Autonomous Shopify purchasing using Stripe Link for payment and Playwright for browser checkout. Search products across all Shopify merchants, generate one-t...
---
name: shopify-link-checkout
description: |
Autonomous Shopify purchasing using Stripe Link for payment and Playwright for browser checkout.
Search products across all Shopify merchants, generate one-time payment cards via Stripe Link,
and complete checkout end-to-end with headless browser automation.
Use when: "buy me X", "order X to my house", "purchase X from Shopify", "shop for X",
or any request to find and buy a product from an online store.
Requires: Stripe Link CLI authenticated, Shopify Catalog API credentials, Playwright with Chromium.
---
# Shopify + Link Autonomous Checkout
Buy products from any Shopify store using Stripe Link for payment and Playwright for browser checkout.
## Prerequisites
### Stripe Link CLI
```bash
npm install -g @stripe/link-cli
link-cli auth login --client-name "YourAgent" --format json
```
User approves at the returned `verification_url`. Backup credentials from `~/.config/link-cli-nodejs/config.json`.
### Shopify Catalog API
Get credentials at [dev.shopify.com/dashboard](https://dev.shopify.com/dashboard) → Catalogs → Get API key.
Store `CLIENT_ID` and `CLIENT_SECRET` in your env.
### Playwright + Chromium
```bash
npm install playwright
npx playwright install chromium
```
If missing system libs (headless server), download Debian packages manually and set `LD_LIBRARY_PATH`. See `references/chromium-deps.md`.
## Workflow
### Step 1: Find the Product
**Option A — Catalog API** (search across all Shopify merchants):
```bash
# Get auth token (60min TTL)
TOKEN=$(curl -s -X POST https://api.shopify.com/auth/access_token \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{"client_id":"'$CLIENT_ID'","client_secret":"'$CLIENT_SECRET'","grant_type":"client_credentials"}' \
| jq -r .access_token)
# Search
curl -s -X POST https://catalog.shopify.com/api/ucp/mcp \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{
"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"tools/call","id":1,
"params":{"name":"search_catalog","arguments":{
"meta":{"ucp-agent":{"profile":"https://shopify.dev/ucp/agent-profiles/examples/2026-04-08/valid-with-capabilities.json"}},
"catalog":{"query":"YOUR SEARCH QUERY","filters":{"ships_to":{"country":"US"},"available":true}}
}}
}'
```
Response includes `variants[].id`, `variants[].seller.domain`, `variants[].price`, and `variants[].checkout_url`.
**Option B — Direct store lookup** (known store):
```
GET https://{store-domain}/products/{handle}.json
```
Returns variant IDs and prices.
### Step 2: Create Link Spend Request
```bash
link-cli spend-request create \
--payment-method-id "<PAYMENT_METHOD_ID>" \
--amount <AMOUNT_IN_CENTS> \
--context "<DESCRIPTION_OF_PURCHASE>" \
--merchant-name "<STORE_NAME>" \
--merchant-url "<STORE_URL>" \
--request-approval \
--format json
```
- Amount should cover product + tax + shipping (estimate generously)
- Context must be 100+ chars describing the purchase (user reads this when approving)
- Send the returned `approval_url` to the user
List payment methods: `link-cli payment-methods list --format json`
### Step 3: User Approves
Poll for approval:
```bash
link-cli spend-request retrieve <ID> --interval 2 --max-attempts 150 --format json
```
### Step 4: Get One-Time Card
```bash
link-cli spend-request retrieve <ID> --include card --format json
```
Returns: `card.number`, `card.exp_month`, `card.exp_year`, `card.cvc`, `card.billing_address`.
### Step 5: Run Checkout
```bash
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH="<path-to-chromium-deps>" # if needed
node scripts/shopify-checkout.mjs <store-domain> <variant-id> <card-number> <MM/YY> <cvc> \
--email <email> --first <name> --last <name> \
--address "<street>" --apt "<unit>" --city "<city>" --state <ST> --zip <zip> \
--phone <phone>
```
See `scripts/shopify-checkout.mjs` for the full automation script.
## Key Technical Details
### Cart Permalink Bypass
Always use `https://{domain}/cart/{variantId}:1` to enter checkout. This bypasses Cloudflare bot detection that blocks direct `/checkout` navigation.
### Checkout Types
Shopify has two checkout layouts:
- **Single-page**: Email, address, shipping, payment all visible. Common on newer stores.
- **Multi-step**: Information → Shipping → Payment. Must click "Continue" between steps.
Detect by checking for `button:has-text("Continue to shipping")` on page load.
### Address Entry
Use `pressSequentially()` with the full address including city to trigger Shopify's autocomplete, then click the `[role="option"]` suggestion. This properly validates the address. Plain `fill()` may not trigger validation events.
### Phone Numbers
Some stores require phone. Always use `pressSequentially()`, never `fill()`. Never use fake numbers (555-xxxx) — stores validate them. Then `Tab` to blur the field.
### Card PCI Iframes
Shopify checkout uses isolated PCI-compliant iframes for card entry:
- `number-ltr` → `#number` (card number)
- `expiry-ltr` → `#expiry` (MM/YY format)
- `verification_value-ltr` → `#verification_value` (CVC)
- `name-ltr` → `#name` (cardholder name)
Access via `page.frames().find(f => f.url().includes('number-ltr'))`.
### Modal Popups
Some stores show Shop Pay / login modals on checkout load. Dismiss with:
```js
await page.keyboard.press('Escape');
await page.evaluate(() => {
document.querySelectorAll('[data-type="modal"]').forEach(el => el.remove());
});
```
### The Click IS the Purchase
Once "Pay now" is clicked, the order is placed server-side immediately. The browser redirect to `/thank_you` may lag or fail in headless mode. Don't treat missing confirmation page as failure — check email instead.
## Error Handling
| Error | Cause | Fix |
|-------|-------|-----|
| Cloudflare "Just a moment..." | Bot detection | Use cart permalink, not /checkout |
| "Enter a phone number" | Required field or fake number | Use real phone with pressSequentially |
| "Issue processing payment" | Card declined or expired | Create fresh Link spend request |
| "Checkout system error" | Shopify infra issue or rate limit | Wait and retry |
| Modal intercepts clicks | Shop Pay popup | Dismiss with Escape + remove via JS |
| Card frames not found | Multi-step checkout, not at payment step yet | Navigate through steps first |
## References
- `scripts/shopify-checkout.mjs` — Full checkout automation script
- `references/chromium-deps.md` — Installing Chromium on headless servers without root
- [Stripe Link for Agents](https://link.com/agents) — Link CLI docs
- [Shopify Agentic Commerce](https://shopify.dev/docs/agents) — Catalog + Cart + Checkout MCP
- [Link skill.md](https://link.com/skill.md) — Official Link CLI skill reference
don't have the plugin yet? install it then click "run inline in claude" again.