Shopify debuts Canvas, a way to build online stores by chatting with AI

Shopify has introduced Canvas, a new desktop site-building tool that lets merchants assemble and customize Shopify stores through a chat interface with the company’s AI assistant, Sidekick. Unlike Shopify’s prior no-code editor, which required arranging prebuilt theme sections and blocks or hiring a developer for deeper changes, Canvas enables merchants to request edits in natural language and see the results immediately.

As Sidekick applies changes, Canvas renders the actual store code in real time rather than providing a static mockup. Shopify says this approach lets users interact with the page fully — including animations and interactive elements — and preview how pages will look on different screen sizes. Sidekick also captures screenshots of the evolving site so it can reference the same visual state the merchant sees while updating files.

Shopify built Canvas by giving Sidekick the ability to work directly with theme files and by streamlining theme architecture so the assistant can better understand and modify a store’s structure, logic and design. Merchants can still edit individual elements manually, but the intended workflow is to instruct Sidekick in chat and watch the site update live.

Canvas is in an early stage and several features are not included in the initial release: third-party theme support, app blocks and extensions, markets, translations, staged rollouts and theme update workflows are among the items Shopify says it plans to add over time. The product also competes with other AI-driven builders and vibe-coding platforms from companies such as Wix, Squarespace, Webflow, Framer, Lovable and Replit.