# Set Up Your First Order Limit

> Source: https://primemoq.app/help/getting-started/set-up-your-first-rule
> Collection: Getting Started
> Updated: 2026-08-02

Install Prime MOQ, turn on the app embed, create your first rule and confirm it actually blocks checkout, in four steps.

**Short answer.** Install Prime MOQ from the Shopify App Store, turn on the app embed in your theme editor, then go to Rules and Create rule. Pick a limit type, enter your minimum or maximum, choose which products it applies to, and save. The rule enforces immediately. There is no separate publish step.

## Key takeaways

- The Dashboard checklist tracks the same four steps: install, app embed, first rule, storefront test.
- Saving a rule is publishing it. Rules enforce as soon as they are saved, or at their scheduled start time.
- The app embed is a separate step from creating a rule, and is the usual reason nothing shows on the storefront.
- Always finish by attempting a real checkout, not just by reading the message on the product page.

## Before you start

- A Shopify store on an Online Store 2.0 theme
- Permission to edit your theme and install apps

## Step 1: Install Prime MOQ

Install Prime MOQ from the Shopify App Store and approve the requested
permissions. The app then appears in your Shopify admin under **Apps**.

## Step 2: Activate the app embed

Rules can be saved before this step, but nothing appears to shoppers until the
app embed is turned on in your theme.

From the Dashboard checklist, click **Activate app embed**. That opens **Online
Store > Themes > Customize** on your active theme, at the app embeds panel. You
can also get there from **Settings > Message position > Edit theme**.

Toggle on the **Product Price** embed, which shows the limit message on product
pages, and the cart embed if your theme uses a cart drawer. Click **Save** in the
theme editor. The Dashboard checklist flips this step to **Done** on its own once
the app detects it.

For the full reference, including the app block and which themes are supported,
see [Activate the App Embed](/help/getting-started/activate-app-embed).

## Step 3: Create your first rule

Go to **Rules > Create rule**. On a brand-new store with no rules yet, the
Dashboard and Rules pages also show **Quick start** tiles, which open a rule
already filled in with sensible values.

**Choose a limit type.** In the **Conditions** card, pick **Quantity**, **Value**
or **Weight**, then fill in the minimum, maximum or multiple. If you are not sure
which fits, see
[Which Limit Type Should I Use?](/help/rule-types/which-limit-type-should-i-use).

**Choose which products it applies to.** In the **Products** card, select
specific products, a collection, a tag, a vendor, a product type, or your whole
store.

**Save.** The rule activates immediately, or at its scheduled start time, and
starts enforcing at checkout right away. There is no separate publish action.

## Step 4: Verify it works

**Check the live preview first.** The **Preview** card in the right-hand column
simulates a shopper adjusting the quantity of a sample product and shows the
exact message that will appear once the threshold is crossed. It is the fastest
way to proofread your wording without leaving the page.

**Open your storefront** in an incognito tab, or use the Dashboard checklist's
**Test it on your storefront** step, which opens it for you.

**Trigger the limit.** Open a product covered by your rule and set a quantity
that violates it.

**Confirm checkout is blocked.** Try to proceed to checkout with the invalid
cart. Checkout should stop the order and show the same message. That is the
Shopify Function enforcing the rule, independently of the storefront message.

If both the product-page message and the checkout block appear, setup is
complete. Mark the checklist's final step done.

## Where to go next

- Explore every [limit type](/help/rule-types/quantity-value-and-weight-limits)
  so you can match each situation your store has.
- Set your
  [default message templates](/help/storefront-and-messages/default-message-templates)
  and [styling](/help/storefront-and-messages/style-the-limit-message) so the
  message matches your brand.
- Read [Safe Uninstall](/help/plans-billing-account/safe-uninstall) before you
  ever remove the app, so you know what happens to your live rules.

## FAQ

### Do I have to publish a rule after saving it?

No. Saving a rule is publishing it. A new rule defaults to Active and starts enforcing at checkout immediately, or at its start date if you set a schedule.

### My rule is saved but nothing shows on the storefront. What is wrong?

Almost always the app embed. It is a separate step from creating the rule, and without it the product page has nothing to render the message with. Enforcement at checkout still works in the meantime, so shoppers get blocked without an explanation, which is why the embed matters.

### Why does the Rules list say "Calculating" after I save?

A background job is resolving exactly how many products and variants match your scope. It settles within a few seconds and the list updates itself without a page refresh.

### My rule says Deactivated even though I set it to Active. Why?

A rule that currently matches zero products is never enforced, so the list shows it as Deactivated with a tooltip rather than a misleading green badge. Widen the Products scope, or add products to the collection or tag it targets.

### Why can I not edit a rule I already saved?

An existing Active rule locks its fields on purpose, so a scope change cannot quietly alter what is blocked while shoppers are hitting it. Click Deactivate rule in the page header, make your changes, then reactivate.

### Should I test while logged into the Shopify admin?

Use an incognito tab. Some themes cache admin sessions in a way that hides or alters live storefront elements.

**Best for:** A merchant setting up Prime MOQ for the first time, or onboarding a new store.

**Applies to:** Shopify Online Store 2.0 themes