Testing Without a Store

Verify your agent works before going live.

You don't need a Shopify store to test

Clearly works with any website — including a local HTML file. Here's how to test the full flow without a live store.

1

1. Get a test API key

Sign up at clearly.sh/subscribe (free plan).

Go to Embed & Keys in your dashboard.

Create a new test key — it will start with ck_test_.

2

2. Upload a sample catalog

Go to Catalog and upload a CSV file with your products. You can use any Shopify-format CSV — or create a simple one:

`
Handle,Title,Body (HTML),Variant Price,Variant SKU,Status
blue-widget,Blue Widget,A lovely blue widget,29.99,BW-001,active
red-gadget,Red Gadget,A powerful red gadget,49.99,RG-001,active
`

Save this as products.csv and drag it into the upload area.

3

3. Create a test page

Create a file called test.html on your computer:

4

4. Open in browser

Open test.html in your browser (just double-click it or use npx serve).

You should see the floating chat widget in the bottom-right. Click it and ask "What products do you have?" — the agent should respond with items from your uploaded catalog.

5

5. Check the dashboard

Go back to your Clearly dashboard. You should see:
- The conversation in Conversations
- An uptick in Analytics
- Potentially new Agent Notes if your questions match extraction patterns (sizing, shipping, etc.)

test.html

html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head><title>Clearly Test</title></head>
<body>
  <h1>My Test Store</h1>
  <p>This is a test page for the Clearly agent.</p>

  <script
    src="https://clearly.sh/embed.js"
    data-site-key="ck_test_your_site_key"
    data-theme="light"
    data-greeting="Hi! I'm your test agent. Ask me about our products!"
  ></script>
</body>
</html>

Using Shopify CLI for development

If you're building a custom Shopify integration, the Shopify CLI creates a free development store:

`
npm install -g @shopify/cli
shopify auth login
shopify app dev
`

This gives you a real Shopify store with test products, OAuth flow, and webhook delivery — without paying for a Shopify plan.

Requirements: Node.js 18+, Shopify Partners account (free).

Verifying webhook delivery

If you're testing Shopify webhooks locally, use a tunnel:

`
npx ngrok http 3000
`

Then set your webhook endpoint to the ngrok URL. Shopify will deliver events to your local machine.

Alternatively, check Embed & Keys → Webhook Events in your dashboard to see the webhook audit trail.

Test keys have limits: Test API keys are rate-limited to 10 conversations per hour and don't trigger analytics aggregation or agent notes extraction. Use a live key (`ck_live_`) for full-feature testing.

Checklist

  • -Chat widget appears on page load (after ~1s)
  • -Greeting message shows after 5 seconds
  • -Chat panel opens on click
  • -Agent responds to product questions within 2 seconds
  • -Agent recommends products from your uploaded catalog
  • -"Add to Cart" button appears for recommended products
  • -Conversation appears in dashboard
  • -Agent Notes generate for keyword matches (sizing, shipping, etc.)
QuickstartShopify Setup