# Write back tracking and fulfillment to Shopify URL: https://support.starshipit.com/articles/90200000000207-write-back-tracking-and-fulfillment-to-shopify Canonical: https://support.starshipit.com/articles/90200000000207-write-back-tracking-and-fulfillment-to-shopify Markdown: https://support.starshipit.com/articles/90200000000207-write-back-tracking-and-fulfillment-to-shopify.md Updated: 2026-05-27 > For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://support.starshipit.com/llms.txt). > Configure how Starshipit sends tracking details and fulfillment updates back to Shopify, including customer notifications, Classic writeback, Enhanced writeback, partial fulfillment, and transit status. Writeback is the process of Starshipit sending information back to Shopify after a label is created or an order is manifested. This typically marks the Shopify order or fulfillment order as fulfilled and provides the customer's tracking number. All writeback settings are found at **Settings > Integrations > Shopify Settings** (main tab and Advanced tab). ## When writeback fires By default, writeback happens when a label is created in Starshipit. To trigger writeback on manifest instead: 1. Go to **Settings > Integrations > Shopify**. 2. Enable **Write back order updates on manifest**. Both options update Shopify at the same point — the difference is when in your workflow it happens. ## Disable writeback entirely If you do not want Starshipit to update Shopify at all: 1. Go to **Settings > Integrations > Shopify > Advanced tab**. 2. Enable **Disable Writeback**. When this is on, Starshipit will not send any tracking or fulfillment updates to Shopify. Customer notifications from Shopify will also not fire. ## Customer notifications {#customer-notifications} By default, when Starshipit writes back to Shopify, Shopify sends its own shipping notification email to the customer. If you send your own tracking emails from Starshipit (or another system), you may want to prevent Shopify from sending a duplicate email. To disable Shopify customer notifications: 1. Go to **Settings > Integrations > Shopify > Advanced tab**. 2. In the **Writeback** section, enable **Disable Shopify customer notification**. 3. Click **Save**. Writeback will still update the Shopify order status and tracking number — customers just will not receive the Shopify email. :::note Fulfillment event writeback (transit status) requires both writeback and Shopify customer notifications to be enabled. If you disable customer notifications, transit status writeback will not function. ::: ## Classic writeback In Shopify Classic, Starshipit can write back in two ways: tag/note writeback and fulfillment writeback. ### Tag and note writeback Starshipit can append information to the Shopify order without creating a Shopify fulfillment. This is useful when a third-party fulfillment service manages fulfillment in Shopify, and you only want Starshipit to mark the order on the Shopify order record. - **Order tag writeback** — Appends a tag to the Shopify order. The default tag value is `SHIPPED`. - **Note attribute writeback** — Appends carrier tracking details to the Shopify order's note attributes. Both options are in **Settings > Integrations > Shopify > Advanced > Writeback**. **Important:** If tag/note writeback is enabled alongside fulfillment writeback, Shopify may receive duplicate updates. Use the option below to prevent this. ### Skip fulfillment creation after tag and note writeback Enable **Do not create Shopify fulfillments after tag and note writeback** when a third-party fulfillment service will complete the Shopify fulfillment, and you only want Starshipit to tag or note the order. Only enable this setting if another service owns the Shopify fulfillment. If Starshipit is your primary fulfillment tool, leave this off. ### Fulfillment writeback For most Classic merchants, Starshipit creates a Shopify fulfillment record with the tracking number and carrier, and marks the order as fulfilled. This works for open or in-progress Shopify fulfillment orders. ## Enhanced writeback In Shopify Enhanced, writeback targets the specific Shopify **fulfillment order** that was imported into Starshipit. This is more precise than Classic writeback, especially for split or partially fulfilled orders. Starshipit sends: - The tracking number - The tracking URL - The tracking company (carrier name) The writeback creates a Shopify fulfillment against the fulfillment order ID that was stored when the order was imported. ### Partial fulfillment Enhanced writeback can specify individual fulfillment order line items and quantities, enabling Starshipit to fulfill only part of a fulfillment order. This allows for scenarios where: - Only some items in a fulfillment order are ready to ship. - You are fulfilling items in batches. :::note Enhanced writeback does not write back return jobs. Returns are a separate workflow. ::: ## Ready for pickup {#pickup-ready-for-pickup} For Local Pick Up orders, Starshipit can mark the Shopify fulfillment order as **ready for pickup** instead of creating a standard shipping fulfillment. To enable: go to **Settings > Integrations > Shopify > Advanced** and enable **Mark pickup fulfillment orders as ready for pickup**. When this is on, processing a pickup order in Starshipit sends the "ready for pickup" status to Shopify, which can trigger Shopify's own pickup notification to the customer. ## Transit status writeback (fulfillment event writeback) {#transit-status} By default, Starshipit writes back once — when the order is shipped. You can optionally enable **fulfillment event writeback** so that additional transit statuses (such as "Out for delivery" and "Delivered") are also sent back to Shopify as the package moves through the carrier network. **Requirements:** - Writeback must be enabled. - Shopify customer notifications must be enabled (not disabled). - The Starshipit account must have the fulfillment event writeback feature available. **To enable:** 1. Go to **Settings > Integrations > Shopify > Advanced tab**. 2. Enable **Enable fulfillment event writeback**. 3. Click **Save**. **Configure Shopify shipping notifications:** After enabling in Starshipit, you also need to turn on the relevant shipping status emails in Shopify: 1. In your Shopify admin, go to **Settings > Notifications**. 2. Scroll to the **Shipping** section. 3. Enable the notification types you want customers to receive, such as **Out for delivery** and **Delivered**. :::note Most merchants only need a single "your order has shipped" email. Only enable fulfillment event writeback if you want Shopify to send status-by-status updates to customers. If Starshipit is already sending those emails, enabling this as well will create duplicates. ::: ## Tracking URL defaults to Google or shows incorrectly in Shopify If a carrier is not recognised by Shopify, it falls back to a Google search URL or shows no tracking link. To fix this, update the shipping confirmation email template in Shopify to use the tracking URL provided by Starshipit directly. See [Shopify's help documentation](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/fulfillment/fulfilling-orders) for template editing guidance.