Shopify’s latest developer changelog removes a long‑standing hurdle for Sidekick extensions. If your app registers an admin.app.intent.link or admin.app.intent.render extension without a tools file, Sidekick will now surface it automatically. This seemingly small shift has practical implications for validation, deployment, and the overall developer workflow.
What Changed?
Previously, an extension had to declare a tools section to be considered “Sidekick‑eligible.” As a result, extensions that only declared intents were ignored by Sidekick, and merchants never saw the app suggested for relevant actions. The new update expands eligibility: an extension is now Sidekick‑eligible if it declares tools, intents, or both. The configuration syntax remains unchanged; the existing [[extensions.targeting.intents]] block is sufficient on its own.
Who Is Affected?
What You Need to Do
For the majority of apps, nothing changes—just verify that you’re not missing the new extensions_summary field. Follow these steps before your next deploy:
shopify app deploy against a development store. The CLI will now validate the presence of extensions_summary and alert you if it’s missing.Example: Adding an extensions_summary
Below is a minimal shopify.app.toml snippet that satisfies the new validation rule:
toml
[app]
name = "Review Genie"
api_key = "YOUR_API_KEY"
[sidekick]
extensions_summary = "Search and analyze product reviews, create review request campaigns, and manage review display settings"
If you already have a [sidekick] section, simply add or update the extensions_summary field. The string should be concise (under 150 characters) and clearly describe the value the intent provides to merchants.
Testing Your Changes in Practice
After deploying, open a store admin and type a keyword that matches your intent (e.g., “analyze reviews”). If everything is set up correctly, Sidekick will suggest your app, and selecting it will launch the registered admin.app.intent.render extension. This end‑to‑end test confirms that:* The intent is registered and discoverable.* The extensions_summary is being read by Sidekick.* No validation errors appear during deployment.
Conclusion & Next Steps
Shopify’s decision to let Sidekick surface intent‑only extensions removes an unnecessary barrier and makes app actions more discoverable for merchants. For most developers, the only actionable item is to verify that an extensions_summary exists for every intent‑only extension to avoid deployment failures.Take a few minutes today to audit your shopify.extension.toml files, add the missing summary if needed, and run a test deploy. Once you’ve confirmed Sidekick can suggest your app, you’ll unlock a smoother, more integrated experience for merchants looking to automate workflows through app intents.If you have questions or need a hand updating your config, drop a comment below or reach out on the Shopify Community forums. Happy building!
