shopify cli 3.74.1 'shopify app init --flavor=' not working with official templates

Shopify Apps

Topic summary

A developer encountered issues using Shopify CLI 3.74.1’s --flavor flag with official templates, specifically the PHP template. Despite documentation stating that --flavor=php should work with official Shopify templates, the CLI consistently treats it as a custom template and throws errors.

Commands that failed:

  • shopify app init --flavor=php
  • shopify app init --flavor=php --template=https://github.com/Shopify/shopify-app-template-php.git
  • shopify app init --flavor=php --template=php

All resulted in errors indicating only “remix” and “none” template aliases are supported, requesting a valid URL instead.

Working commands:

  • shopify app init --flavor=javascript --template=remix (Remix works fine)
  • shopify app init --template=ruby (Ruby works without flavor flag)

Workaround found: The developer resolved this by treating the official PHP template as a third-party template:

shopify app init --template=https://github.com/Shopify/shopify-app-template-php

This successfully scaffolds the app and allows shopify app dev to run, though uncertainty remains whether this is the intended approach. The issue suggests a potential discrepancy between CLI behavior and official documentation.

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

PREREQUISITES

stack: shopify cli 3.74.1

experience with shopify: I have no problem scaffolding an app (like the example qr code remix app, that I can connect correctly to out partner account development store and I’ve deployed to render.com). Now I’ve been trying to scaffold apps with different “flavours” via --flavor

STEP TO REPRODUCE

docs rif: https://shopify.dev/docs/api#app-templates

When you scaffold an app using Shopify CLI, you can specify the template that you want to use with the --flavor flag. Enter remix, node, ruby, or php to use one of our app templates, or use a third-party template by providing a path to a GitHub repository for the template.

following the steps detailed above I tried the following:

shopify app init --flavor=php

then this:

shopify app init --flavor=php --template=https://github.com/Shopify/shopify-app-template-php.git

EXPECTED RESULT:

App being scaffolded with default shopify php template: note how https://github.com/Shopify/shopify-app-template-php.git it is not a custom template and this can be confirmed here: https://shopify.dev/docs/api#app-templates

ACTUAL RESULT:

I get the following errors:

for the first cmd I fired:

ERROR: The --flavor flag requires the --template flag to be set

for the second:

ERROR: The --flavor flag is not supported for custom templates 

CONCLUSION:

I’ve tried the same using the remix template instead of php tempalte but I get the same error: it seems that when using --flavor and --template shopify cli always sees the template as “custom”.

Is this a bug? Or there is a way to instruct shopify cli that the template is indeed NOT a custom but a shopify template.

The official documentation cited above is pretty clear about “one of our template” (see the text I have highlighted in bold). It states I’m supposed to provide a url only for third party templates hosted on github repos. But how can I use the default php template then? what should I specify in --template= in order to use a default shopify template?

Note I’ve also tried this:

shopify app init --flavor=php --template=php

getting the following error:

Only remix, none template aliases are supported, please provide a valid URL

tried with remix and it works fine:

shopify app init --flavor=javascript --template=remix

tried with ruby (that does not support flavours but works fine as well):

shopify app init --template=ruby

but if I try the same with php instead of ruby I get the following error

ERROR: Only remix, none template aliases are supported, please provide a valid URL
2

answering my own question after a few more tries.

I reckon this can be solved via threating the shopify app template as a third party template.

command:

shopify app init --template=https://github.com/Shopify/shopify-app-template-php

Not sure if this is a correct solution but at least it installs the php scaffolded app and I can run the “shopify app dev”.