Shopify has deemed this app as a connector app

Shopify App Store
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We have created a Notion Connector App, the App almost does everything you require to manage your store, from SEO (it can automate meta’s through Notion automation), it can also automate Inventory, customers (Tags), order fulfillment, cancellations, refunds, tracking etc…

However we cannot get it approved, this is the message we received from shopify:

We’re writing to let you know that we’ve spotted some core issues with your app, so your submission process has been paused until you make the required fixes.

What you need to do

  1. Fix these core issues with your app:
    • Shopify has deemed this app as a connector app. Connector apps are apps that have the primary purpose of transferring or sharing merchant data to a third party and these apps must have prior written consent from Shopify to comply with our API Terms of Service, section 2.3.19. The following action is required to proceed forward in the review process:
      1. An End Recipient acknowledgement form must be signed by each end recipient that gains access to Shopify merchant data via your Application. 2. Include a URL to the completed form(s) in the Test instruction upon resubmitting your app.Note: The above form is to be completed by the external 3rd party platform(s), and not the application owner (you).
  2. Make sure your app meets all other review requirements.
  3. Go to your Partner Dashboard to submit your fixes. Please note: you won’t be able to talk to an App Review Specialist until we verify your app meets all core review requirements.

How can we get the approval of Notion, they will definitely not even reply to us, and if that is the case, how is other connector apps able to bypass such requirement?

I can see our only option is to provide this app privately, or strip down what is preventing it from being approved, maybe removing products sync?, because simply i can see a lot of apps that are doing this and managing orders through other platforms, so maybe order is accepted but not products?

I would appreciate some help here, instead of doing something that will not work in the end

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Hey @Naji_Amer - thanks for reaching out. Just to clarify, there isn’t a general exception where order data can be transferred to a third party but product data can’t. The connector-app determination is based on whether the app’s primary purpose is transferring Merchant Data to a third party, rather than the specific type of data involved.

Because the app would still send order, customer, fulfilment, or refund data to Notion, removing product sync alone wouldn’t necessarily change that classification. The separate order-sync requirements here don’t override the connector-app requirements: API terms compliance

Based on the review response, the path forward for the current architecture would be having Notion complete the end-recipient acknowledgement. If that isn’t possible, the app would likely need to be redesigned so transferring data to Notion is no longer its primary purpose, although the App Review team would ultimately make that determination.

I definitely get why seeing similar apps in the App Store makes this confusing. I can’t speak to the review history or agreements associated with other apps though.

Let me know if I can clarify anything further on our end here, I hope this helps a little bit at least.

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Hi @Alan_G,

I really appreciate your response and context. As I’m sure you know, getting a corporate giant like Notion to sign an approval form for a third-party developer is unfortunately impossible.

I do want to highlight a distinction in how our app works: it acts more like a bridge to the merchant’s own tools rather than a third-party data transfer. The beauty of this app is the functionality built on top of the connection. It allows merchants to create a custom CRM, automate their SEO, and reply to customers using AI directly from their private workspace using Notion Workspace and Inbox. It essentially replaces 3-4 separate apps a merchant would otherwise need.

I understand that stripping the “primary purpose” of connection isn’t simple, especially since the app uses APIs to connect to a major platform (which is standard functionality for many marketplace and management apps).

Given the impossibility of getting Notion’s signature, is there any architectural compromise or re-framing of the app’s primary purpose that you could suggest so we can move forward?

Also Gemini suggested i use BYOK (Bring your own keys) which seems to comply with the API terms since the user have chosen to sync his data to his own tools and removing notion OAuth, would that be feasible?