App Review Guidelines

Every app submitted to the Reeve Marketplace goes through a review process to protect merchants and maintain platform quality. This page explains exactly what reviewers check and how to ensure your app passes on the first submission.

The Review Process

Quality Bar Requirements

Functionality

Performance

Security Requirements

Data Handling

No external data exfiltration. Your app must not send merchant data (orders, customers, revenue figures, etc.) to any server outside of Reeve's SDK APIs. Reviewers inspect network requests during review. Sending merchant data to a third-party analytics service (Mixpanel, Amplitude, Segment, etc.) is grounds for rejection unless explicitly disclosed and consented to.

Permissions must match usage. The automated scanner checks that every SDK method you call has a corresponding permission in your manifest. Requesting permissions you don't use is also rejected — over-permission is a red flag.

Storage is scoped. You cannot access another app's storage namespace. Attempting to do so results in a ReevePermissionError at runtime and permanent rejection.

Code Standards

✅ Allowed
- External CSS fonts (Google Fonts, etc.)
- External image CDNs for your own assets
- Reeve SDK API calls for all ecommerce data

❌ Not allowed  
- External JavaScript loaded at runtime from untrusted domains
- eval() or Function() with dynamic code
- Fetching merchant data and posting it to your own servers
- Reading cookies or localStorage from the parent Cockpit frame
- Accessing window.parent beyond what the Reeve SDK provides

Authentication

Your app may not implement its own authentication layer that collects merchant credentials. All merchant authentication is handled by Reeve's OAuth flows. If your app requires a separate account on your service, this must be clearly disclosed in the listing and implemented via OAuth (not password collection in the iframe).

UX Standards

Theme Compatibility

Your app must work in both light and dark themes. Reviewers test both. Use the CSS variables provided by the Cockpit:

/* ✅ Do this */
background: var(--reeve-bg);
color: var(--reeve-text);
border-color: var(--reeve-border);

/* ❌ Don't do this */
background: #ffffff;
color: #000000;

Hard-coded colors that look fine in dark mode often become unreadable in light mode (or vice versa). Use CSS variables throughout.

Responsive Layout

The Cockpit iframe has a variable width between 320px and 1400px depending on the user's screen size and sidebar state. Your app must be usable at all widths in this range. Test with your browser DevTools at 400px, 768px, and 1200px widths.

Typography

Use the Reeve font stack variable: font-family: var(--reeve-font). Do not load heavy font files that slow down initial render — if you want a custom font, keep it to ≤2 weights.

Interactions

Common Rejection Reasons

These are the most frequent reasons apps fail review. Check these before submitting:

1. Undeclared permissions

Your code calls reeve.data.query({ source: 'shopify' }) but data.shopify isn't in your manifest. Fix: Run through every SDK method you call and ensure each has a corresponding permission.

2. Declared but unused permissions

You listed ai.stream in your manifest but never call reeve.ai.stream(). Fix: Remove permissions your app doesn't use.

3. Hard-coded colors breaking light mode

The app looks great in dark mode but text is invisible in light mode. Fix: Replace all color values with var(--reeve-*) CSS variables.

4. No error handling for disconnected data sources

The app crashes or shows a blank screen when Shopify isn't connected. Fix: Wrap all reeve.data.query() calls in try/catch and show a user-friendly message.

5. Sending data to external servers

Network inspector shows merchant order data being sent to your analytics service. Fix: Either remove the tracking, or disclose it prominently and get merchant opt-in.

6. App fails to load within 5 seconds

Large JS bundles or slow third-party CDNs delay interactivity. Fix: Code-split with dynamic imports, lazy-load non-critical dependencies, use a fast CDN.

7. Incomplete Marketplace listing

Missing icon, screenshots, or a vague description. Fix: 512×512 icon, 2+ screenshots at 1280×800, description that clearly explains what the app does and who it's for.

8. No empty or loading states

The app shows a blank white area while data loads or when collections are empty. Fix: Add skeleton loaders for loading states and meaningful empty state UI.

9. Breaking on mobile-width Cockpit

The app is unusable at 400px width. Fix: Test at narrow widths, add CSS @media queries, use flexible layouts.

10. Console errors during normal usage

JavaScript errors in the console during typical user flows. Fix: Fix the errors, or add proper error boundaries so they don't surface to users.

After Approval

Updates

Updating your app doesn't require a full re-review for minor changes. Use this guide:

Version Management

Always increment version in your manifest before submitting an update. Reeve uses the version number to notify merchants of updates.

Takedowns

Reeve may take down an app that:

• Begins exfiltrating merchant data after approval
• Has a critical security vulnerability under active exploitation
• Violates the developer agreement

You'll be notified 48 hours before a non-emergency takedown, except for active security incidents.

Developer Support

• Slack community: meetreeve.com/slack — #developers channel
• Review questions: review@meetreeve.com
• Bug reports: github.com/reeve/app-sdk/issues
• Documentation: docs.meetreeve.com/developers

Related

• Manifest Reference — ensure your manifest is complete
• SDK Reference — full API docs
• Getting Started — build your first app