Shopify merchants love the instant, contextual help that Sidekick provides inside the admin. With the latest Developer Changelog update, embedded app developers can now trigger a Sidekick conversation on the merchant’s behalf, pre‑populating the chat with a custom prompt. This means you can guide merchants straight to the answer they need without forcing them to leave your app’s workflow.
What’s New
The Sidekick Launch API is now publicly available. By calling shopify.sidekick.launch({ message }) from any embedded app, you open Sidekick in the admin and send the supplied message as if the merchant typed it themselves. The API works for both public and custom apps and respects the merchant’s current admin context, so the chat appears right where they are working.
Who Is Affected
*Developers*: If you build or maintain an embedded app, you now have a native way to surface contextual help, onboarding tips, or troubleshooting steps via Sidekick. No extra iframe tricks or external chat widgets are needed.
*Merchants*: The change is invisible to them until they click an “Ask Sidekick” button you add. The experience feels native—Sidekick opens with the pre‑filled question, and the merchant can continue the conversation or modify the prompt before sending.
How to Implement the Sidekick Launch API
Sidekick action. The simplest call looks like this:js
import {Shopify} from '@shopify/app-bridge';
import {Sidekick} from '@shopify/app-bridge/actions';
const app = Shopify.AppBridge.createApp({
apiKey: process.env.SHOPIFY_API_KEY,
host: new URLSearchParams(window.location.search).get('host'),
forceRedirect: true,
});
function launchSidekick(prompt) {
const sidekick = Sidekick.create(app);
sidekick.launch({message: prompt});
}
// Example button handler
document.getElementById('ask-sidekick').addEventListener('click', () => {
launchSidekick('How do I filter this sales report by date range?');
});
read_products/write_orders you already have for your app.Best Practices & UX Tips
shopify.sidekick.launch is called so you can measure adoption and iterate on the prompts that drive the most successful outcomes.Next Steps for Merchants
From a merchant’s perspective, there’s nothing to configure. Once an app you use implements the new button, you’ll simply see a smoother help experience. If you’re a merchant who relies heavily on third‑party apps, consider reaching out to app developers and suggest they add an “Ask Sidekick” shortcut where you most often need assistance.
Conclusion
The Sidekick Launch API turns a powerful, AI‑driven support tool into an integrated part of any embedded app’s workflow. By adding a single line of JavaScript, developers can deliver contextual help without disrupting the merchant’s journey, and merchants get faster answers right where they need them. Ready to level up your app’s support experience? Add the launch button today and watch your help interactions soar.
