Shopify MCP vs WooCommerce MCP: A Developer's Comparison

Architecture Overview

Authentication

Shopify: OAuth 2.0 with Auto-Refresh

// Token refresh with exponential backoff (shopify-oauth.service.ts)
for (let attempt = 0; attempt < 3; attempt++) {
  const delay = 2000 * Math.pow(2, attempt); // 2s, 4s, 8s
  const result = await refreshToken(store.refreshToken);
  if (result.ok) return result;
  await sleep(delay);
}
// Permanent failure (401/403): set needsReauth flag

WooCommerce: HTTP Basic Auth

Data Fetching

Shopify: GraphQL Admin API (2024-10)

query {
  products(first: 100, after: $cursor, sortKey: UPDATED_AT) {
    edges {
      node {
        id title descriptionHtml handle vendor productType tags status
        priceRangeV2 { minVariantPrice { amount currencyCode } }
        variants(first: 100) {
          edges { node { id title price sku inventoryQuantity availableForSale } }
        }
        images(first: 20) { edges { node { url altText } } }
      }
    }
    pageInfo { hasNextPage endCursor }
  }
}

WooCommerce: REST API v3

// WooCommerce REST API calls (class-catalog-sync.php)
GET /wp-json/wc/v3/products?page=1&per_page=100
GET /wp-json/wc/v3/products/categories

// Each product includes inline variant data (no separate query)
// Categories require a join between product.categories[] and fetched categories

Sync Mechanisms

• 1
  Shopify: Full sync only — cursor pagination through the entire catalog, normalizes each product, persists with a completeness flag. No incremental sync (could use updatedAt filtering but not implemented). Webhooks are planned but not yet active.
• 2
  WooCommerce: Full + Incremental — initial full sync in paginated batches (100 products), then real-time updates via WordPress hooks (on_product_save, on_stock_change, on_product_delete). Changes push to /api/v1/plugin/catalog/sync immediately.

Rate Limiting

MCP Tools Integration

Test Coverage

• 1
  Shopify: ~1,015 lines of tests across 2 test files. Covers OAuth token exchange, HMAC verification, state validation, callback parsing, onboarding vs reauth flows, token status, and health metrics.
• 2
  WooCommerce: ~200+ lines of Playwright E2E tests. Covers plugin activation, settings UI, cart REST API, API key validation, billing webhook signatures, and merchant domain enforcement.

Setup Process

Shopify Setup (3 steps)

• 1
  Merchant enters shop domain in the AgenticMCPStores dashboard
• 2
  OAuth redirect → Shopify consent screen → authorize
• 3
  Token exchange + store creation + auto-sync (automatic)

WooCommerce Setup (5 steps)

• 1
  Install the AgenticMCPStores plugin from WordPress admin
• 2
  Generate Consumer Key + Consumer Secret in WooCommerce settings
• 3
  Enter API key in the plugin settings page
• 4
  Test connection to verify API access
• 5
  Trigger initial full sync (incremental updates begin automatically)

Comparison Table

When to Use Which

• 1
  Choose Shopify if you want the simplest onboarding (3-click OAuth), automatic token management, and GraphQL efficiency. Best for merchants already on Shopify who want zero-maintenance agent connectivity.
• 2
  Choose WooCommerce if you need real-time incremental sync (no full re-sync lag), run your own WordPress infrastructure, or want full control over the plugin code. Best for self-hosted merchants who value data sovereignty.

Known Limitations

• 1
  Shopify: Variants capped at 100 per product (GraphQL hardcoded). No incremental sync yet. Webhooks planned but not active. Global product search requires separate Storefront API credentials.
• 2
  WooCommerce: No auto webhook registration (manual dedup strategy designed but not shipped). Minimum WooCommerce 3.5+. HTTPS mandatory. Cart bridge is large (~9,800 lines) — potential surface area for maintenance.

What's Next