What is FlowRelay for Shopify Flow?
It receives external events, checks the sender and required fields, records receipt facts, and hands a normalized trigger to Shopify Flow.
FlowRelay for Shopify Flow
Get outside events into Shopify Flow — with a receipt for every handoff.
Keep Shopify Flow as the workflow engine. FlowRelay gives outside systems a governed front door: verify each request, record what was accepted, show what was handed to Shopify Flow, and keep recovery safe when something needs attention.
Setup path
Bring each sender online with a visible handoff.
FlowRelay keeps Shopify Flow as the place where workflow logic lives, while each external sender gets its own authenticated intake point, receipt history, and recovery context.
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01
Create an endpoint for the sender
Pick the Shopify Flow event family and the authentication mode your sender will use.
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02
Connect the matching Flow trigger
Build the workflow in Shopify Flow, where rules, branches, and downstream actions belong.
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03
Send a test event
FlowRelay verifies the request, required fields, mapping, and Flow readiness.
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04
Review the receipt
Confirm what arrived, what passed, and what FlowRelay handed to Shopify Flow.
FlowRelay supports generic, order, customer, product, inventory, fulfillment, return, and company/B2B event families. Need the full walkthrough? Start with the first endpoint guide. Replacing an existing receiver? Use the swapover guide.
Receipt
fr_rcpt_shopify_0429
Delivered to Shopify Flow
The receipt shows what FlowRelay could confirm.
After Shopify Flow receives the trigger, workflow decisions and action results belong there.
Trigger variantExternal order event
Endpoint settingsOrder risk intake, v3
Auth resultHMAC verified
Flow readinessMatching trigger enabled
MappingOrder reference mapped
Handoff resultTrigger handed to Shopify Flow
Replay
Review before retry
Compare the original receipt with current settings and possible Flow side effects.
Diagnostics
Share a redacted package
No raw event bodies, authentication headers, endpoint secrets, tokens, or customer data.
Receipt
The receipt shows what happened at the handoff.
A generic webhook log tells you a request was sent. The FlowRelay receipt shows the event we received, how we normalized it, and the exact trigger we handed to Shopify Flow — with timestamps you can cite.
The same receipt facts can support store teams, setup partners, and authorized agents without exposing secrets or raw event bodies.
- FlowRelay receipt showsArrival, authentication, required fields, endpoint, trigger, and handoff status.
- Shopify Flow ownsWorkflow branches, downstream app calls, email sends, fulfillment actions, and other results after the trigger.
- Stays out of proofSecrets, authentication headers, raw event bodies, tokens, session data, and customer data.
Questions
Fit and handoff boundaries.
Can FlowRelay trigger Shopify Flow from an external system?
Yes. A sender such as an ERP, warehouse system, CRM, partner app, or custom service can send an authenticated JSON event to a FlowRelay endpoint, then Shopify Flow can use the matching FlowRelay trigger.
Does "Delivered" mean my Flow finished running?
No. Delivered means FlowRelay handed the trigger to Shopify Flow. From there, Shopify Flow runs your workflow. FlowRelay's receipt proves the handoff — not the downstream result.
When is FlowRelay a good fit?
FlowRelay is a good fit when Shopify Flow should remain the workflow engine, but outside systems need a controlled way to send events with authentication, receipts, replay context, diagnostics, and authorized access.
When does FlowRelay need extra Shopify permissions?
Generic endpoints do not need extra Shopify read permissions. Order, Customer, and Product triggers need the matching optional Shopify permission so Shopify Flow can receive the native reference from your event payload. Read the data access note.
What is FlowRelay not for?
FlowRelay is not for replacing Shopify Flow, building generic workflows, or proving downstream outcomes after Shopify Flow receives the trigger.
What should stay in Shopify Flow?
Rules, branches, conditions, downstream app actions, email sends, fulfillment actions, and business outcomes should stay in Shopify Flow or the downstream systems that execute them.