I’m developing an app for Shopify and I’m interested in programmatically updating the email templates that stores use when they install my app. My goal is to add some custom HTML text and other content to the existing templates.
I understand that Shopify offers a robust API that allows developers to make many changes that store owners can do from their admin area. However, I’m unsure if it’s possible to customize email templates through this API.
Has anyone been able to make changes to email templates programmatically? Are there any certain API endpoints or alternatives that I could use? I’ve been going through the documentation but I’m having trouble finding any information regarding email template adjustments.
Any advice on this matter would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Unfortunately, Shopify’s API doesn’t let you change email templates programmatically. Email notifications are only managed through the admin interface - you can’t touch them via REST or GraphQL. I ran into this exact problem when building a merchant app and had to pivot my approach. Best workaround I found was using webhooks to catch events and send custom emails through SendGrid or Mailgun instead of trying to modify Shopify’s templates. You could also guide users through updating their templates manually during onboarding, but that requires merchant effort. Some devs have tried the Script Tag API to inject JavaScript for email modifications, but it’s unreliable and has major limitations. Honestly, building your own email system that runs parallel to Shopify’s notifications works way better.
Same thing happened to me on a similar project. Shopify’s API is super restrictive with email templates - they treat them as core store functionality instead of something you can customize. I ended up using a hybrid approach: Shopify webhooks trigger custom email sequences through Postmark. You map Shopify’s default email events to your custom templates while keeping the same data flow. More setup work upfront, but you get full control over email design plus extras like A/B testing. Just make sure your webhook handling is solid - you can’t afford to miss important notifications.
Hit this same issue about two years back on a client project. Shopify locks down email template access through their API because they consider it core to the merchant experience. I worked around it by building a notification service that runs parallel to Shopify’s system. You can use webhooks to catch the same trigger events and route them through your own email setup instead. The tricky bit is keeping your custom templates in sync with what Shopify would’ve sent. I went with AWS SES for delivery and built a mapping system that pulls order data, customer info, and store settings to fill the templates. More dev work upfront, but you get total control over email content and timing without waiting for merchants to update things manually.
I’ve dealt with this same issue - modifying Shopify email templates through the API isn’t possible due to security restrictions. I ended up using custom email flows instead. Klaviyo worked great for me since I could control the design without touching Shopify’s interface. If you’re working with Shopify Plus merchants, there’s the Email Templates API, but it’s pretty limited. Worst case, just give merchants step-by-step instructions to update their templates during onboarding.
yea, shopify really locks down those email templates. I tried automating some of it too, but ur stuck with either building ur own system or using third-party email services. it’s annoying, but they do it for security, I guess.