Editor's Note
With Shopify Sidekick changing how merchants find and use apps, now is the time to adapt your strategy. This week’s checklist will help you stay ahead, don’t miss next week’s playbook for even deeper insights.
🗓️ Upcoming Deadlines
Legacy Custom Apps
Starting January 1, 2026, you can no longer create new custom apps in the Shopify Admin.
Deadline: January 1st, 2026
Custom Checkout Logic
Shopify Scripts are being deprecated, and you will need to migrate to Shopify Functions.
Deadline: June 30th, 2026
Why Shopify Sidekick Could Shift App Discovery And How Your Shopify App Should Prepare
Hello Founders,
If you’re building for Shopify, you can’t ignore Sidekick. Shopify’s new AI-powered admin assistant is changing the way merchants discover and use apps. Sidekick gives instant recommendations, shortcuts, and problem-solving, meaning if your app isn’t recommended, your installs could take a hit.
But there’s a silver lining:
We’ve put together a detailed Sidekick Optimization Checklist, a practical guide to boost your app’s chances of being discovered and recommended inside Sidekick.
What’s inside the checklist:
How to update your app listing to match how merchants “ask” Sidekick for help
Key prompts and problem statements you should optimize for
How to align your messaging, tags, and landing pages
Tips for building Sidekick-friendly onboarding flows
Metrics and proof points Sidekick prioritizes
How to get it:
The full checklist is attached in this issue.
👉 Download the checklist and start optimizing now.
Coming Next Week (Issue 2):
We’re going even deeper with a detailed Sidekick App Optimization Playbook, including advanced strategies, real examples, and merchant-facing content you can use to increase your app’s visibility in the new Sidekick-powered ecosystem.
Don’t wait until your install curve drops.
Act early and let Sidekick work for you, not against you.
If you want personalized feedback on your app’s Sidekick-readiness, reply to this email and let’s chat.
See you next week with the full playbook!
Are you solving some amazing challenges for merchants? We would love to chat. The SaaS Hub is curating the top 10 apps across categories, and we would love to connect and learn more about your app and potentially curate it. You can submit your app for our vetting and curation process here.
Till next time,