# Automate store tasks with Shopify Flow

Level: Intermediate. About 40 minutes. Plans: Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus; some actions need Grow or higher. Checked against Shopify's documentation on 2026-10-08.

**Short answer:** Shopify Flow is a free app that watches your store for events and runs actions in response. It is available on the Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus plans [1]. Go to **Apps** > **Flow**, click **Create workflow**, pick a template or a trigger, add conditions and actions, test it, then click **Turn on workflow** [3].

## Before you start

Shopify Flow is Shopify's automation app. It watches your store for events and runs a sequence of actions in response [1]. Every workflow has three parts [1]:

- **Trigger:** the store event that starts the workflow, such as a change in inventory.
- **Conditions:** checks that decide whether the workflow continues.
- **Actions:** what the workflow does, such as tagging an order or sending an email.

Flow is free on the Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus plans. The **Send HTTP Request** action needs Grow, Advanced or Plus. Tasks created by custom partner apps are Plus only [1]. Usage limits vary by plan and follow Shopify's API rate limits [1].

Example: a candle shop wants an email when any scent drops below 5 in stock, so it can reorder before it sells out. Shopify offers a template for this, called "Get notified when product inventory is low" [2].

## Steps

1. **Install Flow.** Install the free Shopify Flow app from the Shopify App Store [1]. Once installed, it appears in your admin under **Apps** > **Flow** [3].
2. **Start a new workflow.** From your Shopify admin, go to **Apps** > **Flow** and click **Create workflow** [3].
3. **Pick a template.** Click **Browse templates** and select one, such as "Get notified when product inventory is low" [3][2]. Review it to confirm it fits, then click **Install** [3]. Templates cover orders, customers, inventory, fulfillment, risk and more [2].
4. **Fill in your values.** Edit the template's steps with your own values, such as tags and recipient email addresses [3]. In the low-stock template, the trigger is **Inventory quantity changed**. Its conditions compare the current and prior quantity, so the workflow runs only when stock first drops below your threshold [2].
5. **Or build one from scratch.** Click **Create workflow**, then **Select a trigger** and choose the event that starts it. Click **+**, then **Condition**, and define the check [3]. A workflow has only one trigger, but it can have any number of conditions and actions [4].
6. **Add the actions.** Click **+** > **Action** on the **True** branch and select an action. Optionally click **+** on the **False** branch for steps that run when the condition is false [3].
7. **Name the workflow.** Click **New Workflow** (or the template's name) and enter a clear title [3]. To leave a note for your team, click **More actions** > **Add note** [3].
8. **Test before you turn it on.** At the trigger, click **Test your workflow**. Click **+ Add event** > **Create event**, select the store data the trigger needs and click **Save** [5]. Click a condition or action, then the **Preview** tab, to check what it would do [5]. A test stops at the first action that would change your store [5].
9. **Turn it on.** Click **Turn on workflow** [3].
10. **Watch the first runs.** Go to **Apps** > **Flow** and click **Recent runs**. Click a run to see its status, the path it took and any errors [6]. Use **Add filter** > **Errors** to find failed runs [6].

## Check your work

- Trigger the event in your store, then open **Recent runs** and confirm the run shows **Completed** in the **Run status** column [6]. Results can take a few minutes to appear [6].
- Open the run and check the highlighted path matches what you expected [6].
- Open an order or product the workflow touched, click **More actions** > **Search Flow runs** and confirm the run is listed [6].
- Export a copy as a backup: select the workflow and click **More actions** > **Export** [7].

## Common problems

- **"I can't test my workflow."** Every step must be complete and valid before you can test [5].
- **"The test didn't send the email."** Tests stop at the first action that would change your store or send a notification. Turn the workflow on to run it for real [5].
- **"My test run isn't in Recent runs."** Test runs don't appear there [5].
- **"An older run has disappeared."** Runs are stored for 14 days after they finish, then removed [6].
- **"The workflow runs too often."** Add or tighten a condition. In the low-stock example, checking the prior quantity stops repeat alerts [2]. To stop it at once, select the workflow and click **Turn off workflow** [7].
- **"I can't delete a workflow."** Only inactive workflows can be deleted. Turn it off first, and export it if you may need it later [7].
- **"Send HTTP Request is missing."** That action needs the Grow, Advanced or Plus plan [1].

## Further reading

- [Workflow examples](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/shopify-flow/getting-started/workflow-examples) [2]
- [Testing a workflow in Shopify Flow](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/shopify-flow/manage/test-workflow) [5]

## Sources

1. [Shopify Flow](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/shopify-flow), Shopify Help Center, accessed 2026-10-08
2. [Workflow examples](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/shopify-flow/getting-started/workflow-examples), Shopify Help Center, accessed 2026-10-08
3. [Creating workflows manually or from a template](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/shopify-flow/create/create-workflow), Shopify Help Center, accessed 2026-10-08
4. [Creating workflows](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/shopify-flow/create), Shopify Help Center, accessed 2026-10-08
5. [Testing a workflow in Shopify Flow](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/shopify-flow/manage/test-workflow), Shopify Help Center, accessed 2026-10-08
6. [Finding and monitoring workflow runs](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/shopify-flow/manage/monitor), Shopify Help Center, accessed 2026-10-08
7. [Manage, duplicate, copy, import, export, or delete workflows in Shopify Flow](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/shopify-flow/manage/manage), Shopify Help Center, accessed 2026-10-08

Source page: https://webmerchants.net/guides/automate-with-shopify-flow