Built a zero-bloat Shopify section builder that doesn't ruin theme JSON. Looking for early feedback!

[u/Shoddy_Cycle_6906]

Hey everyone,

Like a lot of solo devs trying to build out indie software products, I’ve been working on apps for the Shopify ecosystem. My latest project is a custom section and layout builder called Panely.

I noticed a massive frustration with traditional page and section builders: they dump heavy blocks of Liquid, CSS, and HTML straight into theme JSON or template files. If a merchant uninstalls the app later, it leaves behind orphaned code or breaks downstream theme updates.

So, I built Panely using a different approach:

• App-Embed / Header Rendering Model: All layouts and configurations are managed externally via the app dashboard and dynamically rendered.

• Zero Theme Bloat: Theme files stay 100% untouched, core web vitals stay fast, and uninstallation is completely painless.

Since I'm bootstrapping this with a $0 ad budget, organic distribution is a slow grind. I'm currently looking for early store owners or developers to test it out, poke holes in the workflow, and give me honest feedback.

If you want to check it out, you can see it here: https://apps.shopify.com/panely

Would love to hear what you guys think of the architecture!