Issue 251 - LW 251 - Theme Performance Best Practices, Sidekick Without a Tools File, and App Pricing Migrations
Performance best practices for Shopify themes
When you submit a theme to the Shopify Theme Store, Shopify tests it on a benchmark store to determine its performance score. Each best practice page answers three questions: Why does this matter technically? How do you implement it? And how do you test that it worked?
By Shopify
Sidekick can now find your app without a tools file
A practical walkthrough of the September 28 change that makes intent-only extensions eligible for Sidekick. It separates the two meanings of 'intents' in Shopify docs: admin intents (your app calls Shopify) vs app intents (Shopify calls your app) To be eligible you need an extensions.targeting.intents block and an extensions_summary under [sidekick] in shopify.app.toml
By Bas Lefeber
Move existing subscriptions to Shopify App Pricing
Apps billing through the Billing API can now migrate existing subscriptions to Shopify App Pricing instead of creating new plans from scratch. Use the migration tool in the Partner Dashboard or the new Shopify CLI commands. Subscriptions switch over at the start of the next billing cycle and merchants don't need to re-approve charges.
By Shopify
More resilient token exchanges when migrating to expiring offline tokens
When you migrate an app from non-expiring to expiring offline access tokens without a user session, you can now recover a lost migration response by retrying the exchange with the original non-expiring token for up to seven days. Reduces how often you need a merchant to reopen the app to restore access. No changes needed to existing flows.
By Shopify
The new Dev Dashboard: command center for building
Shopify shipped a wave of Dev Dashboard improvements that bring store management, collaborator access, and app health into one home. The stated goal: stop the juggling of community forums and support tickets to manage collaborators or understand app health. One place to see how your business is doing and act on whatever needs attention across all your apps and stores.
By Shopify
Polaris 2.0 release candidate - Shopify developer changelog
The Polaris 2.0 release candidate is now available for embedded App Home interfaces. It includes the Shopify admin’s new visual styles, allowing your app to adopt the new look. The new Shopify admin design began rolling out progressively to merchants on September 15, 2026. You can adopt the release candidate now and test your app across both the previous and new Shopify admin designs.
By Shopify
30% Checkout Lift After Shopify Plus Migration
While this newsletter is very pro-Shopify It's always good to consider other perspectives. Medusa posted an article about how Healthletic moved its commerce engine off Shopify Plus to Medusa, lifting checkout conversion +30% on a $24M+ yearly GMV business, without disrupting fulfillment or existing subscribers.
By Medusajs
How to export all Shopify product images in bulk
CraftShift shows how to export all Shopify product images -- and videos, 3D and PDF files -- in bulk. A handy utility walkthrough for theme and app devs who need product media locally for testing, migrations, or staging.
By CraftShift
Shop Quest 2026 has begun — pre-event in Bangalore ahead of October 3
While this update is out of date by publication time it's still fun to keep up with what's happening at Shop Quest! Shop Quest 2026 is underway: the conference itself is October 3, but Shopify Build Award winner @zapiet is already in Bangalore for pre-event catchups. A reminder for anyone tracking the Shopify dev conference circuit that Shop Quest is a real on-the-ground event, not just an online stream.
By PrakharS96
