ST-2026-064 · Runtimes & developer platforms
Shopify CLI 4.0 removes --force and changes upgrade behaviour
Shopify CLI 4.0 adopts semantic versioning, enables bounded automatic upgrades and replaces --force with --allow-updates and --allow-deletes.
Previous state
The CLI used the prior versioning and upgrade model and app release accepted the broad --force flag.
Current state
CLI 4.0 uses SemVer, auto-updates in supported contexts and requires the narrower replacement flags.
Affected users
Who needs to care
Shopify app-development and release automation using CLI 3 or deprecated commands.
Required response
What to do
Update scripts, choose the precise replacement flag and disable auto-updates where deterministic environments require it.
Evidence boundary
What the source does not prove
Auto-upgrades are excluded in CI, project-local installs and major-version transitions and can be disabled.
Lifecycle history
Dated event sequence
- --force deprecated
Shopify announced removal in a future May release.
- CLI 4.0 released
--force and other deprecated flags were removed.
Evidence ledger
First-party sources
- 01Shopify Developer Changelog — The Shopify CLI app release --force flag is deprecated and will be removed
Official deprecation notice · 2026-03-25
Open official source ↗ - 02Shopify Developer Changelog — Shopify CLI 4.0
Official release notice · 2026-05-21
Open official source ↗