---
title: Shopify subscription event tracking
slug: shopify-subscription-event-tracking
createdAt: 2026-03-10T15:36:01.079Z
---

## Overview

If your Shopify store sells subscriptions, Chord can track subscription lifecycle events such as creation, cancellation, and payment failures. These events are delivered to Chord via Shopify webhooks, similar to [Shopify server event tracking](docId\:xbL7zBqE14BT7gbTMl0un).

However, Shopify restricts subscription contract webhook events to the app that originally created the contract (such as Shopify Subscriptions or Recharge). Because of this limitation, the Chord webhook source cannot listen to subscription-specific webhook events directly. Instead, **Shopify Flow** is used as a workaround to forward these events to Chord.

## Prerequisites

Before configuring subscription event tracking, confirm the following:

- Chord has access to your Shopify store
- You have access to your Chord workspace
- [Shopify server event tracking](docId\:xbL7zBqE14BT7gbTMl0un) is already configured (Admin API key and webhook source are in place)
- [Shopify Flow](https://apps.shopify.com/flow) is installed on your Shopify store

If you have questions about any of these prerequisites, contact [help@chord.co](mailto\:help@chord.co).

## Supported Subscription Events

| Shopify Webhook Topic                   | Chord Event                 |
| --------------------------------------- | --------------------------- |
| `subscription_contracts/create`         | Subscription Created        |
| `subscription_contracts/cancel`         | Subscription Canceled       |
| `subscription_contracts/pause`          | Subscription Paused         |
| `subscription_contracts/expire`         | Subscription Expired        |
| `subscription_billing_attempts/failure` | Subscription Payment Failed |

## Installation

### Step 1: Install Shopify Flow

[Shopify Flow](https://apps.shopify.com/flow) is a free automation app from Shopify. It may already be installed on your store — your Chord implementation team may have set it up during provisioning. If you are unsure, contact [help@chord.co](mailto\:help@chord.co).

### Step 2: Import Flows

Your Chord implementation team will provide three Flow files:

- `[CHORD] - Subscription Contract Created.flow`
- `[CHORD] - Subscription Updated (Cancelled / Expired / Paused).flow`
- `[CHORD] - Subscription Payment Failed.flow`

To import each flow:

1. In your Shopify Admin, go to **Apps > Shopify Flow**.
2. Click **Import Flow**.
3. Upload the `.flow` file and confirm the import.
4. Repeat for each of the three flow files.

### Step 3: Verify the Flows

1. In Shopify Flow, review each imported workflow to confirm it is active.
2. Trigger a test subscription event in your store (e.g., create a test subscription).
3. In your Chord workspace, navigate to the Shopify webhook source and open the **Debugger** tab.
4. Confirm that the expected subscription events appear.

## Support

If you encounter issues configuring subscription flows or do not see subscription events in your Chord workspace, contact [help@chord.co](mailto\:help@chord.co) with details about the problem.