Shopify's Global Catalog REST API shuts down on November 2, 2026
Shopify's developer changelog states that the Global Catalog REST API stops serving traffic on November 2, 2026. After that date, every request to https://discover.shopifyapps.com/global/... will fail, including requests against saved catalogs. The changelog says the API was deprecated in April 2026, when Shopify replaced it with Global Catalog MCP. According to the changelog, Global Catalog MCP implements the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP).
The replacement is served at https://catalog.shopify.com/api/ucp/mcp and exposes three UCP catalog tools: search_catalog, lookup_catalog and get_product. Any app or agent that still reads Shopify's cross-merchant catalog through the REST endpoints has a little over three weeks from the date of this article to migrate. In our view, this is more than a URL swap. Request and response schemas change, every call has to declare an agent profile, and saved catalogs are addressed in a new way.
Some details are missing from the changelog. It doesn't say when the entry was published or which day in April the deprecation took effect. It also doesn't say whether the November 2 cutoff happens at a set time, in a particular timezone, or with any grace period. We recommend treating the start of November 2 as the deadline, not the end of the day.
How each REST endpoint maps to a UCP tool
The changelog maps each of the four affected REST endpoints to one of the three MCP tools. The table below restates that mapping next to Shopify's description of each tool.
| REST endpoint (fails November 2) | Global Catalog MCP replacement | What Shopify says the tool does |
|---|---|---|
GET /global/v2/search | search_catalog | Searches for products across all Shopify merchants, with filters, pagination and buyer context |
GET /global/v2/p/{upid} | get_product, passing gid://shopify/p/{upid} | Returns full product details with variant selection and availability signals |
GET /global/v2/p/by-variant/{vid} | get_product, passing gid://shopify/ProductVariant/{id} | Same tool, addressed by variant ID |
POST /global/v2/lookup | lookup_catalog | Looks up products or variants by identifier, in batches of up to 50 per request |
| Saved-catalog endpoint URLs | Catalog ID passed as catalog.catalog_id | Saved catalogs are referenced by ID instead of by URL |
Two details matter for anyone porting code. First, the two single-product endpoints become one tool. The global ID now says whether you're fetching a product or a variant, where the URL path used to. Second, lookup_catalog has a stated ceiling of 50 identifiers per request. The changelog doesn't give the REST API's bulk limit, so teams that send larger batches should check their batch sizes now rather than assume the two behave the same.
What changes in each request, and what stays the same
According to Shopify's changelog, three things change for every migrated call:
- Schemas. Apps must update to the UCP catalog request and response schemas. Code that parses REST responses will need rework. The changelog points to the Global Catalog MCP documentation for the full schemas.
- Agent identity. Every request must include
meta.ucp-agent.profilewith the agent profile URL. The changelog doesn't say what the profile must contain or whether Shopify validates it. - Saved catalogs. Apps no longer call a saved-catalog endpoint URL. Instead they pass the catalog ID as
catalog.catalog_id.
Authentication doesn't change. Shopify's changelog says developers can keep generating bearer tokens from Dev Dashboard client credentials. That means no new credentials to set up, but the schema work is still there.
Shopify also offers a way to test before cutting over. The changelog says the tools can be tried with the Shopify AI Toolkit or by running ucp catalog search with the UCP CLI. In practice, this lets a team run the same queries through REST and MCP and compare the responses. That comparison is only possible while the REST API is still live.
What it means for ecommerce brands
The changelog is written for app developers. It doesn't mention any direct effect on merchants' own stores, product data or admin. Merchant-owned storefronts are a separate surface, covered in Shopify's storefront documentation. Most brands will feel this shutdown indirectly, through third-party apps or agents they use that read the Global Catalog.
Everything from here on in this section is our interpretation. Global Catalog is one route by which third-party apps and agents find products across all Shopify merchants. After November 2, Shopify serves that route only through a UCP endpoint. Shopify says get_product returns variant selection and availability signals, and that search_catalog accepts buyer context. We expect that, for agents using this route, clean identifiers, variant structure and availability data will affect whether a product is found and chosen. That overlaps with what an agent-readability check of a PDP looks at: clean variants, price and availability a machine can read, and clear identifiers.
Some important facts are still missing. Shopify hasn't explained how products get into the Global Catalog, which fields the UCP response schemas return, or how search_catalog ranks results across merchants. Until those facts are public, any claim that this shutdown raises or lowers a particular brand's AI visibility is speculation.
The strategic read: product discovery moves onto UCP
Our read is that Shopify is building its agent-facing commerce around UCP. Its developer docs homepage has an Agents section described as building "agentic shopping experiences powered by Shopify merchants, from product discovery to checkout," which links to "Build agents with UCP." Replacing a Shopify-specific REST API with a UCP endpoint puts cross-merchant product discovery on the same protocol. We see the same direction in Shopify's move to Cart MCP in place of the Storefront MCP cart tools.
The required meta.ucp-agent.profile field is the detail to watch. With it, every catalog request carries an agent identity. The changelog doesn't say how Shopify uses the profile. In principle, though, it could show Shopify which agents query merchant catalogs and how often. If that information ever feeds into ranking, access tiers or rate limits, the profile will matter well beyond the request format.
Every Global Catalog MCP request has to declare an agent profile. That ties catalog reads to a named agent, not only to an app credential.
As defined in our UCP glossary entry, UCP is an open protocol, not a Shopify-only interface. A catalog built on a shared protocol is probably easier for agent builders to use than a custom REST API, which lowers the cost of building agents that browse Shopify merchants. Whether that increases any one merchant's exposure depends on how products get into the catalog and how results are ranked, and Shopify hasn't explained either.
Questions Shopify has not answered
- When was this changelog entry published, and where was the April 2026 deprecation first announced?
- Is Global Catalog MCP generally available, in beta, or at another stage? The changelog says only that it "is available."
- Does the shutdown happen at a specific time or in a specific timezone on November 2, and is there a grace period?
- How do merchants' products get into the Global Catalog, and can merchants opt in, opt out or control what is shown?
- Which product fields do the UCP catalog response schemas return, and how do they compare with the REST responses?
- How does
search_catalogrank results across merchants, and what does "buyer context" include? - What must an agent profile URL in
meta.ucp-agent.profilecontain, and does Shopify validate it? - Do rate limits or access eligibility differ between the REST API and Global Catalog MCP?
- Which apps, agents or Shopify surfaces depend on the REST API today?
What to do before November 2
- Ask your vendors. If your store uses apps or agent integrations that search or look up products across Shopify merchants, ask each vendor whether it calls the Global Catalog REST API. If it does, ask for the date its Global Catalog MCP migration ships.
- Find custom code. Search your own repositories, and your agency's, for
discover.shopifyapps.com/global. Each match is a call that fails on November 2. - Map and port. Follow Shopify's mapping. Search moves to
search_catalog. Product and variant fetches move toget_productwith the correct global ID. Bulk lookup moves tolookup_catalogin batches of 50 or fewer. - Update saved catalogs. Replace saved-catalog endpoint URLs with the catalog ID in
catalog.catalog_id. - Add the agent profile. Include
meta.ucp-agent.profilewith your agent profile URL in every request, and keep that URL stable. - Test while REST still works. Run the same queries through the Shopify AI Toolkit or
ucp catalog searchand compare the results with your current REST output. - Clean up the data agents read. For merchants, this is a good time to review variant structure, identifiers and availability across the catalog. Our guide on auditing a Shopify catalog for AI readiness walks through the checks. The Shopify SKU Visibility Grader gives a free first pass.
Frequently asked questions
When does the Shopify Global Catalog REST API stop working?
Shopify's developer changelog states that the Global Catalog REST API stops serving traffic on November 2, 2026. After that date, all requests to discover.shopifyapps.com/global/... fail, including saved-catalog requests. The changelog doesn't give a time of day, a timezone or a grace period.
What replaces the Shopify Global Catalog REST API?
Global Catalog MCP, available at https://catalog.shopify.com/api/ucp/mcp. Shopify's changelog says it implements the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) and exposes three tools: search_catalog, lookup_catalog and get_product.
Do I need new credentials to use Global Catalog MCP?
No. Shopify's changelog states that authentication doesn't change and that developers can keep generating bearer tokens from Dev Dashboard client credentials. Request and response schemas do change, and every request must include meta.ucp-agent.profile.
How are saved catalogs queried after the migration?
According to the changelog, apps pass the saved catalog's ID as catalog.catalog_id in the request instead of calling a saved-catalog endpoint URL. Saved-catalog endpoint URLs stop working on November 2, 2026.
Does the Global Catalog REST API shutdown affect my Shopify store directly?
The changelog is written for app developers and doesn't mention any direct effect on merchants' stores, product data or admin. Merchants are likely to be affected indirectly, through third-party apps or agents that read Shopify's cross-merchant Global Catalog.
Ask AI about this
Want a second explanation of the migration? Ask an AI engine to walk through it, then check its answer against Shopify's changelog.