Theme Installations

A theme installation is a store-scoped instance of a theme — a working copy with its own files, settings, and state. Your store has one that is productive (live on the storefront) and can have a second one that serves as a draft or experiment.

Two installations at a time

A store can have a maximum of two installations at any given moment. If you've reached the limit and want to start a new one, delete an existing non-productive installation first to free up the slot.

The Tiendanube/Nuvemshop CLI lets you manage the full lifecycle of installations from your terminal:

create → pull → push/watch → fork (optional) → publish → delete

theme pull --installation-id <id> saves the installation ID in .nube, so subsequent commands target it without needing --installation-id each time.

All installation commands are under the theme installation group:

tiendanube theme installation <command>

info

Before using these commands, run theme authorize to connect the CLI to your store. See Fork workflow for setup instructions.

List

List all theme installations on your store:

tiendanube theme installation list

The output shows each installation's ID, title, theme version, whether it's productive (live), and whether it's been forked. Use --json for machine-readable output:

tiendanube theme installation list --json

Options

Option	Description
--json	Output as JSON instead of a table
-v	Enable verbose output

Create

Create a new installation from a theme code:

tiendanube theme installation create --theme-code THEME_CODE --title "My Theme"

This creates a fresh installation based on the specified theme's default files and settings. The theme_code identifies the base theme in the Tiendanube theme catalog.

Options

Option	Description
--theme-code <code>	Required. The theme code to create an installation from
--title <name>	Required. A human-readable name for the installation
-v	Enable verbose output

Selecting the active installation

There is no separate checkout command. The CLI links a directory to an installation when you run:

tiendanube theme pull --installation-id INSTALLATION_ID

After a successful pull, the installation ID is saved in .nube. Subsequent commands like theme push, theme watch, and theme installation publish/fork/clone/delete/preview-url automatically target this installation when --installation-id is omitted.

To check which installation the current directory is linked to:

tiendanube theme installation get-current

Clone

Create an identical copy of an existing installation:

tiendanube theme installation clone

Unlike create (which starts from the base theme's defaults), clone duplicates an existing installation — including any file modifications, settings changes, and customizations you've made. This is useful when you want to experiment with changes without affecting your current work.

Options

Option	Description
--installation-id <id>	The installation to clone (defaults to the installation linked to this directory)
-y	Skip confirmation prompts
-v	Enable verbose output

Fork

Fork an installation to unlock full file access:

tiendanube theme installation fork

Why forking exists

An Ipanema theme installation separates theme code from customizations. The theme code is the core of the theme — the layouts, section templates, blocks, styles, and scripts that define how the storefront looks and behaves. Customizations are the parts that vary per store — which sections appear on each page, their settings, and any custom files.

The file tree of a pulled installation looks like this:

my-theme/
├── blocks/            ← Theme code: block templates (.tpl)
├── config/
│   ├── settings_schema.json   ← Theme code: defines available settings
│   └── settings_data.json     ← Customization: merchant's saved values
├── layouts/           ← Theme code: main HTML shell
├── locales/           ← Theme code: translation files
├── sections/          ← Theme code: section templates (.tpl)
├── snippets/          ← Theme code: shared partials (.tpl)
├── static/            ← Theme code: CSS, JS, assets
├── templates/         ← Customization: page templates (.json)
└── custom/            ← Customization: developer-added files

By default, a non-forked installation protects the theme code and only lets you modify the customization layer:

Allowed without fork	What it contains
templates/	Page templates (.json) — define which sections appear on each page, their order, and their settings
custom/	Custom files added by the developer
config/settings_data.json	The merchant's saved settings values

This means you can rearrange sections on a page, change settings, or add custom files — but you can't touch the .tpl templates, styles, scripts, or any other core file.

Forking removes this restriction. Once forked, the CLI allows you to push any file in the theme — including layouts, sections, blocks, snippets, static assets, and the settings schema.

When to fork

Don't fork if you only need to:

• Change which sections appear on a page (edit templates/*.json)
• Adjust section settings (edit templates/*.json or config/settings_data.json)
• Add custom files (add files under custom/)

This is the safer path — your installation stays compatible with future theme updates.

Fork when you need to:

• Edit a section's HTML/Twig logic (sections/*.tpl)
• Modify block templates (blocks/*.tpl)
• Change the layout shell (layouts/layout.tpl)
• Update styles or scripts (static/)
• Add or modify translations (locales/)
• Change the settings schema (config/settings_schema.json)

Options

Option	Description
--installation-id <id>	The installation to fork (defaults to the installation linked to this directory)
-y	Skip confirmation prompts
-v	Enable verbose output

danger

Forking is a one-way operation. Once forked, an installation cannot be un-forked. If you fork an already-forked installation, the CLI treats it as a no-op.

info

Only sections-based themes (like Ipanema) can be forked. The API will reject fork requests for non-sectionable themes.

Publish

Make an installation the productive (live) theme on your storefront:

tiendanube theme installation publish

Publishing makes the installation visible to all visitors. The previously productive installation is demoted — it still exists but is no longer live.

Options

Option	Description
--installation-id <id>	The installation to publish (defaults to the installation linked to this directory)
-y	Skip confirmation prompts
-v	Enable verbose output

danger

Publishing replaces the currently live theme. Always test your changes with a preview before publishing.

Preview URL

Get a preview URL for an installation without making it live:

tiendanube theme installation preview-url

This outputs a URL in the format:

https://yourstore.mitiendanube.com?theme_installation_id=INSTALLATION_ID

Open it in your browser to see how the installation looks on the storefront. The preview is only visible to you — it doesn't affect what visitors see.

Options

Option	Description
--installation-id <id>	The installation to preview (defaults to the installation linked to this directory)

Delete

Delete a theme installation:

tiendanube theme installation delete

Options

Option	Description
--installation-id <id>	The installation to delete (defaults to the installation linked to this directory)
-y	Skip confirmation prompts
-v	Enable verbose output

danger

Deleting an installation is permanent and cannot be undone. You cannot delete the currently productive installation.

Quick reference

Command	Description
theme installation list	List all installations on the store
theme installation create	Create a new installation from a theme code
theme installation get-current	Show the installation linked to this directory
theme installation clone	Duplicate an existing installation
theme installation fork	Unlock full file access (one-way)
theme installation publish	Make an installation live on the storefront
theme installation preview-url	Get a preview link without publishing
theme installation delete	Permanently remove an installation