File upload GraphQL api gives an error

Retired Boards Appdev Graphql Basics And Troubleshooting

Topic summary

A developer encountered an “access denied” error when attempting to use the fileCreate GraphQL mutation to upload files. The error message appeared garbled/reversed in the response.

Resolution:
The issue was resolved by adding the write_files access scope to the app’s permissions, as required by the Shopify Admin API documentation.

Follow-up questions:

  • Getting file IDs: After successful upload, file IDs can be retrieved by adding inline fragments to the query:

    ... on MediaImage { id }
... on GenericFile { id }

  • Related issue: Another user reported a “No such object” XML error when checking uploaded file URLs, suggesting potential problems with staged upload paths or file accessibility after creation.

Status: Original issue resolved; additional troubleshooting questions remain open regarding file ID retrieval and post-upload file access.

Summarized with AI on November 9. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
4

Add these lines to your fileCreate query to the files { } section:

...on MediaImage {
    id
}
...on GenericFile {
    id
}
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