Protected Customer Data Dev Sandbox & Compliance Guide
The Opportunity
A dev tool and checklist to simulate protected customer data endpoints and guide partners through PCP approvals. Unblocks development on dev stores without immediate approval.
"Partners cannot register or call endpoints containing protected customer data on dev stores without approval, blocking development and testing."
Market Validation
Detailed Analysis
Proposed Solution
Provide a mock Shopify API for protected resources, fixtures for orders/customers, and a step-by-step compliance wizard that generates the required PCP submission artifacts.
Target Audience
Shopify app developers and agencies updating to newer API versions requiring PCP.
Competitive Landscape
Internal mocks, Postman collections (generic)
Implementation Notes
CLI plugin to intercept app calls and route protected resources to a local/mock server; supply schemas for Orders/Customers REST/GraphQL; record-and-replay mode; generate PCP checklist (data flow diagrams, DPIA templates, scopes mapping); VS Code extension for scope detection; clear instructions to switch between live and mock via env flags.
Evidence from Merchants
Real quotes from Shopify community forums
"I have tried reinstalling the app multiple times, but I’m still having this issue."
"I get an error when trying to do that which says: This app is not approved to access the DraftOrder object."
"I receive the following error message: This app is not approved to subscribe to webhook topics containing protected customer data."
"I don’t want to submit an App Store Listing for this app, as it is just my dev one."
"This somehow got solved by re-installing the app."
Key Pain Points
Inability to access protected customer data for development apps
criticalMentioned by 3 merchants
Impact: Potential delays in app development and deployment
Market Metrics
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