# Managing Bigcommerce

> Use when working with Bigcommerce — bigCommerce store management including products, orders, customers, channels, shipping, inventory, storefront themes, and webhooks. Covers sales analytics, order fulfillment rates, inventory health, and multi-channel performance comparison.

- Skill: `cloudthinker-ai/managing-bigcommerce` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add cloudthinker-ai/managing-bigcommerce`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/cloudthinker-ai/managing-bigcommerce/raw
- Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner WARNING, skillspector PASS)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Data & Analytics
- Author: cloudthinker-ai (https://skillmd.com/u/cloudthinker-ai)
- Updated: 2026-09-08
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/cloudthinker-ai/managing-bigcommerce

---


# BigCommerce Management Skill

Monitor and manage BigCommerce store operations and performance.

## MANDATORY: Discovery-First Pattern

**Always discover store info and channels before querying orders or products.**

### Phase 1: Discovery

```bash
#!/bin/bash
BC_API="https://api.bigcommerce.com/stores/${BIGCOMMERCE_STORE_HASH}/v3"
BC_V2="https://api.bigcommerce.com/stores/${BIGCOMMERCE_STORE_HASH}/v2"
AUTH="X-Auth-Token: ${BIGCOMMERCE_ACCESS_TOKEN}"

echo "=== Store Info ==="
curl -s -H "$AUTH" "$BC_V2/store" | \
  jq -r '"Name: \(.name)\nDomain: \(.domain)\nPlan: \(.plan_name)\nCurrency: \(.currency)\nStatus: \(.status)"'

echo ""
echo "=== Channels ==="
curl -s -H "$AUTH" "$BC_API/channels" | \
  jq -r '.data[] | "\(.name) | ID: \(.id) | Type: \(.type) | Platform: \(.platform) | Status: \(.status)"'

echo ""
echo "=== Resource Summary ==="
products=$(curl -s -H "$AUTH" "$BC_API/catalog/products?limit=1" | jq '.meta.pagination.total')
orders=$(curl -s -H "$AUTH" "$BC_V2/orders/count" | jq '.count')
customers=$(curl -s -H "$AUTH" "$BC_API/customers?limit=1" | jq '.meta.pagination.total')
echo "Products: $products | Orders: $orders | Customers: $customers"

echo ""
echo "=== Webhooks ==="
curl -s -H "$AUTH" "$BC_API/hooks" | \
  jq -r '.data[] | "\(.scope) -> \(.destination) | Active: \(.is_active)"'
```

**Phase 1 outputs:** Store info, channels, resource counts, webhooks

### Phase 2: Analysis

```bash
#!/bin/bash
echo "=== Order Summary (last 30 days) ==="
curl -s -H "$AUTH" "$BC_V2/orders?min_date_created=$(date -v-30d +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S 2>/dev/null || date -d '30 days ago' +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S)+00:00&limit=250" | \
  jq -r '"Orders: \(length)\nRevenue: \([.[].total_inc_tax | tonumber] | add // 0)\nStatuses: \([.[].status] | group_by(.) | map({s:.[0],c:length}) | sort_by(-.c) | .[] | "\(.s): \(.c)") "' 2>/dev/null

echo ""
echo "=== Low Stock Products ==="
curl -s -H "$AUTH" "$BC_API/catalog/products?inventory_level:less=5&is_visible=true&limit=10" | \
  jq -r '.data[] | "\(.name) | SKU: \(.sku) | Stock: \(.inventory_level) | Tracking: \(.inventory_tracking)"'

echo ""
echo "=== Shipping Zones ==="
curl -s -H "$AUTH" "$BC_V2/shipping/zones" | \
  jq -r '.[] | "\(.name) | ID: \(.id) | Enabled: \(.enabled)"'

echo ""
echo "=== Abandoned Carts ==="
curl -s -H "$AUTH" "$BC_API/abandoned-carts?limit=50" | \
  jq -r '"Abandoned: \(.data | length)"' 2>/dev/null || echo "Check abandoned cart recovery settings"
```

## Output Format

```
BIGCOMMERCE STATUS
==================
Store: {name} ({plan})
Products: {count} | Orders: {count} | Customers: {count}
Channels: {count} ({types})
30-Day Revenue: {amount} {currency}
Low Stock: {count} products
Shipping Zones: {count}
Webhooks: {active}/{total}
Issues: {list_of_warnings}
```

## Anti-Hallucination Rules

1. **NEVER assume resource names** — always discover via CLI/API in Phase 1 before referencing in Phase 2.
2. **NEVER fabricate metric names or dimensions** — verify against the service documentation or `--help` output.
3. **NEVER mix CLI commands between service versions** — confirm which version/API you are targeting.
4. **ALWAYS use the discovery → verify → analyze chain** — every resource referenced must have been discovered first.
5. **ALWAYS handle empty results gracefully** — an empty response is valid data, not an error to retry.

## Counter-Rationalizations

| Shortcut | Counter | Why |
|----------|---------|-----|
| "I'll skip discovery and check known resources" | Always run Phase 1 discovery first | Resource names change, new resources appear — assumed names cause errors |
| "The user only asked for a quick check" | Follow the full discovery → analysis flow | Quick checks miss critical issues; structured analysis catches silent failures |
| "Default configuration is probably fine" | Audit configuration explicitly | Defaults often leave logging, security, and optimization features disabled |
| "Metrics aren't needed for this" | Always check relevant metrics when available | API/CLI responses show current state; metrics reveal trends and intermittent issues |
| "I don't have access to that" | Try the command and report the actual error | Assumed permission failures prevent useful investigation; actual errors are informative |

## Common Pitfalls

- **V2 vs V3 API**: Some endpoints are V2 only (orders, store info) — check documentation
- **Rate limits**: 150 requests per 30-second window — monitor X-Rate-Limit headers
- **Multi-channel**: Products can be assigned to specific channels — filter accordingly
- **Pagination**: V3 uses page-based; V2 uses limit/page — different patterns