Variant Option Normalizer
Detects inconsistent variant option naming (Sm vs Small vs S) and bulk-corrects to a standard set.
shopify-admin-variant-option-normalizer
Purpose
Scans product variants for inconsistent option values (e.g., "Sm", "Small", "small", "S" all meaning the same size) and bulk-updates them to a canonical set you define. Inconsistent option naming breaks size filters, causes customer confusion, and prevents search apps from grouping variants correctly.
Prerequisites
shopify store auth --store --scopes read_products,write_products read_products, write_productsParameters
| Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| store | string | yes | — | Store domain (e.g., mystore.myshopify.com) |
| option_name | string | yes | — | Option to normalize (e.g., Size, Color) |
| mapping | object | yes | — | Map of non-standard → canonical values (e.g., {"Sm": "S", "small": "S", "Sml": "S"}) |
| filter | string | no | — | Optional product filter (e.g., tag:apparel) |
| dry_run | bool | no | true | Preview changes without executing mutations |
| format | string | no | human | Output format: human or json |
Safety
> ⚠️ productVariantsBulkUpdate modifies variant option values. Option value changes affect how the variant appears to customers in the storefront and may break existing cart links or saved wishlists. Run with dry_run: true to review all affected variants before committing.
Workflow Steps
products — query Inputs: query: (or all products if no filter), first: 250, select options, variants { selectedOptions }, pagination cursor
Expected output: Products with variant option values; paginate until hasNextPage: false
mapping keys — collect variants needing updateproductVariantsBulkUpdate — mutation Inputs: productId, array of variants { id, options: [ for affected variants
Expected output: productVariants { id, selectedOptions }, userErrors
GraphQL Operations
# products:query — validated against api_version 2025-01
query ProductVariantOptions($query: String!, $after: String) {
products(first: 250, after: $after, query: $query) {
edges {
node {
id
title
options {
id
name
values
}
variants(first: 100) {
edges {
node {
id
title
sku
selectedOptions {
name
value
}
}
}
}
}
}
pageInfo {
hasNextPage
endCursor
}
}
}
# productVariantsBulkUpdate:mutation — validated against api_version 2025-01
mutation ProductVariantsBulkUpdate($productId: ID!, $variants: [ProductVariantsBulkInput!]!) {
productVariantsBulkUpdate(productId: $productId, variants: $variants) {
productVariants {
id
title
selectedOptions {
name
value
}
}
userErrors {
field
message
}
}
}
Session Tracking
Claude MUST emit the following output at each stage. This is mandatory.
On start, emit:
╔══════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ SKILL: Variant Option Normalizer ║
║ Store: <store domain> ║
║ Started: <YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM UTC> ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════╝
After each step, emit:
[N/TOTAL] <QUERY|MUTATION> <OperationName>
→ Params: <brief summary of key inputs>
→ Result: <count or outcome>
If dry_run: true, prefix every mutation step with [DRY RUN] and do not execute it.
On completion, emit:
For format: human (default):
══════════════════════════════════════════════
OUTCOME SUMMARY
Products scanned: <n>
Variants needing fix: <n>
Variants updated: <n>
Errors: <n>
Output: option_normalizer_<date>.csv
══════════════════════════════════════════════
For format: json, emit:
{
"skill": "variant-option-normalizer",
"store": "<domain>",
"started_at": "<ISO8601>",
"completed_at": "<ISO8601>",
"dry_run": true,
"option_name": "Size",
"outcome": {
"products_scanned": 0,
"variants_needing_fix": 0,
"variants_updated": 0,
"errors": 0,
"output_file": "option_normalizer_<date>.csv"
}
}
Output Format
CSV file option_normalizer_ with columns:
product_id, product_title, variant_id, sku, option_name, old_value, new_value
Error Handling
| Error | Cause | Recovery |
|---|---|---|
THROTTLED | API rate limit exceeded | Wait 2 seconds, retry up to 3 times |
userErrors on bulk update | Option value conflict within product | Log error, skip product, continue |
| No matching variants | Mapping keys not found in catalog | Exit with 0 matches, review mapping |
Best Practices
mapping by first running with dry_run: true and reviewing the detected option values — you may discover more variants than expected.option_name at a time (Size, then Color separately) to keep the mapping manageable and reduce error risk.