The Modern Theme Development Toolchain
Shopify CLI (@shopify/cli + @shopify/theme) is the official command-line interface for theme and app development. It replaced Theme Kit and the deprecated shopify-themekit gem. CLI handles authentication, file sync, local preview, linting, and deployment — all from your terminal.
What CLI Does
- Scaffold new themes from Skeleton or clone Dawn
- Run shopify theme dev — live preview with hot reload on a development theme
- Push and pull theme files between local disk and a Shopify store
- Run Theme Check — static analysis for Liquid errors and performance issues
- Package themes for Theme Store submission
- Manage Shopify app development (extensions, deployment) — beyond themes
- Install Node.js 22 LTS, Git, and Shopify CLI (see Install Shopify CLI page)
- Verify with node -v, npm -v, git --version, and shopify version
- Authenticate with shopify auth login against a Partner dev store
- Pull or init a theme locally, then run shopify theme dev
- Edit Liquid/CSS/JS in VS Code — saves auto-sync to the dev theme
- Commit with Git, push to staging theme, then production
Note: Never develop directly on a live theme. CLI creates ephemeral development themes for shopify theme dev that are safe to overwrite.
Tip: Install the Shopify Liquid VS Code extension alongside CLI for syntax highlighting, autocomplete, and inline Theme Check diagnostics.