[Theme Development] Shopify CDN/Cache issue?

Technical Q&A
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Topic summary

Developers are experiencing persistent CDN/cache issues when updating .js.liquid and .css.liquid files in Shopify themes. Changes upload successfully to Shopify’s admin panel but fail to appear on live storefronts, severely impacting development workflows.

Timeline & Status:

  • Issue first reported around August 5, 2023
  • Shopify staff initially marked it “resolved” in August 2023
  • Problem continues recurring through late 2024
  • Shopify support confirmed it’s a known bug with no definitive fix timeline

Current Workarounds:

  • Renaming files temporarily then reverting to original names
  • Injecting styles directly into document head
  • Re-saving asset files
  • All workarounds described as “annoying” and time-consuming

Key Frustrations:

  • Regular .liquid files update normally; only preprocessed asset files affected
  • Inconsistent caching behavior (3-4 minute delays reported)
  • Difficulty distinguishing between code errors and cache issues
  • Poor support response despite impact on Plus stores

The thread remains unresolved despite being marked “solved,” with developers calling for Shopify to prioritize this development-blocking bug.

Summarized with AI on November 1. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
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Is there a solution for when this happens? I’ve tried renaming my cached css file but the old version (instead of the newly named version) is still being served.

Still waiting for customer support to respond but its been a few days. Is there anything else that could help?