FAQ

Documentation scope: Guild 0.1.x pre-release builds. The exact public release version will be confirmed in the changelog before Theme Store publication.

How do I contact Guild support?

Use the public support form linked from the Guild documentation site and the Shopify Theme Store listing. Include enough detail for support to reproduce the issue, not just describe how it looks.

When contacting support, start with your store URL, Guild version, the closest issue category, and a clear description of what you were trying to do and what happened. For suspected bugs or update regressions, add the affected page, reproduction steps, expected and actual behavior, recent changes, and a redacted screenshot or short recording only when they help isolate the issue. Do not send passwords, payment data, full customer records, full order exports, or unredacted screenshots.

Do I need to use an AI assistant before contacting support?

No. The Guild AI context file is an optional setup aid. You can contact Guild support directly for documented theme questions or suspected bugs, and the support response is handled by a person.

What should I set up first after installing Guild?

Start with First hour setup. The fastest safe order is: theme settings, header and footer navigation, one useful home page flow, one real product, one real collection, cart, search, forms, policies, and mobile review. Do not start with custom code unless Shopify Admin and theme editor settings cannot handle the task.

Where should I make a change in the theme editor?

Use Theme editor workflow. Start with Shopify Admin content, then Theme settings, templates, sections, blocks, and only then apps, Custom HTML, Custom Liquid, or code. If a setting appears to do nothing, check whether the preview page has the right product, collection, cart, search, popup, or menu state.

What is included in theme support?

Theme support includes help with Guild theme settings, documented theme features, questions about expected theme behavior, and bug reports for unmodified theme behavior.

What is not included in theme support?

Theme support does not include custom code work, third-party app setup, custom design services, store setup, product data entry, store strategy, or changes outside the theme's built-in settings.

What should I do if a critical storefront issue appears?

If Guild appears to break shopping, navigation, product forms, cart updates, checkout handoff, or a major storefront rendering path, report it as a critical bug. Include the affected URL, theme version, recent changes, steps to reproduce, expected behavior, actual behavior, and a redacted screenshot or short recording where possible. Testing an unpublished, unmodified duplicate is useful during diagnosis, but do not delay a critical report solely because that test is not currently possible.

Can I customize the theme code?

Yes, but duplicate the theme before editing code. Code changes can affect updates, the support scope for issues caused by the code change, accessibility, performance, and layout behavior.

Are custom code changes supported?

Custom code changes are not included in standard theme support unless support explicitly confirms otherwise. Support may ask you to test the issue on an unmodified copy of Guild.

Should I duplicate the theme before editing code?

Yes. Duplicate the theme before code changes, app installs, major layout changes, or theme updates. This gives you a safe restore point.

Can I use third-party apps with Guild?

Yes. Third-party apps can work with Guild, but app setup, app styling, and app conflicts are handled by the app developer unless the issue is caused by unmodified Guild behavior. Test app-related issues on a duplicate theme before changing a live storefront. For platform-level app block and app embed behavior, see Shopify's theme app documentation.

Does Guild include social sharing buttons for articles?

Guild does not include platform-specific Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, or similar sharing buttons in the current pre-release scope. Social providers can change their scripts, endpoints, privacy behavior, and requirements independently of the theme.

The Article section supports app blocks, so use a suitable provider-maintained sharing app when the store needs social sharing controls. Test the app on a duplicate theme and review its performance, privacy behavior, accessibility, and mobile layout. App setup, app styling, and provider changes remain the app developer's responsibility.

Does Guild add tracking cookies or analytics?

Guild does not add its own advertising pixels, analytics tracking, or cross-site tracking. It can use browser storage for functional theme behavior such as section and popup dismissal memory, accessibility preferences, collection view preferences, recently viewed product handles, and a short fallback message used to coordinate cart changes between tabs. Recently viewed products can reflect browsing history on the same browser, so review your store privacy policy before enabling that section. See Privacy and external services.

Do YouTube, Vimeo, Google Maps, or custom embeds affect privacy?

They can. External providers control their own player, map, script, cookie or similar-technology, and embedded-output behavior. Add Shopify preview images for external videos when you want to avoid provider thumbnail requests before play. Review Shopify customer privacy settings, store policies, app embeds, and provider snippets before publishing pages that use external videos, maps, Custom HTML, or Custom Liquid.

Can I add Instagram, TikTok, or X/Twitter embeds?

Yes, but use Custom HTML or Custom Liquid with trusted embed code from the provider. These embeds are third-party content controlled by the provider, not native Guild Media block types in the current MVP scope.

Before publishing, duplicate the theme, test the page on desktop and mobile, and check whether the embed affects page speed, privacy/cookie behavior, accessibility, or layout. If the embed stops loading or changes behavior, contact the provider or app developer first.

Why do images crop differently on mobile?

Desktop and mobile layouts can use different aspect ratios and available space. Use images with important content near the center, review mobile previews, and adjust aspect ratio settings when needed.

Why is my popup not showing?

Check that the Popup section exists in the popup group. If it should appear automatically, check Open automatically, Delay, Remember dismissal, and Dismissal duration. If it should open from a button, check the button's popup control settings and the target popup handle.

Product details popup is intentionally Product-page-only. Preview a valid product page, and remember that only its first top-level Product gallery can use the leading-media area; nested Product galleries remain in their standard Product Row, Column, Box, or Visibility group. Apps and Purchase controls are intentionally unavailable directly in this popup; standard Product layouts retain their normal nested child options.

Why does Quick view send some products to the product page?

Quick view uses the same configurable Product blocks and Product state as the reusable Product spotlight. It can include variants, quantity rules, selling plans, gift card recipient fields, pickup availability, Product details, and other supported Product blocks. The global Quick view section also controls whether eligible View options links open the dialog: if that section is hidden or absent, the same action intentionally continues to the product page.

Some products or option changes still open the full product page while Quick view is enabled. This is an intentional safety fallback when an option points to another associated product, Shopify must resolve more variant data than the popup can update locally, or another full-page-only Product flow is required. If Add to cart remains unavailable, test the product page and check variant availability, quantity rules, required selling plans or recipient fields, and any product-form app or custom code.

Why does my contact form not send emails?

Check Shopify store email settings, spam filtering, required fields, and the form setup. Guild controls the form layout, field structure, and rendering of Shopify-provided states. Shopify sends native submissions to the store's sender email and applies its contact-form spam filtering. For platform details, see Shopify's contact page documentation. If the issue continues in an unmodified copy of Guild, contact support with steps to reproduce the issue.

How do I update Guild?

Before updating, duplicate your current theme. Review the update in an unpublished copy, read the changelog, and test product pages, collection pages, cart, forms, popups, apps, and any custom code before publishing the updated theme. Custom code changes may need to be reapplied or adjusted after an update.

See Updating Guild for the full update checklist.

Can I get help with custom design or development work?

Custom design, custom development, third-party app setup, and store setup are outside standard theme support. For advanced changes, consider hiring a Shopify Partner.

Can I use ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or another AI assistant with Guild?

Yes. Use Guild AI context before asking an AI assistant for setup help. Copy or upload the Markdown file so the assistant understands Guild's actual theme structure, section names, template guidance, troubleshooting paths, and support boundaries instead of answering from generic Shopify assumptions.

AI assistants should help you use Shopify Admin and the theme editor first. They should not suggest custom code unless the task cannot be handled through built-in settings or Shopify data. Do not paste passwords, private keys, payment data, customer records, order exports, or unredacted screenshots into an AI chat.

Is the AI context file a replacement for Guild support?

No. The AI context file can help you get faster setup guidance, but it does not replace official Guild support. If an issue continues in an unmodified copy of Guild, contact support with your store URL, theme version, page URL, steps to reproduce, and screenshots or a short screen recording.

Why do the Blog category links return 404 or show no articles?

The default Blog template uses starter links based on the news blog handle and specific article tags. Update those links when your blog handle or tags differ, and make sure the matching articles are published. The links are ordinary Shopify blog/tag routes rather than dynamic filters. See Templates and Troubleshooting.