Exploring How Shopify is Using MCP – Showcasing Obot.ai
Shopify has pioneered the integration of Model Context Protocol UI (MCP UI) to transform its chatbot experiences from text-based interactions into immersive, visually rich shopping journeys.
In the feature video Darren Shepherd (Co-founder, Obot) explores how Shopify is using MCP UI to bring visual elements to its chatbot experience—marking a major step forward in AI-human interaction design.
MCP UI is fast becoming the standard for rendering interactive, visual interfaces inside MCP-powered AI tools.
Darren walks through what MCP UI is, how it works with Shopify’s implementation, and what it means for developers and clients building on the Model Context Protocol.
Shopify has pioneered the integration of Model Context Protocol UI (MCP UI) to transform its chatbot experiences from text-based interactions into immersive, visually rich shopping journeys.
Launched as part of Shopify’s “agentic commerce” initiative in Summer 2025, MCP UI builds on the foundational Model Context Protocol (MCP)—a standardized way for AI agents to access commerce data like product catalogs, carts, and customer accounts.
While MCP handles data retrieval, MCP UI extends it by embedding interactive web components directly into chatbot responses, addressing the limitations of text-only interfaces in e-commerce where visuals (e.g., images, selectors) are crucial for decision-making.
This approach enables AI-powered chatbots—integrated via Shopify’s Storefront MCP servers—to deliver seamless, native-like experiences within any AI platform (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude), without requiring users to leave the conversation or navigate external pages.
Obot
Obot.ai is an enterprise software company specializing in Model Context Protocol (MCP) management. It provides an open-source platform to help organizations securely deploy, govern, and scale MCP servers, which enable AI tools to connect to internal apps and data.
Founded to address the chaos of rapid MCP adoption—such as fragmented discovery, security risks, and governance gaps—Obot.ai empowers IT teams, developers, and business users to integrate AI safely without creating “shadow infrastructure” or data leaks.
Key Products and Services
- Obot MCP Gateway: Core open-source platform for MCP server management. Features include catalog configuration (with pre-built libraries for tools like Outlook, Slack, Notion, and GitHub), access controls, intelligent routing, and full visibility via a centralized dashboard. Deployable on Kubernetes for self-hosting or cloud environments.
- Obot Enterprise Edition: Premium version with advanced integrations (e.g., Okta, Microsoft Entra) and support for larger-scale needs.
- Nanobot: A framework that transforms MCP servers into full AI agents, adding reasoning, tool orchestration, and UI components for richer behaviors.
Speaking at All Things Open AI 2025, Sheng Liang, the CEO of Obot, describes the big picture vision: Don’t just talk to AI, do more with AI: how to improve productivity with AI agents. Download the slides here.
