# Shopify Global Catalog REST API shuts down November 2 — agents must migrate to UCP MCP Shopify will stop serving its Global Catalog REST endpoints on November 2, 2026. Shopping agents and discovery integrations still using the old search, product lookup or saved-catalog routes must move to the Universal Commerce Protocol-based Global Catalog MCP, including its new request envelopes and agent profile requirement. Shopify is turning off its old cross-merchant catalog REST API on November 2. The replacement is a UCP-compatible MCP server, not a renamed URL: agents must remap tools, payloads and saved-catalog identifiers. - Status: Active - Published: 2026-10-11T09:00:14+13:00 - Updated: 2026-10-11T09:00:14+13:00 - Categories: Web Development, Marketing & Distribution, Developer Tools, Marketplaces & Platforms - Tags: API migration, Model Context Protocol, Shopify, Universal Commerce Protocol - Canonical HTML: https://beyondthe.news/dossiers/shopify-global-catalog-rest-api-november-2-2026-ucp-mcp-migration ## What changed Shopify announced on October 9 that its Global Catalog REST API, deprecated in April, will stop serving traffic on November 2, 2026. Requests to discover.shopifyapps.com/global/... will fail, including those against saved catalogs. Shopify directs developers to Global Catalog MCP, implementing Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) catalog tools at catalog.shopify.com/api/ucp/mcp. The migration requires changing REST routes to search_catalog, lookup_catalog and get_product, sending a UCP agent profile in request metadata, and adopting the new request/response schemas. ## Why it matters Cross-store product search is a key building block for shopping agents and affiliate/discovery tools. This is a hard endpoint cutoff rather than an optional version upgrade: unchanged integrations will lose search and product-lookup capability. The move also signals a platform-level shift from bespoke REST endpoints to discoverable, agent-oriented UCP/MCP tools, while preserving existing bearer-token authentication. ## Endpoint retirement is absolute Shopify's notice explicitly lists the four affected REST routes and says requests to the old global domain stop being served. Existing saved-catalog URLs are included; this is not limited to new integrations. ## Migration is a protocol and schema change Search maps to search_catalog; product and variant lookup maps to get_product with Shopify GIDs; bulk lookup maps to lookup_catalog. Saved-catalog identity moves into catalog.catalog_id, and requests must declare an agent profile. UCP catalog schemas and tool results differ from the old REST shapes. ## What stays and what changes Bearer-token issuance through Dev Dashboard remains. But application code that assumes REST paths, direct JSON response formats or implicit agent capabilities must be adapted and tested against the MCP endpoint. Shopify provides an AI Toolkit and UCP CLI for test queries. ## Key details - Shopify announced the shutdown October 9, 2026; old Global Catalog REST traffic ends November 2, 2026. - Affected endpoints include GET /global/v2/search, GET /global/v2/p/{upid}, GET /global/v2/p/by-variant/{vid}, and POST /global/v2/lookup. - All old requests fail after the cutoff, including saved catalog endpoints. - Replacement is Global Catalog MCP, a UCP implementation, exposing search_catalog, lookup_catalog and get_product. - Every MCP request must include meta.ucp-agent.profile pointing to the agent's UCP profile. - Saved catalogs move to catalog.catalog_id rather than a saved-catalog URL. - Authentication does not change: developers can continue generating bearer tokens from Dev Dashboard client credentials. ## Builder takeaways - Search your code and logs for discover.shopifyapps.com/global and the four retired route patterns. - Map old search and lookup requests to the three UCP catalog tools and update response parsers. - Provide a valid meta.ucp-agent.profile URL and negotiate the needed UCP catalog capabilities. - Convert saved catalog references to catalog.catalog_id and verify variant GID handling. - Test before November 2 and retain rollback plans for product-discovery workflows that cannot yet use MCP. ## What to watch - Whether Shopify publishes further migration examples or fixes before November 2. - Additional UCP/MCP capabilities, partner policies and any changes to saved-catalog semantics. - Adoption of UCP catalog discovery by other commerce platforms. ## Uncertainties - Shopify does not offer a grace period beyond November 2 in the October 9 notice. - Availability, inferred metadata and product ranking may differ between the old REST and new UCP catalog responses. ## Sources - [Global Catalog REST API stops serving traffic on November 2, 2026](https://shopify.dev/changelog/posts/global-catalog-rest-api-stops-serving-traffic-on-november-2-2026) — Shopify Developer Changelog · primary shutdown notice · 2026-10-09T00:00:00+13:00. Deadline, retired endpoints, exact migration steps, bearer-token continuity. - [Global Catalog MCP](https://shopify.dev/docs/agents/catalog/global-catalog) — Shopify Developer Documentation · primary documentation. Current UCP tool contracts, agent profile requirements, catalog IDs, inferred response fields.