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Third-party apps (product feeds, search, filters) read Shopify’s native availability by default. That ignores safety stock, so products held back appear “in stock” to shoppers. Point each app at the charlie_inventory.available metafield instead.
Reference: charlie_inventory.available (Product, Boolean, public namespace, same key on every store).

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Generic recipe

Every supported app exposes some form of attribute mapping. Find it and override it.
1

Open the app's product attribute mapping

Look for the rule that sets availability, stock, or in_stock.
2

Switch the source

Change the source from Shopify’s native product.available (or inventory_quantity) to the product metafield charlie_inventory.available (Boolean).
3

Map the values

Metafield valueFeed/filter value
truein stock
falseout of stock
4

Re-sync

Trigger a full re-sync so existing entries pick up the new mapping.
If the app filters products before mapping (e.g. “only sync available products”), update that filter too. Otherwise products held back by safety stock leak through with stale availability.

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Product feeds

Use a feed app or feed manager that supports sourcing the availability attribute from a custom product metafield, then apply the generic recipe with charlie_inventory.available as the source. Multiple Google Shopping Feeds (Multifeed) supports Google, Meta (Facebook & Instagram), Bing, Pinterest, Bol, and custom feeds, with metafield-based attribute mapping. One app covers most needs.

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Other feed apps and managers

The same recipe applies to any feed app or external feed manager (Simprosys, Flexify, Lengow, etc.) that exposes a custom product metafield as a source for availability. If an app doesn’t expose that option, it can’t reflect safety stock. Switch to one that does.

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Storefront search and filters

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Shopify Search & Discovery

Replace the native Availability filter with a custom metafield filter.
1

Open the Search & Discovery app

Open the Search & Discovery app from the Shopify Admin and go to its Filters section.
2

Add a metafield filter

Add a new filter sourced from the product metafield charlie_inventory.available (True or false).
3

Set the label

Display label: In stock (or your preference).
4

Remove the native filter

Remove the standard Availability filter so shoppers don’t see two.
5

Save

Save. Applies to all collection pages immediately.
charlie_inventory.available is product-level only. If you need variant-level “in stock” filtering, check whether your search app supports variant metafield filters. Search & Discovery currently doesn’t.

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URL parameter change

The URL parameter changes when you swap filters:
FilterURL parameter
Native Availability?filter.v.availability=1
charlie_inventory.available?filter.p.m.charlie_inventory.available=1
This affects existing links: paid ads, email campaigns, indexed search results, social posts. Links using the old parameter will silently no-op once the native filter is removed. Add a synchronous script at the very top of <head> in layout/theme.liquid to rewrite old URLs before paint. No flash, no extra back-button entry. 
<script>
  (function () {
    var u = new URL(location.href);
    if (u.searchParams.has('filter.v.availability')) {
      var v = u.searchParams.get('filter.v.availability');
      u.searchParams.delete('filter.v.availability');
      u.searchParams.set('filter.p.m.charlie_inventory.available', v);
      location.replace(u.toString());
    }
  })();
</script>
Place this before any CSS or content tags so the redirect fires before the browser renders anything.

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Third-party search apps

For other search/merchandising apps (Boost, Searchanise, etc.), apply the same idea in the app’s filter or facet configuration:
  1. Add a filter sourced from the product metafield charlie_inventory.available
  2. Label it In stock
  3. Disable the native availability facet
  4. Re-index if the app requires it
Exact menu paths vary by app. Check the app’s documentation for how to expose a product metafield as a filter.

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Smart collections

The same metafield works as a smart collection condition. Create a smart collection and add a condition matching the product metafield charlie_inventory.available equal to true.

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Verifying

After configuring any of the above, pick at least one product currently held back by safety stock and confirm:
  • Feed exports show it as out of stock
  • Collection filter excludes it when “In stock” is selected
  • Smart collection excludes it
The Shopify product page may still show “available” via native fields. That’s expected. The integration reads the metafield, not the native field.

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Troubleshooting

Search & Discovery only surfaces metafields that have been written at least once. Trigger an inventory update on any product, then refresh the Search & Discovery filter screen.
  1. Confirm the feed app actually reads charlie_inventory.available, not Shopify’s native product.available. Check the attribute mapping.
  2. Trigger a full re-sync in the feed app. Partial syncs may not pick up the new attribute source.
  3. Spot-check the product in Shopify Admin → Products → [Product] → Metafields and confirm charlie_inventory.available is false for products held back.

Metafields reference

All Charlie metafields and access methods

Theme integration

Display sellable inventory in your theme’s Liquid
Last modified on May 11, 2026