Is there an API to request collaborator access using the code provided by the client?

Partner Discussions
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Hi everyone!

We have a process where our clients create their own Shopify stores using our affiliate link, and as part of our service, our team of builders customizes the store for them. Here’s the current flow:

  1. The client creates the store through our affiliate link.
  2. They send us the store link and the 4-digit collaborator access code (generated under Settings > Users and Permissions > Collaborator request code).
  3. In our Shopify Partner dashboard, we input the store link and the 4-digit code to request collaborator access, adjusting the permissions as needed.
  4. The client approves the request, allowing our team to start working on the store.

This process works well, but it would be much more efficient if we could automate it. I’m wondering if there’s an API or endpoint that would allow us to request collaborator access programmatically using the store link and 4-digit code provided by the client.

This would help streamline our workflow without compromising security, as we’d still use the client-provided access code.

Thanks for any guidance or suggestions on how we might improve this process!

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This is what I found in the Shopify Help Center.

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Hi Jorge - this is a great suggestion, requesting collab access is not currently possible via the API, but I’ve passed on this feedback to our internal teams.

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Hi Liam! Thank you for your response and for passing the feedback along to the internal team. In addition to the functionality of requesting collaboration access via the API, it would also be very helpful to have an automatic notification when the client accepts the request. This way, we could keep track of responses without needing to check manually.

We’re available to collaborate at any stage of development or testing of this feature. Thanks again for your attention!

Best regards!

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You should be receiving notifications via email when the client accepts the collaborator request.

If you are using something like Mailgun you could grab such notifications and act upon them if necessary.

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Hi @RobDukarski! Thanks for the suggestion. We do receive email notifications when a client accepts a collaborator request, but unfortunately, the notifications can be inconsistent and occasionally delayed.

Our goal is to automate this process within a task management system to ensure a smoother workflow. This is why we’re looking into a more reliable integration directly through the API.

Thanks again for your input!

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Is there any progress regarding this feedback?

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Hello, my friend.
No feedback yet. This solution would change the game for us. I’m still waiting.

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This process has become exacerbated since access now expires without notification/reminder system of this , nor are there alert when access expiry/removal happens. also when access resets so does the client-relationship date which is bizarre

We need things like:

  • merchants able to send a dedicated collab code email; similar to a staff invite email with only the collab code and consistent structure.
  • api to manage requests
  • or template system in partner dashboard

I try to stay as simple as possible working only through email for such process stuff.
But the round-tripping through the partner dashboard and lack of merchant education leads to some obnoxious repetition that should be automatable-shopify-boilerplate to onboard a new project out of the box.
Like liquid templates for partners dashboard, or metaobjects + shopify-forms in the partners dashboard.

Duplicated effort tooling

Like a lot of things partners end up duplicating a tons of work creating custom workarounds for baked in friction using external tools and support.
To try and get some control of the bureaucracy there’s :

  • tools like UIpath etc for browser automations (kinda more for agencies with a bigger budgets)
  • there is a rise in computer vision tools for automating such tasks but most all come with the risks of using LLMs

Everything else it’s burn your time duplicating the effort of rolling:

  • a custom browser automation stack
  • or browser extensions for form-filling
  • userscripts for form-filling
    In trying to find goto recommendable tooling, that doesn’t need a server, I’m currently looking at open source projects like automato but still have to work out things like email parsing. With server management looking at the n8n project as a self hosted low code environment for less technical team members .

But all that can be a mess with distributing to teams or teaching to other partners.
And because react html-soup nonsense is internet user hostile such things are always prone to breaking without warning in shopify land.
And all that’s AFTER you parse out the collab-code from the client’s email because shopify doesn’t have a way for the merchant to send you ONLY the collab code in a consistently formatted email.
That is if your not already making clients jump a specific hoop in a specific form to provide the collab code as a form value.

Another piece of grit in this process is now alot of merchants myshopify urls are being randomly generated so typos and miscommunications abound trying to keep track of generated gibberish.
Oh which store was that 56d05e or 8f949e ? ???
May as well be using IP addresses for all the confusion that bakes in at a fundamental level.