External events into Shopify Flow

# External events into Shopify Flow

Canonical: https://docs.flowrelay.app/use-cases/external-events-to-shopify-flow/
Markdown: https://docs.flowrelay.app/use-cases/external-events-to-shopify-flow.md

Use this path when the important event starts outside Shopify but the workflow should stay inside Shopify Flow.

## When to use this
Use FlowRelay when Shopify Flow is the right workflow system, but the event source is not a native Shopify trigger.


## What FlowRelay owns
FlowRelay owns intake, authentication, validation, receipt history, and the handoff to Shopify Flow. Shopify Flow owns workflow branches and downstream actions.


## What to avoid
Do not paste real payloads, customer data, endpoint secrets, auth headers, or copied incidents into examples. Use synthetic values while proving the setup.


## Typical path
A typical path starts from the scenario, then moves into setup and verification.
1. Identify the outside system that will send the event, such as a supplier portal, warehouse tool, ERP, custom app, or partner system.
2. Create a FlowRelay endpoint for that sender and choose the event type Shopify Flow should receive.
3. Configure HMAC-SHA256 or static-header authentication with the sender owner.
4. Add the matching FlowRelay trigger to the Shopify Flow workflow.
5. Send one synthetic test event, then use the FlowRelay receipt to confirm the handoff.

## Handoff Boundary
Delivered means FlowRelay handed the trigger to Shopify Flow. It does not mean downstream Shopify Flow branches, app calls, fulfillment changes, emails, or later systems completed.

## Related
- [Create an endpoint](https://docs.flowrelay.app/setup/endpoints.md)
- [Add the Shopify Flow trigger](https://docs.flowrelay.app/setup/shopify-flow-trigger.md)
- [Read receipts](https://docs.flowrelay.app/operate/receipts.md)

## Safety Boundary
Do not include raw payloads, endpoint secrets, auth headers, HMAC values, Shopify tokens, Shopify sessions, database URLs, customer data, merchant incidents, or copied private logs in public examples.