Shopify Flow now checks staff permissions before workflows can be tested or turned on

Shopify has changed how access to Flow, its automation tool, is controlled. Until now, a single Flow app permission gave a member of staff full access to every automation in the store. From now on, Flow follows the same staff permissions you already manage in your Shopify admin, and it checks them workflow by workflow. For brands that rely on Flow to tag customers, flag stock or route orders, that is a sensible tightening, but it is worth a quick review so nobody on your team is surprised by a locked button.

What it is

Access to Flow is now controlled by two permissions, both called Flow automations. One is "View, create, and delete automations". The other is "Manage connections and secrets". You will find them under Settings, then Users, then Roles in your admin.

The bigger change is that Flow now checks each workflow against the staff member's other admin permissions. To test or turn on a workflow, a person needs permission for every step inside it. Shopify's own example is the Add customer tags action, which requires the Edit customers permission. If a workflow does several things, the person needs the right access for all of them.

How it works

A member of staff who is missing a required permission can still open Flow, build and edit workflows, and save drafts. What they cannot do is test a workflow, turn it on or off, apply changes, run it manually, or cancel and retry its runs. They also cannot see data they do not have permission to view, such as sample data, test results and run details. When something is blocked, Flow shows a message explaining why.

Workflows that use a connection or a secret also need the Manage connections and secrets permission. Store owners always keep full access to Flow.

To review who has what, store admins can go to Settings, Users, Roles in the admin.

Limits and caveats

• Workflows that are already on keep running. The change affects who can test, switch and manage them, not whether they run.
• Staff who currently have Flow access keep it, and they are automatically given the new Flow automations permissions.
• The Shopify entry does not say anything about plans, regions or rollout timing, so check your own admin to see how it behaves for your store.

What it means for merchants

The practical benefit is control. An automation can change customer tags, update products or trigger other actions across your store. Under the old model, anyone with the Flow permission could switch those on regardless of what else they were allowed to touch. Now the permissions line up with what each person is trusted to do elsewhere in the admin.

The practical risk is friction. If a colleague or a freelancer builds a workflow that includes steps outside their role, they will be able to save a draft but not test it or turn it on. That is the system working as intended, but it can look like a fault if nobody knows about the change. It is also worth knowing that existing access is carried over, so today nothing should break. The question is who should hold these permissions in future.

What it means for agencies and partners

If you build and maintain Flow workflows for clients, your staff accounts on their stores are now subject to the same checks. Expect to need both the Flow automations permissions and the permissions behind each action you use. It is a good moment to agree with each client which role your team holds, and to document which workflows depend on connections or secrets, because those need the extra Manage connections and secrets permission.

How we would approach it

1. List the Flow workflows you have switched on and what each one does.
2. Open Settings, Users, Roles and see who holds the two Flow automations permissions.
3. Decide who genuinely needs to test and turn on workflows, and remove access from anyone who does not.
4. Check which workflows use connections or secrets and confirm the right people can manage them.
5. Tell your team and your agency what has changed, so a blocked button is not mistaken for a bug.

The short version

Flow now uses your admin's staff permissions. People can still open Flow and save drafts, but testing or turning on a workflow needs permission for every step in it. Running workflows are unaffected and current users keep access. Use the change as a prompt to review who can switch automations on in your store.

ETTA provides fractional ecommerce leadership for fashion, streetwear and sportswear brands. If you want a senior view on how this affects your store, get in touch.