Shopify Flow is the automation tool built into Shopify. It’s free, and it handles the small, repetitive jobs that eat staff time: tagging customers, flagging risky orders, warning you before stock runs out. In this guide I explain how Flow works and which plans have it, walk through ten workflows worth building, show how to test them without touching real orders, and say when a tool like n8n or Zapier is the better choice.
What Shopify Flow is and who can use it
Flow watches for events in your store and acts when they happen. You install the free Shopify Flow app, and it runs inside your admin. At the time of writing (October 2026), Shopify’s Flow documentation lists it on the Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus plans. A few features are limited: the Send HTTP request action, which calls outside systems, needs Grow or higher, and custom partner app tasks are Plus only.
Every workflow has three parts:
- Trigger: the event that starts it, such as Order created, Product variant out of stock or Dispute created. A Scheduled time trigger runs jobs on a timetable, as often as every 10 minutes.
- Condition: the check that decides what happens next, such as “the order total is over $500” or “the customer doesn’t have the VIP tag yet”.
- Action: what Flow does, such as adding a tag, sending an internal email, holding a fulfillment or unpublishing a product.
You can start from one of Shopify’s templates, build from scratch in the visual editor, or describe what you want to Sidekick, Shopify’s AI assistant, and let it draft the workflow for you to check. Flow also connects to some outside apps, such as Slack and Google Sheets.
10 Shopify Flow workflows worth setting up
Each of these uses triggers and actions from Shopify’s Flow reference. Change the numbers and tag names to suit your store.
1. Tag VIP customers
When an order is paid, check whether the customer’s total spend has passed your threshold and they don’t have the VIP tag yet. If so, add the tag. Use it for early access emails, a thank-you card in the parcel or faster support replies.
2. Hold high-risk orders for review
When Order risk analyzed fires and the risk is high, add an order tag such as review, hold the fulfillment order and email whoever approves orders. This trigger runs after Shopify’s own fraud analysis finishes, which takes a little time. Start with a hold, not an automatic cancel, until you trust the rule.
3. Low stock alerts that don’t spam you
Use Product variant inventory quantity changed. Check that the new quantity is at or below your reorder level and that the previous quantity, which Flow provides, was above it. That second check means one alert when stock crosses the line, not one on every sale after it. Send it by internal email or to Slack.
4. Hide sold-out products, then bring them back
When Product variant out of stock fires and every variant is at zero, unpublish the product or move it out of your main collections. A second workflow on Product variant back in stock reverses it. Be careful with products that get search traffic: an unpublished product page stops working for visitors and search engines, so for those, keep the page live with a back-in-stock signup.
5. Hold pre-orders until stock arrives
When an order is created and a line item carries your pre-order product tag, tag the order and hold its fulfillment so nobody ships it early. Release the holds when stock lands, by hand or with a second workflow.
6. Flag first-time customers
When an order is created and it’s the customer’s first, add a first-order tag. Your packing team can add a welcome card, and you can compare first and repeat orders in your reports.
7. Chargeback alerts
When Dispute created fires, email the owner straight away and tag the customer, so future orders from them get a second look. Disputes come with response deadlines, so speed matters.
8. Big abandoned checkouts to a person
Shopify’s built-in recovery emails handle most abandoned carts. For high-value carts, common on B2B and high-ticket stores, use Customer abandons checkout with a condition on the cart value and send an internal email, so a person can follow up where the customer has agreed to be contacted.
9. A weekly out-of-stock report
Run a Scheduled time workflow every Monday that gets your out-of-stock products and emails the list to whoever handles purchasing. Shopify has a template for a daily version.
10. Alerts when a workflow fails
Create one workflow on the Workflow error occurred trigger that emails you. Automations fail quietly, and this one makes sure you hear about it.
How to test a workflow and avoid loops
Flow has a built-in test mode. You can record real events as they happen, create test events from your store’s own data, or ask Sidekick to generate them. In test mode, the run stops at the first action that would change your store, so nothing gets tagged, held or deleted.
- Start with safe actions. Tags and internal emails first. Add holds, cancellations, unpublishing or deletions only after the logic has proven itself on real orders.
- Read the run history. For the first few days, check each workflow’s recent runs. Flow logs what every run did, and you can retry failed runs.
- Avoid loops. Shopify warns that a workflow using the Customer tags added trigger must not use the Add customer tags action, or it can run forever and get your workflows throttled. The same rule applies everywhere: never let an action re-fire its own trigger. A “doesn’t already have this tag” condition is a cheap safety net.
- Watch volume. Flow’s work counts against API rate limits that depend partly on your plan, and one throttled workflow can delay the others.
- Keep a register. Name each workflow clearly and note what it does and who owns it, the same way you would track apps.
When to use n8n, Make or Zapier instead
Flow is the right tool when the job starts and ends inside Shopify. I also build automations in n8n, Zapier and Make, and I reach for them when:
- The process starts outside Shopify, such as a form, a booking or a CRM update.
- It touches several outside tools, with branching logic and data reshaped between them.
- You’re on Basic and need to call an outside API, since Send HTTP request needs Grow or higher.
- You want AI steps, such as sorting support emails or drafting replies with Claude or OpenAI, under your own rules with a human check.
- You need detailed logs and retries across systems you control.
The two work well together. Flow tags an order or sends an HTTP request, and n8n carries the work into your CRM, accounting or support tools. My AI automation service covers that kind of setup, including CRM work in GoHighLevel, and my Shopify development service covers the store side.
Quick checklist
- Shopify Flow app installed, and your plan’s limits checked.
- Three workflows chosen that save the most staff time.
- Each workflow tested in test mode before you turn it on.
- Tags and emails before holds, cancellations or deletions.
- No action that can re-fire its own trigger.
- A Workflow error occurred alert in place.
- A simple register of every workflow and its owner.
Related reading: Shopify Metafields and Metaobjects, Explained for Store Owners and Shopify Email Marketing: The Flows to Set Up Before You Spend on Ads.
FAQ
Is Shopify Flow free?
Yes. The Flow app is free, and Shopify lists it on Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus. Some actions, such as Send HTTP request, need a higher plan.
Do I need a developer to use Flow?
Not for most workflows. Templates and the visual editor cover tags, alerts and holds. A developer helps with HTTP requests, the Run code action (which runs JavaScript) and anything that touches other systems.
Can Flow email my customers?
It can send marketing emails to customers who agreed to receive them, and Shopify’s abandoned checkout template does exactly that. Most Flow actions are internal, though: tags, notes, holds and alerts to your team.
Will Flow slow down my store?
No. Workflows run in the background after events happen and don’t add scripts to your pages. Very heavy workflows can hit API limits, which delays other workflows, not your storefront.
Want a few workflows set up and tested properly? Get a free website review and I’ll suggest the automations that would save your team the most time.
