🚀 How I Upgraded My AI Workflow Using MCP (And Stopped AI Guessing)

Tirth Godhani — Sun, 29 Mar 2026 07:24:05 +0000

I spent some time recently improving how I use AI in my editor—and honestly, this changed everything.

👉 I stopped treating AI like a chatbot… and started using it like a real development tool ⚙️

🧠 The Shift

I set up Model Context Protocol (MCP) in Cursor.

Before this, AI responses were fast—but sometimes wrong.
Now, instead of guessing based on training data, the assistant works with real context.

⚙️ What MCP Actually Does

With MCP, the AI can:

📄 Pull real documentation
🧩 Check GraphQL schemas
✅ Validate APIs
🗄️ Safely reference database context

In simple terms:
💡 Less hallucination. More accuracy. Real answers.

🔌 What I Integrated

Here’s my current setup:

Shopify MCP → Accurate API + GraphQL support 🛍️
Context7 → Version-aware library documentation 📚
MongoDB MCP → Read-only database context 🧠

This makes the assistant behave much closer to how things actually work in production.

🚀 Why This Matters

After using this setup, here’s what improved:

❌ Fewer wrong endpoints or fields
🔍 Less time jumping between docs
⚡ Faster and more confident development

Especially if you're working across stacks (like Shopify + backend), this makes a big difference.

🛠️ Final Thought

MCP isn’t magic ✨
It’s just good plumbing.

And good plumbing saves hours of debugging.

🤔 Your Turn

If you're still using AI only in chat mode, you’re probably missing out.

Have you tried MCP or something similar?
Would love to hear your experience 👇

🏷️ Tags

#mcp #ai #developertools #softwaredevelopment #cursor

Complete Guide: How to Implement Shopify POS UI Extensions

Tirth Godhani — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 05:59:23 +0000

Introduction

Shopify POS UI Extensions are powerful tools that allow developers to integrate custom functionality directly into the Shopify Point of Sale interface. Whether you're building inventory management tools, customer loyalty systems, or custom checkout flows, POS extensions provide a seamless way to enhance the in-store experience.

In this comprehensive guide, we'll walk through the entire process of creating and deploying a POS UI extension from scratch. By the end, you'll have a fully functional extension that you can customize for your specific business needs.

What Are POS UI Extensions?

POS UI extensions are React-based components that integrate seamlessly into the Shopify POS interface. They provide several key capabilities:

Home Screen Tiles: Display custom tiles on the POS home screen for quick access
Modal Dialogs: Present complex interfaces in modal windows
Session Access: Retrieve staff information and store context
API Integration: Communicate with your backend services
Real-time Updates: Provide live functionality for store operations

These extensions run within the POS environment, giving store staff access to your app's features without leaving the POS interface.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, ensure you have the following:

Required Tools

Shopify Partner Account: Access to create and manage apps
Shopify CLI: Latest version installed
Node.js: Version 16 or higher
Existing Shopify App: App with proper configuration
POS Access: Store with POS enabled

Required Permissions

Your app needs these scopes in your shopify.app.toml:

[access_scopes]
scopes = "read_customer_events,read_customers,read_locations,read_payment_terms,read_shipping,write_customers,write_discounts,write_draft_orders,write_gift_cards,write_inventory,write_orders,write_price_rules,write_products,write_publications,write_returns,write_shipping,write_gift_card_transactions,read_gift_cards,read_gift_card_transactions,read_products"

Step 1: Environment Setup

Install Shopify CLI

First, install the Shopify CLI globally:

npm install -g @shopify/cli @shopify/theme

Verify the installation:

shopify version

Login to Shopify

Authenticate with your Shopify Partner account:

shopify auth login

Verify your login status:

shopify auth list

Navigate to Your App

cd your-shopify-app
ls
# Should see files like: shopify.app.toml, package.json, etc.

Step 2: Generate the Extension

Create the Extension

Generate a new POS UI extension using the Shopify CLI:

shopify app generate extension

Follow the interactive prompts:

Select "UI Extension"
Choose "Point of Sale"
Enter your extension name (e.g., "my-pos-extension")
Wait for the generation to complete

Navigate and Install Dependencies

cd extensions/your-pos-extension
npm install
ls -la

Step 3: Configure POS Settings in Partner Account

Enable POS Integration

Before your extension can work in POS, you need to configure the POS settings in your Shopify Partner account:

Navigate to Partner Account:
- Go to partners.shopify.com
- Login to your Partner account
Access Your App:
- Click on "Apps" in the left sidebar
- Select "All apps"
- Find and click on your app name
Configure POS Settings:
- In the left sidebar, under "Build", click on "Configuration"
- Scroll down to the "POS" section
- Find the setting "Embed app in Shopify POS"
- Toggle to "True" (this is crucial for POS extensions to work)

Note: This setting must be enabled for your POS extension to appear in the Shopify POS interface.

Update Extension Configuration

Edit the shopify.extension.toml file:

api_version = "2025-04"

[[extensions]]
type = "ui_extension"
name = "your-pos-extension"
handle = "your-pos-extension"
description = "Your custom POS functionality"

# Tile on home screen
[[extensions.targeting]]
module = "./src/Tile.jsx"
target = "pos.home.tile.render"

# Modal dialog
[[extensions.targeting]]
module = "./src/Modal.jsx"
target = "pos.home.modal.render"

Update Package Dependencies

Ensure your package.json has the correct dependencies:

{
  "name": "your-pos-extension",
  "private": true,
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "dependencies": {
    "react": "^18.0.0",
    "@shopify/ui-extensions": "2025.4.x",
    "@shopify/ui-extensions-react": "2025.4.x",
    "react-reconciler": "0.29.0"
  }
}

Step 4: Create Basic Components

Create the Tile Component

The tile component appears on the POS home screen. Create src/Tile.jsx:

import React from 'react';
import {
  Tile,
  reactExtension,
  useApi,
} from '@shopify/ui-extensions-react/point-of-sale';

const TileComponent = () => {
  const api = useApi();

  return (
    <Tile
      title="Your App Name"
      subtitle="Quick actions"
      onPress={() => {
        api.action.presentModal();
      }}
      enabled
    />
  );
};

export default reactExtension('pos.home.tile.render', () => <TileComponent />);

Create the Modal Component

The modal provides the main interface. Create src/Modal.jsx:

import React, { useState, useEffect } from 'react';
import {
  reactExtension,
  Screen,
  Stack,
  Text,
  useApi,
} from '@shopify/ui-extensions-react/point-of-sale';

const Modal = () => {
  const [data, setData] = useState(null);
  const api = useApi();
  const staff = api.session?.staff;

  useEffect(() => {
    const initialize = async () => {
      try {
        const sessionToken = await api.session.getSessionToken();
        console.log('Session token obtained');
        // Your initialization logic here
      } catch (error) {
        console.error('Failed to get session token:', error);
      }
    };

    initialize();
  }, [api]);

  return (
    <Screen name="YourApp" title="Your App Title">
      <Stack direction="vertical" padding="large" fill>
        <Text>Welcome, {staff?.firstName || 'Staff Member'}!</Text>
        <Text>Your custom POS extension is working!</Text>
      </Stack>
    </Screen>
  );
};

export default reactExtension('pos.home.modal.render', () => <Modal />);

Step 5: Set Up API Integration

Create API Service

Create src/services/apiService.js for handling API calls:

import { API_ENDPOINTS } from '../constants/api';

export const apiService = {
  async makeRequest(endpoint, data, sessionToken) {
    try {
      const response = await fetch(endpoint, {
        method: 'POST',
        headers: { 
          'Content-Type': 'application/json',
          'Authorization': `Bearer ${sessionToken}`
        },
        body: JSON.stringify(data),
      });

      if (!response.ok) {
        throw new Error(`HTTP error! status: ${response.status}`);
      }

      return response.json();
    } catch (error) {
      console.error('API request failed:', error);
      throw error;
    }
  },

  async createItem(data, sessionToken) {
    return this.makeRequest(API_ENDPOINTS.CREATE_ITEM, data, sessionToken);
  },

  async searchItems(params, sessionToken) {
    return this.makeRequest(API_ENDPOINTS.SEARCH_ITEMS, params, sessionToken);
  },
};

Create API Constants

Create src/constants/api.js for endpoint configuration:

const BASE_URL = process.env.API_URL || 'https://your-backend.com';

export const API_ENDPOINTS = {
  CREATE_ITEM: `${BASE_URL}/api/create-item`,
  SEARCH_ITEMS: `${BASE_URL}/api/search-items`,
  UPDATE_ITEM: `${BASE_URL}/api/update-item`,
  DELETE_ITEM: `${BASE_URL}/api/delete-item`,
};

Step 6: Development and Testing

Start Development Server

shopify app dev

Test Your Extension

Open Shopify POS
Navigate to your store
Look for your tile on the home screen
Tap the tile to open the modal
Verify all functionality works

Essential Development Commands

# Check app status
shopify app info

# View app logs
shopify app logs

# Check configuration
shopify app config show

# Link to development store
shopify app config link

# Validate extension
shopify app validate

Step 7: Deployment

Deploy to Development

# Deploy to development store
shopify app deploy

# Deploy specific extension
shopify app deploy --extensions=your-pos-extension

# Deploy with force (overwrite existing)
shopify app deploy --force

Deploy to Production

# Deploy to production
shopify app deploy --force

# Deploy with specific environment
shopify app deploy --environment=production

# Deploy with custom configuration
shopify app deploy --config=production.toml

Environment Management

# List environments
shopify app env list

# Create new environment
shopify app env create

# Switch environment
shopify app env use production

# Delete environment
shopify app env delete

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Extension Not Appearing

First, check POS configuration in Partner account:

Go to partners.shopify.com
Navigate to Apps > All apps > Your App > Configuration
Ensure "Embed app in Shopify POS" is set to "True"
Save the configuration

Then check deployment:

# Check if app is installed
shopify app info

# Verify deployment
shopify app deploy --force

# Check configuration
shopify app config show

# Reinstall app
shopify app config unlink
shopify app config link

Development Server Issues

# Reset development environment
shopify app dev --reset

# Clear cache
shopify app dev --clear-cache

# Check for port conflicts
shopify app dev --port=3001

API Call Failures

# Check network connectivity
curl -I https://your-backend.com

# Verify CORS settings
# Check browser console for errors

# Test API endpoints manually
curl -X POST https://your-backend.com/api/test

Debug Commands

# Check extension status
shopify app info --extensions

# View deployment logs
shopify app logs --follow

# Validate extension configuration
shopify app validate

# Check for syntax errors
npm run lint

# Test extension locally
shopify app dev --tunnel

Conclusion

Implementing a Shopify POS UI Extension opens up powerful possibilities for enhancing the in-store experience. By following this guide, you've learned how to:

Set up the development environment
Generate and configure extensions
Create React-based components
Integrate with backend APIs
Deploy and test your extension
Troubleshoot common issues

Remember to start simple and iterate, test thoroughly in real POS environments, and follow Shopify's design and development guidelines. With practice, you'll be able to create sophisticated POS extensions that significantly enhance store operations.

For additional resources and advanced topics, refer to the Shopify POS UI Extensions documentation.

Happy coding! 🚀

DEV Community: Tirth Godhani