Partner account can be terminated without notice
Shopify may suspend partner privileges or terminate the Partner Account entirely without notice for breaches of the Partner Program Agreement. [9]
Guides · commerce · Verification-gated
Shopify Partner account and app (custom or App Store)
A Shopify Partner organization, an app created with Shopify CLI or the Dev Dashboard (client ID and secret), a permanent choice of distribution (custom or public), and for public apps the $19 App Store registration, protected customer data request, compliance webhooks and App Store review.
Researched · not yet run liveLast researched 25 October 2026 · Shopify · provider site
Researched, not yet run live. Built from the provider’s official pages (linked below). A person hasn’t walked this flow end to end yet, so check each step against the source.
Who owns what
A person's Shopify login joins a Partner organization; apps belong to the organization and are managed in the Dev Dashboard (and Partner Dashboard for App Store listing, payouts and API access requests). Apps are installed on development stores for testing and on merchant stores in production.
- Shopify login (user) personal owned by the personThe Partner Agreement says each Partner Account login should belong to a single user.
- Partner organization organisation owned by the developer business · under Shopify login (user)Pays the one-time $19 App Store registration if publishing publicly; receives payouts.
- App project · under Partner organizationHas a client ID and secret; distribution (public or custom) is chosen once and cannot be changed.
- Development store otheroptional · under Partner organizationFree test store for installing and testing the app.
Keep separate development and production apps; pick distribution on the production app.
Custom-distribution apps need no review but cannot charge through Shopify billing.
Have ready
- Business email for the Partner account and the app submission contact · Shopify sends all review emails to the contact address on the listing form; ignoring them can lead to suspension. [3]Needed for: Create a Shopify Partner account, Submit the app for App Store review
- Emergency contact phone number (and email) for critical technical issues [3]Needed for: Submit the app for App Store review
- App icon 1200 x 1200 px, JPEG or PNG [3]Needed for: Submit the app for App Store review
- Production app URL and redirect URLs on your own domain (must not contain "Shopify" or "Example") [3]Needed for: Submit the app for App Store review
- Privacy policy and data protection details covering how the app handles merchant and customer data · Required to request protected customer data (Level 1 has nine requirements, Level 2 seven more). [6]Needed for: Request protected customer data access (or opt out)
- Card for the one-time $19 USD App Store registration (public apps only) [5]Needed for: Register for the Shopify App Store ($19 one-time)
- App Store listing content (description, screenshots, pricing) in at least one primary language [3]Needed for: Submit the app for App Store review
Steps
Steps marked “human step” are ones only you can do: verapli never signs in, submits, pays or accepts terms for you.
Create a Shopify Partner account
Sign up for the Shopify Partner Program yourself and accept the Partner Program Agreement.
Where: https://www.shopify.com/partners
Create the app (Shopify CLI or Dev Dashboard)
Run `shopify app init` with Shopify CLI, or create an API-only app in the Dev Dashboard. The client ID and secret appear in the Dev Dashboard; verapli captures the secret by selector.
verapli captures
SHOPIFY_API_SECREThere by plain code: encrypted in your browser, never shown to AI.Where: https://dev.shopify.com/dashboard
Choose distribution (permanent)
Pick Public (Shopify App Store, needs review, can use Shopify billing) or Custom (one merchant or one Plus organization, no review, no Shopify billing). This cannot be changed later.
If something goes wrong (1)
- You chose the wrong distribution.: It cannot be changed; create a new app with the correct distribution. [2]
Register for the Shopify App Store ($19 one-time)optional
Pay the one-time $19 USD registration for the Partner account and link all Associated Developer Accounts. You enter payment details yourself.
Request protected customer data access (or opt out)
In the Partner Dashboard, open the app's API access requests, request only the customer data and fields you need with reasons, and complete the data protection details. Cannot be done while the app is under review.
If something goes wrong (1)
- Protected data access is not approved.: Request only the minimum fields the feature needs; handle errors or redacted data in the app. [6]
Subscribe to the mandatory compliance webhooks
Subscribe to customers/data_request, customers/redact and shop/redact, return a 200-series status and complete actions within 30 days.
Submit the app for App Store review
Configure URLs, icon, contact and emergency details, create the listing, pass the automated checks, then submit. The person presses submit and answers reviewer emails.
- People report
- A Shopify staff forum reply says reviews typically take 5-10 business days and can be longer with queue volume; developers report 1-3 weeks, sometimes much longer after repeated rejections. [11]
If something goes wrong (4)
- App moves to Paused.: Core requirements prevent review; make the changes in the email and use "Submit fixes" in the status banner. [4]
- App moves to Reviewed.: Reply to the reviewer's email to continue. [4]
- App is Suspended from review.: Repeatedly unaddressed issues or ignored emails cause temporary suspension; resubmit on the date shown in the banner, and fix everything first since repeat suspensions get longer. [3]
- Automated checks fail.: Fix the reported issues and rerun the checks before submitting. [3]
Terms and gotchas
Plain-English summary, not legal advice. Each card links its source.
No fake or incentivised reviews
You must not solicit or permit fake, misleading or incentivised app reviews. [9]
Billing must go through Shopify
Public apps must charge through Shopify App Pricing or the Billing API; apps with off-platform billing cannot be distributed on the App Store. [7]
No duplicate apps
Do not publish multiple apps offering substantially the same service or identical to your other apps. [9]
Distribution is permanent
The distribution method cannot be changed after you pick it. [2]
Review can take weeks
Developers report first reviews taking 1-3 weeks or longer in busy periods; plan launches around it. [10]
What you end up with
| Env var | Secret | Format | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
SHOPIFY_API_KEY | not secret | App client ID | |
SHOPIFY_API_SECRET | secret | App client secret |
Pricing
- Free tier: Partner account, development stores and custom apps are free.
- Costs: One-time $19 USD App Store registration; 0% revenue share on the first $1M USD lifetime gross app revenue (from 1 Jan 2025), 15% above; 2.9% processing fee on billing.
Source [5]
For agents
The same entry as JSON: /api/v1/entries/shopify/partner-app · requirements /api/v1/requirements/shopify/partner-app · terms /api/v1/terms/shopify/partner-app.
Remote MCP (read-only, no auth)
claude mcp add --transport http verapli https://verapli.com/mcp
> "What do I need for Shopify Partner account and app (custom or App Store), and how long will it take?"
→ tools/call requirements { "provider_id": "shopify/partner-app" }Sources
- Shopify Dev Dashboard Apps are created with Shopify CLI (recommended for extensible apps) or in the Dev Dashboard (API-only apps); all apps in an organization appear in one list; client ID and secret live in the Dev Dashboard, not in shopify.app.toml; releasing a version equals shopify app release. · accessed 25 October 2026 · official
- Select a distribution method (shopify.dev) Public (App Store, needs Shopify approval), custom (one merchant, single store or one Plus organization, no approval, cannot use Shopify billing), admin-created (legacy, unavailable for new apps); the distribution method cannot be changed after selection. · accessed 25 October 2026 · official
- Submit your app for review (shopify.dev) Submission prerequisites - app URLs without "Shopify" or "Example", compliance webhooks, 1200x1200 JPEG/PNG icon, API contact email, emergency email and phone, at least one listing, protected customer data request or opt-out (not possible while under review), passing automated checks; temporary suspensions for repeated unaddressed issues or ignored review emails. · accessed 25 October 2026 · official
- App review process (shopify.dev) Review states Draft, Submitted, Paused (core requirements fail), Reviewed (fixes to discuss with reviewer), Published; "Submit fixes" from the status banner. · accessed 25 October 2026 · official
- Revenue share for Shopify App Store developers One-time $19 USD App Store registration per Partner account; 0% on first $1,000,000 USD lifetime gross app revenue earned on or after 1 January 2025 and 15% above it; 15% on all revenue for developers above $20M prior-year App Store earnings or $100M company revenue; 2.9% processing fee; Associated Developer Accounts must be linked. · accessed 25 October 2026 · official
- Work with protected customer data (shopify.dev) Levels 0-2 of protected customer data; request via Partner Dashboard API access requests after choosing distribution; Level 1 has nine requirements and Level 2 seven more; data protection reviews may be requested; development-store-only apps need no review. · accessed 25 October 2026 · official
- Shopify App Store requirements Must use Shopify App Pricing or the Billing API for all charges, off-platform billing not distributable; session tokens; OAuth immediately after install; prohibited app types (agency matching, classifieds, lending, non-Shopify POS, desktop-app-dependent); no identical apps. · accessed 25 October 2026 · official
- Privacy law compliance - mandatory compliance webhooks (shopify.dev) App Store apps must subscribe to customers/data_request, customers/redact and shop/redact, return 200-series, and complete actions within 30 days. · accessed 25 October 2026 · official
- Shopify Partner Program Agreement (last updated 27 February 2026) Shopify may suspend partner privileges or terminate the Partner Account without notice; no fake or incentivised reviews; must use the Shopify Billing resource; one user per Partner Account login; no multiple apps with substantially the same services. · accessed 25 October 2026 · official
- Shopify App Review still "Assigning a Reviewer" after 5 days (Shopify developer community) Developers report review taking usually 1-3 weeks. · accessed 25 October 2026 · community
- How long does it take for an app review to be completed? (Shopify Community) A Shopify staff reply says reviews typically take 5-10 business days, sometimes longer with queue volume; contact Partner support after 30 days. · accessed 25 October 2026 · community
Provider rules change. This page is generated from verapli registry version 2026.1025.387; spotted something out of date? Tell us. Shopify is not affiliated with verapli.