Build Your Shopify Store with Claude Code

⏱️ About 15–20 minutes. No coding experience needed — every command is copy-and-paste, and this guide assumes you've never opened Terminal before.

Part 1 · Install the toolsFive one-time installs. Claude checks what you already have, so you may get to skip most of this.

Get Claude Code (desktop app)

The AI assistant that will build your store with you

Download and install the Claude Code desktop app for Mac or Windows:

Download Claude Code →

Open it and sign in with your Claude account. You'll need a paid plan (Pro works great — see plans).

Pick a folder when asked. Claude Code will ask which folder to work in before you can chat. Make a new folder for your store — for example, one called my-store inside Documents — and select it. That's Claude's workspace: it keeps any files it creates for your store in there.

📁 New folder how-to: in the folder picker, go to Documents and click New Folder, name it my-store, then choose it.

⚠️ If Claude Code shows a message about Git not being installed, don't worry — that's expected on a new Mac. Steps 3 and 4 below fix it.

Let Claude check your computer

You might get to skip steps — let Claude tell you which ones

Copy this and paste it into the Claude Code chat box:

Check my computer: is Git installed? Is Node.js (version 20+) installed? Is the Shopify CLI (version 4.5.1+) installed? Tell me exactly what I need to install or update, step by step.

Claude replies with a simple checklist of what you have and what's missing:

All three check out? Skip straight to Step 6 (the plugin).
Git missing? Do Steps 3 and 4.
Node.js or Shopify CLI missing? Ask Claude to install them for you right there — or do Steps 4–5 yourself.

💡 The one thing Claude can't install for you is Homebrew (Step 3), because it needs your Mac password typed in by you.

MACInstall Homebrew

The installer for everything else — skip if Claude found Git on your machine

What it is: Homebrew is a free, trusted tool that installs developer software on Macs. You need it once, and it makes every later install a one-line copy-paste. It's how we'll get Git in the next step.

1. Open the Terminal app: press ⌘+Space, type Terminal, press Return. A plain text window opens — that's it, you're a hacker now.

2. Paste this whole line and press Return:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

3. It will ask for your Mac login password (the one you use to unlock your computer). Type it and press Return. Nothing appears while you type — no dots, nothing. That's normal and it IS working.

4. When it says "Press RETURN/ENTER to continue", press Return. Then wait — it can take 5–10 minutes. Grab a coffee.

5. Don't close Terminal yet. When it finishes, look for a section called "Next steps". If it shows two commands to run (they start with echo and eval), copy each one from your Terminal, paste it back in, and press Return. This tells your Mac where to find Homebrew.

6. Quit Terminal (⌘+Q) and reopen it, then verify:

brew --version

If you see a version number, Homebrew is in. 🎉

WINDOWS Skip this step — Homebrew is Mac-only. You'll install Git with a normal installer in Step 4.

Install Git

Claude Code uses it to save your work and download the Shopify plugin

Why you need it: Git is a free tool that keeps versions of your files. Claude Code relies on it — and Step 6 (the Shopify plugin) won't work without it. New Macs and PCs don't come with it.

MAC In Terminal, paste and press Return:

brew install git

WINDOWS Download the installer from git-scm.com and run it with all the default options (just keep clicking Next).

Verify it worked:

git --version

Any version number means you're done.

Install Node.js, then the Shopify CLI

Node runs the Shopify tools; the CLI is how Claude securely talks to your store

First, Node.js: download the LTS version from nodejs.org and run the installer with the default options (Mac and Windows). Already have version 20 or newer? Skip to the CLI.

Then, the Shopify CLI: quit and reopen Terminal (so it picks up Node), then paste:

npm install -g @shopify/cli@latest

Verify both:

node --version

shopify version

You want Node at v20 or higher and Shopify at 4.5.1 or higher.

💡 Easier option: paste this into Claude Code instead — "Install the Shopify CLI for me with npm and verify the version." Claude runs it and confirms.

Part 2 · Teach Claude ShopifyOne plugin turns Claude into a Shopify expert.

Add the Shopify plugin to Claude Code

Teaches Claude everything about running a Shopify store

Ask Claude to install it for you. Copy this and paste it into the Claude Code chat box:

Install the Shopify plugin for me: run "claude plugin marketplace add Shopify/shopify-ai-toolkit" and then "claude plugin install shopify-plugin@shopify-ai-toolkit", and tell me when both succeed.

💡 Claude will ask permission to run the commands — click Allow. If this step fails with an error about "git", go back to Steps 3–4.

Then quit Claude Code completely and reopen it (Mac: ⌘+Q, then relaunch. Windows: close it from the system tray too). This is the only way it loads the new plugin — starting a new chat isn't enough.

Part 3 · Your storeTwo paths — pick the one that matches you. Both happen with Claude, in plain English.

🆕 Starting fresh? Create your store with Claude

From an idea to a real store in one conversation — no credit card needed

Nothing to prepare — here's how it will go at the session:

Describe your shop to Claude in plain English: "I want to open a store selling handmade candles — create some store previews for me." Be specific about what you sell and the vibe you want; Claude uses every detail.
Browse the previews. Claude generates a few complete store designs — real themes with matching sample products — and gives you links to click through, like touring model homes.
Claim your favorite. Each preview has a signup link. Signing up through it creates a real Shopify store with that exact theme and products pre-installed, on a free trial — no credit card required.
Tell Claude it's yours. Come back and say "I claimed my store, connect to it" with your new store address (it looks like yourstore.myshopify.com). From then on, Claude works on the real thing.

Don't love the first previews? Tweak your description and ask again — you can explore ideas all day before committing to anything.

🏪 Already have a store? Connect it

A one-time, secure handshake — Claude never sees your password

Before the session: find your store address. It's either yourstore.myshopify.com, or the address in your browser when you're logged into Shopify admin. Write it down.

At the session, connecting looks like this:

Tell Claude: "Connect to my Shopify store at yourstore.myshopify.com."
A browser window opens asking you to log in to Shopify and approve the connection. This is Shopify's own login page — Claude never sees or handles your password.
Once you approve, Claude works through that secure connection. You can revoke it any time from your Shopify admin.
Test it: ask "Show me my 10 most recent products." If Claude lists them, you're fully connected.

What you can do togetherOnce connected, everything is a plain-English conversation. A taste:

🛍️ Products"Add my new lavender candle — $24, here's the description and photo."

🗂️ Collections"Group all the fall-scented candles into a 'Cozy Season' collection."

💸 Discounts"Create a WELCOME10 code for 10% off first orders."

🎨 Your store's look"Make the homepage hero warmer and move reviews above the footer."

📦 Orders & inventory"Any orders today? What's running low on stock?"

📈 Answers from your data"What were my best sellers last month? Which products get views but no sales?"

✍️ Pages & content"Write an About page that tells my founder story."

🤝 No commands to memorizeIf you can say it, Claude can usually do it — just ask.

🎉 You're ready

At the session, open Claude Code and simply say:

"Set up my Shopify store"

Claude takes it from there — connecting your store, adding products, and building alongside you.