How to Use ControlClaw

Getting Started

This guide walks you through setting up ControlClaw and creating your first project.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

A Shopify store with theme access
A ControlClaw account (sign up at controlclaw.app)
Basic familiarity with Shopify themes (helpful but not required)

Quick Start

Create Your Account

Connect Your Shopify Store

From the dashboard, click Add Store. You'll be redirected to Shopify to authorize ControlClaw. Select the store you want to connect and approve the permissions.

ControlClaw only requests permissions needed for theme development. Your store data remains private.

Create a Workspace

Once your store is connected:

Click New Workspace from the dashboard
Select the theme you want to work on
Give your workspace a name
Click Create

Your development environment will spin up in a few seconds.

Start Developing

Your workspace is now ready. You'll see:

File browser on the left - Browse and manage theme files
Code editor in the center - Edit files with syntax highlighting
Preview panel on the right - See live changes
AI chat - Ask for help or request changes
Terminal at the bottom - Run commands

Dashboard

Basic Workflow

Making Changes

Open a file from the file browser
Edit the code in the editor
Save your changes (Cmd/Ctrl + S)
Preview updates automatically

Using AI Assistance

The AI chat can help you with:

Code questions: "How do I add a product carousel?"
Bug fixes: "Why isn't this CSS working?"
Full implementations: "Add a newsletter signup form to the footer"

Just type your question or request in the chat. The AI can read your files, write code, and run terminal commands.

Running Commands

The integrated terminal supports Shopify CLI and other tools:

# Check theme status
shopify theme info
 
# Run theme checks
shopify theme check

Next Steps

Learn about the IDE features in detail
Set up task automation with the Kanban board
Master AI prompting for better results

How to Use

On this page