Custom theme CLI issue

Store Design

Topic summary

A new Shopify developer encountered authentication issues while following the official theme creation tutorial. The CLI prompted for a “store password,” and a “Quickstart” store mentioned in the documentation was not automatically created.

Conflicting solutions were provided:

  • One response suggested using the password from Online Store → Preferences → Password Protection in the admin panel.
  • Another recommended creating a Custom App and using the Admin API Access Token as the password.
  • The most recent response clarified that the CLI no longer uses store passwords and instead requires authentication via shopify login --store your-store-name.myshopify.com, which opens a browser for credential entry.

Key takeaway: The authentication method has changed from the older documentation. Users should run the shopify login command and authenticate through their browser rather than entering passwords directly in the CLI. The “Quickstart” store is no longer auto-generated; developers must create a dev store manually from the Partner Dashboard.

Summarized with AI on October 24. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
1

I’m new to Shopify and want to create a custom theme.
I started following the official tutorial and have run into two problems.
I created a store in the web admin and the CLI is asking asking: “Enter your store password”. Where do I find the password within the admin?

I was told in the docs that a store called “Quickstart” was automatically created but when I tried to use that in the CLI I get the message “Looks like you don’t have access this dev store: (Quickstart ( https://Quickstart.myshopify.com )) If you’re not the owner, create a dev store staff account for yourself

3 Likes
2

Hi @o-t-w,

Go to your Shopify Admin Panel (https://your-store.myshopify.com/admin)

Navigate to Online Store → Preferences

Scroll down to the section called Password Protection or Password Page

You will see a password field, this is the password you need to enter in the CLI

Thanks!

3

Hi @o-t-w

  1. Enter your store password”
  • Shopify CLI does not use your normal store owner password.
  • What it’s asking for is the API access token (aka “storefront password”) from a Custom App you create in your store.

Steps:

  1. In your store admin, go to Settings → Apps and sales channels → Develop apps.
  2. Click Create an app → name it something like Theme Dev.
  3. Under Configuration → Admin API integration, give it the required access (themes, etc.).
  4. Click Install app → copy the Admin API Access Token (this is the “password” the CLI wants).

When the CLI asks for the store password, paste that token.

4

@o-t-w Hi, welcome to Shopify!

The CLI no longer uses store passwords. Here’s the updated way to connect:

1. Run this command in your terminal:

shopify login --store your-store-name.myshopify.com

2. A browser window will open — log in with your store credentials.

3. After login, return to the terminal and you’ll be connected.

4. If you don’t already have a dev store, create one from your Partner Dashboard.

5. Then use the same login command above to connect your dev store to the CLI.

The “Quickstart” store mentioned in older tutorials isn’t created automatically anymore, so setting up a dev store yourself is the way forward.