# Ask Sparkie

URL: https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/ask-sparklayer

Ask Sparkie is the AI assistant in the SparkLayer app. Ask about your setup, or describe a price list or customer group change to approve.

> **Ask Sparkie is in early access.** Request it for your store. [Request early access](mailto:support@sparklayer.io?subject=Early%20access%20to%20Ask%20Sparkie).

> **Quick summary**
>
> - **Ask Sparkie** is the AI assistant built into SparkLayer. Ask about your price lists, customer groups and store setup in your own words, or describe a change you want.
> - Nothing changes until you approve it. Ask Sparkie prepares each change as a card for you to check. You then apply it, edit it or discard it.
> - Open it at **Ask SparkLayer** in the SparkLayer Dashboard, or **SparkLayer Wholesale > Ask SparkLayer** in the Shopify app, or type in the box at the top of **Home** in the SparkLayer Dashboard ([open](https://app.sparklayer.io/)), or **SparkLayer Wholesale** in the Shopify app. It's on every plan, including Basic.
> - It works with price lists, customer groups and your store setup. It can't see orders, search for products or customers, or delete anything.

## How it works

Ask Sparkie works like a chat. Ask a question, such as "Which price lists do I have?", and it reads your store and answers, often with a table. Describe a change, such as "Create a price list 30% off retail for Gift Shops", and it prepares a **proposal**. That's a card that shows exactly what will change.

The proposal waits for you. Check it, then click **Apply to live** or **Apply to test**. Until you do, nothing on your store changes.

From a request to a change on your store:

1. **Ask**: Describe what you want in your own words
2. **Review**: Ask Sparkie prepares a proposal showing what will change
3. **Approve**: Apply it, edit it in the form first, or discard it
4. **Logged**: The change is saved and recorded in your activity log

Ask Sparkie can make mistakes, so check each change before you apply it. See [Review and apply changes](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/ask-sparklayer/changes.md).

## Open Ask Sparkie

- Go to **Ask SparkLayer** in the SparkLayer Dashboard, or **SparkLayer Wholesale > Ask SparkLayer** in the Shopify app. In the SparkLayer Dashboard it's in the sidebar, marked **NEW**.
- Or start from **Home** in the SparkLayer Dashboard ([open](https://app.sparklayer.io/)), or **SparkLayer Wholesale** in the Shopify app. Type in the box under **How can we help grow your wholesale today?** and press Enter, or click one of the suggestions under it. Ask Sparkie opens and runs your request.

Click **+** in the message box to insert the exact name of a price list, customer group or product SKU. To start again, click **New chat**.

**More detail**

- **Enter** sends your message and **Shift+Enter** starts a new line. Press **↑** in an empty box to bring back your last message, and **Esc** (or the stop button) to stop a reply.
- Hover over a message you sent and click **Edit and resend** to change it.
- While Ask Sparkie works, you see **Working on it**. When it's done, the line says how many SparkLayer tools it used, such as **Used 3 SparkLayer tools**. Click it to see each step.
- To go back to an earlier conversation, click the conversation's title at the top and choose it under **Recent**.

### Other ways in

Many screens have a button that opens Ask Sparkie with the request already written. It still shows you the change before anything is saved.

| Screen | Button |
| --- | --- |
| **Home > Setup** in the SparkLayer Dashboard ([open](https://app.sparklayer.io/)), or **SparkLayer Wholesale > Setup** in the Shopify app | **Check my setup with Ask Sparkie**, and **Do it with Ask Sparkie** on the price list steps |
| **Pricing > Price lists** in the SparkLayer Dashboard ([open](https://app.sparklayer.io/pricing/lists)), or **SparkLayer Wholesale > Pricing > Price lists** in the Shopify app | **Fix with Ask Sparkie** on a tip, such as a customer group with no price list; **Edit with Ask Sparkie** in a price list's ⋯ menu; the suggestions under **Common tasks** |
| The **Create price list** form | **Describe it instead** |
| **Pricing > Price editor** in the SparkLayer Dashboard ([open](https://app.sparklayer.io/pricing/editor)), or **SparkLayer Wholesale > Pricing > Price editor** in the Shopify app | **Ask Sparkie**, for changing lots of prices at once |
| **Customers > Groups** in the SparkLayer Dashboard ([open](https://app.sparklayer.io/customers/groups)), or **SparkLayer Wholesale > Customers > Customer groups** in the Shopify app | **Edit with Ask Sparkie** in a group's **More actions** menu; the suggestions under **Common tasks** |

## What it can do

To see this summary in the app, click **What can it do?** under the message box.

| What it does | What it covers |
| --- | --- |
| **Reads** | Your store setup, price lists and customer groups. |
| **Proposes** | New or changed price lists (by a rule, such as 30% off retail, or by SKU) and customer groups (their price list and minimum order). |
| **Applies** | Only after you approve, on the store and environment shown at the top of the chat. |
| **Can't do** | See orders, shipping or payment terms; search for products or customers; delete price lists or customer groups. |
| **Hands over to your dashboard** | Inviting buyers, so they get a proper email and trade account. |

Asking questions is never limited. Applying changes has a daily limit, and some changes need a paid plan. See [Limits](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/ask-sparklayer/changes.md#limits).

## Things to try

Write requests the way you'd say them. Use the exact name of a price list or customer group, in quotes if it has spaces or numbers. For a single product, use its SKU.

**Questions**

- Check your setup: Is my wholesale setup complete?
- See your price lists: Which price lists do I have?
- See your customer groups: Which customer groups do I have?
- Check one product's price: What does ESP-1KG cost in "Trade 20%"?

**Changes**

- Create a price list: Create a price list 30% off retail for Gift Shops
- Change prices in bulk: Increase prices on "Trade 20%" by 5%
- Set one product's price: Set ESP-1KG to $24 in "Trade 20%"
- Create a customer group: Create a customer group called "Wholesale" with a $500 minimum order
- Give a group its prices: Use "Trade 20%" for Retailers
- Set a minimum order: Set the minimum order for Retailers to $500

**More detail**

- **Changing a whole price list** by a percentage changes the list's rule, not every price one by one, so one proposal covers your whole catalogue.
- **Setting SKU prices** changes only the SKUs you name. To put a SKU back on the list's rule, ask to remove it, for example "Remove ESP-1KG from "Trade 20%"". One proposal can hold up to 500 SKU prices.
- **If something's missing**, Ask Sparkie asks. For example, "Create a price list for Gift Shops" gets the question of how much off retail, with **20%**, **30%** and **40%** to choose from.

## Set up your wholesale in 3 questions

New to SparkLayer? Ask Sparkie can set up your first price list and customer group with you. Type **Set up my wholesale**, or click **Set up my wholesale** on Home. Home shows the button until your first wholesale order.

Set up my wholesale:

1. **1. Trade discount**: How much off your retail prices do trade buyers usually get? 15%, 20%, 25%, 30% or your own
2. **2. Your buyers**: Shops and retailers, Distributors, or Both
3. **3. Minimum order**: No minimum, $250, $500 or your own amount
4. **Two proposals**: A price list and a customer group, ready for you to review

Click an answer to each question. Ask Sparkie then prepares 2 changes:

- **A price list** called "Trade" and your percentage, for example **Trade 25%**: that much off retail on all your products.
- **A customer group** that uses it, with your minimum order. It's called **Retailers**, **Distributors** or **Trade**, depending on who your buyers are.

Check both, then click **Apply both to live** (or **Apply both to test**). You confirm once for both, or you can apply them one at a time.

Next, click **Invite my first buyer**. Ask Sparkie doesn't send invites itself. It opens the **Invite a buyer** form, so the buyer gets a proper email and trade account. See [Invite a buyer](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/customers/invite-buyers.md).

**More detail**

- If you already have a price list with that name, Ask Sparkie uses it rather than creating a second one, so you get one proposal instead of two.
- If you already have a customer group with that name, the proposal changes that group's price list and minimum order instead of creating a new group.
- On a Shopify store, see [Set up your wholesale with Ask Sparkie](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/platforms/shopify/set-up-with-ask-sparklayer.md) for the whole journey from install to first buyer.

## Check your setup

Ask "Is my wholesale setup complete?", or click **Check my setup** on Home. Home shows the button after your first wholesale order. Ask Sparkie reads your store and answers with a table:

| Check | What it looks at | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Products** | How many products have synced to SparkLayer | **Good** |
| **Price lists** | How many price lists you have | **Good**, or **Needs one** if you have none |
| **Customer groups** | How many customer groups you have | **Good**, or **Needs one** if you have none |
| **Groups without a price list** | Customer groups with no price list of their own | **Good**, or **Needs attention**: those buyers see retail prices |

When something needs attention, Ask Sparkie suggests the fix, such as giving a group a price list, for you to click and review.

This check covers pricing and customer groups. For every step to start selling, including inviting a buyer and adding SparkLayer to your theme, see **Home > Setup** in the SparkLayer Dashboard ([open](https://app.sparklayer.io/)), or **SparkLayer Wholesale > Setup** in the Shopify app.

## What it can't do

Ask Sparkie tells you when something is outside what it can do, rather than guessing.

| You ask it to… | What happens |
| --- | --- |
| Delete a price list or customer group | It won't. Deleting is kept to the dashboard on purpose, so nothing disappears from a chat. It can remove specific SKUs from a price list, or change a group's price list instead. |
| Look at orders, sales, shipping, invoices, payment terms or quotes | It can't see them. Your sales are on **Home** in the SparkLayer Dashboard ([open](https://app.sparklayer.io/)), or **SparkLayer Wholesale** in the Shopify app and **Orders** in the SparkLayer Dashboard ([open](https://app.sparklayer.io/activity)), or **SparkLayer Wholesale > Orders** in the Shopify app. |
| Find a product or customer | It can't search. Name the SKU and the exact price list or customer group. |
| Invite a buyer | It opens the **Invite a buyer** form for you to send. |
| Anything else, such as discounts or storefront settings | It explains what it can help with. Make those changes in the dashboard. |

## Your store stays safe

- **You approve every change.** Ask Sparkie only prepares proposals. Nothing is saved until you click apply, or save it in the form.
- **Live changes ask first.** Applying to your live store needs a second click to confirm. You can try changes on your test store first. See [Live and Test](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/ask-sparklayer/activity-and-connected-apps.md#choose-the-store-and-environment).
- **Proposals expire.** A proposal you don't apply expires after 24 hours.
- **There's a daily limit.** You can apply up to 25 changes a day on each environment. This protects your store from an AI app making changes in a loop.
- **Changes can be undone.** A change to an existing price list or customer group can be reversed from the chat with **Undo this change**.
- **Everything is logged.** The activity log shows every proposal and applied change, who approved it and which app made it. See [Activity and connected AI apps](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/ask-sparklayer/activity-and-connected-apps.md).

## FAQs

**Is Ask Sparkie the same as Shopify Sidekick?**

No. Ask Sparkie answers questions and makes changes. On Shopify, Sidekick can answer questions about your SparkLayer price lists and customer groups from any page in Shopify admin, but it can't change anything. See [Shopify Sidekick](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/platforms/shopify/shopify-sidekick.md).

**Can I use Claude or ChatGPT instead?**

You can connect other AI apps to SparkLayer and choose what each one can do. Their changes still go through the same proposals, limits and activity log. See [Connected AI apps](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/ask-sparklayer/activity-and-connected-apps.md#connected-ai-apps).

**Why did it ask me a question instead of making the change?**

Click one of the answers it offers, or type your own. It asks when your request is missing something it needs, such as the percentage for a new price list or which price list you meant.

**Does asking questions count towards the daily limit?**

No. Only applied changes count. You can ask as many questions as you like.

**Does a change I make in Ask Sparkie show in the dashboard?**

Yes, straight away. A change you apply to your live store shows on **Pricing > Price lists** in the SparkLayer Dashboard ([open](https://app.sparklayer.io/pricing/lists)), or **SparkLayer Wholesale > Pricing > Price lists** in the Shopify app and **Customers > Groups** in the SparkLayer Dashboard ([open](https://app.sparklayer.io/customers/groups)), or **SparkLayer Wholesale > Customers > Customer groups** in the Shopify app. Ask Sparkie works on the same price lists and customer groups as the rest of SparkLayer.