What to ask for
- Ask for
- Collaborator account with selected permissions Agency access
- Minimum safe access
- Only the sections the SOW needs (for example themes or products), not every permission.
- Client needs
- The store owner (or staff with the Administrator role) in Shopify admin, plus the store's permanent myshopify.com URL and its 4-digit collaborator request code.
Ask for Collaborator account with selected permissions and nothing broader. The smallest role that does the job is easier for the client to approve, easier to audit later, and simpler to remove when the work ends. If the scope of work grows, ask again for the larger role rather than requesting it up front.
| Permission | Level | Lets the agency |
|---|---|---|
| Any store permission you select | Collaborator | Only the areas the client approves |
| Administrator store role | Not available | Can't be given to collaborators |
| POS app / Point of Sale channel | Not available | Collaborators get no POS access |
Where to find the Shopify collaborator request code (and how to use it)
The 4-digit collaborator request code is in the client's Shopify admin under Settings → Users → Security (Settings → Users & permissions → Security on stores that aren't part of an organization). The client clicks the code to copy it and sends it to you. You enter it in the Shopify Dev Dashboard under Stores → Request store access, with the store's myshopify.com URL.
Client: find and copy the code
- In Shopify admin, go to Settings → Users.
- Click Users if the store is part of an organization, or Users & permissions if it isn't.
- Click Security.
- Click the 4-digit code to copy it.
- Send the code to your agency with the store's permanent myshopify.com URL (like your-store.myshopify.com), not your custom domain.
Shopify only shows this to users who can manage collaborators, which is usually the store owner. If you don't see Security, ask the owner to send the code.
Agency: enter the code in the Dev Dashboard
- Log in to the Shopify Dev Dashboard and select Stores.
- Select Request store access.
- Enter the store's permanent myshopify.com URL. Shopify doesn't accept custom or secondary domains here.
- Enter the client's 4-digit collaborator request code.
- Select only the permissions the work needs, then select Send request.
In the old Partner Dashboard this was called Send collaborator request. If Shopify needs to verify your identity first, the request page tells you, and you can't send until you do.
Client: accept the request
- In Shopify admin, go to Settings → Users.
- Click the Requests status to show open collaborator requests.
- Open the request and check Roles. Edit the auto-generated role or assign an existing one, and take out anything the agency doesn't need.
- Click Accept request.
Shopify also emails the client and shows a notice on Shopify Home when the request arrives. The full checklist is in the next section.
If the code doesn't work
- The client generated a new code. Generate new code stops every older code from working, so ask for the current one.
- The store already has two pending collaborator requests. Shopify allows two at a time across all partners, so the client has to accept or reject one first.
- You entered a custom domain. Use the store's myshopify.com URL.
- A staff account on the store uses your organization's partner business email. The request fails until the store owner removes that account.
- Your organization already has an app installed on the store. Then you don't need a code at all.
If you use an AuthHub link instead, it asks your client for the myshopify.com URL and the 4-digit code and shows both to you. You still send the request from the Dev Dashboard, and the client still approves it in Shopify.
What the client clicks
Send these steps to the person who holds the store owner (or staff with the administrator role) in shopify admin, plus the store's permanent myshopify.com url and its 4-digit collaborator request code. Tick them off as you go.
What breaks if the role is wrong
- Too lowA missing permission blocks that area until the client edits your collaborator permissions.
- Too highCollaborators can't be given the Administrator role; if the work truly needs it, the owner has to do that part.
- GotchaCollaborators can't get the Administrator store role and get no POS app or Point of Sale channel access.
- GotchaShopify auto-creates a role named '<Collaborator>x<Store>'. Reject request removes it.
- GotchaCollaborator access expires after 90 days without a login. The client can restore it with Actions → Reactivate user.
- GotchaRemoving a collaborator is permanent; the agency has to send a new request. On a single store: Settings → Users → the collaborator → Remove. In a Shopify organization: Settings → Users → the collaborator → Actions → Remove.
- GotchaDon't share the owner's password. Shopify recommends collaborator accounts and prohibits password sharing.
- GotchaCollaborators don't count toward the staff limit (Starter 0, Basic 0, Grow 5, Advanced 15, Plus unlimited). A staff invite from Settings → Users → Add users expires after 7 days.
Copy this access request
Fill in the blanks and paste it into your email to the client. Nothing you type leaves this page.
Questions
Where is the collaborator request code in Shopify?
In Shopify admin, go to Settings → Users, click Users (or Users & permissions if the store isn't part of an organization), then click Security. The 4-digit code is there. Click it to copy it.
How do I use a Shopify collaborator code?
In the Shopify Dev Dashboard, go to Stores → Request store access. Enter the store's permanent myshopify.com URL and the 4-digit code, pick only the permissions you need, and select Send request. The store owner then approves it in Settings → Users.
Can I change my collaborator request code?
Yes. Go to Settings → Users → Security and, in the Collaborators section, click Generate new code. Every older code stops working, so anyone holding an old code can't use it to send a request.
Do I need a code if the agency already has an app on my store?
No. If the agency's Shopify organization already has one of its apps installed on your store, it can request collaborator access without the code. You still review and accept the request.
How do I accept a Shopify collaborator request?
Go to Settings → Users, click the Requests status and open the request. In Roles, review or edit the permissions (or assign an existing role), then click Accept request. If Shopify says 'The role name already exists', remove the auto-generated role and assign an existing one.
Sources
- https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/your-account/users/security/collaborator-accounts · checked Oct 19, 2026
- https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/your-account/users/users-plan-requirements · checked Oct 19, 2026
- https://help.shopify.com/en/partners/manage-clients-stores/working-on-client-stores · checked Oct 19, 2026
- https://help.shopify.com/en/partners/manage-account/dashboard · checked Oct 19, 2026
- https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/build/stores/collaborations · checked Oct 19, 2026
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