symmetry-install

name

symmetry-install

description

Walk a merchant through installing the Symmetry theme — or any paid Theme Store theme — on any Shopify store, from Theme Store preview to live publish. Trigger on: "install Symmetry", "add Symmetry theme", "install a Shopify theme", "switch theme", "try a new theme", "publish a theme", "Shopify theme install", "theme store", or any request to change a Shopify storefront theme. Also trigger when the user links to themes.shopify.com/themes/symmetry or to any Shopify Theme Store listing.

Symmetry theme install — merchant playbook

Use this skill when the user wants Symmetry (a paid Shopify theme by Clean Canvas) installed on a Shopify store. Works identically for any paid Theme Store theme — just swap "Symmetry" for the theme name.

What you are doing

Adding a theme to a Shopify store does NOT replace the live storefront. It lands as a Draft theme, which the merchant can customize and preview at a secret URL. Only a deliberate "Publish" swap makes it live. The shopify_describe_theme MCP tool (from the shopify-mcp skill) can confirm what's currently published before and after.

Symmetry costs money (one-time license, typically ~$350 USD, per-store). "Try theme" is free and creates the Draft; "Buy theme" is the licensing step.

Path A — Merchant self-serve (recommended)

This is the default. The merchant owns the Shopify admin and their own payment method. Claude's job is to write the steps clearly.

1. Admin → Online Store → Themes. If there is no Themes menu, the store is not on a plan that permits theme changes — flag that and stop.
2. Scroll to Theme library → Add theme → Visit Theme Store.
3. Search Symmetry (or paste the Theme Store URL). Open the listing.
4. Click Try theme. Shopify installs it in Draft themes for free.
5. Customize Draft → preview with the eye icon → share preview link with stakeholders.
6. When ready, in Draft themes click the ... menu → Publish.
7. Shopify prompts for payment. Once paid, the theme becomes the live one and the previous theme moves to the Theme library as a backup.

Always recommend step 4 (Try theme) before step 7 (Buy/Publish). A Draft install is free and reversible; publishing is an immediate swap.

Path B — Partner / staff — via Shopify CLI

Use this when Claude has repo access and the merchant wants a version- controlled theme.

# One-time: install CLI
npm install -g @shopify/cli @shopify/theme

# Auth against the merchant's store (substitute the client's handle)
shopify login --store <handle>.myshopify.com

# Pull the current live theme as a safety backup (writes to ./backup/)
shopify theme pull --live --path ./backup

# Download Symmetry source (merchant must have purchased it first — CLI cannot
# buy a theme). Get the .zip from Theme Store > My themes, then:
shopify theme push --path ./symmetry --unpublished

# Preview
shopify theme dev --store <handle>.myshopify.com --theme "Symmetry"

# Publish when stakeholders approve
shopify theme publish --theme "Symmetry"

Keep the pre-Symmetry backup in git under themes/pre-symmetry/ so a rollback is shopify theme push --path ./themes/pre-symmetry --live.

Path C — Claude-in-Chrome automation

Only use this if the user explicitly asks Claude to drive the admin. Chrome MCP is tier-"read" for the browser itself, but the extension tools can click inside the admin. Before any click inside Shopify admin:

1. Verify the extension is connected (chrome-health-check skill).
2. Navigate to https://admin.shopify.com/store/<handle>/themes.
3. Walk the user through Try theme as above, pausing at every destructive step (especially Publish) for confirmation.

Do NOT auto-publish. Do NOT enter payment details. Always hand control back for the buy-theme step.

Pre-install checklist

Before the merchant clicks anything:

• Confirm current theme name and version (shopify_describe_theme).
• Confirm Shopify plan supports theme changes (Basic and up do).
• Confirm staff account has Themes permission.
• Export a backup of the current theme (Admin → Themes → ... → Download).
• Note any custom Liquid or apps that inject into the current theme — these will need to be re-wired in Symmetry.
• Screenshot the live storefront hero + product page for before/after.

Post-install checklist

• Core pages render: home, collection, product, cart, search, 404.
• Checkout flow completes end to end on a test order.
• Apps that inject into theme still work (reviews, currency switcher, cookie banner, live chat).
• Analytics pixels present (GA4, Meta, TikTok if used).
• Mobile viewport tested — Symmetry is responsive but custom sections can break.
• Search indexing: robots.txt and sitemap still valid.

SOSA notes

• Supervised — publishing a theme is a destructive storefront change; always confirm with the merchant before Path B's theme publish or Path A's Publish click.
• Orchestrated — follow the Plan/Act/Verify structure: describe current theme, install draft, verify preview, publish, verify live.
• Secured — never ask the merchant for their Shopify password. All operations go through staff accounts or CLI tokens the merchant owns.