1

Connect your Shopify store

Go to your giiHelpdeskAgent dashboard, click "Connect Shopify Store", and enter your store's .myshopify.com URL. You'll be redirected to Shopify to approve the connection. It takes about 60 seconds.

For the team owner: You need to be logged into Shopify as the store owner (or have App installation permissions). Your CS staff don't need Shopify access - only you do, once, during setup.

2

Shopify asks what we can access - here's what to expect

Shopify will show you a permissions screen. Click "Install App." Here's what we're asking for and why, in plain English:

  • Read orders - so the sidebar can show you the relevant order when a customer emails. We never store order data; we look it up in real time.
  • Cancel orders - so your team can cancel unfulfilled orders in one click from Gmail, without opening Shopify admin.
  • Write order notes - to log what action was taken and by which agent, directly in the Shopify order record.

We request write access to orders - but no action ever happens without your team clicking Confirm. The system never cancels orders automatically.

3

Choose your plan (free until Aug 31)

After connecting Shopify, select your plan. Billing goes through Shopify - you don't enter credit card details separately. The plan appears as a recurring Shopify app charge.

Early access: All plans are free through August 31, 2026. You'll need to approve a $0 billing confirmation - this is Shopify's standard flow and is not a charge.

🛡️ Secure Shopify OAuth

Secure Shopify OAuth Flow Diagram A mockup diagram illustrating the secure connection between the giiHelpdeskAgent Gmail Add-on and your Shopify admin store. It shows the browser bar at your-shop.myshopify.com/admin, a padlock indicating SSL security, and the secure authorization handshake between the gii app icon and the Shopify green icon. your-shop.myshopify.com/admin g S Authorize giiHelpdeskAgent Cancel Install App

Shopify OAuth utilizes official merchant APIs to guarantee robust connection integrity and maximum checkout safety.

This is the core workflow — install the Gmail sidebar to get started.

Installing the Gmail Add-on is the primary and recommended way to use giiHelpdeskAgent. It displays real-time order lookups and drafts AI response suggestions right inside your Gmail sidebar. If you ever need to analyze customer emails outside of Gmail, you can also use our optional Web Dashboard copy-paste helper.

1

Install the Gmail sidebar

Click the link below to open the giiHelpdeskAgent listing in Google Workspace Marketplace. Hit "Install", sign in with the Google account your team uses for Gmail, and grant permissions. No download. No ZIP file. Gmail will add a sidebar icon automatically.

Install directly from Google - takes about 60 seconds:
Install on Google Workspace Marketplace

👥 For team accounts: Install on each Gmail account that will handle CS. Each agent logs in separately - there are no shared credentials.

2

Grant Scopes & Permissions

During installation, Google will prompt you to grant the necessary permissions. These scopes are strictly used to read order details and insert response drafts. Below is why each scope is required:

OAuth Scope Why It is Essential
gmail.addons.current.message.readonly Allows the AI to read the selected customer email to analyze their intent (e.g., WISMO, refund).
script.external_request Enables the add-on to query your Shopify API and retrieve order and shipping info.
gmail.readonly Allows the AI to inspect email thread history so the generated reply matches previous context.
gmail.compose Enables the add-on to construct draft replies in Gmail so you can review and edit before sending.
3

Open the Add-on Sidebar

Once installed, open Gmail in your desktop web browser. Open any customer email conversation thread, and look at the right utility panel. You will see our green giiHelpdeskAgent logo icon.

Click this icon to expand the side panel. It will automatically authorize with your connected Shopify merchant store.

💡 Gmail Interface Guide

Gmail Add-on Sidebar Interface Mockup An interactive-style vector diagram showing the Gmail Add-on UI layout. The mockup highlights a secure Google Mail inbox window, a left folder list, a central email body containing a customer complaint, and the active giiHelpdeskAgent sidebar on the right displaying order numbers, refund eligibility, and the pending SOP action approval panel. mail.google.com/mail/u/0/ Order Inquiry - #1024 g Click the green "g" icon in Gmail sidebar!

Open any email thread inside Gmail and find the g icon in the right-side vertical sidebar.

Your customer emails never leave Google + Shopify

giiHelpdeskAgent reads emails in-session to analyze and generate a draft. Nothing is stored on our servers - not the email text, not the customer name, not the order details. Once the sidebar closes, nothing is retained. Our audit log records action identifiers only (thread ID hash, order ID, rule name). Full details: Privacy Policy.

Common questions

"The sidebar opened but shows 'No order found' - what happened?"

The system looks for an order number in the email subject or body (e.g., #1024 or ORDER-1024). If the customer didn't include one, the system can't auto-fetch. You can manually enter the order number in the sidebar search box.

"I see 'No rule matched' on most emails. Is something broken?"

No - this means the complaint doesn't match any of the pre-built SOP rules (e.g., cancel unfulfilled order, refund within window). You can still use the draft reply. Rule expansion is on our roadmap. Email us and tell us what rule you need: support@giihelpdesk.com

"Do I need the Gmail Add-on to use the app?"

No — the Gmail Add-on is optional. The Web Email Helper in your dashboard lets you paste any customer email and get an AI-generated reply without installing anything extra. The Gmail Add-on is a convenience enhancement for teams that handle high volumes of CS emails directly inside Gmail.

"Something isn't working. How do I get help?"

Email support@giihelpdesk.com - we respond within a few hours during business hours (GMT+8). Include your store URL and what you were trying to do when the issue happened. We read every message.