Why isn't my local Shopify theme dev rendering changes?

Technical Q&A

Topic summary

Local Shopify development via shopify theme dev serves the published theme instead of local files. CLI runs without errors, logs file changes, and the browser refreshes, but localhost still shows the live theme.

Scope and context:

  • Affects multiple computers, projects, and stores (macOS 14.3.1; CLI 3.55.4–3.56.2). Initially suspected network issues; a router reset only briefly helped.
  • Confirmed as a known issue via an open Shopify CLI GitHub bug.

Workarounds and fixes reported:

  • Use the preview parameter with the local server: http://127.0.0.1:9292/?preview_theme_id=THEME_ID. The theme ID appears in the CLI startup output. This reliably restores local preview for many.
  • Upgrade Shopify CLI (e.g., to 3.56.3) resolved it for some; a few also updated Ruby.
  • Clear browser cache/cookies or use incognito; mixed results, sometimes only certain browsers reflect changes.
  • Delete the .shopify directory and re-pull the theme (rm -rf .shopify/ then shopify theme pull). Warning: this deletes local changes; back up first.

Status: Issue appears tied to Shopify’s infrastructure with version interactions. Partially resolved via updates or workarounds; still ongoing for some users.

Summarized with AI on December 14. AI used: gpt-5.
15

This worked for me. Thanks