Error: Failed to perform the initial theme synchronization - SSL Alert Bad Record

Technical Q&A

Topic summary

A developer is encountering an SSL error when running shopify theme dev on their development store. The error message indicates: ssl3_read_bytes:sslv3 alert bad record mac.

Troubleshooting attempts:

  • Updated Shopify CLI to latest version and tested multiple versions (3.79.0, 3.68.0)
  • Updated Git (2.48.1) and Node.js (18.x LTS)
  • Verified system date/time accuracy
  • Re-authenticated via CLI logout/login

Environment:

  • Windows 10, PowerShell

Another user confirms experiencing the same issue, noting that adding a verbose flag sometimes helps, though inconsistently. A third participant has submitted a pull request (#6516) to the Shopify CLI GitHub repository addressing this problem.

Status: The issue appears to be a known bug with a potential fix in progress. The root cause (SSL/networking/regional) remains unclear.

Summarized with AI on October 23. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
1

Hi everyone,

I’m facing a recurring issue while using the shopify theme dev command on my development store.

Failed to perform the initial theme synchronization.

request to https://test-devstore.myshopify.com/admin/api/2025-04/graphql.json failed, reason:
0C38300C:error:0A0003FC:SSL routines:ssl3_read_bytes:sslv3 alert bad record

What I’ve tried so far:

I have updated to the latest Shopify CLI version using npm install -g @Shopify_77 /cli@latest. I also tried multiple versions like 3.79.0, 3.68.0 etc. to see if the issue is version-specific.
I am using Git version 2.48.1.windows.1 which is up to date. Node.js has been updated to the latest LTS version (18.x). My system date and time are correct.

I also tried logging out and back in using the CLI with the commands:
“shopify logout”
“shopify login --store=test-devstore.myshopify.com”

System info:

Operating System: Windows 10
CLI environment: PowerShell

I would appreciate any help from the community or Shopify team. Is this a known issue related to SSL or region-based networking? Any suggestions or workarounds would be helpful.

Thank you

1 Like
2

I am also facing the same issue, this is pretty awful, sometimes helps to put verbose flag, there is no clear rule

3

I put in a PR for this - Fixes Shopify/cli#6515 by trwww · Pull Request #6516 · Shopify/cli · GitHub