Issue 242 - DotDev Recap: New APIs, Old Themes, and the Review Purge

Shopify Just Opened a Free API to Every Store

Shopify opened a free API to every store — likely the Catalog API that went GA in June 2026. Coding with Jan explains what the API does, how to access it, and what developers can build with it.

By Coding with Jan

Shopify Theme 1.0 is Better Suited for Agentic Development Than Theme 2.0

Ben Sehl, Product Director of Online Store at Shopify, published an X Article arguing that Shopify Theme 1.0 (single .liquid files) is better suited for agentic/AI development than Theme 2.0 (JSON templates with sections and blocks). Re-usable sections and JSON templates designed for human plug-and-play are actually a hinderance to LLMs writing code — a single .liquid file is a cakewalk for an LLM. The post generated significant engagement from the Shopify dev community, with replies confirming developers are already moving big brand homepages back to single Liquid templates with AI assistance.

By Ben Sehl (@benjaminsehl)

Feedback Wanted: Building Shopify Embedded Apps with Claude Code

Kyohei Ogasawara is asking developers who build Shopify embedded apps with Claude Code or AI agents to share their feedback, with a GitHub repo linked. Direct signal that the intersection of AI coding tools and Shopify app development is actively being explored — worth watching the discussion.

By Kyohei Ogasawara (@ogasawarakyohei)

Shopify Plus app devs feel the review purge hardest — enterprise reviews are rare

Patrick Jakubik highlights a side effect of the App Store review purge: Shopify Plus-focused app developers lose reviews that were extremely hard to earn in the first place. Enterprise merchants rarely agree to public reviews, so each one is precious. The purge disproportionately affects Plus-tier apps where review volume is already low.

By Patrick Jakubik

Shopify's Liam confirms: appeal removed reviews through direct support

In response to the App Store review purge, Shopify's Liam (liam_at_shopify) is telling devs to contact Shopify support directly with a list of reviews they want to appeal. The thread suggests Shopify is reviewing removals on a case-by-case basis. If you've lost reviews in the purge, compile a list and submit through official support channels.

By Liam (Shopify)

Shopify App Store begins review purge — some devs seeing old reviews restored

Shopify's App Store review cleanup is live. DsMatie reports old reviews that were previously removed are coming back, temporarily boosting review counts. The question is whether these restored reviews will survive the final purge. App developers should check their review lists and prepare to appeal any legitimate removals through Shopify support.

By Mat De Sousa (DsMatie)