Enable VIBE on your theme

VIBE uses a Shopify theme app extension. Enable it through the Theme Editor without editing theme code.

The extension includes an app embed and an optional search-page block.

1AnalyzeConfirm VIBE checked the theme you intend to publish.

2Enable embedTurn on VIBE Search under App embeds.

3Add blockPlace Search Page on the search template when required.

4SaveSave the same theme shoppers will use.

5VerifyTest header search, full results, product links, and mobile.

The onboarding Enable step with the Theme Editor instructions and verification action.

What VIBE adds to your theme

VIBE’s theme app extension provides two blocks:

Block	Type	Where it lives	What it does
VIBE Search	App embed	Loads on every storefront page (`body`)	Powers the VIBE search experience and search overlay across your store. This is the block you enable to switch VIBE on.
Search Page	App block (section)	The search template only	Optionally renders the VIBE search results page directly on your store’s `/search` page.

Configuration notes:

Configure VIBE in the app. The blocks read settings from a shop metafield and have no Theme Editor settings. Manage appearance, colors, controls, and result layout on the Appearance page.
Enable VIBE from the app. The setup wizard opens the correct Theme Editor screen.
The app embed is opt-in and remains off until you enable it.

Step 1: Enable the VIBE Search app embed

Use the onboarding Enable step:

In the VIBE admin, open the onboarding Enable step. It is titled “Enable VIBE in your theme”.
Click Open Theme Editor. Shopify opens the selected theme with the VIBE Search app embed ready to enable.
In the Theme Editor, follow the on-screen onboarding instructions:
1. The Open Theme Editor button opens the editor (Step 2 above).
2. Select the Search theme section so you can confirm VIBE is in place.
3. Click Save.
Return to the VIBE app and click I’ve enabled it to continue onboarding.

VIBE loads after the app embed is enabled and the theme is saved.

Tip: The onboarding deep link opens whichever theme you selected during onboarding (or your active/published theme if you didn’t choose a specific one). If you want to enable VIBE on a different theme, switch to that theme in the Theme Editor’s theme picker before saving.

Enabling or re-checking later from the Appearance page

After onboarding, use the Full Search Setup section on the Appearance page:

JSON search template (templates/search.json, most modern Online Store 2.0 themes, including Dawn): the Appearance page shows an Open Search Template button for the optional Search Page block (see Step 2). There is no separate “Enable App Embed” button here, because the app embed is enabled during onboarding (Step 1 above).
Liquid search template (templates/search.liquid): the Appearance page shows an Enable App Embed button that deep-links into the Theme Editor with the VIBE Search app embed ready to activate. Use it if you ever need to re-enable the embed.
Unknown / undetected template: no button is shown until you re-run the theme check (see Step 2).

To change the app embed directly, open Online Store → Themes → Customize, open App embeds, and toggle VIBE Search.

Step 2 (optional): Turn on the VIBE Search Page on your search template

The app embed handles quick search. The optional Search Page block renders VIBE on the dedicated /search page. The required setup depends on the theme’s search template.

The Full Search Setup section shows the detected template type and required action:

If your theme uses a JSON search template (templates/search.json, most modern Online Store 2.0 themes, including Dawn): VIBE will tell you to add the Search Page app block. Click Open Search Template to jump straight to the search template in the Theme Editor, add the Search Page block to the search section, and click Save. Back in the app, use Check app block to confirm VIBE detected it. (This check inspects your active/published theme’s templates/search.json; if your active theme doesn’t have a JSON search template, VIBE will report that instead.)
If your theme uses a Liquid search template (templates/search.liquid): you generally do not add a separate block. As long as the VIBE Search app embed (Step 1) is enabled, VIBE inserts its search page on /search before your theme’s native results and hides the native results automatically. The Appearance page’s Enable App Embed button is provided for this case.
If VIBE can’t determine your search template: the Full Search Setup section will say so and ask you to re-run the theme check (use the Analyze theme button) before enabling search-page replacement.

On Appearance → Search page, How products look selects VIBE product cards or compatible theme product cards. This setting changes the card design, not the search provider.

Step 3: Preview VIBE on your storefront

Make sure the VIBE Search app embed is enabled and saved (Step 1).
Open your live storefront, or use the Theme Editor’s preview while the app embed is enabled.
Use your store’s search to confirm the VIBE experience appears.

If VIBE doesn’t appear, confirm the VIBE Search app embed is enabled for the theme you’re viewing and that you clicked Save in the Theme Editor.

How to disable VIBE

Disable VIBE in Shopify’s Theme Editor:

In Shopify admin, go to Online Store → Themes, then click Customize on the theme you want to change. (Alternatively, on a Liquid-template store you can use the Appearance page’s Enable App Embed deep link to jump into the Theme Editor.)
Open the App embeds panel.
Toggle the VIBE Search app embed off.
Click Save.

VIBE no longer loads on your storefront. If you also added the Search Page block (Step 2), open the search template in the Theme Editor and remove that block to fully revert the search page to your theme’s native results.

Disabling the app embed does not delete your VIBE settings or your synced catalog. Your configuration is preserved, so you can re-enable VIBE later by toggling the app embed back on.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to add the blocks manually? No. The onboarding Enable step opens the Theme Editor with the app embed ready to enable. Select the Search section and click Save. Add the optional Search Page block from Appearance → Open Search Template.

Why are there no settings on the VIBE block in the Theme Editor? VIBE’s appearance and behavior are controlled from the app’s Appearance page. The theme blocks only mount VIBE on the store.

Will VIBE turn on by itself after I install it? No. The app embed is opt-in: you enable it yourself in Step 1.

I’m on Dawn (a JSON-template theme). Where do I enable the app embed? From the onboarding Enable step (Step 1). On the Appearance page, JSON-template stores see the Open Search Template button for the optional Search Page block, not a separate app-embed button. To turn the app embed itself on or off after onboarding, open the Theme Editor from Shopify admin and use the App embeds panel.

Which themes are supported? VIBE works with Online Store 2.0 themes that support theme app extensions, including Dawn. The Appearance page reports the detected search template and required setup.

For help enabling VIBE, email support@coi.se with your store domain and theme name.