Shopify has introduced Canvas, an AI-assisted site builder that lets merchants create and revise an online store through a conversation with Sidekick. TechCrunch reported that the product launched on October 1 and shows changes as they happen, giving merchants a live view of the store while the AI works.

The approach changes the editing process Shopify merchants have typically used. The company’s existing no-code tools rely on themes assembled from sections and blocks, while more extensive changes can require code or a developer. With Canvas, a merchant can describe an intended result to Sidekick instead of manually arranging every part of the page.

Illustration of a live storefront rendered across several screen sizes.
Canvas renders the store’s underlying code so merchants can inspect interactions, motion, and responsive layouts.

Shopify told TechCrunch that Canvas does not merely display a static mock-up. It renders the store’s underlying code, so a merchant can test interactions and animations and inspect how pages appear at different screen sizes. The interface also lets users move around the broader store design or focus closely on a particular detail.

Sidekick receives visual context during that process. According to TechCrunch, the agent captures screenshots of the changing store so it can work from the same view the merchant sees. People are not limited to chat commands: they can still select individual elements and edit them directly when that is more useful.

Illustration of an AI store-building workspace with unfinished feature slots.
The first Canvas release is desktop-only and omits several theme, app, market, translation, rollout, and update features.

Shopify expanded Sidekick’s access to theme files and simplified the theme architecture so the agent could more easily interpret and modify a store’s structure, logic, and presentation. Sidekick already had tools for coding, app creation, theme customization, and other edits, but Canvas brings those abilities into a unified store-building workspace.

The initial release has meaningful limits. TechCrunch reported that Canvas is desktop-only and does not yet support third-party themes, app blocks and extensions, markets, translations, staged rollouts, or theme updates. Shopify said it plans to add those capabilities over time, but no schedule was reported. Canvas enters a crowded field that includes AI site-building products from Wix, Squarespace, Webflow, and Framer, as well as broader prompt-driven coding platforms such as Lovable and Replit.