `filter` argument, or with the `filter` input field in the `webhookSubscription` argument using the GraphQL Admin API:

## Filter products/update webhooks

## Filter definition

##### shopify.app.toml

```toml
[webhooks]
api_version = "2026-04"

[[webhooks.subscriptions]]
topics = ["products/update"]
uri = "https://example.com/webhooks"
filter = "id:* AND status:active AND (product_type:Music OR product_type:Movies) AND variants.taxable:true AND variants.weight:<5 AND variants.price:>=100 AND variants.title:Album*"
```

##### GraphQL

```graphql
mutation subscribeToWebhook {
  webhookSubscriptionCreate(
    topic: PRODUCTS_UPDATE,
    webhookSubscription: {
      uri: "https://example.com/webhooks"
      filter: "id:* AND status:active AND (product_type:Music OR product_type:Movies) AND variants.taxable:true AND variants.weight:<5 AND variants.price:>=100 AND variants.title:Album*"
    }
  ) {
    webhookSubscription {
      id
      createdAt
      uri
      filter
    }
    userErrors {
      field
      message
    }
  }
}
```

##### {} Response

```json
{
  "id": 9554194432293,
  "title": "Greatest Hits Collection",
  "status": "active",
  "product_type": "Music",
  "vendor": "My Store",
  "variants": [
    {
      "id": 123456789,
      "title": "Album Edition",
      "price": "129.99",
      "taxable": true,
      "weight": 0.2,
      "sku": "GHC-001"
    }
  ],
  "tags": "music, vinyl"
}
```

### Syntax

`filter` uses [Shopify API search syntax](https://shopify.dev/docs/api/usage/search-syntax). You can combine conditions with `AND`, `OR`, and parentheses:

## shopify.app.toml

```toml
filter = "status:active AND (product_type:Music OR product_type:Movies) AND variants.price:>=100"
```

You denote nested fields using a period:

## Nested field notation

```json
"variants.price:>=10.00"
```

### Differences from search

`filter` shares Shopify's search syntax but behaves differently in several cases:

| | `filter` | Search |
| - | - | - |
| **Invalid field** | No deliveries sent | All documents returned |
| **`:` operator** | Equality | Fuzzy match when fields are tokenized |
| **Field specification** | Must be explicit | Term searches supported |
| **Case sensitivity** | Case-sensitive | Case-insensitive |

***

## Array fields

For fields that contain arrays of objects, the filter matches if at least one object in the array meets the condition. For example, given a payload with a `line_items` array:

## Example payload

```json
"line_items": [
  {
    "product_exists": true,
    "product_id": 9554194432293,
    "properties": []
  },
  {
    "product_exists": true,
    "product_id": 9554194465061,
    "properties": [
      { "name": "_your_custom_property", "value": "some-value" }
    ]
  }
]
```

The following delivers because at least one item in `line_items` contains a property where `name` is `_your_custom_property`:

## Array field filter

```json
"line_items.properties.name:_your_custom_property"
```

This means that if any `line_items` has at least one matching object in its `properties` array, Shopify delivers the webhook.

### Tag fields

Tags are arrays in the data model but are serialized as a string in the webhook payload for topics like `products/update` and `orders/updated`. Treat each tag as a keyword in a string rather than a distinct array value.

### Variant fields

`variants` is a top-level payload field. If any one variant satisfies the filter condition, the webhook fires on any product update, including unrelated changes like a title edit.

## Filter products/update webhooks

## Filter definition

##### shopify.app.config-name.toml

```toml
[webhooks]
api_version = "2026-04"

[[webhooks.subscriptions]]
topics = ["products/update"]
uri = "https://example.com/webhooks"
filter = "id:* AND status:active AND (product_type:Music OR product_type:Movies) AND -invalid_field:* AND variants.taxable:true AND variants.weight:<5 AND variants.price:>=100 AND variants.title:Album*"
```

##### GraphQL

```graphql
mutation subscribeToWebhook {
  webhookSubscriptionCreate(
    topic: PRODUCTS_UPDATE,
    webhookSubscription: {
      uri: "https://example.com/webhooks"
      filter: "id:* AND status:active AND (product_type:Music OR product_type:Movies) AND -invalid_field:* AND variants.taxable:true AND variants.weight:<5 AND variants.price:>=100 AND variants.title:Album*"
    }
  ) {
    webhookSubscription {
      id
      createdAt
      uri
      filter
    }
    userErrors {
      field
      message
    }
  }
}
```

##### {} Response

```json
{
  "id": 9554194432293,
  "title": "Greatest Hits Collection",
  "status": "active",
  "product_type": "Music",
  "vendor": "My Store",
  "variants": [
    {
      "id": 123456789,
      "title": "Album Edition",
      "price": "129.99",
      "taxable": true,
      "weight": 0.2,
      "sku": "GHC-001"
    }
  ],
  "tags": "music, vinyl"
}
```

***

## Constraints

Filters are available as of the `2024-07` API version.

`filter` expressions are validated when the subscription is created or updated, and must reference valid payload fields:

* **Validation**: An invalid field or type mismatch allows the subscription to be created but suppresses all deliveries. Incorrect syntax prevents the subscription from being created entirely.
* **`include_fields` dependency**: If `include_fields` is set, all fields referenced in the filter must also appear in `include_fields`. See [Delivery structure](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/build/webhooks/delivery-structure#combining-filters-and-payload-modifications).

Some topics require a filter. The `metaobjects/create`, `metaobjects/update`, and `metaobjects/delete` topics require a filter using `type:{type}` where `{type}` is the [metaobject definition's](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/build/custom-data#what-are-metaobjects) type:

## shopify.app.toml

```toml
[[webhooks.subscriptions]]
topics = ["metaobjects/create"]
uri = "https://example.com/webhooks"
filter = "type:my-metaobject-type"
```

To subscribe to multiple types, specify each explicitly:

## shopify.app.toml

```toml
filter = "type:banana OR type:apple"
```

Wildcards like `type:*` aren't supported.

For [app-owned definitions](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/build/custom-data/ownership#create-metaobject-definitions-with-reserved-types), use the full type value (`app--{your-app-id}--{some-namespace}`); the `$app:{some-namespace}` shorthand isn't supported.

***

## Example

Suppose you want your app notified only when a `products/update` event includes a variant priced at or above $10.00. Without filtering, your subscription fires for every product update regardless of price.

The following subscription adds a filter to gate deliveries to that condition:

## Filter by variant price

##### shopify.app.toml

```toml
[[webhooks.subscriptions]]
topics = ["products/update"]
uri = "https://example.com/webhooks"
filter = "variants.price:>=10.00"
```

##### {} Response

```json
{
  "id": 9554194432293,
  "title": "Widget",
  "status": "active",
  "vendor": "My Store",
  "product_type": "Gadgets",
  "variants": [
    {
      "id": 123456789,
      "title": "Default Title",
      "price": "29.99",
      "sku": "WIDGET-001"
    }
  ]
}
```

After you apply this filter, your app receives `products/update` webhooks for updates to products where at least one variant's price is at least $10.00.

***

## Next steps

* [Delivery structure](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/build/webhooks/delivery-structure): Payload fields, `include_fields`, and how `filter` and `include_fields` interact.
* [Verify deliveries](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/build/webhooks/verify-deliveries): HMAC validation and deduplication.

***