DocumentationGetting StartedInstallation and Setup

Installation & Setup

This guide walks you through installing Categorify and getting it ready to categorize your Shopify products.

Prerequisites

Categorify works with any Shopify store plan—Basic, Shopify, Advanced, or Plus. No special requirements needed.

Installing Categorify

  1. Visit the Categorify app listing on the Shopify App Store
  2. Click Install
  3. Review the permissions request:
  • Read products - To read product titles and descriptions for categorization
  • Write products - To assign categories and add the categorization tag
  1. Click Install

The installation takes just a few seconds. Once complete, you’ll be redirected to the Categorify dashboard.

Your Free Trial

When you install Categorify for the first time, a 7-day trial automatically begins. The trial includes:

  • 100 categorization credits - Test the app on your actual products
  • Full feature access - All settings and categorization methods available
  • No credit card required - Try before you commit

Trial Notifications

You’ll receive email notifications to help you make the most of your trial:

  • 3 days before expiration - Reminder that your trial ends soon
  • When trial expires - Notice that you need to upgrade to continue
  • When credits are used - Alert if you use all 100 credits before the 7 days end

After Your Trial

When the trial ends (or credits run out), categorization stops until you subscribe. Your settings and categorization history remain accessible, so you can review results and upgrade when ready.

Note: Trials are per store. If you uninstall and reinstall Categorify after your trial expires, you’ll need to subscribe immediately—the trial doesn’t reset.

Accessing Categorify

After installation, find Categorify in your Shopify admin:

  1. Open your Shopify admin
  2. Click Apps in the left navigation
  3. Click Categorify to open the dashboard

Tip: Pin Categorify to your navigation for quick access. In the Apps section, click the pin icon next to Categorify.

First Time Dashboard

When you first open Categorify, you’ll see:

Usage Pane: Shows your trial credits (100 available) and includes an Upgrade button

Plan Pane: Displays your current trial status and another Upgrade option

Welcome Video: The main area features an embedded YouTube video demonstrating how categorization works

This gives you a quick overview before you start categorizing products.

Default Settings

Categorify comes configured with conservative defaults. You can use it immediately for manual categorization, or customize settings later based on your needs.

Automation Settings (Default: OFF)

Automatic categorization is disabled by default. This lets you test categorization manually before enabling background processing.

  • Categorize new and modified products automatically - Unchecked
  • Categorized tag name - categorized-by-ai

The categorized tag is crucial—it prevents infinite loops by marking products that have been categorized. When Categorify updates a product to add a category, it also adds this tag. The tag ensures that product update doesn’t trigger another categorization.

Important: Don’t remove or change the categorized tag on products unless you understand the implications. Removing it may cause products to be re-categorized unnecessarily.

Categorization Settings (Default: Balanced)

  • Use best-guess category if AI cannot decide - Unchecked
  • Instructions to the AI - Empty
  • Return only leaf categories - Unchecked

These defaults give you accurate results without forcing the AI to guess when it’s uncertain. You can adjust these later based on your categorization strategy.

Top-up Credits (Default: None)

Your trial includes 100 credits. No top-up credits are available until you purchase them separately.

Enabling Automatic Categorization (Optional)

If you want Categorify to process products automatically in the background:

  1. Open Categorify from the Apps section
  2. Click Settings in the top navigation
  3. In the Automation section, check Categorize new and modified products automatically
  4. Click Save

Now when you create or update products (through admin, CSV import, or API), Categorify automatically categorizes them in the background.

Recommendation: Test manual categorization on a few products first to ensure results meet your expectations before enabling automatic processing.

Verifying Installation

To confirm Categorify is working:

  1. Go to Products in Shopify admin
  2. Open any product without a category
  3. Click More actions → Categorize product
  4. Return to Categorify and check the History page to see the result

If you see a categorization entry with a status indicator, installation is successful.

Next Steps

Now that Categorify is installed and configured:

Ready to start? The Quick Start Guide shows you the fastest ways to categorize products.

What is Categorify?Quick Start Guide