# Screenshot Crawler Key

If your Shoplift screenshots are slow to load, it's usually because your store is blocking Shoplift's crawler. A **Crawler Key** is a signed permission you generate in Shopify that tells your store to let Shoplift through. Once it's in place, screenshots load reliably and without delay.

Setup takes about two minutes. You'll generate a signature in Shopify, then paste it into Shoplift.

***

### Before you start

You'll need:

* Admin access to your Shopify store
* Access to the Shoplift app
* Both browser tabs open side by side (you'll copy values from one to the other)

***

### Step 1: Create a signature in Shopify

1. In Shopify, go to **Online Store** → **Preferences**.
2. Scroll to the bottom of the page to the **Crawler access** section.
3. Click **Create signature**.
4. Fill in the dialog:
   * **Name:** `Shoplift Screenshot Signature` (recommended)
   * **Domain:** the store where Shoplift is installed (required)
   * **Expiry:** `90 days` (recommended)
5. Click **Create signature**.

Shopify will display a new signature in the Crawler access section. Keep this tab open — you'll copy two values from it next.

***

1. In Shoplift, go to **Settings** → **Preferences**.
2. Scroll to **Crawler key** and click **Add key**.
3. Back in Shopify, copy the **Signature** (the value that starts with `sig1=:`) and paste it into the **Signature** field in Shoplift.
4. In Shopify, copy the **Signature Input** (the value that starts with `sig1=(`) and paste it into the **Signature Input** field in Shoplift.
5. Click **Confirm**.

That's it. Shoplift will show the expiry date next to your key, and screenshots will start using the new permission immediately.

***

### Managing your key

**Replacing a key.** You can delete and re-add a key at any time — for example, if you rotated it in Shopify or pasted the wrong value. In Shoplift, open the menu next to the key and click **Delete key**, then repeat Step 2.

**When your key expires.** Shopify signatures expire after 90 days. When yours does, Shoplift will show an alert on the Preferences page letting you know it's time to generate a new one. Repeat Steps 1 and 2 to replace it.

***

### FAQ

**Why does Shoplift need this?** Many stores use bot protection that can't tell Shoplift apart from a malicious crawler. A Crawler Key is a signed, store-issued permission that proves Shoplift's requests are trusted, so your store serves pages normally instead of blocking or challenging them.

**Is it safe to share the signature with Shoplift?** Yes. The signature only grants crawler access to the domain you specify, for the expiry window you set. It does not give access to your admin, orders, customers, or any other Shopify data.

**What if the "Create signature" button isn't in my Shopify Preferences?** Crawler access is a newer Shopify feature. If you don't see it, make sure you're on the **Online Store** → **Preferences** page (not the general Settings page) and that your store is running the latest version of the Online Store channel.

**I pasted the values but screenshots are still not working.** Double-check that:

* The **Signature** field starts with `sig1=:`
* The **Signature Input** field starts with `sig1=(`
* You didn't swap the two values — they look similar but go in different fields
* The domain on the Shopify signature matches the store Shoplift is installed on

If the values look right and it still fails, delete the signature in Shopify, generate a fresh one, and try again. If you are still seeing issues, please reach out to our custommer support team at <help@shoplift.ai>.&#x20;

**Can I use a shorter or longer expiry than 90 days?** 90 days is the recommended setting. Shorter expiries mean more frequent setup, but you can use any expiry you prefer.


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.shoplift.ai/account/account-preferences/screenshot-crawler-key.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.