deploying-metadata

deploying-metadata: Comprehensive Salesforce DevOps Automation

Use this skill when the user needs deployment orchestration: dry-run validation, targeted or manifest-based deploys, CI/CD workflow advice, scratch-org management, failure triage, or safe rollout sequencing for Salesforce metadata.

When This Skill Owns the Task

Use deploying-metadata when the work involves:

• sf project deploy start, quick, report, or retrieval workflows
• release sequencing across objects, permission sets, Apex, and Flows
• CI/CD gates, test-level selection, or deployment reports
• troubleshooting deployment failures and dependency ordering

Delegate elsewhere when the user is:

• authoring Apex code → generating-apex
• authoring LWC components → generating-lwc-components
• creating custom objects or fields → generating-custom-object, generating-custom-field
• building Flows → generating-flow
• doing org data operations → handling-sf-data
• authoring or testing Agentforce agents → developing-agentforce

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Critical Operating Rules

• Use sf CLI v2 only.
• On non-source-tracking orgs, deploy/retrieve commands require an explicit scope such as --source-dir, --metadata, or --manifest.
• Prefer --dry-run first before real deploys.
• For Flows, deploy safely and activate only after validation.
• Keep test-data creation guidance delegated to handling-sf-data after metadata is validated or deployed.

Default deployment order

Phase	Metadata
1	Custom objects / fields
2	Permission sets
3	Apex
4	Flows as Draft
5	Flow activation / post-verify

This ordering prevents many dependency and FLS failures.

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Required Context to Gather First

Ask for or infer:

• target org alias and environment type
• deployment scope: source-dir, metadata list, or manifest
• whether this is validate-only, deploy, quick deploy, retrieve, or CI/CD guidance
• required test level and rollback expectations
• whether special metadata types are involved (Flow, permission sets, agents, packages)

Preflight checks:

sf --version
sf org list
sf org display --target-org <alias> --json
test -f sfdx-project.json

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Recommended Workflow

1. Preflight

Confirm auth, repo shape, package directories, and target scope.

2. Validate first

sf project deploy start --dry-run --source-dir force-app --target-org <alias> --wait 30 --json

Use manifest- or metadata-scoped validation when the change set is targeted.

3. If validation succeeds, offer the next safe workflow

After a successful validation, guide the user to the correct next action:

1. deploy now
2. assign permission sets
3. create test data via handling-sf-data
4. run tests / smoke checks
5. orchestrate multiple post-deploy steps in order

4. Deploy the smallest correct scope

# source-dir deploy
sf project deploy start --source-dir force-app --target-org <alias> --wait 30 --json

# manifest deploy
sf project deploy start --manifest manifest/package.xml --target-org <alias> --test-level RunLocalTests --wait 30 --json

# manifest deploy with Spring '26 relevant-test selection
sf project deploy start --manifest manifest/package.xml --target-org <alias> --test-level RunRelevantTests --wait 30 --json

# quick deploy after successful validation
sf project deploy quick --job-id <validation-job-id> --target-org <alias> --json

5. Verify

sf project deploy report --job-id <job-id> --target-org <alias> --json

Then verify tests, Flow state, permission assignments, and smoke-test behavior.

6. Report clearly

Summarize what deployed, what failed, what was skipped, and what the next safe action is.

Output template: references/deployment-report-template.md

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High-Signal Failure Patterns

Error / symptom	Likely cause	Default fix direction
FIELD_CUSTOM_VALIDATION_EXCEPTION	validation rule or bad test data	adjust data or rule timing
INVALID_CROSS_REFERENCE_KEY	missing dependency	include referenced metadata first
CANNOT_INSERT_UPDATE_ACTIVATE_ENTITY	trigger / Flow / validation side effect	inspect automation stack and failing logic
tests fail during deploy	broken code or fragile tests	run targeted tests, fix root cause, revalidate
field/object not found in permset	wrong order	deploy objects/fields before permission sets
Flow invalid / version conflict	dependency or activation problem	deploy as Draft, verify, then activate

Full workflows: references/orchestration.md, references/trigger-deployment-safety.md

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CI/CD Guidance

Default pipeline shape:

1. authenticate
2. validate repo / org state
3. static analysis
4. dry-run deploy
5. tests + coverage gates
6. deploy
7. verify + notify

• When org policy and release risk allow it, consider --test-level RunRelevantTests for Apex-heavy deployments.
• Pair this with modern Apex test annotations such as @IsTest(testFor=...) and @IsTest(isCritical=true) — see generating-apex for authoring guidance.

Static analysis now uses Code Analyzer v5 (sf code-analyzer), not retired sf scanner.

Deep reference: references/deployment-workflows.md

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Agentforce Deployment Note

Use this skill to orchestrate deployment/publish sequencing around agents, but use the agent-specific skill for authoring decisions:

• developing-agentforce for .agent authoring, Agent Builder, Prompt Builder, and metadata config

For full agent DevOps details, including Agent: pseudo metadata, publish/activate, and sync-between-orgs, see:

• references/agent-deployment-guide.md

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Cross-Skill Integration

Need	Delegate to	Reason
custom object creation	generating-custom-object	define objects before deploy
custom field creation	generating-custom-field	define fields before deploy
Apex authoring / fixes	generating-apex	code authoring and repair
Flow creation / repair	generating-flow	Flow authoring and activation guidance
test data or seed records	handling-sf-data	describe-first data setup and cleanup
Agent authoring and publish readiness	developing-agentforce	agent-specific correctness

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Reference Map

Start here

• references/orchestration.md
• references/deployment-workflows.md
• references/deployment-report-template.md

Specialized deployment safety

• references/trigger-deployment-safety.md
• references/agent-deployment-guide.md
• references/deploy.sh

Asset templates

• assets/package.xml — manifest template covering common metadata types
• assets/destructiveChanges.xml — template for removing metadata from target orgs

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Score Guide

Score	Meaning
90+	strong deployment plan and execution guidance
75–89	good deploy guidance with minor review items
60–74	partial coverage of deployment risk
< 60	insufficient confidence; tighten plan before rollout

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Completion Format

Deployment goal: <validate / deploy / retrieve / pipeline>
Target org: <alias>
Scope: <source-dir / metadata / manifest>
Result: <passed / failed / partial>
Key findings: <errors, ordering, tests, skipped items>
Next step: <safe follow-up action>