Is it possible to edit /.well-known files? [mobile deeplinking/Buy SDK]

Technical Q&A

Topic summary

A developer is attempting to implement mobile app deep linking for a Shopify Theme store, which requires configuring /.well-known/assetlinks.json (Android) and /.well-known/apple-app-site-association (iOS) files.

Core Problem:
Shopify does not allow direct access to or editing of .well-known/ files, making native deep linking configuration impossible on Shopify domains.

Confirmed Solution:

  • Host the required .well-known/ files on an external server (Firebase, Netlify, Vercel)
  • Use a custom subdomain (e.g., links.yourstore.com) to serve these files
  • Configure the mobile app to reference this subdomain for deep linking
  • The store must be publicly accessible (not password-protected) for SDKs and deep links to function

Additional Constraints:

  • Shopify’s URL redirect feature cannot be used for .well-known/ paths
  • Deep linking cannot work directly on myshopify.com domains
  • Fallback/redirect logic must be implemented in the app for users who don’t have deep linking enabled

Status: The question has been answered with a workaround solution, though no native Shopify support exists for this use case.

Summarized with AI on October 27. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
1

I am trying to implement deep linking in my mobile apps, which use Shopify Theme stores. To do this, it is necessary to properly configure the files located at /.well-known/assetlinks.json and /.well-known/apple-app-site-association.

Is it possible to do that on Shopify? I’ve read a lot of documentation and threads here but haven’t found a proper solution. That’s why I have a few questions. If you know the answer to any of them, please don’t hesitate to share it with me :slightly_smiling_face:

  1. In order to properly configure the iOS/Android Buy SDK, is it required that the store is not password-protected?

  2. Is it possible to edit the assetlinks.json and apple-app-site-association files generated when using the Buy SDKs?

  3. Is it possible to successfully redirect the assetlinks.json and apple-app-site-association files using the URL redirect feature in the Shopify admin panel?

  4. Have you managed to solve any of the above issues in a different way? If so, how did you do it?

Thank you in advance for the help!

2

Hello @mzielu ,

Shopify doesn’t allow direct access to .well-known/ files like assetlinks.json or apple-app-site-association.

Host these files on an external server (like Firebase, Netlify, or Vercel) using a subdomain — for example: links.yourstore.com/.well-known/assetlinks.json

Then, use that subdomain for deep linking in your app.

And Yes, your store must be public (not password protected) for deep links and SDKs to work properly.
Shopify URL redirects won’t work for .well-known/ paths.

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3

Thank you, @topnewyork for the answer. Just to be clear: there’s no way to enable deep linking for URLs like mzielu-store.myshopify.com/something, right? I have to do it this way instead: subd.mzielu-store/something? Also, I assume I’ll need to implement redirect logic for non-deep linking scenarios as well.

4

Thank you @Sunnytech for the answer. Just to be clear: there’s no way to enable deep linking for URLs like mzielu-store.myshopify.com/something, right? I have to do it this way instead: subd.mzielu-store/something? Also, I assume I’ll need to implement redirect logic for non-deep linking scenarios as well.

5

Hello @mzielu ,

Correct — deep linking won’t work directly on mzielu-store.myshopify.com because Shopify doesn’t support serving .well-known/ files.

You’ll need to host them on a custom subdomain like links.mzielu-store.com , and point your app there for deep linking.

Also yes, handling fallback logic for non-deep link users inside the app is necessary to ensure smooth navigation.

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