Product Roadmap - Multi-Shop CLI

Last Updated: 2025-10-28 Current Version: v2.2.4

Vision

Eliminate the complexity and risk of managing multiple Shopify stores from a single theme codebase, enabling teams to ship faster with confidence.

Aligned with Shopify's official recommendations:

"For events like sales, consider using non-main branches to customize your theme. Themes connected to these branches can be published temporarily." — Shopify Theme Version Control Best Practices

Multi-shop CLI automates these workflows that Shopify recommends but doesn't provide tooling for.

Problem Space Analysis

The Core Challenge

Managing multiple Shopify stores from one theme codebase involves several competing concerns:

1. Code Sharing (✅ Working well)

Bug fixes should propagate to all shops
New features should be available everywhere
Improvements benefit the entire fleet

2. Content Isolation (⚠️ Partially solved)

Each shop has unique branding (colors, fonts, text)
Settings should NOT sync across shops
Accidental overwrites cause real damage
Currently: Detection + warnings (not prevention)

3. Campaign Management (❌ Manual/undocumented)

Time-sensitive promotions need isolated branches
Promo content should eventually merge to shop main
Cleanup after campaigns is manual and error-prone
No tooling support currently

4. Team Coordination (⚠️ Minimal support)

Multiple teams work on different shops
Shop ownership unclear in tooling
No notification system for cross-shop changes
Manual coordination required

5. Testing Complexity (⚠️ Basic support)

Need to test changes across multiple shop contexts
Visual regression testing not integrated
No automated cross-shop testing
Preview link management is manual

User Personas & Pain Points

Persona 1: Solo Developer (2-5 shops)

Current Pain Points:

😤 Manually creating promo branches
😤 Remembering which shop has which customizations
😤 Testing same feature across all shops (repetitive)
😤 Cleaning up after campaigns

What they need:

One-click promo branch creation
Quick shop context switching
Automated cleanup workflows
Simple campaign lifecycle management

Persona 2: Small Team (5-15 shops)

Current Pain Points:

😤 Coordinating who works on which shop
😤 Accidental content overwrites (detection helps but not prevents)
😤 No visibility into shop sync status
😤 Manual testing across all shops

What they need:

Shop ownership tracking
Content protection (not just warnings)
Sync status dashboard
Automated cross-shop testing

Persona 3: Enterprise (15+ shops)

Current Pain Points:

😤 Shop sprawl (too many shops to manage)
😤 No audit trail for changes
😤 Complex approval workflows
😤 Deployment coordination across regions/teams

What they need:

Shop grouping and organization
Comprehensive audit logging
Advanced approval workflows
Deployment scheduling and coordination

Feature Roadmap

Immediate Priority (v2.3.0) - Next 2-4 weeks

Theme: Campaign Management Automation

Feature 1: Campaign Tools Menu ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Problem: Promo/campaign workflows are entirely manual Impact: High - Core use case, frequently needed Effort: Medium (~8 hours) Shopify Validation: ✅ Shopify explicitly recommends branch-per-campaign: "Connect one or more branches from a repository to easily develop and test new theme features or campaigns" (Source)

Implementation:

// Add to cli.ts main menu:
{ value: "campaign", label: "Campaign Tools", hint: "Manage promos and campaigns" }

// Campaign submenu:
- Create Promo Branch (shop-a/main → shop-a/promo-NAME)
- Push Promo to Main (shop-a/promo-NAME → shop-a/main PR)
- End Promo (cleanup branch, optional content revert)
- List Active Promos (show all promo branches)

User Story:

As a marketer managing Shop A,
I want to create a promo branch with one command,
So I can quickly set up seasonal campaigns without manual git commands.

Acceptance Criteria:

"Campaign Tools" appears in main menu
Can create promo branch from shop/main
Validates shop exists before creating promo
Auto-pushes branch to GitHub
Creates helpful commit message with promo name
Shows next steps (connect to Shopify theme)

Files to create:

src/lib/core/campaign-tools.ts (~150 lines)
src/lib/core/campaign-operations.ts (~120 lines)
src/__tests__/unit/campaign-tools.test.ts (~50 tests)

Feature 2: Content File Protection (Not Just Detection) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Problem: Current detection warns but doesn't prevent overwrites Impact: Critical - Prevents data loss Effort: Low (~3 hours)

Implementation:

// Auto-create .gitattributes in shop branches
const setupContentProtection = (shopId: string) => {
  const gitattributes = `
# Shop-specific content files (always prefer shop version during merges)
config/settings_data.json merge=ours
templates/*.json merge=ours
locales/*.json merge=ours
config/markets.json merge=ours
  `.trim();

  writeFile(`${shopId}/main`, '.gitattributes', gitattributes);
};

User Story:

As a shop manager,
I want content files to automatically use shop version during merges,
So I never accidentally lose my shop's customizations.

Acceptance Criteria:

Auto-creates .gitattributes on shop branch creation
Documents merge=ours strategy in created file
Updates existing shops with pnpm run shop → Tools → Setup Content Protection
Warns if .gitattributes is missing
Tests verify merge behavior

Feature 3: Shop Health Check ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Problem: No way to verify shop configuration is correct Impact: Medium-High - Prevents issues Effort: Low (~4 hours)

Implementation:

// New menu option: Tools → Health Check
const healthCheck = async (shopId: string) => {
  const results = {
    configValid: await validateConfig(shopId),
    credentialsExist: await checkCredentials(shopId),
    branchesExist: await checkBranches(shopId),
    githubConnected: await checkGitHubIntegration(shopId),
    contentProtected: await checkGitAttributes(shopId)
  };

  displayHealthReport(results);
};

Output:

🏥 Shop Health Check: shop-a

✅ Configuration valid
✅ Credentials exist (production, staging)
✅ Branches exist (shop-a/main, shop-a/staging)
⚠️  GitHub integration not verified (check manually)
❌ Content protection not configured (.gitattributes missing)

Recommendations:
  1. Run: Tools → Setup Content Protection
  2. Verify GitHub connection in Shopify Admin

Near-Term (v2.4.0) - 1-2 months

Theme: Developer Experience & Testing

Feature 4: Quick Shop Switcher in Dev Mode ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Problem: Must exit and restart dev server to switch shops Impact: Medium - DX improvement, saves time Effort: Medium (~6 hours)

Implementation:

// During dev server, watch for keypress
process.stdin.on('data', async (key) => {
  if (key.toString() === 's') {  // 's' for switch
    console.log('\n🔄 Switch Shop');
    const newShop = await selectShop();
    restartDevServer(newShop);
  }
});

User Story:

As a developer testing a feature,
I want to switch between shops without exiting dev mode,
So I can quickly test across multiple shop contexts.

Feature 5: Shop Cloning ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Problem: Creating similar shops requires manual duplication Impact: Medium - Saves time for new shop setup Effort: Low (~3 hours)

Implementation:

pnpm run shop → Create New Shop → Clone from existing shop

# Copies config from shop-a, prompts for new values:
Source shop: shop-a
New shop ID: shop-b
New name: Shop B
New production domain: shop-b.myshopify.com
...

Copies:

✅ Authentication method
✅ Branch naming pattern
❌ NOT credentials (security)
❌ NOT content (shop-specific)

Feature 6: Preview Link Manager ⭐⭐⭐

Problem: Managing Shopify preview links across shops is manual Impact: Medium - QA and sharing Effort: Low (~3 hours)

Implementation:

pnpm run shop → Tools → Generate Preview Links

Generating preview links for all shops...

shop-a (staging):
  Preview: https://shop-a.myshopify.com/?preview_theme_id=123456
  Editor:  https://shop-a.myshopify.com/admin/themes/123456/editor

shop-b (staging):
  Preview: https://shop-b.myshopify.com/?preview_theme_id=789012
  ...

[Copy all] [Copy shop-a only] [Open in browser]

Mid-Term (v2.5.0) - 2-3 months

Theme: Content Management & Collaboration

Feature 7: Content Snapshot & Restore ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Problem: No way to backup/restore shop content before risky operations Impact: High - Safety net for content changes Effort: Medium (~8 hours)

Implementation:

pnpm run shop → Tools → Content Management

Options:
  → Create Content Snapshot (shop-a)
  → Restore Content Snapshot
  → Compare Content (shop-a vs shop-b)
  → Pull Content from Shopify

Use Cases:

Before major sync: Snapshot content, try sync, rollback if needed
Clone shop content: Copy shop-a settings to new shop-b
Debug differences: Compare why shop-a looks different than shop-b

Implementation:

const createSnapshot = async (shopId: string) => {
  // Pull current content from Shopify
  execSync(`shopify theme pull --only=config/settings_data.json --only=templates/*.json`);

  // Save with timestamp
  const snapshot = {
    shopId,
    timestamp: new Date().toISOString(),
    files: {
      'config/settings_data.json': readFile(...),
      'templates/index.json': readFile(...),
      ...
    }
  };

  writeFile(`shops/snapshots/${shopId}-${timestamp}.json`, snapshot);
};

Feature 8: Shop Ownership & CODEOWNERS Automation ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Problem: No tracking of which team owns which shop Impact: High for teams - Clear ownership Effort: Low (~4 hours)

Implementation:

pnpm run shop → Edit Shop → Set Owner/Team

Shop: shop-a
Current owner: None
New owner: @marketing-team

# Auto-updates CODEOWNERS:
shops/shop-a.config.json @marketing-team
shops/shop-a/* @marketing-team

Benefits:

Auto-requests review from shop team
Clear responsibility
GitHub notifications to right people

Feature 9: Bulk Shop Operations ⭐⭐⭐

Problem: Performing same operation across all shops is tedious Impact: Medium - Efficiency for large fleets Effort: Low (~3 hours)

Implementation:

pnpm run shop → Tools → Bulk Operations

Select operation:
  → Update all shop configs (batch edit)
  → Sync all shops at once
  → Health check all shops
  → Generate all preview links
  → Archive inactive shops

Select shops:
  [x] shop-a
  [x] shop-b
  [ ] shop-c (inactive)
  [x] Select all active

Long-Term (v3.0.0) - 3-6 months

Theme: Advanced Workflows & Enterprise Features

Feature 10: Visual Regression Testing Integration ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Problem: No way to catch visual changes when syncing code Impact: Very High - Prevents broken UIs in production Effort: High (~16 hours)

Integration with:

Percy.io
Chromatic
Or custom screenshot comparison

Implementation:

pnpm run shop → Tools → Visual Testing

# Takes screenshots of key pages across all shops
# Compares before/after for PRs
# Flags visual differences for review

User Story:

As a developer syncing CSS changes,
I want to see visual diffs across all shops,
So I can catch unintended visual regressions before deployment.

Feature 11: Deployment Scheduling & Coordination ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Problem: No coordination for deploying to multiple shops Impact: High for enterprises - Reduces deployment risk Effort: High (~12 hours)

Implementation:

pnpm run shop → Tools → Schedule Deployment

Deploy: main → all shop staging branches
When: Tonight at 2 AM EST (low traffic)
Shops: shop-a, shop-b, shop-c (3 selected)
Rollback: Automatic if theme check fails

[Schedule] [Deploy now] [Cancel]

Features:

Schedule deployments for low-traffic hours
Staggered rollout (shop-a first, wait 1 hour, then shop-b)
Automatic rollback if errors detected
Notification when complete
Deployment status dashboard

Feature 12: Shop Template System ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Problem: Setting up similar shops requires repetitive configuration Impact: Medium-High - Accelerates shop creation Effort: Medium (~6 hours)

Implementation:

# Save shop as template
pnpm run shop → Tools → Save as Template
Shop: shop-a
Template name: beauty-store-template
Description: Standard beauty store setup with reviews

# Create from template
pnpm run shop → Create New Shop → From Template
Template: beauty-store-template
New shop ID: shop-f
# Pre-fills auth method, branch pattern, structure

Template includes:

Authentication method preference
Branch naming convention
Recommended GitHub workflow
Does NOT include: credentials, content, domains

Feature 13: Sync Status Dashboard ⭐⭐⭐

Problem: No visibility into which shops are in sync with main Impact: Medium - Operational visibility Effort: Medium (~8 hours)

Implementation:

pnpm run shop → Tools → Sync Status

Sync Status Dashboard:

shop-a/staging:  ✅ Up to date (0 commits behind main)
shop-a/main:     ⚠️  2 commits behind staging
shop-b/staging:  ❌ 15 commits behind main (last sync: 7 days ago)
shop-b/main:     ✅ Up to date
shop-c/staging:  ✅ Up to date (0 commits behind main)

Recommendations:
  - Shop B needs sync (15 commits behind)
  - Shop A: Deploy staging to main

[Sync all outdated] [View details]

Future Exploration (v3.1.0+) - 6+ months

Theme: Advanced Features & Integrations

Feature 14: Content Diffing & Smart Merge ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Problem: No way to see content differences between shops Impact: Very High - Understanding shop variations Effort: Very High (~20 hours)

Implementation:

pnpm run shop → Tools → Content Diff

Compare: shop-a vs shop-b

config/settings_data.json:
  Colors:
    shop-a: #FF0000 (red)
    shop-b: #0000FF (blue)  ← Different

  Fonts:
    shop-a: "Helvetica"
    shop-b: "Helvetica"     ← Same

  Logo:
    shop-a: logo-fitness.png
    shop-b: logo-beauty.png ← Different

[Export diff] [Copy shop-a to shop-b] [Ignore differences]

Smart Merge:

Identify which content differences are intentional
Suggest which to sync, which to keep different
One-click selective content sync

Feature 15: Multi-Shop Dev Server ⭐⭐⭐

Problem: Can only preview one shop at a time Impact: Medium - Testing efficiency Effort: High (~12 hours)

Implementation:

pnpm run dev --multi

Starting dev servers for all shops:
  shop-a: http://localhost:9292
  shop-b: http://localhost:9293
  shop-c: http://localhost:9294

[s] Switch focus  [r] Reload all  [q] Quit

Focus: shop-a

Challenges:

Multiple Shopify CLI instances
Port management
Resource usage
Terminal UI complexity

Feature 16: Deployment Pipeline Integration ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Problem: No integration with deployment tools Impact: High for enterprises Effort: Very High (~16 hours)

Integrations:

Slack notifications on sync/deploy
Datadog deployment tracking
PagerDuty integration for failures
Custom webhooks for deployment events

Feature 17: Shop Archiving & Lifecycle ⭐⭐⭐

Problem: No way to mark shops as inactive/archived Impact: Medium - Organization Effort: Low (~4 hours)

Implementation:

pnpm run shop → Archive Shop

Shop: shop-old
Archive reason: Store closed

Actions:
  ✅ Move config to shops/archived/
  ✅ Keep credentials (for reference)
  ✅ Add "archived: true" to config
  ✅ Exclude from sync operations
  ✅ Preserve git branches (read-only)

[Archive] [Cancel]

Feature 18: Interactive Onboarding Tour ⭐⭐⭐

Problem: New users don't know where to start Impact: Medium - UX improvement Effort: Medium (~6 hours)

Implementation:

# First time running:
npx multi-shop

🎉 Welcome to Multi-Shop!

This looks like your first time. Want a quick tour?
[Yes, show me around] [No, I'll explore myself]

→ Step 1/5: Creating your first shop
→ Step 2/5: Setting up credentials
→ Step 3/5: Running development server
→ Step 4/5: Creating a feature branch
→ Step 5/5: Syncing shops

[Skip] [Previous] [Next]

Prioritization Framework

Impact vs Effort Matrix

HIGH IMPACT, LOW EFFORT (Do First):
├─ Shop Health Check (v2.3.0)
├─ Content Protection (.gitattributes automation) (v2.3.0)
├─ Shop Cloning (v2.4.0)
└─ Shop Archiving (v2.4.0)

HIGH IMPACT, MEDIUM EFFORT (Core Features):
├─ Campaign Tools Menu (v2.3.0) ⭐ Priority
├─ Shop Ownership/CODEOWNERS (v2.4.0)
├─ Preview Link Manager (v2.4.0)
└─ Sync Status Dashboard (v2.4.0)

HIGH IMPACT, HIGH EFFORT (Major Features):
├─ Content Snapshot & Restore (v2.5.0)
├─ Visual Regression Testing (v3.0.0)
├─ Content Diffing & Smart Merge (v3.0.0)
└─ Deployment Pipeline Integration (v3.0.0)

MEDIUM IMPACT (Nice to Have):
├─ Quick Shop Switcher (v2.4.0)
├─ Bulk Shop Operations (v2.4.0)
├─ Interactive Onboarding (v2.5.0)
└─ Multi-Shop Dev Server (v3.0.0)

Recommended v2.3.0 Scope (Next Release)

Focus: Campaign Management + Content Protection

Features to include:

✅ Campaign Tools Menu (highest user demand)
✅ Content Protection Automation (.gitattributes)
✅ Shop Health Check (quick win)

Why this combination:

Addresses biggest pain point (manual promo workflows)
Strengthens content protection (moves from detection → prevention)
Adds operational confidence (health checks)
All deliverable in 2-3 weeks
Clear value proposition for v2.3.0 release

Estimated effort: ~15 hours total

Community-Requested Features (Track as they come in)

Once open source, users will request features. Track here:

Feature request: [Issue #X] - Description
Feature request: [Issue #Y] - Description

Prioritization criteria:

How many users request it?
Does it solve a real pain point?
Is it aligned with core mission?
Can it be implemented cleanly?

What NOT to Build

Features to avoid (scope creep):

❌ Custom build pipeline - Use existing tools (Webpack, Vite) ❌ Theme marketplace - Out of scope ❌ Shopify store management - Admin API apps do this ❌ Theme development framework - Focus on multi-shop workflows ❌ Version control system - Use Git, don't reinvent ❌ Deployment platform - Integrate, don't replace ❌ Analytics dashboard - Out of scope (use Shopify analytics)

Stick to the core mission: Multi-shop workflow management

Success Metrics

Track these to validate feature impact:

Usage Metrics:

npm downloads per week
GitHub stars
Issues opened (engagement)
PRs from community

Feature Metrics (after release):

% of users using Campaign Tools
% of shops with content protection enabled
Number of health checks run
Average shops per installation

Quality Metrics:

Test coverage (maintain 80%+)
Issue close rate (<7 days average)
PR merge time (<48 hours)
Security audit score (maintain A+)

Version Planning

v2.3.0 (Nov 2025) - Campaign Tools + Content Protection v2.4.0 (Dec 2025) - DX Improvements + Testing v2.5.0 (Jan 2026) - Content Management + Collaboration v3.0.0 (Mar 2026) - Advanced Features (if breaking changes needed)

How to Use This Roadmap

For planning:

Review quarterly
Adjust based on user feedback
Community can comment on features (GitHub Discussions)
Tag issues with version milestones

For contributors:

Pick features marked for current version
Check "effort" estimate
See acceptance criteria
Reference user stories

For users:

See what's coming
Vote on features (GitHub reactions on issues)
Suggest new features
Understand direction

Contributing to Roadmap

Have ideas? We want to hear them!

Search existing issues - Feature might already be requested
Open discussion - Discuss in GitHub Discussions first
Create feature request - Use issue template
Vote on features - React with 👍 on issues you want

Maintainer reviews quarterly and updates roadmap based on:

User requests
Real pain points
Alignment with mission
Implementation feasibility

Roadmap is a living document - Updated as we learn from users and the multi-shop ecosystem evolves.

Last updated: 2025-10-28 by @brandt

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Product Roadmap - Multi-Shop CLI

Vision

Problem Space Analysis

The Core Challenge

User Personas & Pain Points

Persona 1: Solo Developer (2-5 shops)

Persona 2: Small Team (5-15 shops)

Persona 3: Enterprise (15+ shops)

Feature Roadmap

Immediate Priority (v2.3.0) - Next 2-4 weeks

Feature 1: Campaign Tools Menu ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Feature 2: Content File Protection (Not Just Detection) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Feature 3: Shop Health Check ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Near-Term (v2.4.0) - 1-2 months

Feature 4: Quick Shop Switcher in Dev Mode ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Feature 5: Shop Cloning ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Feature 6: Preview Link Manager ⭐⭐⭐

Mid-Term (v2.5.0) - 2-3 months

Feature 7: Content Snapshot & Restore ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Feature 8: Shop Ownership & CODEOWNERS Automation ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Feature 9: Bulk Shop Operations ⭐⭐⭐

Long-Term (v3.0.0) - 3-6 months

Feature 10: Visual Regression Testing Integration ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Feature 11: Deployment Scheduling & Coordination ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Feature 12: Shop Template System ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Feature 13: Sync Status Dashboard ⭐⭐⭐

Future Exploration (v3.1.0+) - 6+ months

Feature 14: Content Diffing & Smart Merge ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Feature 15: Multi-Shop Dev Server ⭐⭐⭐

Feature 16: Deployment Pipeline Integration ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Feature 17: Shop Archiving & Lifecycle ⭐⭐⭐

Feature 18: Interactive Onboarding Tour ⭐⭐⭐

Prioritization Framework

Impact vs Effort Matrix

Recommended v2.3.0 Scope (Next Release)

Community-Requested Features (Track as they come in)

What NOT to Build

Success Metrics

Version Planning

How to Use This Roadmap

Contributing to Roadmap