Salesforce CLI

Salesforce CLI

Safety-first wrapper for Salesforce CLI (sf v2). Every command is classified by risk level before execution. NEVER modify Salesforce data or metadata without explicit user permission.

When to Use

• User asks to query Salesforce data (SOQL/SOSL)
• User asks to deploy or retrieve metadata
• User asks to export/import data (CSV, JSON, tree)
• User asks to execute Apex code
• User asks to manage orgs (scratch, sandbox, production)
• User asks to authenticate w/ Salesforce
• User asks to work w/ platform events or CDC
• User asks to manage packages or permissions
• User asks to interact w/ Salesforce APIs (REST, Bulk, Tooling)

Prerequisites

1. Install: npm install -g @salesforce/cli or brew install sf
2. Auth: sf org login web (interactive) or sf org login jwt (CI/CD)
3. Verify: sf --version (requires v2.x)
4. Default org: sf config set target-org <alias>

Safety Model

Every sf command falls into one of four risk tiers. Default mode is read-only.

See references/safety-rules.md for full classification and confirmation templates.

Production Guardrails

Detect org type before ANY write operation:

sf org display --target-org <alias> --json

Check instanceUrl and isScratch/isSandbox fields:

• login.salesforce.com or no sandbox/scratch flag → PRODUCTION → extra confirmation required
• test.salesforce.com or isSandbox: true → Sandbox
• isScratch: true → Scratch org

For production orgs: ALL write operations require AskUserQuestion w/ org alias typed confirmation.

Fail-Safe Principles

1. If org type detection fails → BLOCK all operations (never assume non-production)
2. If unsure about tier → classify HIGHER (Write → Destructive, Destructive → Forbidden)
3. Bulk operations always require row count preview before confirmation
4. Deploys with destructiveChanges.xml are FORBIDDEN in production via scripts
5. --test-level NoTestRun is BLOCKED for production deployments
6. Apex code must be shown to user BEFORE execution (never run sight-unseen)
7. Permission set changes require warning about privilege escalation / lockout risks
8. Field/object deletions in deploys require warning about cascade impacts (reports, flows, integrations)
9. Sandbox refresh requires explicit acknowledgment that ALL data will be overwritten
10. PII fields in queries trigger a warning (Email, Phone, Birthdate, SSN, etc.)

Decision Flow

Command received
  → Detect target org type (prod/sandbox/scratch)
  → Classify risk tier (see Quick Reference)
  → Safe?        Execute immediately
  → Write?       AskUserQuestion → wait for answer → execute or cancel
  → Destructive? AskUserQuestion w/ consequences → wait → execute or cancel
  → Forbidden?   Warn → require typed confirmation → final confirm → execute or cancel
  → PRODUCTION?  Add extra confirmation step regardless of tier

Quick Reference

Safe (read-only, execute immediately)

Write (AskUserQuestion required)

Destructive (AskUserQuestion w/ consequences)

Forbidden (multi-step validation)

SOQL/SOSL Query Safety

Mandatory rules for ALL queries:

1. Always add LIMIT — Default to LIMIT 200 if user omits
2. Never use SELECT * — Expand fields via sf sobject describe --sobject <name> or ask user
3. Production queries — Require WHERE clause unless object is known to be small
4. Tooling API queries — Use --use-tooling-api flag for metadata queries

# Safe SOQL query
sf data query --target-org my-org \
  --query "SELECT Id, Name, Industry FROM Account WHERE Industry = 'Technology' LIMIT 100"

# SOQL w/ relationships
sf data query --target-org my-org \
  --query "SELECT Id, Name, (SELECT Id, FirstName FROM Contacts) FROM Account LIMIT 50"

# SOQL w/ output format
sf data query --target-org my-org \
  --query "SELECT Id, Name FROM Account LIMIT 100" \
  --result-format csv --output-file accounts.csv

# Tooling API query
sf data query --target-org my-org --use-tooling-api \
  --query "SELECT Id, Name FROM ApexClass WHERE Name LIKE '%Test%' LIMIT 50"

# SOSL search
sf data search --target-org my-org \
  --query "FIND {Acme} IN NAME FIELDS RETURNING Account(Id, Name LIMIT 50)"

See references/soql-sosl.md for query patterns, date literals, and aggregate examples.

Data Export/Import

Export (Safe tier — read-only)

# CSV export
sf data query --target-org my-org \
  --query "SELECT Id, Name FROM Account LIMIT 200" \
  --result-format csv --output-file accounts.csv

# JSON export
sf data query --target-org my-org \
  --query "SELECT Id, Name FROM Account LIMIT 200" \
  --json > accounts.json

# Tree export (preserves relationships)
sf data export tree --target-org my-org \
  --query "SELECT Id, Name, (SELECT Id, FirstName FROM Contacts) FROM Account LIMIT 50" \
  --output-dir ./data

# Bulk export (large datasets)
sf data export bulk --target-org my-org \
  --query "SELECT Id, Name FROM Account" \
  --output-file accounts.csv

Import (Write/Destructive tier — confirmation required)

# Tree import (Write)
sf data import tree --target-org my-org --files Account.json,Contact.json

# Bulk import (Write)
sf data import bulk --sobject Account --file accounts.csv --target-org my-org

# Bulk upsert (Write)
sf data upsert bulk --sobject Account --file data.csv \
  --external-id External_Id__c --target-org my-org

File-Converter Integration

Convert between formats using the file-converter skill:

# Salesforce JSON → CSV (for spreadsheets)
python3 .claude/skills/file-converter/scripts/csv_json_yaml.py accounts.json accounts.csv

# CSV → JSON (for API import)
python3 .claude/skills/file-converter/scripts/csv_json_yaml.py data.csv data.json

# JSON → YAML (for config/review)
python3 .claude/skills/file-converter/scripts/csv_json_yaml.py accounts.json accounts.yaml

# Export → Convert → Report pipeline
sf data query --target-org my-org \
  --query "SELECT Id, Name FROM Account LIMIT 200" --json > data.json
python3 .claude/skills/file-converter/scripts/csv_json_yaml.py data.json report.csv

See references/data-operations.md for bulk patterns and tree format details.

Metadata Deploy/Retrieve

Retrieve (Write tier — modifies local files)

# Retrieve by source
sf project retrieve start --source-dir force-app --target-org my-org

# Retrieve by metadata type
sf project retrieve start --metadata ApexClass --target-org my-org

# Retrieve by manifest
sf project retrieve start --manifest package.xml --target-org my-org

Deploy (Destructive tier — modifies org)

Always validate first:

# Step 1: Preview (Safe)
sf project deploy preview --source-dir force-app --target-org my-org

# Step 2: Validate / dry-run (Write — confirm first)
sf project deploy start --source-dir force-app --target-org my-org --dry-run

# Step 3: Actual deploy (Destructive — confirm w/ consequences)
sf project deploy start --source-dir force-app --target-org my-org

# Production deploy (always w/ tests)
sf project deploy start --source-dir force-app --target-org prod-org \
  --test-level RunLocalTests

Apex Execution

Always show code before running. Always confirm.

# Step 1: Display the Apex code to the user (MANDATORY)
cat script.apex

# Step 2: AskUserQuestion — "Execute this Apex in <org>?"

# Step 3: Execute (Destructive tier)
sf apex run --target-org my-org --file script.apex

# Run tests (Write tier)
sf apex run test --target-org my-org --class-names MyClassTest --code-coverage

# Get latest log
sf apex get log --target-org my-org --number 1

Org Management

Scratch Orgs

# Create (Write)
sf org create scratch --definition-file config/project-scratch-def.json \
  --alias my-scratch --duration-days 7

# List (Safe)
sf org list --all

# Delete (Destructive — confirm first)
sf org delete scratch --target-org my-scratch

Sandboxes

# Create (Destructive — long-running, consumes resources)
sf org create sandbox --target-org prod-org --name dev-sandbox --alias dev-sb

# Refresh (Destructive)
sf org refresh sandbox --target-org dev-sb

# Delete (Destructive — confirm first)
sf org delete sandbox --target-org dev-sb

Authentication

# Web login (interactive — recommended for development)
sf org login web --alias my-org --set-default

# Sandbox login
sf org login web --alias my-sandbox --instance-url https://test.salesforce.com

# JWT login (CI/CD — non-interactive)
sf org login jwt --client-id <consumer_key> --jwt-key-file server.key \
  --username user@example.com --alias my-org

# SFDX Auth URL (transfer auth between systems)
sf org login sfdx-url --sfdx-url-file auth.txt --alias my-org

# Device flow (headless environments)
sf org login device

# Verify auth
sf org display --target-org my-org
sf auth list

See references/auth-flows.md for detailed setup instructions.

MCP Server Integration

Official Salesforce MCP Server (recommended)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "salesforce-dx": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@salesforce/mcp", "--orgs", "DEFAULT_TARGET_ORG"]
    }
  }
}

Available toolsets: Core, Orgs, Data, Users, Metadata, Testing, Code-Analysis, LWC, Aura, Mobile, Scale Products.

Tool Detection Flow

1. Check: Are Salesforce MCP tools available? (ToolSearch "salesforce")
   → YES: Use MCP tools (structured, validated)
   → NO:  Fall back to sf CLI commands
   → NO CLI: Guide user through installation

Community MCP Servers

See references/mcp-integration.md for setup and toolset details.

Direct API Access

# REST API (Safe for GET, Write/Destructive for others)
sf api request rest /services/data/v67.0/sobjects/Account/describe
sf api request rest /services/data/v67.0/query?q=SELECT+Id+FROM+Account+LIMIT+10

# GraphQL
sf api request graphql --body query.graphql --target-org my-org

# Composite (multiple operations in one call)
sf api request rest /services/data/v67.0/composite --body composite.json -X POST

Platform Events & CDC

# Publish platform event (Destructive — triggers automation)
sf data create record --sobject MyEvent__e --values "Field1__c='value'" --target-org my-org

# Subscribe to events (Safe — read-only)
sf apex run --target-org my-org --file subscribe_events.apex

# Check CDC-enabled objects (Safe)
sf data query --target-org my-org --use-tooling-api \
  --query "SELECT QualifiedApiName FROM EntityDefinition WHERE IsEnabledForChangeDataCapture = true LIMIT 100"

AskUserQuestion Integration

For ALL write, destructive, and forbidden operations, use AskUserQuestion w/ tailored options.

Data Modification Example

question: "Create a new Account record in <org-alias> (<org-type>)?"
header: "SF Write"
options:
  - label: "Create record"
    description: "Insert the Account record with the specified field values"
  - label: "Cancel"
    description: "Do not create any records"

Deploy Example

question: "Deploy metadata to <org-alias> (<org-type>)? <N> components will be modified."
header: "SF Deploy"
options:
  - label: "Validate only (dry-run)"
    description: "Run validation without making changes"
  - label: "Deploy now"
    description: "Deploy and modify the target org"
  - label: "Cancel"
    description: "Do not deploy"

Apex Execution Example

question: "Execute the following Apex in <org-alias> (<org-type>)?\n\n<code preview>"
header: "SF Apex"
options:
  - label: "Execute"
    description: "Run the Apex code in the target org"
  - label: "Cancel"
    description: "Do not execute"

See references/safety-rules.md for all confirmation templates.

Error Handling

Shell Safety

• No interactive mode: Always provide explicit flags, never rely on interactive prompts
• No pagers: Pipe to cat if output may trigger a pager: sf org list | cat
• Always specify org: Use --target-org to prevent accidental operations on wrong org
• Quote arguments: Always quote query strings and multi-word values
• JSON output: Use --json for programmatic parsing
• Never print tokens: Auth tokens, keys, and secrets must never appear in output

Self-Healing

sf v2 renames commands across releases. On any error: sf <topic> --help (authoritative for the installed version) → if unclear, WebFetch https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.sfdx_cli_reference.meta/sfdx_cli_reference/cli_reference_unified.htm → adjust → re-run. Never guess flags twice; surface renamed commands w/ the doc link.

Integration

Pairs with:

• file-converter — Convert Salesforce exports between CSV, JSON, YAML, XML formats
• github-cli — Commit and PR Salesforce metadata changes
• code-quality — Review Apex code before deployment
• token-optimizer — Compress large query results or metadata descriptions