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Overview

The Shopify RSS Feed to Google Chat service requires specific environment variables to function correctly. These variables control how the service connects to your Google Chat webhook and processes RSS feed updates.
Environment variables contain sensitive credentials. Never commit them to version control or expose them publicly.

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Required Variables

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WEBHOOK_URL

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WEBHOOK_URL
string
required
The Google Chat webhook URL where RSS feed updates will be sent.This variable is used in rss-handler.ts:118 to deliver formatted changelog cards to your Google Chat space.
The service will throw an error if this variable is not set:
WEBHOOK_URL environment variable is not set
How to obtain:
1

Open Google Chat

Navigate to the Google Chat space where you want to receive Shopify changelog updates.
2

Configure Webhooks

Click on the space name → Apps & integrations → Add webhooks.
3

Create Webhook

  1. Enter a name (e.g., “Shopify Changelog”)
  2. Optionally add an avatar URL
  3. Click Save
4

Copy Webhook URL

Copy the generated webhook URL. It will look like:
https://chat.googleapis.com/v1/spaces/SPACE_ID/messages?key=KEY&token=TOKEN
Example:
WEBHOOK_URL=https://chat.googleapis.com/v1/spaces/AAAAxxxxx/messages?key=AIzaxxxxx&token=xxxxx
Security Best Practices:
  • Store this value securely in your deployment platform’s environment configuration
  • Never log or expose the webhook URL in error messages or debugging output
  • Rotate the webhook periodically by creating a new one in Google Chat
  • Use secrets management for production deployments

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Configuration Details

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RSS Feed Source

The service automatically fetches updates from: 
https://shopify.dev/changelog/feed.xml
This is hardcoded in rss-handler.ts:4 and does not require configuration.

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Update Processing

The service processes updates based on the following logic:
  • First Run: Processes all items published since yesterday (midnight)
  • Subsequent Runs: Processes items newer than the last processed date
  • Filtering: Only items with both title and link are sent to Google Chat
From rss-handler.ts:40-63: 
async function filterNewItems(feed) {
  const state = await getProcessedState();
  const lastProcessedDate = new Date(state.lastProcessedDate);

  // Filter items that are newer than the last processed date
  const newItems = feed.items.filter((item) => {
    const itemDate = item.isoDate || item.pubDate;
    if (!itemDate) return false;

    const itemDateObj = new Date(itemDate);
    return itemDateObj > lastProcessedDate;
  });

  // Sort by date (newest first)
  newItems.sort((a, b) => {
    const dateA = new Date(a.isoDate || a.pubDate || 0).getTime();
    const dateB = new Date(b.isoDate || b.pubDate || 0).getTime();
    return dateB - dateA;
  });

  return newItems;
}

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Local Development

For local testing with Bun:
1

Create .env file

Create a .env file in your project root:
WEBHOOK_URL=your_webhook_url_here
Bun automatically loads .env files without requiring additional packages like dotenv.
2

Run the service

bun run dev
3

Test manually

Trigger the RSS check endpoint:
curl http://localhost:3000/get-rss-feed

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Production Deployment

For production deployments on Vercel:
  1. Navigate to your project in Vercel Dashboard
  2. Go to Settings → Environment Variables
  3. Add WEBHOOK_URL with your Google Chat webhook URL
  4. Select the appropriate environments (Production, Preview, Development)
  5. Click Save
Redeploy your application after adding environment variables for the changes to take effect.

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Verification

To verify your environment variables are configured correctly:
1

Check deployment logs

Monitor your deployment logs for successful webhook delivery messages:
Successfully sent X update(s) to Google Chat
2

Test the endpoint

For Vercel deployments, the cron job automatically triggers /get-rss-feed daily at midnight UTC.You can manually trigger it by visiting:
https://your-deployment.vercel.app/get-rss-feed
3

Verify Google Chat

Check your Google Chat space for incoming Shopify changelog update cards.

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Troubleshooting

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Error: WEBHOOK_URL environment variable is not set

Cause: The WEBHOOK_URL variable is missing or not loaded properly. Solution:
  • Verify the variable is set in your deployment platform
  • For local development, ensure .env file exists in project root
  • Redeploy after adding environment variables

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Error: Failed to send to Gchat

Cause: Invalid webhook URL or network connectivity issues. Solution:
  • Verify the webhook URL is correct and hasn’t been revoked
  • Test the webhook URL manually with a curl command: 
    curl -X POST "YOUR_WEBHOOK_URL" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"text": "Test message"}'
  • Check if the Google Chat webhook still exists in your space settings

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No updates received

Cause: No new RSS feed items, or filtering excluded all items. Solution:
  • Check deployment logs for the message: 
    No new items to process
  • Verify the Shopify changelog feed is accessible: 
    curl https://shopify.dev/changelog/feed.xml

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