My Shopify Theme Development Workflow: Tools I Trust (And What to Avoid)

I work on Shopify front-end projects daily, and over time I’ve narrowed down a set of tools and habits that consistently make development smoother. Some tools genuinely help, others look impressive but slow you down, and a few should be avoided entirely in 2025.

This post goes through the workflow I use for Shopify theme development — the tools that actually work, what I’ve stopped using, and the principles that keep my output clean and maintainable.

Tools I Actually Use for Shopify Theme Development

Shopify CLI

The core of my workflow.
It handles:

hot reload
previews
reliable code syncing

ThemeKit is long past its time. Shopify CLI is the correct tool, and everything else is legacy.

VSCode + GitHub Copilot (Used Smartly)

Copilot is helpful for:

repetitive Liquid structures
loops
small utility snippets

But it doesn’t know your theme, your CSS, or your store’s customizations. It’s autocomplete — not architecture.

Essential VSCode Extensions

These two save time every single day:

Shopify Liquid Template Snippets (Official)
Syntax highlighting, validation, and autocomplete.
Liquid Rich Snippets
More snippets for common Liquid patterns. This may become less necessary with AI tools, but for now it’s still handy.

Together they reduce typos and help keep Liquid code consistent.

Visual Theme: Spinel for VSCode + iTerm2

I never liked dark themes until I tried Spinel, which comes with Shopify’s Ruby tools.
It’s clean, readable, and I ended up matching the same color palette in iTerm2 for a cohesive environment.

Cursor / ChatGPT (As Idea Partners)

If a task requires more than a quick change, I start with a prompt. I write down the idea, list the requirements, and let GenAI suggest an approach.

Used correctly, this saves time because:

you think through the spec before coding
you catch outdated ideas immediately
you avoid jumping into code too fast

But you still have to think. AI doesn’t know:

your theme file structure
your store’s custom sections
your existing CSS utilities
your app stack
your industry context (D2C fashion ≠ B2B wholesale)

AI can produce code that works, but not necessarily code that belongs in your theme.

Example: Button Styles

What AI creates:

<button
  class="primary-button"
  style="background-color: #ff0000; padding: 12px 24px; color: white; border-radius: 6px;"
>
  Buy Now >
</button>

What you should do:

<button class="button button--primary">Buy Now</button>

Themes already have styles. Reusing them keeps everything consistent and prevents bloat.

Chrome Extensions I Actually Use

ColorZilla — grab any color instantly
WhatFont — identify fonts at a glance

Both exist in DevTools, but the extensions are faster for quick checks, especially in client calls.

Tools and Habits I’ve Stopped Using

ThemeKit

Once great. Now outdated. Shopify CLI replaced it completely.

Copilot for Full Logic

Copilot has no context of:

theme schema
metafields
CSS structure
section hierarchy

It’s excellent for autocomplete. It’s not a senior developer.

Manual Browser Refreshing

If you’re still Cmd+R’ing your way through development, you’re wasting time.
Shopify CLI’s hot reload solves this problem entirely.

Other Practices That Make Shopify Theme Work Easier

Write Comments With Intent

Use comments that explain why, not what.

Example:
Featured collection uses settings.image_size to optimize mobile layout.

Not:
start loop

Use Shopify’s GitHub Integration

A clean workflow looks like this:

Create a new branch from main
Duplicate the live theme and name it for the task
Connect the new theme to the branch using Shopify CLI
Develop in VSCode
Live-preview via CLI
Commit → push → open PR
Let the merchant preview the connected theme
Fix issues → merge to main

This structure prevents messy live edits and makes testing safe and transparent.

Do’s and Don’ts for Shopify Theme Development

Do	Don’t
Use Shopify CLI	Use ThemeKit
Reuse existing sections	Build everything from scratch
Know your theme’s CSS utilities	Add unnecessary custom CSS
Use Copilot for autocomplete	Let AI design your architecture
Plan tasks before coding	Jump straight into Liquid blindly

My Shopify Theme Development Workflow (Step-by-Step)

Create a new branch from main, named after the task
Duplicate the live theme in the admin and link it via CLI
Write the task as a short brief, then give it to Cursor/ChatGPT
Work in VSCode with Copilot + Liquid snippets
Use Shopify CLI for live preview
Test responsiveness and browser differences
Commit and push, then open a PR
Share preview theme for client review
Refine, fix, and merge when ready

Key Takeaways

AI can help you move faster, but you still make the decisions.
Shopify CLI is the current standard — nothing else compares.
Clean code comes from understanding your theme, not guessing.
Reuse existing components before creating new ones.
A proper Git workflow prevents chaos and makes collaboration easier.

What’s Next?

I’m planning to write more deeply about:

best practices in web development
how to debug analytics issues in multi-script environments
how to work around Shopify stores
web development in general

If you want something specific covered, let me know — I want to make this a recurring series for Shopify developers.

keywords for the article: Shopify theme development workflow, Shopify developer tools, Shopify CLI workflow, Liquid development tips, AI tools for Shopify development

Why I’m Sharing My Shopify Theme Development Workflow