Automate one small task first
Start with something your team can easily check: an internal notification or a tag on an order that needs review. You can learn how the workflow behaves before letting it change a customer's payment, order, or messages.
Shopify Flow runs the rules. Sidekick can help you draft them. This guide explains how to get from a simple idea to a reviewed workflow.
The steps use official Shopify documentation checked September 6, 2026. The examples are suggested workflows, not results from a store installation. If you want to automate answers to shoppers instead, see our AI customer support guide.
How Flow and Sidekick work together
Flow uses three building blocks: a trigger starts the workflow, a condition checks whether a rule applies, and an action does the next step.
The Flow app is free on Basic, Grow, Advanced, and Plus. Sending external HTTP requests requires Grow or above, and usage limits depend on your plan. Shopify Flow overview
Sidekick is the AI assistant in Shopify admin. You can describe what you want in everyday language and review the changes it proposes. Sidekick overview
| Approach | Use it to | Check before starting |
|---|---|---|
| Flow | Run a rule after something happens in your store | What starts it, when it applies, and what it changes |
| Sidekick-assisted Flow | Draft a workflow from your description | Any missing conditions or exceptions |
| External service through HTTP | Connect another system | Data, credentials, retries, and duplicate requests |
| Staff review | Approve a decision or handle an exception | Who reviews it and what they do next |
AI can help create the workflow without making an AI decision every time that workflow runs.
Write down what should happen
For example, you might want to notify the packing lead when an order needs special packaging. Your first version could send the order reference without changing payment, fulfillment, or customer messages.
Specify what starts the process, the conditions, any exceptions, the action, and who receives the result. Decide who can pause it.
If you add a “review needed” tag, also decide how staff will mark the review complete. Check that another automation doesn't already use the same tag differently.
Ask Sidekick for a draft
Generating Flow workflows through Sidekick requires a desktop device. Generated workflows stay inactive until you enable them manually, and Shopify recommends reviewing and testing them first. Creating workflows
An example request:
Draft a workflow that adds a review tag and notifies our operations lead when an order matches our special-packing condition. Leave it inactive. Do not cancel, refund, fulfill, or email customers.
Replace the condition and recipient with your actual rules. Read the resulting steps, including what happens when a condition isn't met. Check the order or customer record each action affects.
Three tasks to consider
Packing or stock notifications: send an internal notice to someone who can confirm it arrived. Flow's Send internal email action uses fixed recipient addresses, not a variable destination. It isn't a general customer-email action. Internal email action
Orders needing risk review: Shopify provides an Order risk analyzed trigger. A cautious first step is to notify staff for review while they continue to make payment and cancellation decisions. Order risk analyzed
Tasks in another system: consider this after an internal workflow works. HTTP requests can time out and retry, so the receiving system needs to recognize duplicates. Use Flow secrets for credentials and send only the fields the other system needs. HTTP action and secrets
Test the rule, then check the result
Flow tests preview the logic without making live changes. They can't fully simulate external HTTP actions, so a passing preview doesn't confirm delivery of an email or external task. Testing workflows
Test a matching case, a nonmatching case, a boundary value, a missing optional field, and a repeated event. Write the expected result first. Then run a small live check with an internal recipient.
If an action needs approval, build that review into the process. Keep the action out of the first workflow and let staff complete it through their existing process.
Decide whether it's saving work
Track correct actions, missed cases, duplicates, and time spent fixing mistakes. Flow retains completed-run history for 14 days, so review logs within that window and keep your own notes. Monitoring workflow runs
Compare the total effort with doing the task manually. Pause if notices are ignored or fixes take away the benefit. Add one condition or action at a time.
Common questions
Is Flow included on Basic?
Yes, but external HTTP requests require Grow, Advanced, or Plus. Check requirements for the connector and workflow you plan to use.
Will Sidekick turn the workflow on?
No. Generated Flow workflows are inactive until you manually enable them.
Should I add a chatbot too?
Only if customer conversations are part of the problem. Keep the trials separate so you can assess each. See our Shopify chatbot guide.
What if I need help writing product descriptions?
Start with our Shopify Magic guide, which covers product facts, drafting, and review.
