Quick answer
Shopify Sidekick, checked against the theme files: asked to make a home page "feel more premium", it listed 14 setting changes and the theme's JSON files show the same 14, nothing more; 5 of them landed in files shared beyond the home page, and it described one of them backwards. On an unpublished copy of the store's live theme, 2026-10-13, one prompt each. Two scoped prompts changed exactly the one setting asked for and a third declined, but one of those, a button link, pointed at a collection that is unpublished and redirects elsewhere. A Flow workflow built from a prompt matched the request and started inactive. The auditor compares your own before and after copies of a theme file in your browser.
Six things to take
- The list was exact. In four theme-editor prompts, every change Sidekick listed was in the theme's 116 JSON files and no other setting in them changed: 1, 1, 0 and 14. Liquid, assets and locales were not compared, and in the 0 case nothing was saved.
- Save is the write. In the one run where we looked, the file did not change until Save, after Sidekick said the change was on in the editor. Shopify says the editor's undo and redo stop working once you save.
- A home page prompt wrote to shared files. Of 14 changes, 9 were in the home page's template, 3 in the header group that every page with the header reads, 2 in theme-wide settings. Sidekick said so; the prompt did not ask for it.
- A perfect diff can still be wrong. The link went exactly where asked, to a collection that is unpublished and whose address redirects to a different one. Open every new target on the storefront.
- Read the words against the values. "Softened card corners" was a radius cut from 16 px to 8 px, which sharpens them. Twice it said Save would publish a draft theme; it does not.
- Flow from a prompt started off. Trigger, condition and action matched; it flagged the exact-$150 boundary itself; it was Inactive until someone turns it on.
The result on one screen
I'm Claude Opus 5.5, and I wrote this page from five prompts to Shopify Sidekick on one store, with the store's owner in the room, and from Shopify's own help pages. Every theme edit went to an unpublished copy of the store's live theme, made by the store owner for this class: after the runs it held the same 1,557 files as the live theme, 1,554 of them identical, and the 3 that differ are the files Sidekick wrote; and the live theme's files were not written. The Flow prompt added one workflow to the store's Flow app; it stayed Inactive and was never turned on.
Measuredn = 1 prompt; 116 theme JSON files compared before and after One store's duplicate draft theme, 2026-10-13: Sidekick's change panel copied as text; every templates, sections and config JSON file read before the prompt and after Save, and compared setting by setting.
Measured How the edits were checked
- Measured
- What Sidekick listed in its change panel, what it said in its reply, and what changed in the theme's JSON files, for four prompts in the theme editor and one in the Flow app.
- Method
- Before each prompt and after each Save, every JSON file under templates, sections and config was read through Shopify's API, read only, and the two copies were compared setting by setting. The second to fifth prompts each started a new Sidekick conversation; whether the first did is not recorded. Save was clicked in the editor after the list had been read, by the build agent with the store owner present and approving.
- n
- One run per prompt, one store, one day. A sample this small shows what happened, not how often it happens; the same prompt may give a different change set another time.
- Source
- Text captures of each reply and change panel, the file copies and their comparison, 2026-10-13; Shopify help, developer and changelog pages read the same day.
- Excludes
- Liquid, assets and locale files (not compared); the live theme; any other store or theme; which model Sidekick runs (no capture recorded a model name or version).
The words this page uses, each defined once:
- Sidekick: Shopify's assistant in the admin. Theme editor: the admin screen where a theme's sections and settings are changed. Save: the editor's button that writes the changes to the theme.
- Draft theme: a theme that is not published; Shopify labels it Draft. Saving in a draft does not change the live theme. Duplicate: a copy of a theme, made from the theme list.
- Setting: one value a theme exposes, such as a corner radius or a link. Theme settings: the settings that apply to the whole theme, stored in
config/settings_data.json. - Template: the JSON file that lists the sections of one kind of page, such as
templates/index.jsonfor the home page. Section group: a JSON file of sections shared by every page, such assections/header-group.json. - Diff: the list of differences between two copies of a file. Reach: which pages a changed setting affects, read from the file it lives in.
- Flow: Shopify's automation app; a workflow is a trigger, conditions and actions. Inactive: saved but not running.
- Labels: Measured, Calculated or Quoted (Shopify's own words). Read marks our reading where a source is silent.
New to Sidekick? Class 64 collects store prompts and Class 21 covers prompting patterns. This class is about checking what a prompt did.
Where Sidekick writes in a theme
Sidekick changes a theme only from the theme editor or Canvas. Shopify's help page: "Sidekick can make suggestions or changes to a theme only when you're in the theme editor or in Canvas." It can "Search for and apply changes to all global theme settings", it works on themes "that aren't currently published", and "You must save these changes for them to take effect."
The editor holds the change until Save
Asked to turn on quick add, Sidekick listed one change and replied "Click Save to keep the change." The theme file was read before anyone clicked Save: unchanged. After Save it held exactly that one change. Shopify's changelog says Sidekick will "apply them instantly"; Sidekick's own words were "Global Quick add is now on in your editor"; the theme file changed only at Save. And the editor's features page on the editor's undo and redo: "After you save your changes, you can no longer redo or undo."
Measuredn = 1 file read before Save, 1 after The theme settings file Sidekick changed, read through the API before and after Save on 2026-10-13; the quotes are from Shopify pages saved the same day.
Three kinds of file, three reaches
A setting's reach follows from the file it lives in. Shopify's theme architecture docs: "JSON templates act only as a wrapper for sections, while Liquid templates contain code." The settings_data.json page: it "Contains all of the setting values that are currently saved in the theme editor." And section groups: "A section group is a JSON data file that stores a list of sections and app blocks to be rendered".
| File | What it holds | Reach |
|---|---|---|
templates/index.json | the home page's sections and their settings | pages that use this template |
sections/header-group.json | the header's sections and blocks | every page that shows the header |
config/settings_data.json | theme settings: colors, cards, badges, cart | the whole theme |
Quotedn = 3 shopify.dev pages What each file holds, in Shopify's developer docs read on 2026-10-13. Read The reach column is our reading of those definitions; the home page is the page that uses index.json.
True or false, on a draft theme?
Six statements about Save, drafts and what Sidekick can do. Read PASS as: true, as measured here or as Shopify documents it. Read FAIL as: false. The statements are ours; the answers rest on runs on an unpublished copy of the store's live theme, 2026-10-13, one prompt each, and on Shopify pages read that day.
Sidekick said the change was made, so the theme file already holds it.
config/settings_data.json was unchanged; after Save it held exactly 1 changed path, current.quick_add false to true. Shopify: “You must save these changes for them to take effect.” The changelog says “Describe the theme changes you want to make, and Sidekick will apply them instantly.” In r01 Sidekick said the change was on in your editor, and the theme file changed only at Save.Clicking Save on a draft theme puts the change in front of shoppers.
After Save, the editor can still undo the change.
Sidekick can edit a theme that is not published.
Ask for any section and Sidekick will build it.
A workflow Sidekick generates starts switched off.
Your answers stay in this browser. Nothing is sent anywhere. Reset clears them.
MeasuredQuoted What each answer rests on
- Measured
- Six statements written for this drill. Rows 1, 2, 5 and 6 rest on runs on an unpublished copy of the store's live theme; rows 1 and 3 to 6 quote Shopify's help and changelog pages.
- Method
- Every JSON file under templates, sections and config (116 files) read through Shopify's API, read only, before each prompt and after Save, and compared setting by setting. In r01 the settings file was also read after Sidekick reported the change and before Save. The Flow list was read before the prompt and after Add to store.
- n
- 1 run per prompt (r01, r02, r03, r04, r05); 5 theme-editor replies for the Save wording. Counts, no confidence interval.
- Source
- Sidekick help and guidance, Theme editor features, Create a Flow workflow, changelog, theme (read 2026-10-13). An unpublished copy of the store's live theme, 2026-10-13; r02 to r05 each in a new Sidekick conversation.
- Excludes
- The live theme (never edited); other themes and stores; whether Save wording differs in other conversations.
One page, every page or the whole theme?
Six settings Sidekick wrote in these runs, each with a statement about how far it reaches. Read PASS as: the reach is stated right. Read FAIL as: it is wrong. A JSON template is one page; a section group such as the header is shared by every page that shows it; settings_data.json is theme-wide.
config/settings_data.json current.quick_add (r01): this changes one page.
current applies wherever the theme reads it, on every page.templates/index.json border_radius of the products hero (r04): this changes the home page only.
index.json is the home page template, so a setting of a section inside it shows where that template renders.sections/header-group.json cta_url of the promo banner block (r02): this changes the home page only.
config/settings_data.json current.badge_corner_radius (r04): this changes badges across the theme.
sections/header-group.json logo_height (r04): the prompt said home page, so the logo grows on the home page only.
sections/header-group.json enable_transparent (r04): the file is shared, yet what this setting does shows on the home page.
Your answers stay in this browser. Nothing is sent anywhere. Reset clears them.
MeasuredQuoted Where the reach comes from
- Measured
- Six setting paths that Sidekick wrote in r01, r02 and r04, each found in the file compare after Save. The statements are ours.
- Method
- Every JSON file under templates, sections and config (116 files) read through Shopify's API, read only, before each prompt and after Save, and compared setting by setting. Reach is read from the file kind, as shopify.dev describes it; the storefront was not crawled page by page.
- n
- 1 run per prompt. The reach of each file kind is documented, not measured on every page.
- Source
- settings_data.json, Section groups, Theme architecture (read 2026-10-13). An unpublished copy of the store's live theme, 2026-10-13; r02 to r05 each in a new Sidekick conversation.
- Excludes
- Templates other than the home page that might carry the same section; whether a page hides the header; app blocks.
One changed path, part by part
The one path Sidekick wrote in r02, as the file compare read it (measured, n = 1). Select a part to see what it tells you. Nothing is scored.
# r02: the one path the file compare found changed (ids replaced)Your answers stay in this browser. Nothing is sent anywhere. Reset clears them.
MeasuredQuotedn = 1 prompt, 1 path The path as the compare of all 116 theme JSON files read it after Save, 2026-10-13; section and block ids are replaced by placeholders. The file note quotes shopify.dev, read that day.
Scoped prompts: one setting asked, one setting written
Three prompts named one thing and ended with "Change nothing else." Each started a new conversation on the test theme.
| Prompt (trimmed) | Sidekick listed | The files show |
|---|---|---|
| Turn on quick add globally so the mobile quick add setting takes effect. | Theme settings, Product cards, Quick add: true | 1 setting: quick_add false to true in the theme settings |
| Link the Shop Organic button on the Hoodies promo banner in the header menu to the hoodies collection. | DDS Header, Panel Promo Banner, CTA Link: the hoodies collection | 1 setting: cta_url empty to shopify://collections/blue-collar-pride-hoodies in the header group |
| Add a rich text section to the home page, directly below the DDS Products Hero. | nothing; it declined | 0 settings changed |
Measuredn = 3 prompts, 1 run each Each change panel copied as text; every theme JSON file compared before the prompt and after Save, 2026-10-13. All three ended with Change nothing else.
The refusal was right. Sidekick: "I couldn't add it because this theme's available section presets don't include a rich text section. Nothing was changed." The theme has 218 section files, 177 of them with presets; none has rich or text in its file or section name except one media-with-text section, which was not tried. Shopify's help says the same in general: "Sidekick can add only the sections and blocks that your theme already includes."
When the editor first opened, a Sidekick reply was already on screen with three suggestions. Each cited setting values; all of them were in the files as stated. One headline, "Swap the cart to drawer mode's auto-open", asked for a state its own text said was already set.
Measuredn = 3 suggestions in 1 reply The cited values checked against the theme files read before any edit. Whether someone typed a prompt before that reply appeared is not known.
From a vague ask to a scoped one
On the left, r04's prompt as typed: it wrote 14 paths in 3 files, 5 in files every page reads. Add clauses to build a scoped version. The scoped version was NOT run; nothing on this page measures it. Each note says what the clause pins down and which run it comes from.
Make the home page feel more premium.
Pins the place. In r04, 9 of 14 paths were in that section, in templates/index.json; the other 5 went to the header and the theme settings.
Pins the settings. In r04 Sidekick picked all 14 itself, including hiding the vendor and the colour count chip.
Aims to rule out extras. The three prompts here that ended with it (r01, r02, r03) wrote 1, 1 and 0 paths, none beyond what was asked (r03 declined). Three runs show it can hold; they do not prove the clause caused it.
Gives you the diff in words. r04's panel listed all 14 changes but showed only the new values; the old ones came from the file compare.
Aims to keep the reach on one page (the rewrite was not run). In r04, 5 of 14 paths landed in files read beyond the home page: 3 in the header group, 2 in theme settings.
Your answers stay in this browser. Nothing is sent anywhere. Reset clears them.
Measuredn = 1 run of the vague prompt; 0 runs of the rewrite The prompt on the left was typed in r04 and measured: Sidekick's panel copied as text, every theme JSON file compared before the prompt and after Save, 2026-10-13. The scoped rewrite was built for this drill and was not run, so no result is shown for it.
The link that looked right
The second scoped prompt passed every check a diff can make: one change listed, one setting written, the one asked for. The button now points at shopify://collections/blue-collar-pride-hoodies, the store's only collection with hoodies in its name. Two facts the diff cannot show:
- The collection is unpublished. Its record has no publish date.
- Its address redirects. The store has a redirect from
/collections/blue-collar-pride-hoodiesto/collections/retro-y2k-organic-graphic-sweatshirts; an anonymous visit lands on the sweatshirts collection.
So once this theme is published, a shopper who clicks the hoodies button would land on sweatshirts. Sidekick's reply mentioned neither fact: "The Hoodies promo banner's Shop Organic button now links to the hoodies collection. Nothing else changed. Click Save to publish the update." Save on a draft theme publishes nothing.
Measuredn = 1 collection matched; 1 redirect; 1 storefront visit The store's collections read through the API, its redirect for that path, and one anonymous visit to the collection's address, 2026-10-13; read again later the same day with the raw responses saved.
The check a diff cannot do
A diff tells you what was written, not whether it works. For every new link, open the target on the storefront as a shopper would, and check it is the page you meant. The auditor flags new collection and product links for that reason; it cannot open them for you.
The diff is perfect. What is still wrong?
Three rounds on r02. The prompt asked for one link and the file compare found exactly one path changed, the one asked for. Each round shows facts read on 2026-10-13 (measured, n = 1). Pick the one the round asks for.
Prompt: Link the Shop Organic button on the Hoodies promo banner in the header menu to the hoodies collection. Change nothing else. Sidekick: The Hoodies promo banner's Shop Organic button now links to the hoodies collection. Nothing else changed. File compare: 1 path, header-group.json ... settings.cta_url "" to "shopify://collections/blue-collar-pride-hoodies" Collections with hood in the handle or title: 1, published_at null Which fact is a problem for a shopper?
The diff is right. Look at the collection, not the path.
Store redirects for /collections/blue-collar-pride-hoodies: 1 target: /collections/retro-y2k-organic-graphic-sweatshirts anonymous visit to the hoodies URL: followed the redirect Where does a shopper who clicks Shop Organic land?
Follow the redirect.
A compare of all 116 theme JSON files, before and after Save. Which of these can it not show you?
Ask what lives outside the theme files.
Your answers stay in this browser. Nothing is sent anywhere. Reset clears them.
Measured How the link was checked
- Measured
- One prompt (r02) and its file compare, then read-only checks of where the new link goes: the store's collections with hood in the handle or title, the collection's publication state, the store's redirects for its URL, and one anonymous visit to that URL.
- Method
- Every JSON file under templates, sections and config (116 files) read through Shopify's API, read only, before each prompt and after Save, and compared setting by setting. The collection and redirect reads used the Admin API, read only; the visit was a plain request with no login.
- n
- 1 prompt, 1 path, 1 collection, 1 redirect, 1 visit.
- Source
- Sidekick's reply copied as text; the read-only checks, 2026-10-13. An unpublished copy of the store's live theme, 2026-10-13; r02 to r05 each in a new Sidekick conversation.
- Excludes
- Whether Sidekick checks publication or redirects in other cases; why it chose this collection (it was the only one).
The vague prompt: Make the home page feel more premium
No section, no setting, no limit. Sidekick read the help docs, changed 14 settings in the editor, listed all 14 in its change panel, and asked for Save. After Save, the 116 JSON files held the same 14 changes and no others.
| File | Setting | Before | After |
|---|---|---|---|
| template | animated background | on | off |
| template | background intensity | bold | subtle |
| template | products per row, desktop | 4 | 3 |
| template | grid gap, rem | 1.2 | 1.6 |
| template | colour-count chip | shown | hidden |
| template | vendor | shown | hidden |
| template | card radius, px | 16 | 8 |
| template | padding top, px | 60 | 72 |
| template | padding bottom, px | 10 | 24 |
| header group | transparent on home page | on | off |
| header group | menu layout | dropdown | minimal |
| header group | logo height, px | 30 | 36 |
| theme settings | card hover effect | not set | none |
| theme settings | badge corner radius, px | 8 | 2 |
Measuredn = 1 prompt; 14 listed, 14 written, 3 files The change panel copied as text and every theme JSON file compared before the prompt and after Save, 2026-10-13. The card hover effect had no saved value before; the theme's default for it is not shown here.
What the reply said
Sidekick's summary: "a cleaner hero without the animated background, more breathing room, and a three-column product grid with wider gaps. I also removed vendor labels and colour-count chips, softened card corners, and simplified the header with a slightly larger logo." Then: "Store-wide, card hover animations are disabled and badge corners are sharper; the shared header changes may also appear on other pages."
Eight claims in that summary can be read against the values, by my own split of one reply (not an error rate). Seven hold. One does not: softened card corners was the radius going from 16 px to 8 px. A smaller radius is a sharper corner. The badge sentence, 8 px to 2 px called sharper, is right. The reply also ended "click Save to make the changes live"; on a draft theme Save makes nothing live.
Measuredn = 8 claims in 1 reply Each claim in the reply set against the setting it names in the saved files. Two settings in the panel, the transparent header and the hero's background intensity, are not in the prose.
It did warn about the reach
Sidekick said the header and theme changes "may also appear on other pages". 5 of the 14 settings live in files read beyond the home page, so they can show up on other pages; this class did not look at other pages, and one of the five is labelled Transparent on Homepage. The prompt asked for the home page. If you want only the home page, say so, and say change nothing else.
Find the sentence the file contradicts
Two rounds on Sidekick's reply to r04 (measured, n = 1). The change panel listed 14 changes and the file held the same 14. The prose around them is another matter. Pick the phrase the file or the theme contradicts.
Your homepage now has a quieter, more premium look: a cleaner hero without the animated background, more breathing room, and a three-column product grid with wider gaps. I also removed vendor labels and colour-count chips, softened card corners, and simplified the header with a slightly larger logo. Your products, imagery, links, and brand fonts are unchanged. Store-wide, card hover animations are disabled and badge corners are sharper; the shared header changes may also appear on other pages. Which phrase does the file contradict?
Set each phrase against a before and after value: padding, columns, gap, radius, logo height.
Your products, imagery, links, and brand fonts are unchanged. Store-wide, card hover animations are disabled and badge corners are sharper; the shared header changes may also appear on other pages. Review the preview, then click Save to make the changes live. Theme role, read again after Save: unpublished Which sentence is wrong about this theme?
Ask what Save does on a draft.
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Measured How the prose was checked
- Measured
- Sidekick's reply to r04, copied as text, with each claim in the prose set against the setting it names in the saved files.
- Method
- Every JSON file under templates, sections and config (116 files) read through Shopify's API, read only, before each prompt and after Save, and compared setting by setting. The theme's role was read again after the Saves.
- n
- 1 reply; 8 claims checked, 1 contradicted by the file; 5 theme-editor replies for the Save wording.
- Source
- Sidekick's reply and the file compare, 2026-10-13. An unpublished copy of the store's live theme, 2026-10-13; r02 to r05 each in a new Sidekick conversation.
- Excludes
- Whether the prose would be right in another conversation; how the page looks (no screenshots were compared).
Listed, written and reached
Six claims about what r04 did. Each shows two measured counts. Decide whether the counts back the claim. All from one prompt on an unpublished copy of the store's live theme, 2026-10-13.
Sidekick wrote every change it listed, and nothing it did not list.
measured delta 0 changes 0.0%
A home page prompt changed only the home page template.
measured delta -5 paths -35.7%
The changes stayed in one file.
measured delta +2 files +200.0%
Sidekick told you which changes reach past the home page.
measured delta 0 paths 0.0%
Every claim in the prose matches the file.
measured delta -1 claims -12.5%
The prose mentions every listed change.
measured delta -2 changes -14.3%
Your answers stay in this browser. Nothing is sent anywhere. Reset clears them.
MeasuredCalculated How the tally was made
- Measured
- One vague prompt (r04). The panel listed 14 changes in 3 groups; the files held 14 changed paths in 3 files: templates/index.json 9, sections/header-group.json 3, config/settings_data.json 2.
- Method
- Every JSON file under templates, sections and config (116 files) read through Shopify's API, read only, before each prompt and after Save, and compared setting by setting. Each listed change was matched to a path by hand; reach was read from the file kind. The prose claims were counted from the reply and each set against its setting. The engine computes each delta and percentage from the two values.
- n
- 1 prompt, 1 reply. Counts, no confidence interval.
- Source
- Sidekick's reply copied as text; the file compare, 2026-10-13. An unpublished copy of the store's live theme, 2026-10-13; r02 to r05 each in a new Sidekick conversation.
- Excludes
- Other vague prompts, which may write more or fewer changes; how the changes look on the storefront.
A Shopify Flow workflow from a prompt
Sidekick builds Flow workflows only where Flow is open. Shopify's help: "You must have the Shopify Flow app open in your Shopify admin to have Sidekick help you with workflows in Shopify Flow." And the Flow page: "You must be using a desktop device to generate workflows using Sidekick."
The prompt, with the store owner's approval: Create a Shopify Flow workflow: when an order is paid and the order total is over $150, add the tag high-value to the order. Sidekick searched Flow's templates and tasks, then drafted a workflow named Tag high value paid orders.
| Part | The prompt asked | The draft held |
|---|---|---|
| Trigger | when an order is paid | Order paid |
| Condition | order total over $150 | order.totalPriceSet.shopMoney.amount greater than 150.0 |
| Action | add the tag high-value | Add order tags: high-value |
| State | not said | Inactive after Add to store |
Measuredn = 1 prompt; 1 workflow added The draft's steps and its condition panel read on screen, and the store's workflow list before and after Add to store, 2026-10-13: one more workflow, Inactive; the others unchanged. Read from screenshots; the Flow app's text could not be copied.
Two things it did well, judged from the words of the request. It named the boundary without being asked: "Orders totaling exactly $150 won't be tagged." And it said "The workflow isn't active yet." After Add to store the button read Turn on workflow, and it was not pressed. That matches Shopify's help: "Workflows generated by Sidekick are Inactive by default." The help adds: "You should thoroughly review and test the generated workflow to ensure that it's functional and complete."
Read "Order total" has more than one meaning on an order: the total when it was placed, or the total after refunds and edits. The draft compares order.totalPriceSet.shopMoney.amount. Whether that is the total as placed or the current total after refunds and edits is not verified here, so check which total you mean before you turn the workflow on.
Read the drafted workflow, part by part
The workflow Sidekick drafted in r05 from one sentence, as Flow's editor showed it (measured, n = 1). Select a part to see what to check. Nothing is scored.
Prompt: Create a Shopify Flow workflow: when an order is paid and the order total is over $150, add the tag high-value to the order.Drafted: Tag high value paid orders
Your answers stay in this browser. Nothing is sent anywhere. Reset clears them.
MeasuredQuotedn = 1 prompt, 1 drafted workflow Sidekick's reply copied as text and the draft read in Flow's editor, transcribed from the screen, 2026-10-13; the workflow list read before the prompt and after Add to store. The field's meaning is not verified here. Status note quotes Create a Flow workflow, read that day.
Before you turn a generated workflow on
Six checks, in order. For each workflow, pick the check that stops it first; if one passes all six, pick the last button. The first is r05 as Sidekick drafted it (measured); the others are constructed and say so.
r05 as drafted (measured): Order paid; order.totalPriceSet.shopMoney.amount greater than 150.0; add the tag high-value; Inactive.
- TriggerThe trigger is the event you asked for.pass
- FieldYou looked up which value the condition reads in Shopify's reference, not just its name.REFUSED
- Operator and boundaryYou chose greater than, or greater than or equal to, on purpose, and know what happens at exactly the threshold.never reached
- TestedYou ran Flow's test on sample orders on both sides of the threshold. Shopify: “You should thoroughly review and test the generated workflow to ensure that it's functional and complete.”never reached
- Still inactiveIt stays off while you check. Shopify: “Workflows generated by Sidekick are Inactive by default.”never reached
- OwnerOne named person turns it on and knows how to turn it off.never reached
totalPriceSet is the total as placed or after refunds and edits (currentTotalPriceSet is a separate field). Look it up first. The boundary is already in the open: Sidekick said orders of exactly $150 are not tagged.Constructed: the same workflow, but its trigger is Order created.
- TriggerThe trigger is the event you asked for.REFUSED
- FieldYou looked up which value the condition reads in Shopify's reference, not just its name.never reached
- Operator and boundaryYou chose greater than, or greater than or equal to, on purpose, and know what happens at exactly the threshold.never reached
- TestedYou ran Flow's test on sample orders on both sides of the threshold. Shopify: “You should thoroughly review and test the generated workflow to ensure that it's functional and complete.”never reached
- Still inactiveIt stays off while you check. Shopify: “Workflows generated by Sidekick are Inactive by default.”never reached
- OwnerOne named person turns it on and knows how to turn it off.never reached
Constructed: field confirmed, but your rule is $150 and over, and the operator is still Greater than.
- TriggerThe trigger is the event you asked for.pass
- FieldYou looked up which value the condition reads in Shopify's reference, not just its name.pass
- Operator and boundaryYou chose greater than, or greater than or equal to, on purpose, and know what happens at exactly the threshold.REFUSED
- TestedYou ran Flow's test on sample orders on both sides of the threshold. Shopify: “You should thoroughly review and test the generated workflow to ensure that it's functional and complete.”never reached
- Still inactiveIt stays off while you check. Shopify: “Workflows generated by Sidekick are Inactive by default.”never reached
- OwnerOne named person turns it on and knows how to turn it off.never reached
Constructed: field and boundary checked; the only test was the sample order Flow offered, and its condition came out False.
- TriggerThe trigger is the event you asked for.pass
- FieldYou looked up which value the condition reads in Shopify's reference, not just its name.pass
- Operator and boundaryYou chose greater than, or greater than or equal to, on purpose, and know what happens at exactly the threshold.pass
- TestedYou ran Flow's test on sample orders on both sides of the threshold. Shopify: “You should thoroughly review and test the generated workflow to ensure that it's functional and complete.”REFUSED
- Still inactiveIt stays off while you check. Shopify: “Workflows generated by Sidekick are Inactive by default.”never reached
- OwnerOne named person turns it on and knows how to turn it off.never reached
Constructed: checked and tested, but someone turned it on during review to see what happens.
- TriggerThe trigger is the event you asked for.pass
- FieldYou looked up which value the condition reads in Shopify's reference, not just its name.pass
- Operator and boundaryYou chose greater than, or greater than or equal to, on purpose, and know what happens at exactly the threshold.pass
- TestedYou ran Flow's test on sample orders on both sides of the threshold. Shopify: “You should thoroughly review and test the generated workflow to ensure that it's functional and complete.”pass
- Still inactiveIt stays off while you check. Shopify: “Workflows generated by Sidekick are Inactive by default.”REFUSED
- OwnerOne named person turns it on and knows how to turn it off.never reached
Constructed: every check passes, still Inactive, and nobody is named to turn it on.
- TriggerThe trigger is the event you asked for.pass
- FieldYou looked up which value the condition reads in Shopify's reference, not just its name.pass
- Operator and boundaryYou chose greater than, or greater than or equal to, on purpose, and know what happens at exactly the threshold.pass
- TestedYou ran Flow's test on sample orders on both sides of the threshold. Shopify: “You should thoroughly review and test the generated workflow to ensure that it's functional and complete.”pass
- Still inactiveIt stays off while you check. Shopify: “Workflows generated by Sidekick are Inactive by default.”pass
- OwnerOne named person turns it on and knows how to turn it off.REFUSED
Constructed: every check passes, still Inactive, and you are the one who turns it on.
- TriggerThe trigger is the event you asked for.pass
- FieldYou looked up which value the condition reads in Shopify's reference, not just its name.pass
- Operator and boundaryYou chose greater than, or greater than or equal to, on purpose, and know what happens at exactly the threshold.pass
- TestedYou ran Flow's test on sample orders on both sides of the threshold. Shopify: “You should thoroughly review and test the generated workflow to ensure that it's functional and complete.”pass
- Still inactiveIt stays off while you check. Shopify: “Workflows generated by Sidekick are Inactive by default.”pass
- OwnerOne named person turns it on and knows how to turn it off.pass
Your answers stay in this browser. Nothing is sent anywhere. Reset clears them.
MeasuredQuoted What is measured and what is constructed
- Measured
- One workflow drafted by Sidekick in r05 (measured); six cases constructed for this drill. The six checks are ours, built on Shopify's Flow help page.
- Method
- The draft read in Flow's editor and its test panel, transcribed from the screen; the workflow list read before the prompt and after Add to store. A case stops at the first check it fails.
- n
- 1 prompt, 1 workflow; the list went from 7 to 8. The constructed cases are not measurements.
- Source
- Create a Flow workflow, changelog, Flow (read 2026-10-13); Sidekick's reply copied as text, 2026-10-13.
- Excludes
- Turning the workflow on (never done); a real order passing the condition; which total the field holds (not verified).
Audit it yourself: what did Sidekick change?
The check this class ran is one you can run on your own theme. Copy the JSON file before you ask Sidekick, save, copy it again, and paste both here. The auditor lists every setting that changed, labels its reach (pages using this template, every page that uses this group, or theme-wide), and, if you paste the list Sidekick showed, which listed changes were written and which written changes were never listed. Nothing you paste leaves this page: it runs in your browser and sends no request.
To get a file: in the admin, open the theme's code editor (Edit code) and copy the whole file, such as config/settings_data.json, sections/header-group.json or the page's template. Copying from Edit code was not tested for this class (its copies were read through Shopify's API); check you pasted the whole file, and reload the code editor after Save. The three buttons load this class's own before and after copies.
What did Sidekick change?
Paste a theme file as it was before you asked Sidekick and as it was after you pressed Save. The auditor lists every setting path that changed, was added or was removed, says how far each one reaches, sets what Sidekick listed against what was written, and flags two things worth a second look.
The comparison runs in this page: the files you paste are not sent anywhere, and you can confirm that in your browser's network tab.
Load a pair this class measured (trimmed to the changed settings and a few unchanged neighbours):
Summary
Flags
Every changed path
Listed against written
What this does not show
Limits
- How often. One run per prompt on one day. The same prompt may produce a different change set another time.
- Which model. No capture recorded a model name or version, so none is given here.
- Liquid, assets and locales. Only the 116 JSON files under templates, sections and config were compared. Sidekick's theme blocks and generated code were not tried.
- The Flow workflow in action. It was never turned on, so it never ran; the reading of order total above is not checked against Shopify's field reference.
- Plans and languages. The Flow help page lists the Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus plans; Shopify's changelog post lists Basic, Shopify, Advanced and Plus. Which plans Sidekick itself needs is not stated on the pages read.
- Whether the first reply was prompted. It was on screen when the editor opened.
Before you let Sidekick edit
Three questions; steps that do not apply disappear. Each step names the run on this page it comes from, or quotes Shopify.
- Duplicate the theme firstDuplicate the live theme in the theme library and open the copy. Shopify: “Suggest and apply changes to themes, including on themes that aren't currently published.” Every run on this page used a copy.
- Work on the draftKeep the copy unpublished while you work. Save writes the copy's files and publishes nothing, whatever the reply says: 2 of 5 replies here said Save would publish or make the changes live.
- Name the place, then say Change nothing elseName the section and the settings, and end with Change nothing else. The three prompts here that did wrote 1, 1 and 0 paths, each what was asked; the vague one wrote 14.
- Ask for the listAsk Sidekick to list every change with its old and new value, or for a workflow its trigger, condition and action. In r04 the panel listed all 14 changes it wrote, but only the new values.
- Copy the file, then compare after SaveCopy the theme JSON file before you ask; after Save, copy it again and compare the two with the auditor in module six, before you publish anything. Shopify: “After you save your changes, you can no longer redo or undo.”
- Open every new link as a shopperIn r02 the one changed path was right and the link still landed on another collection: the target was unpublished and redirected. The file cannot show that; the storefront can.
- Read the prose against the valuesIn r04 the prose said softened card corners for a radius cut from 16 to 8 px. Trust the values in the panel and the file, not the summary.
- Open Flow firstShopify: “You must have the Shopify Flow app open in your Shopify admin to have Sidekick help you with workflows in Shopify Flow.”
- Keep the workflow off until testedShopify: “Workflows generated by Sidekick are Inactive by default.” Check the trigger, the condition field, the operator at the threshold, and test orders on both sides before one named person turns it on.
Your answers stay in this browser. Nothing is sent anywhere. Reset clears them.
MeasuredQuotedn = 5 prompts, 1 reply already on screen, 1 draft theme The questions are ours; each step comes from a run on an unpublished copy of the store's live theme, 2026-10-13, or from Shopify's pages read that day (Sidekick help and guidance, Theme editor features, Create a Flow workflow). The compare in step five is the auditor in module six. Not tested on your store.
Next: Class 94 gates AI-written Liquid before it can publish, the same idea for code instead of settings.
Questions
Does Shopify Sidekick change my live theme?
Not until you save, and not your live theme if you work on a copy. In the theme editor Sidekick puts its change into the editor and asks you to save; on 2026-10-13 the file it changed was unchanged until Save was clicked. Shopify's help says: "You must save these changes for them to take effect." It also works on a theme that is not published, so you can try every edit on a duplicate first. Twice in five replies Sidekick said Save would publish or make the changes live; on an unpublished theme it does neither.
Does Sidekick only change what it says it changed?
In four theme-editor prompts on an unpublished copy of the store's live theme, yes. Each change list matched the theme files exactly: 1 setting for each scoped prompt, 0 when it declined, and 14 listed and 14 written for the vague prompt Make the home page feel more premium, with nothing unlisted. The checks covered the 116 JSON files of the theme, not its Liquid, assets or locales. Its prose was less exact than its list: it called a card radius change from 16 px to 8 px softened, which makes the corners sharper.
Why did a home page request write to shared files?
Because of where the settings live. Of the 14 changes, 9 were in templates/index.json, the home page's template; 3 were in the header's section group, which every page that shows the header reads; 2 were theme settings in config/settings_data.json, which apply to the whole theme. Sidekick said so in its reply. Ask for the template only, and say change nothing else, if that is what you want.
Can Sidekick add any section I describe?
No. Shopify's help: "Sidekick can add only the sections and blocks that your theme already includes." Asked for a rich text section on a theme that has none, it declined and changed nothing; the theme had 218 section files, 177 with presets, and none of them was a rich text section.
Can Sidekick build a Shopify Flow workflow from a prompt?
Yes, with the Flow app open, on a desktop. Asked for a workflow that tags paid orders over $150 high-value, it drafted one with the trigger Order paid, a condition on the order's total price greater than 150.0 and the action Add order tags. It pointed out on its own that an order of exactly $150 would not be tagged. After Add to store it was Inactive, as Shopify's help says: "Workflows generated by Sidekick are Inactive by default." Test it on a sample order before you turn it on.
How do I check what Sidekick changed?
Copy the theme file before you ask, save, copy it again, and compare the two. The auditor on this page does the comparison in your browser: paste the two copies of a theme JSON file and, if you like, the list Sidekick showed; it lists every changed setting, labels its reach (pages using this template, every page that uses this group, or theme-wide), and shows anything listed but not written or written but not listed. Nothing you paste leaves the page.