Shopify CLI 4.8 / For developers

Manage dev stores from Shopify CLI:
create, list, inspect, and delete

The new shopify store commands let you manage dev stores directly from the terminal or a coding agent. A new limit of 250 dev stores per organization has also been introduced.

On this page
  1. What's changing (in 30 seconds)
  2. The 4 new commands
  3. How it works: the create → populate → reset loop
  4. The new 250-store limit
  5. Command cheat sheet
  6. What to do (4 steps)
  7. 5 key points for developers
  8. 3 practical use cases
  9. One-line summary for proposals

1What's changing

In Shopify CLI 4.8, the shopify store commandshave been added, so dev stores in your Dev Dashboard organization can now becreated and managed from the terminal or a coding agent.
At the same time, a limit of250 dev stores per organizationhas been introduced.

Change 1: Manage dev stores from the CLI

Four commands: create, list, info, and delete. Combined with existing Admin API and bulk operations support, you can script the create → populate data → reset workflow.

250

Change 2: 250-store limit

Dev Dashboard organizations can have up to 250 dev stores. Client transfer stores and collaborator stores don't count toward the limit.

2The 4 new commands

store create dev
Creates a dev store in your organization, for building and testing apps, themes, and Shopify features
store list
Lists the stores in your organization
store info
Returns information about a specific store
store delete
Deletes a dev store. Only the store owner, organization owner, or organization admins can do this
Options (arguments and flags) and output formats for each command arenot coveredin this article. See the related documentation for details.

3How it works: the create → populate → reset loop

Developer Terminal / Coding agent ① Create store create dev Create a new dev store ② Load data Admin API + Bulk operations (existing) ③ Verify & reset store list / info store delete Scriptable and repeatable
The key takeaway: "combined with the Admin API and bulk operations support already in the CLI, you can script creating, populating, and resetting development and test environments". For details on loading data, see the related changelog (Admin API and bulk operations in Shopify CLI).

4New "250-store limit"

Dev stores per Dev Dashboard organization 250 Counted: Dev stores Client transfer Collaborator ↑ Not counted toward the limit Organizations currently above 250 have already been granted an increased limit (the new value isn't stated)
Counted

Dev stores

Only dev stores belonging to a Dev Dashboard organization count toward the limit.

Not counted

Client transfer stores

Client transfer stores don't count toward the limit.

Not counted

Collaborator stores

Collaborator stores don't count toward the limit.

What happens when the limit is reached (e.g., error details) and how long the increased limits remain valid arenot stated. Organizations near the limit are encouraged to write scripts that usestore list to identify old stores andstore delete to clean them up.

5Command cheat sheet

CommandWhat it doesWho can run itTypical use
shopify store create dev Create Create a dev store in your organization Not specified Build and test apps, themes, and Shopify Functions
shopify store list List List stores in your organization Not specified Starting point for inventory and bulk-cleanup scripts
shopify store info Info Return details for a single store Not specified Check an individual store's status
shopify store delete Delete Delete a dev store Store owner / organization owner / organization admin Clean up old stores and stay under the 250-store limit

6How to get started (4 steps)

1

Update the CLI to 4.8 or later

The new commands are available in Shopify CLI 4.8 and later.

2

Update the AI Toolkit

Install or update the latest AI Toolkit in your coding agent.

3

Manage with 4 commands

create dev / list / info / delete from your terminal or agent.

4
250

Clean up when nearing the limit

list to find old stores, then use delete to delete them, and script the cleanup.

75 key points for developers

4.8+

1. Requires Shopify CLI 4.8 or later

If CLI versions vary across your team or CI, scripts will only work in some environments. Decide how you'll pin and update versions first.

2. Designed to pair with the Admin API and bulk operations

Beyond creating stores, the intended use is to combine them with the CLI's existing Admin API and bulk operations support to script a full "create → seed data → reset" flow.

3. delete is limited to certain roles

Only store owners, organization owners, and organization admins can delete stores. Plan permissions for the account that runs automated cleanup. Required permissions for the other commands are not specified.

250

4. Stores you never clean up will hit the limit

Now that CI and agents can spin up stores easily, you'll reach the 250-store limit faster. Design workflows that delete stores as well as create them.

5. Use from coding agents is explicitly supported

The post explicitly says "from your terminal or coding agent," and updating the AI Toolkit is part of the recommended steps.Even when delegating environment setup to an agent, be careful about granting permissions that allow running the delete command. Command options and output formats aren't covered in the post, so check the documentation before automating.

83 practical use cases

USE CASE 1

Spin up a fresh test environment every time for app and theme development

Challenge
Test stores pile up old verification data, making it hard to run reproducible checks. Rebuilding the store each time is also a hassle.
Approach
store create dev to create a store → seed test data with the Admin API and bulk operations → after testing, run store delete to tear it down, all scripted.
Impact
Every test starts from the same initial state, reducing inconsistent results and the effort spent preparing environments.
Technical notes
Requires CLI 4.8 or later. The account running the deletion must be the store owner, organization owner, or an organization admin.
≤ 250
USE CASE 2

Agency organizations: inventory and regularly clean up dev stores

Challenge
Dev stores created for each project are left sitting in the organization, approaching the new 250-store limit.
Approach
store list to get a list → store info to check each one → delete unneeded ones with store delete , via a cleanup script run on a regular schedule.
Impact
Prevents hitting the limit and being unable to create new stores. Gives you visibility into which dev stores are still in use.
Technical notes
Client transfer stores and collaborator stores don't count toward the limit.list / info output format isn't documented, so confirm how to parse it in the docs before implementing.
Agent → Store
USE CASE 3

Let your coding agent set up the test environment, too

Challenge
Even if an agent can handle code changes, a person still prepares the test store in the admin, which breaks the workflow.
Approach
Install the latest AI Toolkit in your agent and use theshopify store command to have it create a dev store and seed it with test data.
Impact
You can run "implement → create test environment → verify" without interruption, reducing manual work for developers.
Technical notes
The 250-store limit applies to agents as well. If you automate deletion too, set operating rules that explicitly specify target stores to avoid accidental deletion.

9One-line summary for proposals

"Shopify CLI 4.8 turns creating, listing, inspecting, and deleting dev stores into commands.
Combined with the Admin API, you can script everything from setting up a test environment to resetting it.
But since there's now a 250-store limit per organization, automate the cleanup too, not just the creation."