---
title: How to give Honeybound collaborator access to your Shopify store
url: https://honeybound.co/blog/give-honeybound-shopify-collaborator-access
date: 2026-05-25
summary: A safe merchant guide to sharing your Shopify collaborator request code with Honeybound, approving the access request, and choosing the right store permissions without sharing passwords.
tldr: Use Shopify collaborator access: send Honeybound your permanent myshopify.com URL and 4-digit collaborator request code, then approve the scoped request inside Shopify admin. Do not share your password.
tags: shopify, collaborator access, merchant guide, store access, security
---

If Honeybound is helping with your Shopify store, the safest default is usually **collaborator access**, not sharing an owner login, staff password, or one-time admin session.

Shopify collaborator accounts are built for this exact situation: a merchant owns the store, a Shopify Partner requests access, and the merchant controls which parts of the admin that partner can use. Shopify's documentation says collaborator accounts do not count toward a store's staff limit, and access is managed from the Partner or Dev Dashboard rather than by sharing merchant credentials.

This guide explains how to give Honeybound access using your Shopify collaborator request code.

## Quick answer

To give Honeybound access to your Shopify store, send Honeybound your permanent `myshopify.com` store URL and your 4-digit collaborator request code. Honeybound will request access from Shopify's Partner or Dev Dashboard. You will then approve or deny that request inside your Shopify admin, and you can choose the permissions Honeybound receives.

Do **not** send your Shopify password.

## What Honeybound needs from you

Honeybound needs two pieces of information:

1. **Your permanent Shopify store URL**  
   Use the `myshopify.com` URL, such as:

   ```text
   example-store.myshopify.com
   ```

   Shopify's Dev Dashboard documentation says custom or secondary domains are not supported for collaborator access requests. If you normally use a custom domain like `brand.com`, open Shopify admin and find the permanent Shopify URL instead.

2. **Your 4-digit collaborator request code**  
   Shopify uses this code as a security layer so only people with the code can send a collaborator request to your store.

## Where to find your Shopify collaborator request code

In your Shopify admin:

1. Go to **Settings**.
2. Open **Users**.
3. Open **Security**.
4. Find your **Collaborator request code**.
5. Send that 4-digit code to Honeybound through your normal private project channel.

If you do not see the code, Shopify may show collaborator access settings under a slightly different user-management screen depending on your admin version and organization setup. The important thing to look for is **collaborator request code** under the store's user or security settings.

## What Honeybound does with the code

Honeybound uses the code to send a collaborator access request through Shopify's Partner or Dev Dashboard.

Shopify's documented partner flow is:

1. Open the Partner or Dev Dashboard.
2. Choose **Stores**.
3. Choose **Add store**, **Managed store**, or **Request store access** depending on the dashboard version.
4. Enter the store's permanent `myshopify.com` URL.
5. Enter the 4-digit collaborator request code.
6. Select the permissions needed for the work.
7. Send the request.

After the request is sent, Shopify notifies the store owner by email and inside Shopify Home.

## How you approve Honeybound's request

After Honeybound sends the request:

1. Open your Shopify admin.
2. Look for the collaborator access notification from Shopify.
3. Review the requester and requested permissions.
4. Approve only the access that matches the work Honeybound is doing.

If anything looks wrong, pause and ask Honeybound before approving.

## Which permissions should you grant?

Use least privilege: grant the permissions needed for the current project, not full access by default.

Common examples:

| Work Honeybound is doing | Likely permissions to approve |
| --- | --- |
| AI commerce readiness audit | Products, online store/pages, themes, navigation/content, and relevant app/report access if needed |
| Theme or storefront fixes | Themes, online store, files, products if product data is part of the fix |
| Product structured-data cleanup | Products, metafields/custom data, files/images if image or media fixes are included |
| Analytics/event tracking setup | Apps, pixels/customer events where available, online store/theme access, and relevant order/report access only if the project requires validation |
| Copy/content updates | Online store pages, blog posts, navigation, and files if images are involved |

For small diagnostic work, Honeybound should not need full access unless the task genuinely crosses many parts of the admin. You can also change or remove permissions later from your Shopify admin.

## Why collaborator access is safer than sharing a login

Collaborator access is safer because:

- You stay the store owner.
- Honeybound uses its own Partner-managed access, not your password.
- You control the permission scope.
- The access does not consume one of your staff seats.
- You can revoke access when the project is complete.
- Shopify keeps the request and approval flow inside Shopify.

Shopify's theme best-practice documentation is direct on this point: asking a merchant for their password, or using a merchant's credentials to access their store, is prohibited.

## What not to send

Please do not send:

- your Shopify password
- another staff member's login
- one-time login links
- billing credentials
- payment-provider credentials
- private customer exports unless the project specifically requires them and you have approved that scope

For most Honeybound work, the collaborator request code plus scoped permissions is the right path.

## If the request does not arrive

If you do not see the request:

1. Confirm Honeybound used the permanent `myshopify.com` URL, not your custom domain.
2. Confirm the collaborator request code was typed correctly.
3. Check whether the request appears in Shopify admin notifications or user/access settings.
4. Ask Honeybound to resend the request if needed.

Shopify's documentation notes that if the collaborator code is incorrect, the request is not sent to the merchant.

## After the project is complete

When the work is finished, you can reduce or remove Honeybound's access from Shopify admin.

A good closeout checklist:

1. Confirm the work is live and verified.
2. Ask Honeybound whether any temporary access is still needed for monitoring.
3. Remove unneeded permissions or revoke collaborator access.
4. Keep any project notes, audit reports, or implementation docs for your records.

## Source notes

This guide follows Shopify's documentation on collaborator accounts, collaborations, and working on merchant stores. Shopify's current docs describe collaborator accounts as the recommended way for Shopify Partners to request access to merchant-owned stores, require the store's permanent `myshopify.com` URL, and use a 4-digit collaborator request code as the access-request security layer.

If Shopify changes the admin labels, follow Shopify's current wording in your admin, but keep the same principle: share a collaborator request code, approve a scoped request, and never share your password.

## Key takeaways

- Honeybound should request Shopify access as a collaborator, not through your owner password.
- Shopify collaborator requests use your permanent `myshopify.com` URL and a 4-digit collaborator request code.
- The merchant approves the request and controls permissions.
- Grant least-privilege access for the project, then revoke or reduce access when work is complete.

## FAQ

### Do I need to create a staff account for Honeybound?

Usually no. Shopify collaborator access is designed for Partner support and does not count toward your store staff limit. A staff account is only needed for edge cases that collaborator accounts cannot support.

### Where do I find the collaborator request code?

In Shopify admin, go to Settings, then Users, then Security, and look for the collaborator request code. Shopify admin labels can vary by account type, but the setting is tied to collaborator access security.

### Should I give Honeybound full access?

Not by default. Approve only the permissions needed for the work. Full access should be reserved for projects where the scope genuinely crosses many areas of the store.

### Is it safe to send my Shopify password instead?

No. Shopify documentation says asking a merchant for their password, or using a merchant credentials to access the store, is prohibited. Use collaborator access instead.