Manage Shopify From Telegram With n8n: Two-Way Bot Guide

To manage Shopify from Telegram with n8n, you build a two-way bot that answers slash commands like /orders, /lowstock, /sales, and /find right inside a chat window. Instead of unlocking your phone and loading the Shopify admin every time you want a number, you type one word and the bot queries the Shopify Admin API and replies in seconds. This guide walks through all twelve nodes, the exact build steps, the mistakes to avoid, and the running cost at real volume.

What it does

Most Shopify owners already get pushed notifications: a new order lands, a Telegram ping fires. That is one direction only. This workflow flips it around so you can ask the store questions on demand, from the same Telegram chat you already keep open.

You send the bot a command and it answers:

• /orders returns your five most recent orders with totals and payment status.
• /lowstock lists every variant at or below a stock threshold you set.
• /sales reports how many orders came in today and the running total.
• /find 1042 looks up a single order by its name or number and returns its status.

It is the difference between a notification feed and a control panel. When a customer emails asking where their order is, or a supplier asks what you need reordered, the answer is one message away instead of a login, a search, and three taps. This fits into the wider n8n Shopify automation stack as the query layer that sits alongside your existing alert workflows.

Why it beats the default

The default way to check these numbers is the Shopify mobile app. It works, but it is heavy for a quick glance: it loads a full dashboard, it wants you logged in, and it does not let you script or combine views. If you want “low stock across every variant under 5 units” you scroll and count.

A Telegram bot beats that for three reasons. It is instant, because the reply is plain text with no interface to render. It is shareable, because you can add a warehouse assistant to the chat and they get the same commands without a Shopify staff seat. And it is extendable, because every command is just an n8n branch you control, so adding a new report is a five-minute job rather than a feature request to an app vendor.

It also pairs cleanly with push alerts. Keep order alerts on Telegram for events that reach out to you, and use this bot for the questions you reach out to ask. Together they cover both directions from one chat.

What you need

• An n8n instance, either n8n Cloud or self-hosted version 1.0 or newer.
• A Telegram bot token from @BotFather, which takes about two minutes to create.
• A Shopify custom app access token with read scopes for orders and products. Follow how to connect Shopify to n8n in 2026 using the Dev Dashboard method to generate it.
• Your store domain in the form your-store.myshopify.com.

Estimated build time is 30 to 40 minutes from scratch, or under 10 minutes if you import the template and paste in your credentials.

Node-by-node list

The workflow is twelve nodes. A single Telegram Trigger feeds a parser, a Switch routes on the command, four HTTP Request nodes hit the Shopify Admin API version 2026-04, four Code nodes format the reply, and one Telegram node sends it back.

Telegram Trigger
      |
Parse Command (Code)
      |
Route Command (Switch)
  |     |      |       |
/orders /lowstock /sales /find
  |     |      |       |
[Get   [Get    [Get   [Find
 Recent Products Today  Order]  <- HTTP Request (Admin API)
 Orders]      Orders]
  |     |      |       |
[Format][Format][Format][Format] <- Code (build reply text)
  \     |      |      /
     Send Telegram Reply

Step-by-step build

1. Add a Telegram Trigger node. Attach your Telegram credential, set Updates to message, and save. n8n gives it a webhook that Telegram will call on every message.
2. Add a Code node named Parse Command. Paste the parser below. It reads the message text, splits off the first word as the command, keeps the rest as the argument, and stores the chat ID so the reply goes back to the right place.

   const msg = $input.first().json.message || {};
   const text = (msg.text || '').trim();
   const parts = text.split(/\s+/);
   const command = (parts[0] || '').toLowerCase();
   const arg = parts.slice(1).join(' ');
   return [{ json: { command, arg, chatId: msg.chat ? msg.chat.id : '' } }];

3. Add a Switch node named Route Command. Create four rules, each a String equals check on {{ $json.command }} matching /orders, /lowstock, /sales, and /find. Name the outputs so the canvas stays readable.
4. On the first output add an HTTP Request node named Get Recent Orders. Method GET, URL https://your-store.myshopify.com/admin/api/2026-04/orders.json, authentication set to Generic Header Auth with your Shopify token credential. Add query parameters status=any, limit=5, and a fields list of name, total_price, financial_status, fulfillment_status, created_at.
5. On the second output add Get Products, same auth, URL ending /products.json, with limit=250 and fields=title,variants. Variant inventory rides along in the response.
6. On the third output add Get Today Orders, URL ending /orders.json, with status=any, limit=250, fields=total_price,created_at, and a created_at_min value of {{ $now.startOf('day').toISO() }} so only today's orders return.
7. On the fourth output add Find Order, URL ending /orders.json, with status=any, limit=1, and a name parameter of {{ $('Parse Command').item.json.arg }} so it searches for whatever number the user typed.
8. Behind each HTTP node add a Code node that builds the reply text. For Format Low Stock, the code loops every variant and keeps those at or below the threshold:

   const products = $input.first().json.products || [];
   const threshold = 5;
   const low = [];
   for (const p of products) {
     for (const v of (p.variants || [])) {
       if (typeof v.inventory_quantity === 'number' && v.inventory_quantity <= threshold) {
         low.push(p.title + ' - ' + v.inventory_quantity + ' left');
       }
     }
   }
   const message = low.length
     ? 'Low stock (<= ' + threshold + '):\n\n' + low.join('\n')
     : 'All variants are above the low-stock threshold.';
   return [{ json: { message } }];

9. Add one Telegram node named Send Telegram Reply. Set Chat ID to {{ $('Parse Command').item.json.chatId }} and Text to {{ $json.message }}. Wire all four Format nodes into it, since only one branch ever runs per message.
10. Save, toggle the workflow Active, and message your bot /sales to confirm it replies.

Common mistakes

• Leaving the Shopify token with write scopes it does not need. This bot only reads, so grant read_orders and read_products and nothing more.
• Forgetting the created_at_min value on the sales branch. Without it the node returns your entire order history and the total is meaningless.
• Wiring the Format nodes into separate Telegram nodes. One shared Telegram node is cleaner and avoids four near-identical configs drifting apart.
• Using an old Admin API version in the URL. Stick to a current version like 2026-04 so field names and behavior match this guide.
• Testing before the workflow is Active. The Telegram Trigger only receives live messages once the workflow is switched on.

Cost at realistic volume

The running cost is close to zero. Telegram charges nothing for bot messages. Each command is one or two Shopify Admin API calls, and Shopify's REST limit is two calls per second per store, so even rapid checking never comes near the ceiling.

On n8n Cloud's Starter plan the small-team column still fits inside the monthly execution allowance, and self-hosted users pay only their server cost. There is no per-message fee anywhere in the chain.

FAQ

Related guides

• Send Shopify order alerts to Telegram with n8n
• Shopify daily sales report on Telegram
• How to connect Shopify to n8n in 2026
• More Shopify automation guides