What is the correct mutation to update a product without destroying variants?

Use productUpdate (for base product fields) and productVariantsBulkUpdate (for variant-level fields). Never use productSet on an existing product — it can destroy variant data. This is a critical integration safety rule.

What are the Shopify GraphQL rate limits?

Cost-based throttling: default 50-point bucket refilling at 50/s. Each query/mutation has a calculated cost (check extensions.cost in the response). On Shopify Plus, the bucket is 1,000 points. Implement adaptive retry logic for bulk operations.

How do you update product metafields via GraphQL?

Use the metafieldsSet mutation with an array of metafield inputs (ownerType: PRODUCT, namespace, key, value, type). This is the correct approach for setting custom attributes — productUpdate.metafields is also supported for simpler cases.

Shopify product API: GraphQL Admin, quotas and best practices

Building a Shopify integration in 2026 means GraphQL Admin API — no exceptions. The product and variant REST endpoints are deprecated, new API versions require GraphQL, and the GraphQL API surface is richer and better documented than REST ever was.

Key mutations for product operations

productUpdate (base product fields)

Updates title, body HTML, vendor, product type, tags, status, SEO fields. Does not affect variants. Accepts a metafields array for custom attributes. Safe on existing products.

productVariantsBulkUpdate (variant fields)

Updates price, compare-at price, barcode, weight, inventory policy for multiple variants in a single call. More efficient than calling productVariantUpdate per variant.

metafieldsSet (custom attributes)

Sets one or multiple metafields on any Shopify object. The correct approach for Google Product Category, custom attributes, brand data. Accepts type-safe values (string, number, json, etc.).

Shopify API stack

Operation	Correct mutation	Common mistake
Update product title + meta	productUpdate	productSet (destructive)
Update variant price	productVariantsBulkUpdate	productVariantUpdate (serial calls)
Set custom attributes	metafieldsSet	productUpdate.metafields (only for simple cases)
Update inventory	inventorySetOnHandQuantities	inventoryAdjustQuantities (relative)
Add product to collection	collectionAddProducts	Smart collection rules (async)
Upload product image	productCreateMedia	fileCreate (different object type)

Never use productSet on an existing product. This mutation replaces the entire product including variants — it can delete variant data that is not included in the input. Use productUpdate for existing products.

Rate limit best practices

For bulk product operations:

Use bulkOperationRunQuery for read operations on large catalogs (async, no rate limit pressure)
For writes, batch mutations: productVariantsBulkUpdate accepts up to 100 variants per call
Always read extensions.cost.throttleStatus in responses and back off when currentlyAvailable is below 20
On Shopify Plus, request a rate limit increase via the Partner Dashboard if your integration needs it

Seegea handles all Shopify GraphQL API calls on your behalf — rate limits, retries, pagination, and bulk operations are managed transparently. Created in France between Annecy and Chantilly.

See Seegea's Shopify API integration

30-min Google Meet · live catalog import via GraphQL Admin

See Seegea's Shopify API integration

Created in France (Annecy – Chantilly) · Email & Google Meet support

FAQ

Yes. Shopify deprecated key REST product endpoints (Products, Variants) in API version 2024-10. New integrations must use GraphQL Admin API. Existing integrations have a migration window but should transition now.