Field notes on selling to robots.
Short, plain answers to the questions Shopify merchants ask about AI shopping agents. Each one cites its sources, and none of them is SEO with a new name.
access.botsShopify robots.txt and AI crawlers: who to let in
Which AI bots read your Shopify store, which ones decide if you show up in ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity answers, and how to check you're not blocking them.
agent.protocolsllms.txt on Shopify: what you already have and when to change it
Shopify now serves a default /llms.txt and /agents.md for every store. Here's what's in it, when a custom one is worth it, and how to add one with agents.md.liquid.
catalog.ucpWhat is UCP? The Universal Commerce Protocol, for Shopify merchants
UCP is the open standard Google and Shopify launched so AI agents can shop any store, from discovery to checkout. What it does and what it means for your store.
catalog.ucpShopify agentic storefronts: how your products end up in ChatGPT and Copilot
Shopify's agentic storefronts put eligible stores' products inside AI assistants like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Copilot. How it works and what decides whether you get picked.
ids.gtinGTINs, SKUs and brand: why AI shopping agents care about barcodes
AI agents use GTINs and brand to match your product across stores and price comparisons. Where they live in Shopify and how to tell if yours are missing.