Ctrlk

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 [email protected].

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.

Last updated

Was this helpful?