spree-fulfillment

Spree Fulfillment

A fulfillment (Spree::Fulfillment, prefix ful_, number F…) is one batch of items going to the customer by one delivery method from one stock location — a parcel, a download, or an order waiting at a pickup counter. A cart/order gets one fulfillment per (stock location × delivery profile × splitter output); the customer picks a delivery rate per fulfillment.

Coming from 5.x (Shipment, ShippingMethod, StockItem, shipment state machine)? Constant aliases exist until 6.1, but see spree-upgrade-5-to-6 — don't write new code against the old names.

The model graph

Cart / Order
  └── Fulfillment (ful_)                 status: unfulfilled → fulfilled → delivered | canceled
        ├── stock_location (sloc_)        where it ships from
        ├── FulfillmentItem (fi_) × n     line_item + variant + quantity; status on_hand/backordered/shipped/returned
        ├── DeliveryRate (dr_) × n        the options offered; one has selected: true
        │     └── DeliveryMethod (dm_)    what the customer picks ("Standard", "Express", "Collect in store")
        ├── Delivery (dlv_) × n           each consignment/parcel: tracking_number, carrier, status
        ├── ShippingLabel (lbl_) × n      postage bought (purchased) or recorded (uploaded)
        └── TaxLine / Discount / Fee      delivery money rows (see spree-order-totals)

Product ──> DeliveryProfile (fp_)        how a product ships: DeliveryProfiles::Shipping | ::Digital
              ├── DeliveryOriginGroup (og_) × n   a named set of stock locations ("EU warehouse")
              ├── DeliveryZone (dz_) × n          where: DeliveryZoneMember (dzm_) country | state | postal_code
              └── DeliveryMethod × n              belongs_to profile + origin group, optional zone
                    ├── calculator                 how much (when priced internally)
                    ├── rate_provider              where the price comes from (default Internal)
                    ├── fulfillment_provider       how it's dispatched (Manual | Digital | Pickup | PickupPoint | carrier gem)
                    └── DeliveryMethodRule (dmrule_) × n   eligibility, AND-ed

PackageType (pkgtype_)                    box/envelope/carton/pallet/container — tare + dimensions for quotes

Things to internalize:

• Every fulfillment has exactly one owner — cart_id during checkout, order_id after placement. Read fulfillment.owner, never assume .order.
• Delivery type comes from the method's fulfillment provider class, not a string column: delivery_method.digital?, .pickup?, .pickup_point?, .requires_address?. The API exposes fulfillment_type (shipping | digital | pickup | pickup_point) on the fulfillment.
• The delivery profile decides what a product can use. A digital profile only accepts digital providers; a shipping profile accepts everything else. Origin groups narrow which locations may source the product — the coordinator never packs a product from a location its profile doesn't cover.
• cart.delivery_step_required? is line_items.any? && !digital? — an all-digital cart skips delivery. shipping_address_required? asks the selected methods (or the profiles, before a method is chosen) — a shipping profile offering only pickup needs no address.
• Delivery zones are delivery-only. Tax zones are separate (spree-taxes).

Statuses

Spree::Fulfillment uses has_status :unfulfilled, :fulfilled, :delivered, :canceled — a string status column, no state machine. Statuses describe what the merchant did with the parcel and only move forward:

Status	Meaning
unfulfilled	Still with you
fulfilled	Handed over (carrier, pickup counter, or download made available); fulfilled_at set
delivered	Customer has it; delivered_at set (from the carrier's scan, not webhook arrival)
canceled	Won't be sent. Final — there is no resume

Payment/backorder readiness is not a status. It is checked by Spree::Fulfillments::Fulfill at the moment you ship, and returns a reason (order_not_paid, backordered_units, insufficient_stock_on_hand, order_draft). Staff pass force: true to ship against an unpaid invoice or past a backorder (never past a draft order). can_fulfill? / can_cancel? are phrased negatively ("not already gone out"), so custom pre-handover statuses stay fulfillable.

Carrier truth lives on each Spree::Delivery (Spree::Delivery::STATUSES: pending pre_transit in_transit out_for_delivery available_for_pickup delivered return_to_sender failure unknown) and never moves the fulfillment backwards. The fulfillment becomes delivered when every consignment has arrived. tracking / tracking_url on the fulfillment summarize the first delivery.

The order rolls this up into order.fulfillment_status (written only by Spree::Orders::UpdateStatuses): unfulfilled, partial, fulfilled, delivered, backorder, canceled. Don't write it yourself.

Transitions are workflows

Never update!(status: 'fulfilled'). Call the workflow through its DI key so apps can swap it:

Action	Workflow (Spree.<key>)	Hooks
Ship (whole or partial)	fulfillment_fulfill_workflow → Spree::Fulfillments::Fulfill	validate, after_fulfill
Confirm receipt	fulfillment_mark_delivered_workflow → Fulfillments::MarkDelivered	validate, after_mark_delivered
Cancel	fulfillment_cancel_workflow → Fulfillments::Cancel	validate, after_cancel
Manual/3PL fulfillment on a placed order	fulfillment_create_workflow → Fulfillments::Create	validate, get_provider_data, after_create
Edit (tracking, rate, location)	fulfillment_update_workflow → Fulfillments::Update
Buy a label ahead of dispatch	fulfillment_purchase_label_workflow → Fulfillments::PurchaseLabel
Carrier tracking update	delivery_update_tracking_workflow → Deliveries::UpdateTracking	validate, after_update_tracking

result = Spree.fulfillment_fulfill_workflow.call(
  fulfillment: fulfillment,
  items: [{ line_item: line_item, quantity: 1 }], # omit to ship everything
  tracking: '1Z999AA10123456784',                # becomes the primary Spree::Delivery
  notify_customer: true,
  force: false
)
result.value # the fulfillment that actually shipped — for a partial ship, the NEW split-off one

What Fulfill does, in order: validate hook → guards → split off requested units (via Fulfillments::Create, cost 0) → record tracking → buy a label if the provider generates_labels? and none is active (failure is reported, parcel still ships) → provider.create_fulfillment → unstock allocated units (shipped movements) → mark items shipped + fulfillment fulfilled + publish fulfillment.fulfilled → capture payments whose method charges on dispatch → roll up order statuses.

Manual fulfillments (mirroring a 3PL or courier back into Spree): POST /api/v3/admin/orders/:order_id/fulfillments with stock_location_id, items: [{ item_id: 'li_…', quantity }], optional tracking, delivery_method_id, cost, status, metadata. Units move out of their current fulfillments (restock/unstock when locations differ); emptied sources are destroyed and their cost carries over. Quirk: the only accepted status value is the legacy 'shipped' (registers it already fulfilled); anything else fails invalid_status.

Splitting without shipping: PATCH …/fulfillments/:id/split takes variant_id, quantity, optional stock_location_id (moves units to a new fulfillment, possibly at another location) and returns every fulfillment on the order.

Gating and custom stages

Gate handover with a validate hook — handlers receive the workflow and call reject!:

# config/initializers/spree.rb
Spree.hooks.register('fulfillments.fulfill.validate') do |flow|
  work_order = MyApp::WorkOrder.find_by(fulfillment_id: flow.fulfillment.id)
  flow.reject!('Still in production') unless work_order&.completed?
end

Hook keys are <workflow key>.<hook> where the workflow key is the class name minus Spree::, underscored and dotted (Spree::Fulfillments::Fulfill → fulfillments.fulfill). Unknown keys fail boot when eager loading.

Add a real status only when staff filter by it, reports group by it, or webhooks should fire on it:

# config/initializers/spree.rb — to_prepare so it survives dev reloads
Rails.application.config.to_prepare do
  Spree::Fulfillment.add_status('in_production', after: 'unfulfilled')
end

That gives in_production?, .in_production and a valid value. Moving into it is your own Spree::Workflow (see spree-workflows); core fulfill/cancel keep working on it. Statuses are additive only — never remove a core one.

Rates: calculators vs rate providers

Every DeliveryMethod has a rate_provider (class name string, validated against Spree.delivery_rate_providers) and a calculator:

Need	Use
Arithmetic on what's in the parcel (flat, per item, % of item total, price sack, flexi, free for digital)	A calculator — built-ins under Spree::Calculator::Shipping::*
A price that comes from outside Spree (carrier API, aggregator, contract rate card service)	A rate provider — Spree::DeliveryRateProvider::Base subclass
"Quoted after review" (pallets, containers)	Spree::DeliveryRateProvider::Freight — returns an unpriced rate carrying the freight summary
"Only offer this when …" (order value, weight, volume, company buyer, channel, excluded products)	A DeliveryMethodRule on the method, not calculator thresholds (the calculator minimum_*/maximum_* preferences are deprecated)

Default provider is Spree::DeliveryRateProvider::Internal (prices via the calculator). Amount-based calculators carry a currency preference — a calculator whose currency doesn't match the order contributes nothing (no conversion). Create one method or calculator per currency you sell in. Rate-provider estimates in another currency are dropped by Spree::Stock::Estimator for the same reason.

Custom calculator:

class MyApp::Calculator::DimensionalWeight < Spree::ShippingCalculator
  preference :rate_per_kg, :decimal, default: 0
  preference :currency, :string, default: -> { Spree::Store.default&.default_currency }

  def self.description = 'Dimensional weight'

  def supports_currency?(currency) = currency.casecmp?(preferred_currency)

  def compute_package(package)
    package.weight * preferred_rate_per_kg # nil hides the method
  end
end

# config/initializers/spree.rb — core ASSIGNS this list in after_initialize, so append there
Rails.application.config.after_initialize do
  Spree.calculators.shipping_methods << MyApp::Calculator::DimensionalWeight
end

Custom carrier rate provider (full contract, service catalog and testing in references/provider-contracts.md):

module SpreeAcme
  class DeliveryRateProvider < Spree::DeliveryRateProvider::Base
    def self.integration_class = 'SpreeAcme::Integration' # hidden/refused until connected
    def self.requires_address? = true                        # it quotes real shipments

    def estimates(package)
      integration.client.rates(from: package.stock_location, to: package.order.ship_address, weight: package.weight).map do |q|
        Spree::DeliveryRateProvider::Estimate.new(
          cost: q.amount, currency: q.currency, carrier: q.carrier,
          service_level: q.service, estimated_delivery_date: q.eta, metadata: { quote_id: q.id }
        )
      end
    rescue SpreeAcme::Error => e
      Rails.error.report(e, source: 'acme.rating')
      [] # never raise into checkout — an empty array hides the method
    end
  end
end

Rails.application.config.after_initialize do
  Spree.integrations << 'SpreeAcme::Integration'
  Spree.delivery_rate_providers << SpreeAcme::DeliveryRateProvider
end

cost is pre-tax; Spree applies tax afterwards. The reference implementation is the spree_easypost gem (SpreeEasyPost::DeliveryRateProvider + SpreeEasyPost::FulfillmentProvider + SpreeEasyPost::Integration).

Fulfillment providers (dispatch, labels, 3PL/WMS)

delivery_method.fulfillment_provider (default Spree::FulfillmentProvider::Manual; also Digital, Pickup, PickupPoint) owns the outbound mechanics. A WMS/3PL/carrier integration subclasses Spree::FulfillmentProvider::Base and implements create_fulfillment(fulfillment) (return { tracking_number:, tracking_url: } optionally) and cancel_fulfillment(fulfillment); label-generating carriers also override self.generates_labels?, purchase_label(owner) (owner is a Fulfillment or a Return), refund_label(label), and optionally tracking_url(delivery), documents(owner), can_fulfill?(fulfillment). Register in after_initialize: Spree.fulfillment_providers << MyProvider (core assigns that list too).

Carrier tracking webhook: Spree owns POST /api/v3/webhooks/fulfillments/:integration_id (prefixed integration ID, no API key). The integration is looked up by ID alone and the request runs in the integration's own store (Spree::Current.store = integration.store), so one URL per integration works for every store. Your Spree::Integration subclass implements parse_webhook_event(raw_post, headers): verify the signature (raise Spree::Integration::WebhookSignatureError → 401, also when no secret is configured), return { tracking_code:, tracking_status:, estimated_delivery_at:, delivered_at:, details: } or nil to ignore (→ 200). The controller finds the Spree::Delivery in the integration's store by tracking number and runs Deliveries::UpdateTracking; a delivered status confirms receipt on the fulfillment. Map unknown carrier statuses to 'unknown'.

Order routing and stock splitters

Two layers decide how items become fulfillments:

1. Which stock locations — order routing. Spree::OrderRouting::Strategy::Rules (default) walks the channel's Spree::OrderRoutingRule rows (PreferredLocation, MinimizeSplits, DefaultLocation; lower rank wins, nil abstains). Custom rule: subclass Spree::OrderRoutingRule, implement rank(order, locations) returning one LocationRanking per location, register via Spree.order_routing.rules << MyRule, create a row per channel. Custom strategy: subclass Spree::OrderRouting::Strategy::Base, implement for_allocation (returns Spree::Stock::Packages) plus for_sale(fulfillment:), for_release, for_cancellation; register via Spree.order_routing.strategies << MyStrategy, select with store.preferred_order_routing_strategy / channel.preferred_order_routing_strategy (unregistered values fall back to Rules).
2. How one location's allocation is broken into packages — splitters. Default chain Spree.stock_splitters = [Splitter::DeliveryProfile, Splitter::Backordered]; Splitter::Weight (class-level threshold, default 150) is opt-in. Custom: subclass Spree::Stock::Splitter::Base, implement split(packages) and always end with return_next(packages).

Know where routing actually applies. Storefront checkout builds fulfillments with Cart#rebuild_fulfillments!, which calls Spree::Stock::Coordinator directly — it respects delivery-profile origin groups, the channel's served locations and the splitter chain, but does not consult the routing strategy or routing rules. Carts::Complete copies the cart's fulfillments onto the order. The routing strategy runs in Order#rebuild_fulfillments! — admin draft-order create/update (Spree::Orders::BuildFulfillments, a no-op once the order is placed) and OrderInventory changes on placed orders. Editing a placed order's items never rebuilds its fulfillments — Spree::OrderInventory adjusts them in place, so the allocations made at placement stay on rows that cancel/ship can still release. The strategy's for_sale/for_release/for_cancellation are part of the contract but core does not call them today (Rules implements them as no-ops) — do post-allocation side effects in fulfillment workflow hooks or fulfillment.* subscribers instead. Claim/exchange replacements also use the Coordinator. To change which warehouse storefront carts ship from, use delivery profiles/origin groups, channel stock locations, or a decorator on the Coordinator — not a routing rule alone.

# Splitters are assigned by core in after_initialize — append there, not in to_prepare
Rails.application.config.after_initialize do
  Spree.stock_splitters << MyApp::Stock::Splitter::Refrigerated
end

Pickup, digital, freight

• Pickup: methods with FulfillmentProvider::Pickup serve pickup-enabled stock locations (GET /api/v3/store/delivery_methods/:id/pickup_locations); PickupPoint asks a pickup point provider (…/pickup_points?latitude=&longitude=). Pickup orders are closed out with mark-delivered.
• Digital: assign the product the store's digital delivery profile. The Digital fulfillment provider auto-fulfills on placement and grants Spree::DigitalLinks (event digital_link.downloaded). Deliver something other than an uploaded file via a Spree::DigitalAssetProvider::Base subclass (deliver(digital_link, expires_in:)), registered in Spree.digital_asset_providers.
• Freight: methods on the Freight rate provider bounded by volume_rule / company_rule; rates come back unpriced: true, display "Quoted after review", sort after priced rates, and checkout still completes.

API surface

• Store: PATCH /api/v3/store/carts/:cart_id/fulfillments/:id with selected_delivery_rate_id; rates are on cart.fulfillments[].delivery_rates.
• The choice survives item changes. Every recalculation rebuilds the proposals (rebuild_fulfillments!), and the rebuild carries each stock location's selected rate over (same carrier service, else same method, else the estimator's default) and prices it for the new contents. Only a destination change (Address::DESTINATION_FIELDS: address lines, city, state, postal code, country) resets to the default rate; a phone or name edit keeps it. A placed order's delivery isn't re-priced by a rebuild.
• Admin — permission keys: read_/write_fulfillments for the fulfillments endpoints (nested labels/deliveries sit under *_orders), *_delivery_methods for methods/rules, *_package_types, *_settings for zones and profiles. Endpoints: …/orders/:order_id/fulfillments (index/show/create/update) + member fulfill (items: [{ item_id, quantity }], tracking, tracking_carrier, notify_customer, force), mark_delivered, cancel, split; nested labels (create/destroy, download, refund) and deliveries (CRUD, mark_delivered). Setup: delivery_methods (+ calculators, rate_providers, fulfillment_providers, nested rules), delivery_method_rules/types, delivery_zones, delivery_profiles (+ kinds, nested origin_groups), package_types, tracking_carriers.
• Admin SDK: adminClient.orders.fulfillments.{list,fulfill,markDelivered,cancel,split}, .labels.*, .deliveries.*.

Events

fulfillment.created/updated/deleted, fulfillment.fulfilled (metadata notify_customer), fulfillment.delivered, fulfillment.canceled; delivery.created/updated/deleted; shipping_label.purchased/.refunded (+ lifecycle); order-level order.fulfilled, order.delivered. There is no fulfillment.resumed. Use subscribers for WMS sync and emails (spree-events-webhooks).

Troubleshooting

No delivery rates at checkout (cart shows a delivery_unavailable warning, fulfillment pruned):

• The product's delivery profile has no method whose zone (or origin group) covers the address / source location.
• A DeliveryMethodRule excludes the package (item total, weight, volume, company, channel).
• Calculator currency ≠ cart currency, or the calculator returned nil.
• The rate provider's integration isn't connected, it raised (check error reports), or it returned only foreign-currency estimates.
• Console: Spree::Stock::Coordinator.new(cart).packages.map { |p| [p.stock_location.name, p.delivery_rates.map(&:name)] }, or Spree::Stock::Estimator.new(cart).delivery_rates(package, Spree::DeliveryMethod::BACKOFFICE) to include admin-only methods.

Fulfill returns 422: read the error — unpaid (force or capture first), backordered units, not enough count_on_hand at the location (correct stock, or force), draft order, or your own validate hook.

Ships from the wrong warehouse: storefront carts ignore routing rules (see above) — check the product's delivery profile origin groups, the channel's stock locations, and StockLevel presence at each location.

Tracking webhook does nothing: the endpoint answers 200 for unknown tracking codes and nil events by design; 401 means signature verification failed; the integration must be active in the current store.

Testing

Factories (spree_dev_tools / spree/testing_support): :fulfillment, :fulfillment_item, :delivery_method, :free_delivery_method, :digital_delivery_method, :pickup_delivery_method, :delivery_zone, :delivery_zone_with_country, :delivery_profile, :digital_delivery_profile, :delivery_rate, :delivery, :stock_package, :cart_ready_for_delivery, :completed_order_with_totals. Stub carrier clients — rate quoting runs on every checkout. Set Spree::Current.store in specs that build rates outside a request.

Where to read further

• node_modules/@spree/docs/dist/developer/core-concepts/fulfillments.md, delivery-setup.md, freight.md, calculators.md
• node_modules/@spree/docs/dist/developer/how-to/custom-delivery-rate-provider.md, custom-order-routing.md, custom-stock-splitter.md, sell-digital-products.md, custom-digital-asset-provider.md
• node_modules/@spree/docs/dist/developer/providers/fulfillment.md; EasyPost setup: node_modules/@spree/docs/dist/integrations/shipping/easypost.md
• Deeper contracts: references/provider-contracts.md
• Related skills: spree-inventory (stock levels, reservations, movements), spree-returns, spree-workflows (hooks, custom workflows), spree-providers, spree-checkout, spree-order-totals.