Hey everyone,
I manage a few shopify stores and i never liked the existing options for modifying import CSVs, so I decided to make a claude skill to help with this.
The idea is simple provide the new file you have and a copy of your product export file so that claude can understand what the resulting template should be, then it discusses with you any changes needed and applies them.
I tested it on a more basic store, but I plan to try it on more complex use cases in the future. Let me know if it works for you or have any feedback!
This pattern works well. One gotcha I keep hitting: handle reuse across imports. If the new file omits the handle column or has it formatted differently, Shopify will either error out or silently create duplicate products with -1 suffixes. Worth having the skill ask explicitly about handle policy (preserve / regenerate / use SKU as proxy).
Other failure mode is variant disambiguation when SKU isn’t unique. Some stores have multiple products sharing a base SKU pattern (especially fashion with size x color combos). Did you handle that case yet?
Hey @mazenm
Always use Shopify export as the source of truth
We first export a sample product file directly from the Shopify store and use it as the reference template.
This ensures the structure matches Shopify’s exact requirements and prevents column mismatch issues.
Handle column must be strictly controlled
The handle is very important because it determines how products are grouped in Shopify.
We follow one of these rules depending on the case:
Preserve existing handles for updates
Generate new handles for new products
Use SKU as a fallback only if SKUs are unique
Incorrect handling can lead to duplicate products or broken product grouping.
Variant mapping must be handled carefully
For products with variants such as size or color, we ensure:
One product is represented by one handle
All variants are correctly grouped under that handle
Each variant has a unique SKU
We map options clearly to avoid incorrect product structure.
SKU validation is required
Before import, we check that all SKUs are unique across variants.
If duplicates are found, we either:
Stop the process for correction, or
Automatically adjust SKUs with a suffix if required
This prevents inventory and variant conflicts in Shopify.
Pre-import validation check
Before generating the final file, we verify:
No missing handle values
No duplicate handles
All required Shopify columns are present
Variant structure is valid
Price and inventory fields are complete
This step ensures the file is safe for import.
Final workflow process
The process is followed in this order:
Upload Shopify export as template
Upload new product CSV
Map data to Shopify structure
Confirm handle and SKU rules
Validate variants and data
Generate final CSV file
Run final error check before import