Get local URL of Application Proxy, even if shop owner changes it

Retired Boards Appdev Store Design

Topic summary

Developers need a way to programmatically retrieve the current Application Proxy URL that merchants set for their stores, as merchants can customize the subpath (e.g., /tools, /apps, /community) after installation.

Core Problem:

  • Apps set a default proxy URL during setup, but merchants can change the subpath in their settings
  • When merchants modify the URL, client-side JavaScript breaks because it still references the old path
  • No webhook, API endpoint, or Liquid object currently exists to detect or retrieve the active proxy URL

Impact:

  • AJAX calls fail after URL changes
  • Email links to proxy pages become invalid
  • Apps break without merchant understanding why
  • Particularly problematic during mandatory migrations (e.g., from Asset API)

Proposed Solutions:

  • Add a webhook notification when proxy URLs change
  • Provide an API endpoint to query current proxy settings
  • Include path_prefix in Liquid’s app object
  • Allow developers to toggle whether merchants can modify the URL
  • Support both developer-set and merchant-set paths simultaneously

Current Workaround:
Extract path_prefix from incoming proxy request parameters and store in database, though this doesn’t solve client-side JavaScript issues.

Status: Unresolved since at least 2015, with multiple developers reporting the same issue through 2023. Shopify support has not provided a solution.

Summarized with AI on November 7. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
19

agreed. its crazy that there isnt a way to find the merchant setting for your own app in the api

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