Skip to content

Getting started

Install FormFence from the Shopify App Store, enable the theme block, and confirm your contact form is protected.

This page walks you through installing FormFence, enabling the theme block on your storefront, and confirming the first submission goes through the filter.

What you'll need

  • A Shopify store on any plan
  • An Online Store 2.0 theme (Dawn, Sense, Refresh, Horizon, or any other 2.0 theme)
  • About five minutes

1. Install the app

  1. Open the FormFence listing on the Shopify App Store
  2. Click Install
  3. Confirm the install in your Shopify admin

FormFence requests no scopes. The install completes immediately and drops you into the embedded admin.

2. Enable the theme block

The detection runs server-side, but it needs a small piece of code in your theme to inject the honeypot field into your contact form. That code ships as a Shopify Theme App Extension. To turn it on:

  1. In the Shopify admin, go to Online Store → Themes
  2. Click Customize on your live theme
  3. Open your Contact page template in the customiser
  4. In the left sidebar, click Add block inside the contact-form section
  5. Pick FormFence shield from the list of apps
  6. Click Save

The block is invisible to customers. It only adds a hidden form field and intercepts the form submit so FormFence can score it.

3. Send a test submission

  1. Open your contact page in a new tab (not in the customiser preview)
  2. Fill it in with your own details and submit

The submission should arrive in your inbox as normal. You can verify it went through FormFence by opening the embedded admin and checking the Passed log on the dashboard.

4. Pick a sensitivity level

By default, FormFence runs at Medium sensitivity, which is right for most stores. If you want to tune that:

  • Low if you're seeing legitimate enquiries get caught
  • High if spam is still getting through

Full description of each level on the Settings reference.

What's next

  • Set your business name and support email on the Settings page so any replies you send come from the right place. See Settings reference.
  • Read How it works if you want the mental model for what each layer is doing.
  • Upgrade to Pro when you want the dashboard, both logs, CSV export, and the in-app reply composer. See Billing.

If anything looks wrong, see Troubleshooting or email formfence@harbourlabs.app.

Was this helpful?

Overview

FormFence blocks AI-generated spam on Shopify contact forms without making real customers fill in a CAPTCHA.

How it works

Five detection layers run on every contact-form submission. Each layer is cheap, fast, and runs in a fixed order.

On this page

What you'll need1. Install the app2. Enable the theme block3. Send a test submission4. Pick a sensitivity levelWhat's next