MCP Ecommerce

Installation guide

How to install Shopify Catalog MCP

In Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Perplexity, Cursor and Claude Code, with what to check before you start and the first prompts to run.

Shopify Catalog MCP is a remote server hosted by Shopify, so there is nothing to install for the server itself. You add the endpoint `https://catalog.shopify.com/api/ucp/mcp` to a client. The documented catch is that every request must carry a `meta.ucp-agent.profile` URL pointing to an agent UCP profile, and the tools you get back depend on the capabilities that profile declares. The docs show this being sent in the request body, and they do not describe how generic chat clients should supply it.

This is usually set up by an agency developer or a technical marketer who owns the shopping agent or assistant workflow. The docs do not name a required Shopify account for basic catalog search. Personalized results for signed-in Shop customers need a buyer-linked token, which should be a later, separate step. Shopify notes that endpoints, availability and tool names change, so check the docs page before building on it.

Shopify Catalog MCP setup guide: Shopify's MCP documentation page on shopify.dev, shown in a browser frame (store platform MCP server for e-commerce)
Shopify Catalog MCP setup guide preview: Shopify’s documentation on shopify.dev, captured Oct 13, 2026. The page may have changed since; the link opens the live version.

Before you start

  • An MCP client that can reach a remote URL, or a terminal with curl for testing the endpoint directly.
  • An agent UCP profile URL for meta.ucp-agent.profile. Either host your own, or use the hosted example profile named in the docs while testing.
  • If you host your own profile: declare dev.ucp.shopping.catalog.search, dev.ucp.shopping.catalog.lookup and dev.shopify.catalog.global (or dev.shopify.catalog on a merchant storefront).
  • Optional: the Shopify AI Toolkit, which installs the ucp skill for Cursor, Claude Code and other compatible IDEs. Take the install steps from the vendor docs.
  • Optional, for later: a buyer-linked token with the dev.ucp.shopping.catalog.search:read scope for personalized search.
How it runs
Remote, added by URL
Access
Varies by tool
Server address
https://catalog.shopify.com/api/ucp/mcp

Shopify Catalog MCP in Claude

  1. Before adding anything, test the endpoint from a terminal: POST a tools/list JSON-RPC request to https://catalog.shopify.com/api/ucp/mcp and confirm search_catalog, lookup_catalog and get_product come back. The docs list this as the way to check your profile's capabilities.
  2. In Claude.ai (web) or the Claude Desktop app, open Settings > Connectors and choose the option to add a custom connector by URL. The Shopify docs do not cover this client, so follow Anthropic's standard flow.
  3. Enter https://catalog.shopify.com/api/ucp/mcp as the connector URL and save.
  4. The docs require a meta.ucp-agent.profile URL on every request. They do not say whether this connector UI can send it. If tools do not load, use the Shopify AI Toolkit route in Claude Code or Cursor instead.
  5. Enable the connector in a new chat and run one of the read-only prompts below.
Connector URL
https://catalog.shopify.com/api/ucp/mcp

Shopify Catalog MCP in ChatGPT

  1. Check the endpoint first with a tools/list POST from a terminal, as described in the Shopify docs.
  2. In ChatGPT, enable Developer mode in the settings so custom MCP connectors are available. Menu names vary by plan, and the Shopify docs do not cover ChatGPT.
  3. Create a new connector and paste https://catalog.shopify.com/api/ucp/mcp as the server URL.
  4. The docs require a meta.ucp-agent.profile URL on every request, and they do not say how ChatGPT would send it. Confirm the connector lists the three tools before relying on it.
  5. In a new chat, enable the connector and run a read-only search prompt.
Connector URL
https://catalog.shopify.com/api/ucp/mcp

Shopify Catalog MCP in Gemini

  1. Confirm the endpoint works with a tools/list POST from a terminal, as in the Shopify docs.
  2. The Shopify docs do not cover Gemini. For Gemini CLI, add a remote server entry under mcpServers in your Gemini settings file. Take the exact key for a remote HTTP URL from the Gemini CLI documentation.
  3. Use https://catalog.shopify.com/api/ucp/mcp as the server URL.
  4. The docs require a meta.ucp-agent.profile URL on every request. Check whether your Gemini version can send it, and note that Gemini app extensions may not support custom servers.
  5. Restart Gemini CLI and list the available MCP tools to see whether search_catalog, lookup_catalog and get_product appear.

Shopify Catalog MCP in Microsoft Copilot

  1. Confirm the endpoint first with a tools/list POST from a terminal, as in the Shopify docs.
  2. For GitHub Copilot in VS Code, create or edit .vscode/mcp.json and add a server under servers using the snippet below. The Shopify docs do not cover Copilot.
  3. For Microsoft Copilot Studio, add an MCP tool or custom connector and enter https://catalog.shopify.com/api/ucp/mcp as the server URL. Follow Microsoft's current steps.
  4. The docs require a meta.ucp-agent.profile URL on every request. Check that your Copilot setup can send it, or the tools may not be returned.
  5. Start the server from the mcp.json code lens or the tools picker in Copilot Chat, then run a read-only prompt.
.vscode/mcp.json
{
  "servers": {
    "shopify-catalog": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://catalog.shopify.com/api/ucp/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Shopify Catalog MCP in Perplexity

  1. Test the endpoint from a terminal with a tools/list POST, as in the Shopify docs.
  2. In the Perplexity desktop app, open the connectors settings and choose the option to add a custom or remote MCP connector. The Shopify docs do not cover Perplexity.
  3. Paste https://catalog.shopify.com/api/ucp/mcp as the server URL and save.
  4. The docs require a meta.ucp-agent.profile URL on every request. If the connector shows no tools, the client may not be able to send it.
  5. Enable the connector in a new thread and run a read-only prompt.
Connector URL
https://catalog.shopify.com/api/ucp/mcp

Shopify Catalog MCP in Cursor

  1. Cursor is one of the IDEs the docs name for the Shopify AI Toolkit. For the no-code route, install the toolkit using the steps in the Shopify docs, which adds the ucp skill. The install command is not in the text we reviewed, so copy it from the vendor page.
  2. With the skill installed, ask in plain language, for example: find me crewneck sweaters under $50. The skill picks the matching ucp catalog command.
  3. To add the endpoint directly, open Cursor's MCP settings and add the server to mcp.json using the snippet below.
  4. The docs require a meta.ucp-agent.profile URL on every request. If tools do not load through the direct entry, use the ucp skill route.
  5. Restart Cursor, check that the server shows as connected, and run a read-only prompt.
mcp.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "shopify-catalog": {
      "url": "https://catalog.shopify.com/api/ucp/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Shopify Catalog MCP in Claude Code

  1. Claude Code is named in the docs as a supported IDE for the Shopify AI Toolkit and its ucp skill. For the no-code route, install the toolkit per the Shopify docs. The install command is not in the text we reviewed, so copy it from the vendor page.
  2. To test from the terminal, run ucp catalog search --set /query='wireless headphones under $100' --set /context/address_country=US --set /pagination/limit=10 --view :compact --format md.
  3. To register the endpoint directly, run the claude mcp add command below.
  4. The docs require a meta.ucp-agent.profile URL on every request. If tools/list returns no catalog tools, check which capabilities your profile advertises.
  5. Run claude mcp list to confirm the server is registered, then try a read-only prompt.
Terminal
claude mcp add --transport http shopify-catalog https://catalog.shopify.com/api/ucp/mcp

Check that it works

Start with questions that only read data. If these answer from your real account, the connection is good.

  • Search the Shopify global catalog for wireless headphones under $100 that ship to the US, and return the top 5 results.
  • Look up this product variant and show its current price and availability: gid://shopify/ProductVariant/12345
  • Use get_product on one of the search results and list which colors are available in size medium.

Troubleshooting

+Why does tools/list return no catalog tools, or only some of them?

The docs say the returned tools depend on the capabilities your agent profile advertises. Check that your profile declares `dev.ucp.shopping.catalog.search` and `dev.ucp.shopping.catalog.lookup`. An extension such as `dev.shopify.catalog.global` without its base capability is pruned during negotiation, so it unlocks nothing on its own.

+Why are requests rejected or the server not usable from my chat client?

The `/api/ucp/mcp` endpoint requires a `meta.ucp-agent.profile` URL in every request. The docs do not say whether generic connector UIs can send it. Test with a direct `tools/list` POST, or use the `ucp` skill from the Shopify AI Toolkit in Cursor or Claude Code, which the docs describe.

+Why are some fields missing or inaccurate, such as description or metadata.top_features?

Some Global Catalog fields are generated or enriched by Shopify and marked Inferred in the reference. They may be absent or vary in accuracy. Treat them as discovery signals, not merchant-authored text. Also confirm tool names and endpoints against the current docs, since Shopify says they change.

Written Oct 13, 2026 from the vendor documentation. Exact menus, addresses and commands change; the official documentation is the source of truth.