# Automations and Shopify Flow

> Source: https://primemoq.app/help/automations/automations-overview
> Collection: Automations
> Updated: 2026-08-26

Send every blocked checkout to Shopify Flow as an event, and let Flow trigger emails, tags, draft orders or anything else, without touching enforcement itself.

**Short answer.** Automations is Prime MOQ's Shopify Flow integration. An Automations page lets you turn on event sending, install ready-made workflow templates, and read an activity log of everything Flow received or skipped. Flow never blocks anything. Your rules already do that at checkout, on every plan, whether Automations is on or off. Flow only reacts to what has already happened.

## Key takeaways

- Off by default, because turning it on sends real events. Build the workflow first.
- The whole page is visible on the free plan. Only the send toggle and installing a template are Pro.
- Two triggers exist, an order limit blocking a shopper and a repurchase limit being reached.
- Three actions let Flow call back, set a rule's limit, toggle a rule, and reset a repurchase counter.

## Before you start

- Shopify Flow installed on your store, which is free from the Shopify App Store.

## Why it exists

A rule stops a bad order at checkout, and for most carts that is the whole job.
But some blocked carts are worth more than a block. A cart three times your usual
size is often a wholesale buyer in the retail flow. A reseller repeatedly hitting
a per-customer cap is an account worth tagging. A stock level falling is a reason
to tighten a maximum before anyone notices.

Automations hands that moment to [Shopify Flow](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/shopify-flow),
which already has hundreds of actions for email, Slack, customer tags and draft
orders. There is no reason for Prime MOQ to rebuild any of them.

## What Flow does not do

Flow does not block anything, and it cannot. Enforcement is entirely the job of
your rules and the Shopify Function that reads them, described in
[How limits are enforced at checkout](https://primemoq.app/help/checkout-and-enforcement/how-limits-are-enforced-at-checkout).
That runs on every plan, and it runs identically whether Automations is on, off,
or never set up.

Flow reacts after the fact. This is worth being clear about before you build
anything, because a workflow designed on the assumption that Flow is part of the
enforcement chain will not do what you expect.

## Where to find it

Open **Automations** from the Prime MOQ sidebar, after Rules and Design. The page
has three parts:

| Part | What it is |
| --- | --- |
| Send blocked orders to Shopify Flow | The toggle that starts sending events |
| Workflow templates | Four ready-made chains you can install or adapt |
| Recent activity | Every event sent, or skipped, with the reason |

## Turn on event sending

**Build your workflow first,** or install a template. See
[Ready-made workflow templates](https://primemoq.app/help/automations/workflow-templates). Turning
the toggle on before a workflow exists sends events that nothing is listening
for.

**Open Automations and switch on "Send blocked orders to Shopify Flow".**

**Watch the activity log** to confirm events are arriving as expected. See
[Reading the Flow activity log](https://primemoq.app/help/automations/flow-activity-log).

## Rate limits

Outbound events are capped at **100 workflow starts per hour**, and repeat blocks
from the same shopper within a short window count once. A frustrated customer
clicking Add to cart six times does not start six workflow runs.

If you go over the hourly cap, the page shows a banner telling you how many
events did not start a workflow that hour.

## What you get on the free plan

The whole page: every template, every trigger and action chain, and the activity
log. Only two things need Pro, the send toggle itself and clicking Install on a
template.

That is deliberate. You can see exactly what Automations would do for your store
before deciding whether it is worth upgrading for.

## Common mistakes

- Turning the toggle on before building a workflow. Events arrive with
nothing to react to them.

- Expecting Flow to block something. It cannot, and it does not need to.

- Assuming the free plan sees nothing. It sees everything on this page.

- Installing a template and stopping there. A Flow workflow is off by default
after import, and the send toggle is a separate switch.

## FAQ

### Does turning off the send toggle affect checkout enforcement?

No. Enforcement is entirely independent of Automations. Your rules block or allow a checkout in exactly the same way whether this toggle has ever been switched on.

### What actually triggers a Flow event?

Two things. A shopper being stopped by an order limit rule on your storefront, meaning the product page or the cart, and a customer reaching a repurchase limit. Each has a companion article covering every field it carries.

### What can a Flow workflow do back to Prime MOQ?

Three actions: set a rule's limit, turn a rule on or off, and reset a customer's repurchase counter. Each one has its own article with worked scenarios.

### Why is there no activity in my log?

Either the send toggle is off, or nothing has triggered an event yet. Trigger a block deliberately on your own storefront to test it, then check the log again.

### Do I need Shopify Flow installed first?

Yes. Flow is a free Shopify app, and it is what receives the events and runs the workflows. Without it there is nothing on the other end of the toggle.

**Best for:** Merchants who want a blocked order to trigger something beyond stopping checkout, such as an email, a tag or a rule adjustment.

**Applies to:** Pro plan for the send toggle and template install, All plans to view the page