MechanicInspect the demonstration
Read the task’s code and subscriptions, then follow the HTTP actions and final fetched-products event in Mechanic.
Use cases / Integrations
Bring another system’s answer into your Shopify workflow.
A buyer record needs checking. A product needs supplier data. An order needs an external reference before the next step. Use Mechanic to call an API, interpret its response, and carry out the business’s next action.
A runnable demonstration for developers. Custom integration code comes next.
A developer starting point
Fetch sample data. Follow the response.
- Run the demonstration
A manual run requests a page of sample products from DummyJSON.
- Follow the pages
The task reads the response and requests more pages until it has fetched the reported set.
- Inspect the result
A final event logs the fetched sample products. Your integration logic would begin from the returned data.
Ready-made starting points
Learn the pattern with a runnable example.
Start with the library’s external API demonstration on a development store. It uses DummyJSON’s public product data, so you can see the request-and-response process before introducing a client’s credentials or records.
Set it up in Mechanic.
Preview and run the example
Install the demonstration, inspect the preview, and enable it on your development store. Run it manually and follow its HTTP actions in the event history.
Inspect the final event
Open
user/demo_paginated_api/fetched_productsand review the logged records. The demonstration reads an external service and emits logs; it does not write product data to Shopify.Design your real integration
Document the API request, expected response, Shopify record mapping, and intended action. Adapt the task to that service’s authentication, pagination, and error behavior before adding writes.
A response needs a business decision.
For a buyer check, define what counts as a match, what evidence to retain, and when someone must review an uncertain result. For product enrichment, define which fields the supplier owns and how to preserve merchant edits. For an order handoff, define the external reference that ties both systems together. These decisions belong in the custom task and its surrounding process.
An agency example
Validation built around a client’s requirements.
OneMagnify’s Children’s Mercy Hospital case study describes using Mechanic to check buyer information through a third-party API. It illustrates how a custom lookup can fit into a larger Shopify Plus implementation.
This is a separate implementation from the public demonstration. Its API, validation rules, and access controls are specific to that project.
Connect the result to the right next step.
Mechanic delivers an action’s response in a follow-up task run. Keep the record identifier with the request, check the result, and branch according to the business rules. A useful integration keeps these outcomes distinct:
A confirmed match
Save the fields or external reference the workflow needs, then continue only after the intended write succeeds.
No match or conflicting data
Leave a visible review state. Do not turn an ambiguous result into a positive verification or overwrite a merchant’s data by default.
No usable response
Keep service failure separate from a business rejection. Choose retry timing, escalation, and an operator who can resolve the case.
Store credentials using Mechanic’s shop secrets. Test the actual service’s responses, including rate limits and missing fields, before enabling downstream writes.
Before you set it up
Can Mechanic call an API that is not in an integration directory?
A developer can use the HTTP action to build a request supported by the service. Authentication, access requirements, response formats, rate limits, and Mechanic’s runtime limits still need to be checked for that API.
Does the demonstration authenticate to my supplier?
No. It reads public sample data. Credentials and service-specific requests are part of adapting the task for your own integration.
Does this automatically block a buyer at checkout?
No. An API task processes events asynchronously. Enforcing a purchasing restriction requires an appropriate storefront or checkout implementation; checking a record does not itself enforce access.
What happens if the service is unavailable?
Define how your workflow handles a failed request, an unexpected response, or a rate limit. The demonstration only processes successful HTTP 200 responses. Production work needs service-specific recovery and a visible route for unresolved cases.
Can the same request happen more than once?
Design for retries and repeated events. For external writes, use the service’s idempotency mechanism where available, and record confirmed results before treating work as complete.
Make it work for your store.
Bring the workflow to your in-house team or a Mechanic partner. Start with the linked example, define the business rules, and build and test the pieces your operation needs.
More workflows to explore: