My Shopify connection says read-only
If your dashboard shows a banner that says Shopify connection is read-only — reconnect Shopify to grant write access, here's what it means and how to fix it.
Why it happens
Every Shopify connection made before 2026-04-22 was created with a read-only scope. Those tokens can pull your catalog and order history so the digest grounds correctly, but they can't write back to Shopify — so any "Fix this" action that would change alt-text, a SEO title, or a meta description on a product will fail with a clear error rather than silently drop.
Starting 2026-04-22, new Shopify connections request write_products in the OAuth scope so autopilot works immediately. Existing connections need a one-time reconnect to upgrade their token.
How to fix it
- Click Reconnect Shopify in the dashboard banner. (You'll also see a Reconnect button on the Shopify tile in your Connections panel.)
- You're sent to Shopify, which shows the updated scope request including write access for products.
- Click Update app. Shopify upgrades the permissions on the existing app install — you don't have to re-enter your store subdomain or re-install anything.
- You land back on the dashboard. The banner is gone, and the Shopify tile now shows Connected (write).
Nothing else changes. Your digest history, past fixes, connections to other providers — all preserved. Only the Shopify token is swapped for a higher-privileged one.
What the banner doesn't mean
It doesn't mean your connection is broken. The digest still grounds in Shopify data. It doesn't mean your data is at risk — SAGE never writes back to Shopify without your explicit approval of a specific action. The banner is there because the next time you try to approve an autopilot fix, it would fail without this upgrade.
If the reconnect flow fails
The most common cause is the Shopify store subdomain having changed since the original connection, or the original installer no longer being an admin on the Shopify store. Disconnect and reconnect from scratch in that case — your digest history is preserved either way.