Setup guide
This walks through account setup, from installing Riggr to copying Talk to your AI on a project so your coding tool builds an app. Real time investment: 10-15 minutes, most of which is one-time.
The in-app wizard order is: Shopify → Subscribe → Project → Connect AI. You can skip a step and finish later from the sidebar Setup required banner.
Before you start
You'll need admin access to your Shopify store (or an account with the right permissions), and an AI tool already installed on your computer. If you don't have an AI tool yet, start with Claude Code or Cursor. Tool-specific install steps live under AI Tools.
Install
- 1
Find Riggr in the Shopify App Store
Search for "Riggr" or visit our listing directly.
- 2
Click Install
Shopify will show you the permissions Riggr requests. All permissions are read-only (prefix:
read_*), Riggr never writes to or modifies your store. - 3
Complete OAuth
Approve the connection. You'll be redirected to Riggr with your store already linked, often into the onboarding wizard.
Read-only means read-only
Every function your AI can call through Riggr is read-only. Under Shopify Protected Customer Data Level 1 the install grants scopes like read_orders, read_products, read_returns, read_locations, read_shipping, and read_publications — never write_*. Active order/fulfillment payloads omit customer name, email, phone, and street. Customer contact fields need Protected Customer Data Level 2; other read scopes (inventory levels, analytics, payments data) unlock as Shopify approves them. You can verify the current scopes in your Shopify Admin under Settings → Apps → Riggr.
Installed Riggr from the Shopify App Store
Will check off automatically when this is true on your account.
Connect Shopify
Installing Riggr from the Shopify App Store connects your store. If the store later shows as disconnected (for example, after an uninstall), reinstall it:
- 1
Open the App Store listing
Go to Riggr on the Shopify App Store and click Install.
- 2
Approve on Shopify
Shopify's standard OAuth flow will show the read-only scopes Riggr needs. Approve to complete the link.
- 3
Open your dashboard
In your Shopify admin, open Apps → Riggr and click Open full dashboard. You can also log in with the sign-in email you added there.
Shopify store connected
Will check off automatically when this is true on your account.
Subscribe
MCP access requires the paid tier. The Free tier gives you REST API access via an API key (useful for scripts and non-AI tools), but MCP, the bridge that lets your AI tools talk to Riggr, needs the $9.99/month upgrade.
In the wizard this is the Subscribe step. You can also upgrade from the dashboard Quick Start or Connections.
14-day free trial included
The MCP tier starts with a 14-day free trial. Cancel anytime during the trial, you're not charged. Full access to all MCP features during the trial period.
MCP subscription active (or trial started)
Will check off automatically when this is true on your account.
Create a project and download your Riggr API key
The apps your AI builds talk to Shopify at runtime through Riggr's REST API, not through MCP. That means every project needs its own API key.
Onboarding often auto-creates a default project after you subscribe. You can rename it, or create another from /projects → Create new project. Attaching a Spark is optional at create time.
- 1
Open or create a project
From the wizard Project step, or /projects → Create new project. Name it after what you're building (e.g. "Returns Triage").
- 2
Download the API key file
When the key is created (or revealed), click Download. Riggr saves a one-time file like
riggr-returns-triage-api-key.envto your Downloads folder. It containsRIGGR_API_KEY,RIGGR_API_URL, andRIGGR_PROJECT_ID. - 3
Leave the file where it landed
Don't paste the key into chat. Autopilot tells your AI to search your computer for the
.envfile and wire it into the app for you. On the project page you can also expand API key later to rotate or re-download after rotate.
API key vs live Shopify data
You can create a project and download its API key even if Shopify isn’t connected yet. The key is real and ready for .env.local.
Live data only works after Shopify is connected. Until then, REST calls return no_store_connected, and the project page locks Talk to your AI and Add-on copy handoffs behind Finish setup (Shopify + AI client + project API key) so Autopilot doesn’t fail mid-build. You can still attach Sparks meanwhile. Connect Shopify from Connections → Shopify, then come back to the kickoff prompt. Upgrading to MCP also requires a connected store first — billing runs through Shopify.
One-time download
Riggr only shows the plaintext key at creation (or after you rotate). Download it immediately. If you lose the file, rotate the key on the project page and download again.
Project created and API key .env downloaded
Will check off automatically when this is true on your account.
Connect your AI tool
Riggr Autopilot needs your AI connected over MCP. This is the wizard's Connect AI step (after Project). Pick a coding agent from AI Tools - Claude Code, Cursor, or Codex - and finish its guide (register Riggr, complete the one-time OAuth authorize step).
Claude Desktop, Claude.ai, and ChatGPT can also connect for chat with live store data, but they cannot scaffold Sparks. For Autopilot, paste Talk to your AI into Claude Code, Cursor, or Codex only.
You can also connect from Connections → AI.
MCP OAuth ≠ project API key. OAuth is how your AI talks to Riggr while building. The API key is how the finished local app calls Riggr REST.
You don't need to paste MCP config or troubleshooting from those pages back into this guide - each AI Tools page owns that.
AI tool connected via AI Tools guide
Will check off automatically when this is true on your account.
Riggr Autopilot
Talk to your AI on the project page is the default build path. Once MCP is connected and your API key file is downloaded, your AI does the rest - no copying 30KB prompt templates.
What Autopilot does
- Sees your Riggr project over MCP. Your AI calls Riggr project tools (
list_projects,get_project) to find the project. - Loads Spark templates over the MCP bridge. Sparks are available as Riggr MCP resources (
riggr://prompts/...) and viause_prompt_in_project. With two Sparks attached, your AI also gets Compose (composePrompt+riggr-compose). Sparks 3+ are Add-ons after you mark the starter app ready — see Sparks & projects. - Finds your API key on disk. You already downloaded
riggr-*-api-key.env. The prompt tells your AI to search your computer (usually Downloads) for that file and configure.env.localin the app. - Builds the app. Using MCP only for discovery during the build, then scaffolding a Next.js app that uses the REST API key at runtime.
Run Autopilot
- 1
Finish AI Tools setup
Your AI must already be registered with Riggr MCP. See AI Tools.
- 2
Have a project + downloaded API key
Complete the section above so the
.envfile is on your machine. - 3
Copy Talk to your AI
Open the project overview. Under Talk to your AI, pick your connected client if needed. With Sparks attached, use the emerald Do this first card — Copy this prompt to kickstart your app — and paste it into Claude Code, Cursor, or Codex.
That short line is enough. With two Sparks attached, Compose loads over MCP automatically (optional: expand View Compose instructions if you want to read it). After the starter app is ready, Add-ons merge one at a time under Sparks — see Sparks & projects.
- 4
Follow along in the browser
Your AI scaffolds the app locally, configures the API key, and tells you when to open
localhost. Expect 15-30 minutes for the first build. If you have never used Terminal or Node, follow Your computer setup fornpm install/npm run dev. On the project page, the right-rail status moves from Not started toward Active once Riggr sees MCP or REST traffic.
MCP vs API key - both are required
MCP is how your AI talks to Riggr while building (discover data shape, load Sparks, manage projects). The Riggr API key is how the finished app fetches live Shopify data when you run it. Autopilot needs both — and Shopify must be connected for either path to return store data.
I understand Riggr Autopilot
Acknowledge below so we know this landed.
If you skip a step
You don't have to finish the wizard in one sitting.
- Maybe later / Skip AI connection — leave the wizard; come back when ready.
- Sidebar Setup required — checklist of Shopify, Subscribe, Project, and Connect AI. Click Complete setup to resume the next incomplete step. Dismiss setup hides the banner until you reopen onboarding.
- Dashboard Quick Start uses the same signals with slightly different labels (e.g. Upgrade MCP, Generate API key, Add AI).
Where things live in the app
| Job | Where |
|-----|--------|
| Connect Shopify or AI | Connections |
| Create / open projects | Projects |
| Talk to your AI, Sparks, API key | Project overview (/project/...) |
| Archive / permanently delete a project | Project → Settings (delete only after archive) |
| Browse / unlock Sparks, Suggest a Spark | Sparks |
| Upgrade to MCP (needs Shopify connected) | Account menu / sidebar / Settings → Billing |
| Cancel MCP | Settings → Billing → Danger zone |
| Uninstall Riggr | Connections → Shopify, or Shopify Admin → Apps |
| REST docs | Docs · MCP developer notes → Developers |
Next steps
- Your computer setup - Terminal, Homebrew / Node.js,
npm install, andnpm run dev(bookmark this for after Autopilot) - AI Tools - connect Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Claude Desktop, Claude.ai, ChatGPT, and more
- Sparks & projects - why one project, Compose + Add-ons workflow, and each starter
- Use cases - pick a Spark by merchant profile
- Troubleshooting - when something doesn't connect