# Platform Policy Rule Generate

> Use this skill when authoring PolicyRuleDefinition and PolicyRuleDefinitionSet metadata XML for the Salesforce Enforce-O-Matic MDAPI (Data Cloud governance policies), or when editing *.policyRuleDefinition / *.policyRuleDefinitionSet files. Covers the category decision tree, full schema for all policy variants (ACCESS, GOVERNANCE, RECORD, TRANSFORM), UI-compatibility rules for the Data Governance Policy Builder, and validation guardrails. Do NOT use this skill for UserAccessPolicy, AccessPolicy, SharingRules, PermissionSet, or any non-Enforce-O-Matic access-control metadata — those have their own types and live outside the PolicyRuleDefinition schema.

- Skill: `agentcorp-inc/platform-policy-rule-generate` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 10 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add agentcorp-inc/platform-policy-rule-generate`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/agentcorp-inc/platform-policy-rule-generate/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: DevOps & Infra
- Author: AgentCorp-Inc (https://skillmd.com/u/agentcorp-inc)
- Updated: 2026-09-22
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/agentcorp-inc/platform-policy-rule-generate

---


# Authoring Policy Rule Definitions

**Gating:** `@WsdlGuard("EnforceOMatic.orgCanUsePolicyRuleMDAPI")` = `OrgPermissions.EnforceOMatic && OrgPermissions.PolicyRuleMDAPI` 
**Min API version:** 64.0 (66.0 for conditions using `PolicyJsonExpression`)

> **For human maintainers (not the agent):** the Java source-of-truth lives at `enforce-o-matic-impl/java/src/enforce/o/matic/metadata/` and reference fixtures at `enforce-o-matic-impl/test/func/filemetadata/<name>/`. The agent should rely on the templates and reference docs in this skill bundle — those impl paths are not readable from the Vibes/MCP runtime.

This skill covers the **on-disk metadata XML format** for authoring policies. Use it whenever a task asks to write a `*.policyRuleDefinition` or `*.policyRuleDefinitionSet` file, add a fixture under `test/func/filemetadata/`, or ship a metadata package. The runtime side (RuleProvider, hooks) is out of scope.

---

> **Eval coverage:** This skill is exercised by the team's ADK eval framework, not by `tests/evals/` under the skill directory. Five datasets covering the ACCESS / GOVERNANCE / RECORD / TRANSFORM variants live in `packages/adk-eval/eval/domains/platform-policy-rule-generate/datasets/`.

## 1. Package Layout

A deployable package always contains:

```text
<fixture>/
  package.xml
  policyRuleDefinitionSets/<setName>.policyRuleDefinitionSet
  policyRuleDefinitions/<ruleName>.policyRuleDefinition
```

`package.xml` template (use `<version>[ftest]</version>` for ftests, `64.0` or higher for real orgs):

```xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Package xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata">
    <types>
        <members>Rule0</members>
        <name>PolicyRuleDefinition</name>
    </types>
    <types>
        <members>Set1</members>
        <name>PolicyRuleDefinitionSet</name>
    </types>
    <version>64.0</version>
</Package>
```

---

## 2. PolicyRuleDefinitionSet Schema

```xml
<PolicyRuleDefinitionSet xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata">
    <label>Set1</label>
    <description>Optional free text</description>
    <replicated>false</replicated>             <!-- MinAppVersion 260 -->
    <builderCompatible>true</builderCompatible> <!-- MinAppVersion 262, author-settable -->
    <!-- builderValidated: server-managed — do not set in authored XML -->
</PolicyRuleDefinitionSet>
```

| Element | Req | Notes |
|---------|-----|-------|
| `<label>` | yes | Master label. File basename (devName) is the MDAPI identifier, not the label. |
| `<description>` | no | Free text. |
| `<replicated>` | no | `true` triggers placeholder transformation across companion orgs. Omit for null/false. |
| `<builderCompatible>` | no | `true` = rules audited per §7 checklist. `false` = API-only. Omit = unaudited. Informational only — no deploy/runtime effect. |
| `<builderValidated>` | no | **Server-managed. Never set in authored XML.** Server overwrites on validation. |

---

## 3. PolicyRuleDefinition — Core Fields

| Element | Req | Notes |
|---------|-----|-------|
| `<label>` | yes | MasterLabel. |
| `<category>` | yes | See §4. Drives `resourceScopeType` and whether `policyRuleResourceDomains`/`resourceTransform` are required. **Does NOT constrain `effect` outside of TRANSFORM.** |
| `<effect>` | yes | `Permit`, `Forbid`, or `Transform`. The only category-coupling enforced by core: `effect=Transform ↔ category=TRANSFORM_POLICY_RULE_DEFINITION` (bidirectional). All other categories accept Permit and Forbid freely. |
| `<action>` | yes (≥1) | `Read`, `TupleRead`, `Create`, etc. Multiple elements OR-combine. |
| `<policyRuleDefinitionSetName>` | yes | Developer name of parent set. |
| `<principalScopeType>` | yes | Always `ANY`. |
| `<resourceScopeType>` | yes | `ANY`, `FIELD`, `RECORD`, `DATASPACE`, or `SPAN`. Must match category (§4). |
| `<principalAuthenticationLevel>` | no | `INTERNAL`, `AUTHENTICATED`, `UNIDENTIFIED`, `IDENTIFIED`. |
| `<ruleConsumer>` | no | `ALL`, `DATACLOUD`, `MULESOFT`, `TABLEAU`, `CORE`. |
| `<policyRuleResourceDomains>` | no | Required for RECORD (RLS) and FIELD-scope TRANSFORM rules only. Forbidden on ACCESS/GOVERNANCE. |
| `<resourceTransform>` | no | Required (and only valid) when `category=TRANSFORM`. |
| `<whenPolicyRuleDefinitionClauseConjunction>` | no | WHEN conditions. |
| `<unlessPolicyRuleDefinitionClauseConjunction>` | no | UNLESS conditions. Not UI-editable — prefer WHEN + negated operator. |

---

## 4. Category Decision Tree

**Category names a domain (where in the platform's enforcement layers the rule applies). Effect names the action (allow / deny / transform). They are independent except for TRANSFORM.**

The **only** Category × Effect rule the platform validates
(`enforce-o-matic-api/java/src/enforce/o/matic/api/module/api/RuleBuilder.java`):

- `effect=Transform` ⇔ `category=TRANSFORM_POLICY_RULE_DEFINITION` (bidirectional; mismatched throws `INVALIDFORCATEGORY`).
- All other categories (`ACCESS`, `GOVERNANCE`, `RECORD`, `IDENTIFIED_RECORD`) accept either `Permit` or `Forbid`.

> **Note on the platform's auto-fill default:** When `<category>` is omitted from authored XML, the impl-side save hook (`PolicyRuleDefinitionObject.saveHook_Validate`) fills it in from `effect`: `Permit→ACCESS`, `Forbid→GOVERNANCE`, `Transform→TRANSFORM`. **This is a default-fill, not a validation.** If you author an explicit category that contradicts this default, it is accepted and persisted as-is.

### Picking the category

```text
What kind of policy?
│
├── OLS/FLS allow/deny on tagged or classified resources
│     category = ACCESS_POLICY_RULE_DEFINITION (allow/deny attestation in the access plane)
│              | GOVERNANCE_POLICY_RULE_DEFINITION (governance-audited)
│     effect = Permit | Forbid (chosen independently from category)
│     resourceScopeType = ANY | FIELD | DATASPACE
│     NO <policyRuleResourceDomains>
│     condition: resourcePath=TAG|CLASSIFICATION CONTAINS_ANY <ref>
│     For "objects AND all their fields" → action=TupleRead + OR-of-ENTITYTYPE clause (§7)
│     Note: "Block access to Foo object" → tag Foo with <yourTag>, write rule on tag
│        Do NOT use <resourceDomain>Foo</resourceDomain> — forbidden for ACCESS/GOVERNANCE
│
├── Row-level filter on a DMO/DLO
│     category = RECORD_POLICY_RULE_DEFINITION
│     effect = Permit | Forbid
│     resourceScopeType = RECORD
│     <policyRuleResourceDomains> = the DMO/DLO API name  ← entity targeting allowed here
│
├── Identified-Guest record access
│     NOT authorable via MDAPI — SESSION_CONSUMER_ID is not in RuleContextPathType
│        Must be implemented as a runtime RuleProvider.
│
└── Field masking
      category = TRANSFORM_POLICY_RULE_DEFINITION   ← required by RuleBuilder validator
      effect = Transform                            ← required by RuleBuilder validator
      resourceScopeType = FIELD (structured) or SPAN (unstructured)
      <policyRuleResourceDomains> = the DMO whose field is masked
      <resourceTransform> required (e.g. NULL_RESOURCE_TRANSFORM, LAST_N_CHARS_RESOURCE_TRANSFORM)
```

### ACCESS vs GOVERNANCE — how to choose

Both legally accept Permit and Forbid. Pick by *which enforcement layer should record/audit the rule* and **what the prompt literally asks for**:

| Use case | Pick | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| The prompt names "ACCESS policy rule" / "access rule" / "OLS/FLS" explicitly | `ACCESS_POLICY_RULE_DEFINITION` | Matches the prompt's vocabulary; sits in the data-access enforcement layer. |
| The prompt names "governance" / "audit" / "policy framework" / data-residency or compliance language | `GOVERNANCE_POLICY_RULE_DEFINITION` | Matches the prompt's vocabulary; rules surface in governance reporting. |
| Prompt is ambiguous and only describes allow/deny semantics | Default to `ACCESS` for Permit, `GOVERNANCE` for Forbid (mirrors the platform's auto-fill default; safe and deployable, but **not required**) |

> **Important — honor the explicit category in the prompt.** If the prompt says "ACCESS policy rule that denies …" or "GOVERNANCE policy rule that permits …", emit exactly that category. Do not silently swap to the auto-fill default just because effect is Forbid (or Permit). The platform accepts both. The agent must not override the user's stated intent.

**Scope × category compatibility** — any combination outside this matrix throws `INVALIDFORCATEGORY`:

|            | `ACCESS` | `GOVERNANCE` | `TRANSFORM` | `RECORD` |
|------------|:--------:|:------------:|:-----------:|:--------:|
| `ANY`      | Yes | Yes | No  | No  |
| `DATASPACE`| Yes | Yes | No  | No  |
| `FIELD`    | Yes | Yes | Yes | No  |
| `RECORD`   | No  | No  | No  | Yes |
| `SPAN`     | No  | No  | Yes | No  |

---

## 5. Condition Patterns (Quick Reference)

Every `<conditions>` block needs **all four**: `<clause>`, `<operator>`, one path element, and the value.

| Goal | path element | operator | value |
|------|-------------|----------|-------|
| Resource has tag | `<resourcePath>TAG</resourcePath>` | `CONTAINS_ANY` | `<valueReferenceType>CUSTOM_TAG` \| `STANDARD_TAG</valueReferenceType>` |
| Resource has classification | `<resourcePath>CLASSIFICATION</resourcePath>` | `CONTAINS_ANY` | `CUSTOM_CLASSIFICATION` \| `STANDARD_CLASSIFICATION` |
| Principal has permission | `<principalPath>ASSIGNED_PERMISSIONS_PATH</principalPath>` | `CONTAINS_ANY` \| `CONTAINS_NONE` | `<valueReferenceType>CUSTOM_PERMISSION</valueReferenceType>` |
| Session in dataspace | `<contextPath>SESSION_DATASPACE</contextPath>` | `CONTAINS_ANY` | `<valueReferenceType>DATASPACE</valueReferenceType>` |
| Record field = user attribute | `<resourcePath>RECORDFIELD</resourcePath>` + `<valueDomain>Schema:field</valueDomain>` | `EQUALS` | `<valuePrincipalPath>USER_ID` \| `ORGANIZATION_ID` \| `USER_ROLE_ID</valuePrincipalPath>` |
| Entity type check | `<resourcePath>ENTITYTYPE</resourcePath>` | `IS` | `<valueString>{"t":"Text","v":"FIELD"}</valueString>` |

`<conjunctionExpression>` is 1-indexed prefix notation: `1`, `(AND 1 2)`, `(OR 1 2)`, `(AND (OR 1 2) (AND 3))`. A bare top-level index like `1` is valid for **deploy** (impl fixtures use it) but **crashes the Data Governance Policy Builder UI** — see §7 if UI editability matters.

For full path enums (`RulePrincipalPathType`, `RuleResourcePathType`, `RuleContextPathType`), operators, and JSON expressions (PROJECTION / ARGLIST / SOQLTARGETLISTEXPR), see [`references/policy-schema-full.md`](references/policy-schema-full.md). 
For copy-paste templates for all policy variants, see [`references/templates.md`](references/templates.md).

---

## 6. Validation Guardrails

1. Every `<conditions>` needs an `<operator>`. Missing operator → reject.
2. Every `<conditions>` needs at least one path element (`<resourcePath>`, `<principalPath>`, `<contextPath>`, or `<valueDomain>`).
3. `<contextPath>` is exclusively `SESSION_DATASPACE`. Never put a resource path value there.
4. Scope × category must be in the §4 matrix. Common offenders: ACCESS/GOVERNANCE + RECORD scope; RECORD + ANY/FIELD scope; TRANSFORM + ANY/RECORD scope. (Effect is independent of category except for TRANSFORM — see §4.)
5. `<resourceTransform>` and `effect=Transform` are coupled. Transform effect needs a resourceTransform. Permit/Forbid must not have one.
6. `<policyRuleResourceDomains>` is **required** for RECORD (RLS) and FIELD-scope TRANSFORM; **forbidden** on ACCESS/GOVERNANCE.
7. `<conjunctionExpression>` indices must match actual `<conditions>` count. Off-by-one → reject.
8. `<clause>` inside `<conditions>` must match the wrapper (`WHEN` inside `<when…>`, `UNLESS` inside `<unless…>`).
9. JSON literals in `<valueString>` must escape `"` to `&quot;`. Wrong escaping silently corrupts the literal.
10. Reference targets (`<valueReference>`, `<resourceDomain>`) must exist in the target org at deploy time.
11. `SCALAR_ATTRIBUTE` / `PLURAL_ATTRIBUTE` are not in `RulePrincipalPathType` — not in MDAPI contract. Use a runtime RuleProvider for those shapes.
12. `IDENTIFIED_RECORD` is not authorable via MDAPI — `SESSION_CONSUMER_ID` not in `RuleContextPathType`.
13. Standard tag/classification dev names are fully-qualified dotted paths (e.g. `DataGovernanceTags.ExternalData.Visibility.Public`). Retrieve an existing rule to get the exact string before authoring.
14. Min API versions: `PolicyRuleDefinition` = 64.0; `PolicyJsonExpression` conditions = 66.0; `<replicated>` = 260+; `<builderCompatible>` / `<builderValidated>` = 262+.

> **Note on `<conjunctionExpression>` shape:** A bare top-level index (e.g. `<conjunctionExpression>1</conjunctionExpression>`) deploys cleanly — the impl-side parser accepts bare tokens at the top level, and most positive single-condition fixtures in `enforce-o-matic-impl/test/func/filemetadata/` use it. It is **not** a deploy-time validation error. It does, however, crash the Data Governance Policy Builder UI on load — see §7.

---

## 7. UI Compatibility — Core Rules

The Data Governance Policy Builder edits a **strict subset** of the MDAPI. Default goal: produce UI-compatible policies. Always confirm with the operator before producing API-only XML.

**Hard blockers** — any of these make the policy uneditable (and several crash the builder on load):

- **Missing OR-of-ENTITYTYPE clause on ACCESS/GOVERNANCE rules** → hard crash: `Cannot use 'in' operator to search for 'Permit' in undefined`. Required even when paired with `TupleRead` (where it's functionally redundant at runtime). Must include `IS` conditions for `{"t":"Text","v":"OBJECT"}` and `{"t":"Text","v":"FIELD"}`.
- **Bare top-level condition index** in `<conjunctionExpression>` (e.g. `1`, or `(AND (OR 1 2) 3)`) → crash on builder load in `buildCriteria`. Deploy is unaffected, but the policy is uneditable in the UI. Always wrap: `(AND 1)` for a single condition; `(AND (OR 1 2) (AND 3))` instead of `(AND (OR 1 2) 3)`.
- `category = ACCESS_POLICY_RULE_DEFINITION` + `effect = Forbid` → the **Data Governance Policy Builder UI** (not MDAPI) collapses it to GOVERNANCE on save; round-trip via the builder will rewrite the category. MDAPI deploy is unaffected — the original ACCESS+Forbid combination is valid and deploys without modification. If your goal is UI round-trippability, prefer GOVERNANCE for Forbid; if the source of truth is MDAPI, ACCESS+Forbid is fine.
- Any `<unlessPolicyRuleDefinitionClauseConjunction>` block → silently dropped on first UI save.
- More than one `<action>` → only the first is kept.
- `ruleConsumer` ≠ `DATACLOUD` → UI hardcodes DATACLOUD on save.
- Top-level `(OR 1 2)` conjunction → triggers `// ERROR: Unsupported rule!` path, rule silently dropped.

**UI-compatible "unless" rewrite:**

| Author intent | UI-compatible shape |
|---|---|
| `unless principal has permission X` | `WHEN ASSIGNED_PERMISSIONS_PATH CONTAINS_NONE X` |
| `unless resource has tag X` | `WHEN TAG CONTAINS_NONE X` |
| `unless record field = value` | `WHEN RECORDFIELD NOT_EQUALS value` |

For the full UI-compatibility checklist, round-trip rules, and operator support matrix, see [`references/ui-compatibility.md`](references/ui-compatibility.md).

---

## 8. Authoring Workflow

1. **Start from the closest template** in [`references/templates.md`](references/templates.md) — modify from there, don't start blank.
2. **Pick category first** (§4). Category fixes effect, resourceScopeType, and whether policyRuleResourceDomains/resourceTransform are required.
3. **Lay out the bare rule**: top-level fields only, no conditions. Match the category template in [`references/templates.md`](references/templates.md).
4. **Add conditions one at a time**, each with all four anchors: `<clause>`, `<operator>`, one path element, and the value.
5. **Update `<conjunctionExpression>`** — 1-indexed prefix notation. Bare top-level index (e.g. `1`) deploys but breaks the UI; wrap as `(AND 1)` if UI editability matters (§7).
6. **Run the UI-compatibility check** (§7 / [`references/ui-compatibility.md`](references/ui-compatibility.md)). If any item trips, attempt the "unless" rewrite first; if not possible, get explicit operator confirmation before continuing.
7. **Update `package.xml`** — list each `<members>` for both types.
8. **Set `<builderCompatible>`** on the set to `true` if §7 checklist passes; `false` if intentionally API-only.
9. **Sanity-check against §6 (guardrails)** before considering done.
10. **Validate with dry-run** before any non-dry deploy to a persistent org. Surface errors using the error reference in [`references/deploy-errors.md`](references/deploy-errors.md).

**Three-layer correctness check** before done:
- **Runtime / Cedar** — does the rule enforce what's intended? (action choice, condition shape)
- **MDAPI deploy validity** — does it deploy? (§6 guardrails, scope×category, tag dev names, org perms)
- **UI editability** — can the builder render and re-save it? (§7 checklist, OR-of-ENTITYTYPE requirement)

---

## Reference Docs

| Detail | File |
|--------|------|
| Full path enums, operators, value sets, JSON expressions (PROJECTION / ARGLIST / SOQLTARGETLISTEXPR) | [`references/policy-schema-full.md`](references/policy-schema-full.md) |
| Copy-paste templates — index at [`references/templates.md`](references/templates.md); per-variant: [`templates-access.md`](references/templates-access.md), [`templates-record.md`](references/templates-record.md), [`templates-transform.md`](references/templates-transform.md), [`templates-advanced.md`](references/templates-advanced.md) |
| Full UI-compatibility checklist, round-trip rules, operator/path support matrix | [`references/ui-compatibility.md`](references/ui-compatibility.md) |