How to satisfy Shopify's app UI requirements for API Only Plugin?

Topic summary

A developer is building an API-only Shopify app for fraud detection that automatically tags customers without merchant interaction. The app was rejected during Shopify’s review process because it lacks a functional user interface, despite being designed to operate entirely in the background.

Initial Problem:

  • Custom apps require merchant-side custom development permissions (unavailable)
  • Public app with private listing was attempted but rejected for insufficient UI

Proposed Solutions:

  • Add a “dummy” enable/disable toggle with a save button to satisfy UI requirements
  • Ensure the toggle actually affects app operation, as Shopify may verify functionality

Current Status:

  • Multiple developers report this workaround is not consistently successful
  • Apps continue getting rejected even with enable/disable buttons
  • Shopify support recommends creating a configuration page with dropdown selection and save functionality
  • Implementation challenges remain, particularly for apps needing to access tokens in checkout extensions without database storage

Unresolved: No confirmed successful approval using these methods; discussion participants are still seeking a working solution.

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

@8Quad @Shopify_77

I think its not working, i still have a app submission review error regarding this, looking for solution to fix this.