Restrictions keep chosen orders away from Tacey's editing tools. You say what to match, for example an order tag such as `fraud-review`, and Tacey refuses the tools on every order that matches. A matching order still shows the tool to the customer, refused, with a sentence you can write yourself.
This replaced the old Blocked order tags box. If you had blocked tags before, Tacey moved them into Restrictions as Order tag restrictions with no reason until you add one. Saving the page stores them in the new list.
Where to find it
Editing Tools → Global settings → Restrictions.
What you can match
Each restriction is one row. Match orders by offers five choices:
Match orders by | What it matches | Notes |
Order tag | Orders that carry this tag | The list shows your own order tags, most used first. Type to find one that is not listed. |
Product tag | Orders that contain a product with this tag | When the product is one item among others, the customer is told which item. |
Sales channel | Orders that came from this sales channel | Uses the channel handle Shopify reports on the order. Pick one from your recent orders or type it exactly. |
Option name | Orders that contain an item with this product option, such as Size or Engraving | Matched by exact name, ignoring capital letters. |
Search query | Orders that match a Shopify order search, for example `tag:vip AND financial_status:paid` | Tacey checks the query with Shopify when you save. |
How to add a restriction
Open Editing Tools and choose Global settings.
In Restrictions, click Add a restriction.
Choose Match orders by, then choose or type the value to match.
Optional: write Reason shown to customers (optional), for example Final sale items cannot be changed. Leave it empty and the customer reads Tacey's standard sentence.
Under Applies to, choose Every editing tool or Only the tools I choose. If you choose some tools, tick Tools this restriction applies to.
Click Save. The page says Restrictions saved.
You can have at most 25 restrictions. To remove one, click Remove this restriction and save.
It applies the moment you save. A customer who already has a tool open is refused when they confirm.
What the customer sees
On a matching order the tool is shown refused. The customer reads, in this order:
Your reason, or "This order can't be changed here." if you left it empty.
For a product-tag match on one item among others: "This applies to: <item names>."
"Reply to your order confirmation email if you need help."
A short code, E0009, that your customer can quote to you. See What every Tacey error code means.
The sentence never names the tag, so a customer never learns how you flag orders. A restriction you migrated from the old Blocked order tags box, and have not given a reason, still reads "This order is held for review, so it cannot be changed here."
Which tools it covers
Every editing tool covers every tool that changes what the customer bought, where it goes or what they paid. A restriction never refuses Order notes & gift messages, Download invoice or Ask for help: they do not change the order, so a customer on a restricted order can still message you.
When Tacey warns you before you save
What you see | What it means | What to do |
Choose or enter what to match. A restriction with no value would match nothing. | The value is empty. | Pick or type a value. |
Tick at least one tool, or choose every editing tool. | Only the tools I choose with nothing ticked. | Tick a tool or choose Every editing tool. |
A Search query message such as A quotation mark is never closed, The brackets do not pair up, This query has only AND, OR or NOT or Shopify does not understand part of this query | The search would match nothing, or Shopify cannot read it. | Fix the query and save again. |
Shopify could not check this query right now. Try saving again. | Tacey could not reach Shopify to check the search. | Wait a moment and save again. |
This would lock your customers out… | A rule that is on adds the same tag to orders, and this restriction refuses every tool on orders with that tag. Nothing was saved. | Take the tag off the rule, or remove it from this restriction. See Rules. |
Tacey could not read your rules just now… | Tacey cannot prove the restriction is safe next to your rules. Nothing was saved. | Wait a moment and save again. |
You can have at most 25 restrictions. | The limit. | Remove one first. |
Your restrictions were changed in another tab or window… | Someone saved the list elsewhere. Nothing was saved to it. | Reload the page and make your changes again. |
This restriction will not do anything yet (amber) means every tool it covers is switched off today. It starts working as soon as one of them is on. A restriction that covers only Order notes, Download invoice or Ask for help also does nothing, because those are never refused.
If Tacey cannot read your saved list, a red banner says so. Until it can, a customer who confirms a change on a tool a restriction could cover is asked to try again, and nothing on their order changes. Start the list again appears only when the saved list is damaged; it clears the list and cannot be undone. If the list simply failed to load, the page says We couldn't load your restrictions; reload it.
Good uses
A fraud or risk tag added by you, a Shopify Flow or a fraud app: Order tag.
Final-sale or made-to-order products that must not change: Product tag, with a reason.
Wholesale or marketplace orders: Sales channel.
Engraved or personalised items: Option name, such as Engraving.
Anything else Shopify's order search can say: Search query.
What this does NOT do
It does not add tags for you. It only reacts to what is already on the order.
It does not affect orders you edit yourself in Shopify.
It does not hold the order from shipping. Blocking editing and holding fulfillment are separate.
It does not undo a change already made. If a tag is added after the customer edited, their earlier change stays. Further changes are refused from that moment.
It does not look at order value or country. Use a rule when the answer depends on more than one thing, such as country plus shipping method.
Frequently asked
Does the tag need to be on the order when it is placed?
No. Tacey reads the order each time the customer opens their order page or tries to save a change. Add the tag at any time and the next attempt is refused.
Does matching care about capital letters?
Tags are matched ignoring capital letters and extra spaces, so `Fraud:High` also matches an order tagged `fraud:high`.
Not yet driven by us
Saving a Search query restriction on the deployed store, and a Sales channel match on a real order from that channel, were read from the code and the shipped strings. We have not placed an order for each of the five match types. Check one on a test order before you rely on it for a high-risk case.
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