A Shopify theme audit skill is a Claude Code skill — a small set of markdown instruction files — that teaches Claude Code to audit any Shopify theme the way a senior Shopify developer would. It runs locally inside Claude Code, requires no SaaS subscription, and produces a scored report covering performance, accessibility, conversion, SEO, AEO, and GEO in under 90 seconds.
The open-source version is on GitHub at tanujrajputdev/shopify-theme-audit-skill. MIT licensed. Free to use, modify, and sell audits with.
What is a Shopify theme audit skill?
A Claude Code skill is a folder of markdown files that Claude Code reads when your request matches it. This one has a SKILL.md that says what it's for, a CLAUDE.md with the audit procedure, and seven checklists and reference files. Together they instruct Claude Code to:
- Read your local theme files (or connect to a live store via the Shopify MCP).
- Run 80+ checks across 9 audit dimensions.
- Output a scored report (out of 100, with a letter grade) including file names, line numbers, and working Liquid code fixes.
It is not a SaaS. It is not an API. It runs entirely inside the Anthropic Claude Code subscription you already have.
How to use Claude Code for Shopify theme audits
Install once, from your theme's root folder:
git clone https://github.com/tanujrajputdev/shopify-theme-audit-skill .claude/skills/shopify-theme-audit
To have it in every project instead, clone it into ~/.claude/skills/shopify-theme-audit. The older method, copying the eight files into the theme root, still works; the README has both.
Then ask Claude Code:
Audit this Shopify theme using the audit skill. Cover performance,
accessibility, conversion, SEO, AEO, and GEO.
Claude Code reads the theme files, applies every check in the skill, and returns a scored report in 60–90 seconds. The full prompt library is in the personas guide — including quick-wins mode, split-score mode (separate Technical and SEO scores), and large-theme two-pass mode.
What the audit checks
The skill runs 80+ checks across these dimensions:
| Dimension | What it checks |
|---|---|
| Performance | Render-blocking scripts, large hero images, layout shift sources, app overhead |
| Core Web Vitals | LCP, CLS, INP source-level signals |
| Accessibility | ARIA, color contrast, focus order, semantic structure |
| Conversion (CRO) | Variant picker placement, trust signals, mobile navigation, cart drawer behavior |
| Technical SEO | Meta tags, image alt, duplicate content, canonical, internal linking |
| On-page SEO | Heading structure, content depth, schema completeness |
| AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) | FAQPage schema, factual summary openings, structured product specs — for citations from ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity |
| GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) |
llms.txt, AI crawler allowances in robots.txt, JSON-LD for Google AI Overviews |
| App overhead | Third-party app detection, loading strategy, measurable cost |
Each finding includes the exact file and line number, plus a working Liquid code fix — not just a description of the problem.
Shopify theme audit skill vs traditional Shopify audit tools
| Tool | Coverage | Output | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify theme audit skill (Claude Code) | 80+ checks across performance, SEO, AEO, GEO | Scored report + code fixes + file:line refs | 60–90s | Free (uses existing Claude subscription) |
| Google Lighthouse | Runtime performance, accessibility, SEO basics | Score + audit list (no code fixes) | 30–60s per page | Free |
| Shopify Theme Inspector | Liquid render performance only | Render time per section | Live during browse | Free (Chrome extension) |
| PageSpeed Insights | Field + lab performance data | Numerical scores | 30s | Free |
| Manual senior-developer audit | Whatever the developer checks | Written report | 4–8 hours | Paid, by the hour |
Why this skill is different: Lighthouse measures the rendered page. The audit skill reads your source code — which means it can find issues that do not show up in runtime metrics but cost you sales (missing schema, wrong cart drawer pattern, layout shift sources hidden in section files).
It is also the only Shopify audit tool I am aware of that covers AEO and GEO — whether your store can be cited by AI search engines like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. Princeton's KDD 2024 GEO study found that adding citations and statistics to a page boosts AI citation rates by 40% and 37% respectively. Most Shopify themes ship with neither.
Shopify theme audit skill vs Lighthouse
Lighthouse is a runtime tool — it measures what the rendered page does. The audit skill is a source-code tool — it reads your Liquid, sections, snippets, settings, and templates.
The practical difference:
- Lighthouse can tell you LCP is 4.2s. The audit skill can tell you it is because
sections/main-product.liquidline 42 loads a 1.8 MB hero image withoutloading="lazy". - Lighthouse can flag missing alt text. The audit skill can flag missing FAQPage schema on your collection pages, which Lighthouse does not check at all.
- Lighthouse runs per page. The audit skill runs across the entire theme in one pass.
Use both. They are complementary.
How much does it cost?
Nothing. The skill is free and MIT licensed, with no paid tier: clone the repo and run it locally. If you'd rather have someone run it for you and walk you through the fixes, that's at auditskill.tanujrajput.com.
FAQ
Is the Shopify theme audit skill free?
Yes. The skill is open-source under the MIT license. You can clone, modify, and use it commercially. Paid done-for-you audits are a separate service offered by the skill's creator.
Does it work with all Shopify themes?
Yes. It works with both Online Store 1.0 and 2.0 themes, and with any vendor's theme — Dawn, Impulse, Prestige, Symmetry, and custom builds. It reads source files, so it does not depend on a specific theme architecture.
Does it need the Shopify MCP?
No, but it works better with it. Without the MCP, the skill audits your local theme files. With the MCP connected, it can also read live store data — product samples, shop info, rendered pages — for more accurate findings.
Is there a Shopify Claude Code plugin?
There is no Shopify-published plugin. The Shopify theme audit skill is the closest thing — it is community-built, MIT-licensed, and works inside Claude Code with the official Shopify MCP.
How is this different from PageSpeed Insights?
PageSpeed Insights measures runtime performance for a single URL. The audit skill reads source code across the entire theme and covers SEO, AEO, GEO, accessibility, and CRO in addition to performance.
Can I sell audits using this skill?
Yes. The MIT license explicitly allows commercial use. Agencies use it as a discovery tool at the start of new client engagements.
Where can I see a sample report?
A redacted sample is in the repo at examples/sample-audit-report.md.
I'm Tanuj Rajput, a Shopify developer in New Delhi. Since 2021 I've built stores, apps and dashboards for 62+ brands in seven countries. This post first appeared on my blog.
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