# Getting started

Mechanic is a Shopify automation and development platform with hundreds of ready-to-use tasks — and a full development environment for building your own.

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### Install Mechanic

Install Mechanic from the [Shopify App Store](https://apps.shopify.com/mechanic). Once installed, you'll find it in your Shopify admin under **Apps > Mechanic**.
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### Find a task in the task library

The fastest way to get started is to browse the [task library](https://tasks.mechanic.dev/) — a collection of hundreds of pre-built automations covering common Shopify workflows like auto-tagging, scheduled emails, inventory management, and more.

To install a task, browse the [task library](https://tasks.mechanic.dev/) and click **Try this task** — or use the [**Add task**](https://admin.shopify.com/apps/mechanic/tasks/add) page inside the app. Review the task's description, configure any options, and click **Save** to activate it.

Many tasks have configurable options (like thresholds, tag names, or email templates) that let you customize behavior without writing any code.

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Can't find exactly what you need? You can [request a task](https://learn.mechanic.dev/resources/task-library/requesting) for the library — top-voted requests are regularly built.
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### See it in action

Once you save a task, it's live — Mechanic will run it automatically when the matching event occurs. For example, a task that subscribes to `shopify/orders/create` will run every time a new order is placed.

To confirm it's working, open the [**Events**](https://learn.mechanic.dev/app/events) page in the Mechanic app. You'll see incoming events and the task runs they trigger, including any actions that were performed or errors that occurred.
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From here, you can:

* **Customize** — adjust the task's options or code to fit your workflow
* **Browse more tasks** — install additional tasks from the [task library](https://tasks.mechanic.dev/)
* **Go custom** — build your own task from scratch (see below)

## Go custom

If the task library doesn't cover your use case, Mechanic is a full development platform. Tasks are written in [Liquid](https://learn.mechanic.dev/platform/liquid/basics) with Mechanic-specific extensions for data manipulation, API access, and workflow composition. You get direct [GraphQL access](https://learn.mechanic.dev/core/shopify/read/graphql-in-liquid) to the Shopify Admin API, [HTTP actions](https://learn.mechanic.dev/core/actions/http) for calling any external service, and the ability to chain tasks together through [custom events](https://learn.mechanic.dev/core/actions/event) — all without managing servers or deployments.

* [I need something custom!](https://learn.mechanic.dev/custom) — an overview of the path to a custom task, whether you're a developer or need to find one
* [Your first custom task](https://learn.mechanic.dev/resources/tutorials/your-first-custom-task) — a step-by-step tutorial for building a task from scratch

## Get help

* [Slack community](https://learn.mechanic.dev/resources/slack) — ask questions and share solutions with other Mechanic users
* [Hire a Mechanic Partner](https://learn.mechanic.dev/hire-a-developer) — find a developer to build or customize your task
* [Contact support](https://learn.mechanic.dev/support) — how to reach the Mechanic support team