Shopify MCP Server: Tools, Setup and Security

Shopify does not have one MCP server. It has several, each for a different job. Dev MCP helps developers build Shopify apps. A set of shopper-facing servers lets AI agents search a store, build carts and check out. Customer Accounts MCP lets a signed-in customer check orders and account details.

Checked against: Shopify's Storefront MCP page on 28 October 2026. eSEOspace did not install or test this server.

At a glance

What it can do

Dev MCP. Shopify says it connects you to "Shopify's developer resources." It runs on your machine and needs no authentication. The setup page does not list tool names.

Shopper-facing UCP servers. Shopify's agents documentation describes servers for each step of an AI shopping trip:

On the store endpoint, Shopify names these tools: search_catalog, lookup_catalog and get_product for catalog; create_cart, get_cart, update_cart and cancel_cart for carts; and ask_business for questions about the store.

Customer Accounts MCP. Shopify's Customer Accounts MCP page says it supports tasks such as checking order status, getting order details and managing account preferences. It does not list tool names. Your app calls tools/list to discover them.

How to connect it

Dev MCP in Claude Code, from Shopify's Dev MCP page:

claude mcp add --transport stdio shopify-dev-mcp -- npx -y @shopify/dev-mcp@latest

For Cursor, Antigravity CLI and VS Code, Shopify gives this entry (VS Code uses a servers key):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "shopify-dev-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@shopify/dev-mcp@latest"]
    }
  }
}

UCP endpoint. Agents call https://{shop}/api/ucp/mcp and include an agent profile in every request. The profile is hosted at a well-known URL. Shopify uses "trust tiers" to set rate limits and tool access. Higher tiers can complete checkout directly.

Customer Accounts MCP. Your app discovers the endpoint at https://{shopDomain}/.well-known/customer-account-api. It resolves to https://{shopDomain}/customer/api/mcp. The app runs an OAuth 2.0 authorization code flow with PKCE, using the scope customer-account-mcp-api:full.

Security notes

• Agent identity. UCP requests carry an agent profile so Shopify can verify the agent. Checkout MCP requests must be authenticated or signed.
• Payment hand-off. In the standard flow, Checkout MCP hands the buyer to the merchant to pay. Only higher trust tiers can complete checkout directly.
• Cart overwrites. Shopify warns that update_cart replaces the entire cart. Include every line item you want to keep.
• Customer data. Customer Accounts MCP needs protected customer data approval for name, email, phone and address, with a reason for each.
• Breaking changes. The removal of /api/mcp shows these servers change. Watch Shopify's developer changelog.
• What the spec says. The MCP tools specification says there SHOULD always be a human in the loop who can deny tool calls. The spec's security best practices also recommend scope minimization.

See the MCP security center and MCP authentication and OAuth for background.

Alternatives

• BigCommerce MCP server: storefront shopping tools that a store owner switches on.
• WooCommerce MCP server: product and order admin tools in developer preview.
• commercetools MCP server: admin-level tools for headless commerce projects.

Next step

If you sell on Shopify, the shopper-facing servers matter for how AI agents find and buy your products. Our MCP for ecommerce guide explains the options, and the MCP server directory lists other store platforms.

Frequently asked questions