In this episode of the Liquid Weekly Podcast, hosts Karl Meisterheim and Taylor Page recap Taylor's trip to New York City for the exclusive Shopify Winter Editions meetup. They break down the "Agentic Commerce" hype, the realities of the new Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), and why the best way to optimize for AI is actually just using Standard Category Metafields.

The episode features on-the-ground interviews with key Shopify staff members, including Liam Griffin, Darius (Senior Product Lead, Dev Platform), and Eitan (Shopify Flow team), offering deep dives into the new developer tools, Shop Minis, and the future of Shopify Flow.

Interviews & Highlights

• Liam Griffin: Discusses the Model Context Protocol (MCP) for developers, using AI for mundane tasks like REST-to-GraphQL migration, and the "Pokemon generation" explosion of Shop Minis (including a virtual sommelier!).
• Darius: Breaks down the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), how the Catalog API works with agents, and why "Agentic Engine Optimization" isn't about hacks—it's about clean data and taxonomy.
• Eitan: Covers the "Flow 3.0" feel with new Sidekick-generated workflows, the highly anticipated testing layer, and moving toward declarative UIs.

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction, Stickers, and Winter Storm Stories
06:40 Taylor’s NYC Editions Trip Recap
20:45 Key Takeaways: Agentic Commerce & UCP Realities
31:00 Live Demo: Shopify Flow Sidekick Generation & Testing Layer
38:30 Developer Tip: Running Queries from Dev Docs in GraphiQL
43:00 Interview: Liam Griffin (Dev MCP, Shop Minis, Dev Forums)
55:20 Interview: Darius (Universal Commerce Protocol, Metaobject Limits, Catalog API)
01:07:50 Interview: Eitan (Shopify Flow Updates)
01:20:30 Dev Changelog Highlights
01:25:00 Picks of the Week

Dev Changelog

• New article list input settings for themes: Link
• Migrate metafields with Shopify App Import custom data definitions: Link
• [Action Required] Shop Minis development now requires partner account permissions: Link
• [Action Required] Standardization of asset_url version params: Link
• Shopify App extensions now support Admin and Theme App Extensions: Link
• [Action Required] Ensuring POS UI extension stability by hardening callback handling: Link

Picks of the Week

• Karl: MagiQuest at Great Wolf Lodge – An interactive live-action game that turns the water park lodge into a questing adventure.
• Taylor: DJI Mic 3 – Wireless microphones that offer professional audio quality and ease of use for field recordings and interviews.

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