# Write Shopify Collection Descriptions Using AI 8 min setup No coding required Runs automatically Effortlessly create compelling Shopify collection descriptions with AI-powered automation. This MESA workflow template uses ChatGPT to write high-quality descriptions whenever you add a new collection in Shopify, saving you time and sparking creativity. Perfect for busy merchants, this tool ensures consistent, engaging content that resonates with customers and enhances your store’s appeal. ## How it works 8 steps to start generating AI-written descriptions for new Shopify collections ### Collection Created App connector: [Shopify](/content/apps/shopify/integrate "View Shopify integration page"/index.html)• Time to complete: 0 minutes (Auto-configured) **Why this matters:** This trigger monitors your Shopify store for newly created collections and kicks off the description generation workflow. Without this automation, you'd need to remember to write descriptions for every new collection you create, and blank descriptions hurt your SEO and provide no context for customers. When any collection is created in Shopify—whether you're setting up a smart collection with automated product rules or a custom collection where you manually add products—this trigger captures the collection details including the title and ID. The trigger watches your store continuously and passes the collection data to the next step immediately after creation. The trigger automatically connects to your Shopify store once you authorize MESA, with no manual configuration needed. ### Retrieve Collection App connector: [Shopify](/content/apps/shopify/integrate "View Shopify integration page"/index.html)• Time to complete: 0 minutes (Auto-configured) **Why this matters:** This step fetches the complete collection record including its type (smart or custom), which determines which Shopify API endpoint the workflow needs to use for updating the description. Without knowing the collection type, the workflow couldn't properly save the AI-generated description back to Shopify. ### Path 1: Smart Collections App connector: [Paths](/content/apps/paths/integrate "View Paths integration page"/index.html)• Time to complete: 0 minutes (Auto-configured) **Why this matters:** This rule determines if the workflow should proceed down the smart collection path. It checks whether the collection type equals "smart," and if so, continues to generate a description and update using the smart collection API endpoint. ### Generate Smart Collection Description App connector: [AI](/content/apps/ai/integrate "View AI integration page"/index.html)• Time to complete: 1 minute **Why this matters:** This is where the AI actually writes the collection description for smart collections. The AI creates SEO-friendly, readable copy that gives customers and search engines context about what products this collection contains, all based on the collection name. ### Update Collection App connector: [Shopify](/content/apps/shopify/integrate "View Shopify integration page"/index.html)• Time to complete: 0 minutes (Auto-configured) **Why this matters:** This step saves the AI-generated description to your Shopify smart collection's body content, making it visible on the collection page. ### Path 2: Custom Collections App connector: [Paths](/content/apps/paths/integrate "View Paths integration page"/index.html)• Time to complete: 0 minutes (Auto-configured) **Why this matters:** This rule determines if the workflow should proceed down the custom collection path. It checks whether the collection type equals "custom," and if so, continues to generate a description and update using the custom collection API endpoint. ### Generate Custom Collection Description App connector: [AI](/content/apps/ai/integrate "View AI integration page"/index.html)• Time to complete: 1 minute **Why this matters:** This is where the AI writes the collection description for custom collections. Like the smart collection prompt, it creates SEO-friendly copy that provides context about the collection, but uses the custom collection update API in the next step. ### Update Collection App connector: [Shopify](/content/apps/shopify/integrate "View Shopify integration page"/index.html)• Time to complete: 0 minutes (Auto-configured) **Why this matters:** This step saves the AI-generated description to your Shopify custom collection's body content, making it visible on the collection page. ## Frequently asked questions ### Can I edit the AI-generated descriptions after they're created? Absolutely. The workflow only generates descriptions for newly created collections, so once a description is added, you can edit it directly in Shopify's admin without the workflow overwriting it. ### What if I want longer or shorter descriptions than 2 paragraphs? You can modify the AI prompt in Steps 5 and 8 to specify different length requirements. Change "Keep under 2 paragraphs" to "Write 3-4 paragraphs" for more detailed descriptions, or "Keep to 1 short paragraph" for briefer copy. ### Will the AI understand what products are in my collection when writing descriptions? By default, no—the AI only uses the collection name as context, so a collection called "Summer Dresses" will get a description about summer dresses, but the AI doesn't know which specific products you've added. If you want more accurate descriptions, you can modify the workflow to retrieve the collection's products first and include product details in the AI prompt.