• How it works
  • Authenticated access scopes
  • Unauthenticated access scopes
  • Customer access scopes
  • Checking granted access scopes
  • Limitations and considerations

Shopify API access scopes

All apps need to request access to specific store data during the app authorization process. This guide provides a list of available access scopes for the GraphQL Admin, Storefront, Payment Apps APIs, and Customer Account APIs.

How it works

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Tip

For more information on how to configure your access scopes, refer to app configuration.

After you've generated API credentials, your app needs to be authorized to access store data.

Authorization is the process of giving permissions to apps. Users can authorize Shopify apps to access data in a store. For example, an app might be authorized to access orders and product data in a store.

An app can request authenticated or unauthenticated access scopes.

Type of access scopes Description Example use cases
Authenticated Controls access to resources in the GraphQL Admin API, Web Pixel API, and Payments Apps API.

Authenticated access is intended for interacting with a store on behalf of a user.
  • Creating products
  • Managing discount codes
Unauthenticated Controls an app's access to Storefront API objects.

Unauthenticated access is intended for interacting with a store on behalf of a customer.
  • Viewing products
  • Initiating a checkout
Customer Controls an app's access to Customer Account API objects.

Customer access is intended for interacting with data that belongs to a customer.
  • Viewing orders
  • Updating customer details

Authenticated access scopes

Anchor link to section titled "Authenticated access scopes"

This section describes the authenticated access scopes that your app can request. In the table, access to some resources are marked with permissions required. In these cases, you must request specific permission to access data from the user in your Partner Dashboard.

Tip

To authenticate an admin-created custom app, you or the app user needs to install the app from the Shopify admin to generate API credentials and the necessary API access tokens. Refer to access scopes for admin-created custom apps.

Authenticated access scopes
Scope Access
read_all_orders

All relevant orders rather than the default window of orders created within the last 60 daysPermissions required

This access scope is used in conjunction with existing order scopes, for example read_orders or write_orders.

You need to request permission for this access scope from your Partner Dashboard before adding it to your app.

read_assigned_fulfillment_orders,

write_assigned_fulfillment_orders,

read_merchant_managed_fulfillment_orders,

write_merchant_managed_fulfillment_orders,

read_third_party_fulfillment_orders,

write_third_party_fulfillment_orders,

read_marketplace_fulfillment_orders

FulfillmentOrder

As of API version 2024-10, write_third_party_fulfillment_orders will no longer allow order management apps to create fulfillments for fulfillment orders that have been assigned to a different fulfillment service app.

read_cart_transforms,

write_cart_transforms

 CartTransform

read_checkout_branding_settings,

write_checkout_branding_settings

 CheckoutBranding

read_content,

write_content,

read_online_store_pages

 Article, Blog, Comment, Page

read_customer_events,

write_pixels

 Web Pixels API

read_customer_merge,

write_customer_merge

 CustomerMergePreview, CustomerMergeRequest

read_customer_payment_methods

CustomerPaymentMethodPermissions required

You need to request permission for this access scope from your Partner Dashboard before adding it to your app.

read_customers,

write_customers

Customer, Segment

read_delivery_customizations,

write_delivery_customizations

 DeliveryCustomization

read_discounts,

write_discounts

 Discounts features

read_draft_orders,

write_draft_orders

 DraftOrder

read_files,

write_files

 GenericFile

read_fulfillments,

write_fulfillments

 FulfillmentService

read_gift_cards,

write_gift_cards

 GiftCard

read_inventory,

write_inventory

 InventoryLevel, InventoryItem

read_legal_policies

 ShopPolicy

read_locales,

write_locales

 ShopLocale

read_locations,

write_locations

 Location

read_markets,

write_markets

 Market

read_marketing_events,

write_marketing_events

 MarketingEvent, MarketingActivity
read_merchant_approval_signals MerchantApprovalSignals

read_metaobject_definitions,

write_metaobject_definitions

 MetaobjectDefinition

read_metaobjects,

write_metaobjects

 Metaobject

read_online_store_navigation

 UrlRedirect

read_order_edits,

write_order_edits

 CalculatedOrder, DeliveryCarrierService

read_orders,

write_orders

 AbandonedCheckout, Fulfillment, Order, OrderTransaction, DeliveryCarrierService

read_own_subscription_contracts,

write_own_subscription_contracts

GraphQL Admin API SubscriptionContractPermissions required
Customer Account API SubscriptionContractPermissions required

You need to request permission for these access scopes from your Partner Dashboard before adding them to your app.

read_payment_gateways,

write_payment_gateways

 Payments Apps API PaymentsAppConfiguration

read_payment_mandate,

write_payment_mandate

 PaymentMandate
write_payment_sessions Payments Apps API PaymentSession, CaptureSession, RefundSession, VoidSession

read_payment_terms,

write_payment_terms

 PaymentSchedule, PaymentTerms

read_price_rules,

write_price_rules

 PriceRule

write_privacy_settings,

read_privacy_settings

 CookieBanner, PrivacySettings

read_products,

write_products

 Product, ProductVariant, Collection, ResourceFeedback

read_purchase_options,

write_purchase_options

 SellingPlan

read_returns,

write_returns

 Return

read_script_tags,

write_script_tags

 ScriptTag

read_shipping,

write_shipping

 DeliveryCarrierService
read_shopify_payments_disputes ShopifyPaymentsDispute
read_shopify_payments_dispute_evidences ShopifyPaymentsDisputeEvidence
read_shopify_payments_payouts ShopifyPaymentsPayout, ShopifyPaymentsBalanceTransaction
read_store_credit_accounts StoreCreditAccount

read_store_credit_account_transactions,

write_store_credit_account_transactions

StoreCreditAccountDebitTransaction, StoreCreditAccountCreditTransaction

read_themes,

write_themes

 OnlineStoreTheme
read_translations TranslatableResource
read_users StaffMemberSHOPIFY PLUS

read_validations,

write_validations

 Validation

Requesting specific permissions

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Follow the procedures below to request specific permissions to request access scopes in the Partner Dashboard.

Orders permissions

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By default, you have access to the last 60 days' worth of orders for a store. To access all the orders, you need to request access to the read_all_orders scope from the user:

  1. From the Partner Dashboard, go to Apps.
  2. Click the name of your app.
  3. Click API access.
  4. In the Access requests section, on the Read all orders scope card, click Request access.
  5. On the Orders page that opens, describe your app and why you’re applying for access.
  6. Click Request access.

If Shopify approves your request, then you can add the read_all_orders scope to your app along with read_orders or write_orders.

Subscription APIs permissions

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Subscription apps let users sell subscription products that generate multiple orders on a specific billing frequency.

With subscription products, the app user isn't required to get customer approval for each subsequent order after the initial subscription purchase. As a result, your app needs to request the required protected access scopes to use Subscription APIs from the app user:

  1. From the Partner Dashboard, go to Apps.
  2. Click the name of your app.
  3. Click API access.
  4. In the Access requests section, on the Access Subscriptions APIs card, click Request access.
  5. On the Subscriptions page that opens, describe why you’re applying for access.
  6. Click Request access.

If Shopify approves your request, then you can add the read_customer_payment_methods and write_own_subscription_contracts scopes to your app. If you're using the Customer Account API, you can add the customer_read_own_subscription_contracts or customer_write_own_subscription_contracts scopes.

Protected customer data permissions

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By default, apps don't have access to any protected customer data. To access protected customer data, you must meet our protected customer data requirements. You can add the relevant scopes to your app, but the API won't return data from non-development stores until your app is configured and approved for protected customer data use.

Unauthenticated access scopes

Anchor link to section titled "Unauthenticated access scopes"

Unauthenticated access scopes provide apps with read-only access to the Storefront API. Unauthenticated access is intended for interacting with a store on behalf of a customer. For example, an app might need to do one or more of following tasks:

  • Read products and collections
  • Create customers and update customer accounts
  • Query international prices for products and orders
  • Interact with a cart during a customer's session
  • Initiate a checkout

Request scopes

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To request unauthenticated access scopes for an app, select them when you generate API credentials or change granted access scopes.

To request access scopes or permissions for the Headless channel, refer to managing the Headless channel.

You can request the following unauthenticated access scopes:

Unauthenticated access scopes
Scope Access
unauthenticated_read_checkouts,

unauthenticated_write_checkouts

 Checkout object
unauthenticated_read_customers,

unauthenticated_write_customers

 Customer object
unauthenticated_read_customer_tags tags field on the Customer object
unauthenticated_read_content Storefront content, such as Article, Blog, and Comment objects
unauthenticated_read_metaobjects View metaobjects, such as Metaobject
unauthenticated_read_product_inventory quantityAvailable field on the ProductVariant object and totalAvailable field on the Product object
unauthenticated_read_product_listings Product and Collection objects
unauthenticated_read_product_pickup_locations Location and StoreAvailability objects
unauthenticated_read_product_tags tags field on the Product object
unauthenticated_read_selling_plans Selling plan content on the Product object

Customer access scopes

Anchor link to section titled "Customer access scopes"

Customer access scopes provide apps with read and write access to the Customer Account API. Customer access is intended for interacting with data that belongs to a customer. For example, an app might need to do one or more of following tasks:

  • Read customers orders
  • Update customer accounts
  • Create and update customer addresses
  • Read shop, customer or order metafields

Request scopes

Anchor link to section titled "Request scopes"

To request access scopes or permissions for the Headless or Hydrogen channel, refer to managing permissions.

You can request the following customer access scopes:

Customer access scopes
Scope Access
customer_read_customers,

customer_write_customers

 Customer object
customer_read_orders Order object
customer_read_draft_orders Draft Order object
customer_read_markets Market object
customer_read_store_credit_accounts Store Credit Account object
customer_read_own_subscription_contracts,

customer_write_own_subscription_contracts

 Subscription Contract object for records that belong to your app
customer_write_subscription_contracts Subscription Contract object for all records. Only available for Hydrogen and Headless storefronts

Checking granted access scopes

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You can check your app’s granted access scopes using the appInstallation query in the GraphQL Admin API.

Limitations and considerations

Anchor link to section titled "Limitations and considerations"
  • Apps should request only the minimum amount of data that's necessary for an app to function when using a Shopify API. Shopify restricts access to scopes for apps that don't require legitimate use of the associated data.
  • Only public or custom apps are granted access scopes. Legacy app types, such as private or unpublished, won't be granted new access scopes.

On this page

  • How it works
  • Authenticated access scopes
  • Unauthenticated access scopes
  • Customer access scopes
  • Checking granted access scopes
  • Limitations and considerations