API access to delivery instructions for orders

Topic summary

Issue Identified:
Merchants need API access to delivery instructions that customers enter during checkout for local delivery orders. This data is critical for delivery drivers and order management systems but was not available through Shopify’s REST or GraphQL APIs.

Timeline & Community Response:

  • Initial request made in 2020
  • Multiple merchants and app developers repeatedly requested this feature over nearly 3 years
  • Users expressed frustration at having to manually check each order individually
  • Some attempted workarounds like repurposing the “company” field

Resolution:

  • 2024-04 RC version of the Admin GraphQL API added delivery instructions via DeliveryMethodAdditionalInformation.instructions
  • 2024-07 REST API version includes this data at FulfillmentOrder > delivery_method > additional_information > instructions
  • Feature confirmed working by app developers who integrated it

Current Status:
Resolved. The delivery instructions field is now accessible through both GraphQL (2024-04+) and REST (2024-07+) APIs. Users who integrated the feature report it’s functioning as expected.

Summarized with AI on November 7. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.

Please add this feature ASAP. I just spent hours trying to access this data to include in staff notification emails, and only after discovering this post did I realize this wasn’t even possible yet. This should absolutely be part of the order object. Is there an ETA on this?