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Working on client stores

As a Shopify Partner, you might want to access a client's store to perform certain tasks. For example, you might want to access a client's store to make changes to their theme.

To access a client's store, you can use one of the following accounts:

  • Collaborator account (recommended): You can use collaborator accounts to access your clients' stores directly through your Dev Dashboard or using the Shopify app. Collaborator accounts give you access to only the sections of a store that your client wants you to see, and don't count towards a store's staff limit. To request collaborator access, send a collaborator request from the Stores section of your Dev Dashboard. Any stores that you have collaborator access to are displayed in the Collaborations tab of your Dev Dashboard.
  • Staff account: If you need to do something that can't be accomplished with a collaborator account, then you can request that a merchant create a staff account for you to use. For example, you might need to access the Shopify admin on a mobile device to test an app.

Asking a merchant for their password, or using a merchant's credentials to access their store, is prohibited.

You can work on a merchant's store in the Shopify admin, or use developer tools such as Shopify CLI and the Shopify GitHub integration to work on the store with your local development tools.

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Verifying your identity

Before you can send a collaborator request, you might be asked to verify your identity. Identity verification helps protect merchants and maintains trust in the Shopify Partner ecosystem.

Identity verification is required only for sending a collaborator request. It doesn't apply to stores where a merchant has already granted you collaborator access. Learn more about verifying your identity as a Shopify Partner.

Information shared with merchants

When you send a collaborator request, some basic details about your partner account and your request are shared with the merchant. These details give the merchant context to help them decide whether to grant collaborator access and which permissions to assign.

The following details might be shared with the merchant:

  • Partner since: The month and year that your Shopify Partner account was created.
  • Active collaborations: The approximate number of merchants that you actively collaborate with.
  • Signed up from: The country where you signed up for your Shopify Partner account.
  • Request sent from: The country that your collaborator request was sent from.

Some details might not be shared for every request.

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