Is it possible to generate a Headless storefront through the API?

Retired Boards Appdev Custom Storefronts
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Topic summary

Main issue: whether an embedded Shopify admin app can replicate Headless functionality to obtain credentials for the Storefront API and Customer Account API.

Current update: A response affirms it’s possible, but emphasizes handling authentication, secure token management, and proper Shopify API integration. No concrete steps or scope requirements were provided.

Details raised:

  • Storefront API: The GraphQL mutation storefrontAccessTokenCreate was found, but the requester lacks permission and doesn’t know how to request the required access scopes for their app.
  • Customer Account API: No clear path or documentation identified to obtain credentials.

Key terms:

  • Headless: a decoupled storefront architecture where the frontend is separate from Shopify’s theme layer.
  • Embedded admin app: a custom app running within Shopify’s Admin UI, capable of managing store data via Shopify APIs.

Outcome/status: No resolution yet. The thread seeks specific guidance on required access scopes, permissions, and the process to generate Storefront API tokens and Customer Account API credentials. A Shopify doc link to the storefrontAccessTokenCreate mutation is central to the discussion.

Summarized with AI on December 19. AI used: gpt-5.
1

Can I develop an embedded admin app like Headless that can retrieve credentials for Storefront API and Customer Account API? Simply put, can I replicate the Headless functionality in my admin app?

2

Hi @skarakovski ,

Yes, you can definitely develop an embedded admin app that replicates the functionality of Headless apps to retrieve credentials for the Storefront API and Customer Account API, but you’ll need to handle authentication, secure access to API tokens, and ensure proper integration with Shopify’s API structure.

3

Hello @Harris3 , thank you for your reply.
Can you provide the information you have?
For the Storefront API I found only this request, but I don’t have permissions to execute it, also I don’t see solutions to request Access Scopes of my application to execute it.
https://shopify.dev/docs/api/admin-graphql/2024-10/mutations/storefrontAccessTokenCreate
For the Customer Account API, I don’t see any solutions for request that credentials.