How to Activate Checkout Validation Rules via API Instead of Manual Activation in Admin?

Functions
1

Hello Shopify Community,

We have recently developed a checkout validation function that merchants can deploy to enforce custom rules during checkout. The standard process for activating these validations is well documented:

  • From Shopify Admin → Settings → Checkout

  • Under Checkout Rules, click Add rule

  • Select the deployed cart-checkout-validation function

  • Click Activate, then Save

  • Optionally, configure runtime exception handling

However, this requires the merchant or admin user to manually perform these steps in the Shopify Admin UI. We are looking to automate this activation process via API to provide a seamless experience for merchants, ideally enabling this in our app or deployment pipeline without manual intervention.

What we want to achieve:

  • Programmatically add and activate a checkout validation rule using an API call

  • Enable or disable runtime exception handling programmatically

  • Avoid the need to instruct clients to manually activate the validation in Shopify Admin

What we found so far:

The Shopify documentation and current APIs provide ways to:

  • Deploy and register validation functions (e.g., via Shopify CLI and Shopify Functions API)

  • Create and manage validations logic inside the function code

But, there does not appear to be a public API endpoint to add or activate the checkout validation rule itself from Shopify Admin’s Settings > Checkout > Checkout Rules section programmatically.

Specific questions for the community and Shopify team:

  • Is there an Admin API or GraphQL endpoint that allows apps to create/activate checkout validation rules programmatically?

  • If not, are there plans for such an API to automate checkout validation rule management?

  • Are there recommended workarounds or best practices to facilitate a more automated onboarding or activation process for checkout validations?

  • Can the activation be bundled or triggered automatically post-installation or deployment of the validation function?

Why this matters

Manually instructing merchants to complete these steps causes friction and limits automation. Automating validation activation would improve:

  • Onboarding experience for apps relying on checkout validation functions

  • Scalability and consistent deployment of complex checkout rules

  • Enable seamless updates and management of validation functions at scale

We would appreciate insights from Shopify staff and developer peers on how to best achieve this today or in the near future. Thank you for your help! :folded_hands:

2

Hi @Shrutika_Lokhande

Thanks for describing your use case - this is really helpful for us to evaluate what feature requests to prioritize.

To answer your main question - there is currently no public Admin API or GraphQL endpoint that allows apps to programmatically create or activate checkout validation rules (i.e., to automate the activation step found in Shopify Admin > Settings > Checkout > Checkout Rules).

The activation of a checkout validation function as a rule must be performed manually by a merchant or admin user in the Shopify Admin UI. This is a known limitation and there are no public plans to automate the activation or management of checkout validation rules.

You can automate the deployment and registration of your function using the Shopify CLI and Functions API, but the final activation step (adding the rule in the Admin UI) is manual. Some apps use deep links or direct merchants to the relevant Shopify Admin page to reduce friction.

You could also use webhooks or the Shopify Admin API to detect if your function is installed, but not to activate the rule itself.