Change how an add-on looks without losing it on the next update
An add-on looks the way you want, and its next update doesn't undo your change.
What it replaces: 1-3 h of developer time
What you write to Claude
„Override ps_shoppingcart's template in the theme: remove the reference line, move the total above the buttons. Don't touch the module folder.”
The problem
The cart preview in the header shows product references nobody needs and hides the total on small screens.
What Claude does
- Claude finds the add-on and checks whether your theme already changes its look.
- It copies the add-on's layout into your theme, where updates don't reach it.
- It edits that copy and shows exactly what changes.
- After your yes it saves with a backup and checks the page.
What you get
The module looks the way you asked and keeps working. Its own files stay untouched, so a module update doesn't erase the change.
You stay in control
You see every change before it is saved, nothing happens without your yes, and you can undo it later. Changes to the shop's look use a separate, extra-protected connection, usually set up by whoever looks after your shop. Every file is backed up before it changes.
Related use cases
- Find out which add-on shows a box on the page
- Check your add-on customisations before updating the add-on
- Restyle the featured products block on the homepage
- Protect your theme changes from theme updates
For developers
- Area
- 3 · Appearance & deployments
- Connector
- service connector
- In the free Audit
- no, paid version only
- For
- Developer, Agency / freelancer
- Tools
- ps_list_modules, ps_list_theme_files, ps_override_module_template, ps_read_theme_file, ps_write_theme_file, ps_clear_cache, ps_inspect_page, ps_module_file
Step by step
- Finds the module and any existing override with ps_list_modules and ps_list_theme_files (modules/ps_shoppingcart/...).
- If there is no override yet, calls ps_override_module_template to copy the module's template into the theme. Parameters: action list (module templates and existing overrides), then action copy with module and template.
- Edits the override with ps_write_theme_file and shows a diff preview; Smarty is validated before saving.
- After your approval, saves with a backup and clears the cache with ps_clear_cache.
- Checks the page with ps_inspect_page.
Safety
Block 3 works only through the service connector: a separate token accepted only from allowlisted IP addresses, off after installation. Claude changes the module's look through a template override in your theme (ps_override_module_template), so a module update leaves it alone. The override is a theme file, backed up before every write and restorable with ps_restore_file_backup. If the change could only be made inside the module itself, Claude says so: direct edits of module files are possible in Modules (block 4, ps_module_file, with backup), but a module update erases them.
Last updated: 2026-10-05