> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.depict.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# API Overview

> The Search & Merchandising API: the REST API behind the Depict: Search & Merchandising Shopify app.

Depict: Search & Merchandising is Depict's native Shopify product: it
merchandises your existing Shopify collections without any theme changes. The
Search & Merchandising API is the REST API behind the app's admin experience.

## Base URL

The Search & Merchandising API is served under the `/api/lite` prefix of the
Depict portal backend:

```
https://<portal-host>/api/lite
```

## Authentication

The Search & Merchandising API is called by the Depict: Search & Merchandising app itself, which runs embedded
in the Shopify admin. Every request carries the Shopify session token that
App Bridge issues to the app, sent as a bearer token:

```bash theme={null}
curl "https://<portal-host>/api/lite/collections?merchant_id=$MERCHANT_ID" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SHOPIFY_SESSION_TOKEN"
```

The shop is taken from the token. Where an endpoint takes a `merchant_id`
parameter, it must be the merchant of that shop; multi-store endpoints take
explicit `merchant_id` parameters for the connected stores. Session tokens are
short-lived and are only issued inside the Shopify admin, so there is no
standalone API key for this API.

## AI assistants and other outside callers

The session token above is the Depict: Search & Merchandising app's own path. Callers outside the
app, such as AI assistants, use Depict's MCP server instead. Each store has
its own endpoint:

```
https://platform.depict.ai/mcp?store_id=<merchant_id>
```

It is protected with OAuth 2.1: clients register themselves (dynamic client
registration), sign in with PKCE, and ask for the scopes `depict:read` and
`depict:write`. A person with access to the store approves each connection in
the Shopify admin. The authorization server is described at
`https://platform.depict.ai/.well-known/oauth-authorization-server`, and each
store's endpoint at
`https://platform.depict.ai/.well-known/oauth-protected-resource?store_id=<merchant_id>`.
Through the MCP server, an assistant calls the operations of this API that are
open to assistants, as the person who approved it.

Connecting an assistant, the approval screen and revoking are described on
the [AI assistants](/shopify-lite/ai-assistants) page.

## What you can do with it

* **Collections** — list, activate and configure merchandised collections,
  including the ordering that Depict pushes back to Shopify.
* **Boost & bury** — manage per-collection and global boost/bury rules.
* **Dashboard** — read the performance numbers shown on the Depict: Search & Merchandising dashboard.
* **A/B testing** — configure and read results of collection A/B tests.
* **Multi-store** — connect several Shopify stores and replicate collection
  configuration between them.
* **Onboarding & Shopify integration** — ingestion status, theme
  compatibility checks and app onboarding state.


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