Using Shopify Flow to Add Auto-Incrementing Tag on Subscription Renewal Orders

Shopify Flow

Topic summary

A user is attempting to automate tagging of subscription renewal orders with incrementing cycle numbers (e.g., renewal-cycle-1, renewal-cycle-2) using Shopify Flow and Seal Subscriptions.

Key Questions Raised:

  • Can Flow detect subscription renewal order creation?
  • Is it possible to read/increment a counter (via metafield or built-in property) and write it back?
  • Can Flow add or update tags dynamically, removing old cycle tags and adding new ones?
  • What are best practices regarding race conditions, tag limits, and permissions?

Current Findings:

  • Seal Subscriptions offers webhooks for subscription updates/renewals
  • Flow has a “Subscription Contract Updated” trigger
  • Uncertainty remains about accessing/mutating custom counters or cleanly updating tags

Use Case:
The tags will enable tiered customer benefits based on renewal cycles (e.g., special perks after the third or fourth cycle).

One respondent requested more context about the use case, while another validated the approach as useful for tracking and reducing manual errors. The discussion remains open, seeking workflow examples or hybrid solutions.

Summarized with AI on October 24. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
1

I’m working with Shopify + Flow + a subscription system (Seal Subscriptions), and I want to automate tagging recurring orders (renewals) with a tag that increases each cycle. For example, the first renewal order gets tag renewal-cycle-1, the second renewal order gets renewal-cycle-2, etc.

I’d like to know:

  1. Can Shopify Flow detect when a subscription renewal order is created (or when the renewal cycle completes)?

  2. Is there a way in Flow to read an existing counter for how many renewals have happened (either via a metafield, or built-in property), increment it, and then write it back?

  3. Can Flow then add or update a tag on the order or customer reflecting that number (e.g. remove old renewal-cycle-1 tag, add renewal-cycle-2)?

  4. What are best practices or pitfalls for doing this (race conditions, tag limits, permissions, etc.)?

Here’s what I’ve found / tried so far:

  • Seal Subscriptions has a webhook for subscription updates / renewals.

  • Shopify Flow has triggers like Subscription Contract Updated.

  • But I’m not sure if Flow can access or mutate a custom counter (metafield) for the subscription, or whether cleanly updating tags is possible in all cases.

Would appreciate any examples (Flow workflows, webhooks, or hybrid solutions) or snippets that show how to build this. Thanks in advance!

2

Hey @kxsaoifj do you mind sharing some background/context into the use case for this? How will you be using these tags once they are applied to the orders?

Knowing a bit more about why your team is looking for this functionality will help drive the conversation on how to design the solution.

It might even point us in the direction of a slight pivot that is simpler to implement while still solving your team’s pains.

Cheers!

3

That’s a great idea — automating tags on subscription renewals with a counter would help with tracking and order management. Simple workflow logic could grab the current count (or check existing tags), increment, and apply the new tag. It’ll save manual effort and reduce errors.

4

Thank you for your reply!

We’d like to use these tags to provide subscription customers with some extra benefits—perhaps after the third cycle, and later maybe after the fourth—so we want to make sure the tagging is properly set up before we make our plans