Pac Flow Dev

Power Automate Flow Development via PAC CLI

Develop and deploy Power Automate cloud flows by editing their JSON definition locally, using a lightweight mini-solution for fast import/export cycles. This avoids exporting the entire main solution (which can be slow and contain many unrelated components).

When to Use

• Modifying an existing cloud flow's definition (actions, triggers, connections)
• Creating a new cloud flow from a JSON definition
• Bulk-editing flow expressions or action parameters
• Debugging flow logic by inspecting the raw JSON
• Any scenario where the Power Automate designer is too limited

Prerequisites

• pac CLI installed and authenticated (pac auth create)
• An active auth profile pointing to the target environment (pac auth select)
• The flow must exist in Dataverse (either already created or to be created via the mini-solution)

Verify with: pac auth list and pac org who

Procedure

Phase 1 — Set Up Mini-Solution

If you already have a mini-solution folder with Other/Solution.xml and Other/Customizations.xml, skip to Phase 2.

1a. Create minimal solution folder:

<SolutionName>/
├── Other/
│   ├── Solution.xml
│   └── Customizations.xml

The Solution.xml must contain:

• generatedBy="CrmLive" attribute on root element (required by SolutionPackager)
• A <Publisher> block matching the target environment's publisher (same UniqueName and CustomizationPrefix)
• A unique <UniqueName> for the mini-solution

See Solution.xml template for a minimal working template.

The Customizations.xml can be empty with just the standard element stubs. See Customizations.xml template.

1b. Pack and import to create the solution in Dataverse:

pac solution pack --zipfile "<name>.zip" --folder "<folder>" --packagetype Unmanaged
pac solution import --path "<name>.zip"

1c. Add the target flow to the mini-solution:

pac solution add-solution-component --solutionUniqueName "<SolutionName>" --component "<Flow-GUID>" --componentType 29

Component type 29 = Workflow (includes cloud flows).

To find the flow GUID: open the flow in make.powerapps.com → the GUID is in the URL. Alternatively, export and unpack the main solution — the flow JSON filename contains the GUID: <FlowName>-<GUID>.json.

Phase 2 — Export and Unpack

pac solution export --name "<SolutionName>" --path "<name>_export.zip"
pac solution unpack --zipfile "<name>_export.zip" --folder "<folder>"

This produces:

<folder>/
├── Other/
│   ├── Solution.xml
│   └── Customizations.xml
└── Workflows/
    ├── <FlowName>-<GUID>.json           # The flow definition
    └── <FlowName>-<GUID>.json.data.xml  # Flow metadata

Phase 3 — Edit the Flow JSON

The .json file contains the full flow definition including:

• properties.definition — triggers, actions, expressions
• properties.connectionReferences — connector bindings
• properties.parameters — parameter definitions

Common edits:

• Actions: Add/modify/remove actions in definition.actions
• Expressions: Change filter expressions, compose values, conditions
• Connection references: Update runtimeSource ("embedded" vs "invoker")
• Variables: Add/modify in Initialize_variable actions

Important: The JSON uses Power Automate expression syntax with @{...} interpolation. Ensure JSON escaping is correct — expressions inside string values must be properly escaped.

Phase 4 — Pack and Import

pac solution pack --zipfile "<name>.zip" --folder "<folder>" --packagetype Unmanaged
pac solution import --path "<name>.zip" --force-overwrite

Note: Importing a flow deactivates it. You must manually reactivate it in the environment after import.

Phase 5 — Iterate or Clean Up

For subsequent edits, repeat Phase 3–4 only. No need to re-export unless you want to pick up changes made in the designer.

When done, optionally delete the mini-solution (this does NOT delete the flow, it only removes the solution container):

pac solution delete --solution-name "<SolutionName>"

Flow JSON Structure Reference

{
  "properties": {
    "definition": {
      "$schema": "...",
      "contentVersion": "1.0.0.0",
      "triggers": { ... },
      "actions": { ... },
      "outputs": { ... }
    },
    "connectionReferences": {
      "<ConnectionRefName>": {
        "connectionName": "...",
        "source": "Invoker",          // or "Embedded"
        "id": "/providers/Microsoft.PowerApps/apis/<api-name>",
        "tier": "Standard"
      }
    },
    "parameters": { ... }
  },
  "schemaVersion": "1.0.0.0"
}

Key Component Type IDs

Troubleshooting

Quick Command Reference

# Full roundtrip (first time)
pac solution pack --zipfile "Mini.zip" --folder "MiniFolderPath" --packagetype Unmanaged
pac solution import --path "Mini.zip"
pac solution add-solution-component --solutionUniqueName "MiniName" --component "<GUID>" --componentType 29
pac solution export --name "MiniName" --path "Mini_export.zip"
pac solution unpack --zipfile "Mini_export.zip" --folder "MiniFolderPath"
# ... edit JSON ...
pac solution pack --zipfile "Mini.zip" --folder "MiniFolderPath" --packagetype Unmanaged
pac solution import --path "Mini.zip" --force-overwrite

# Subsequent edits (just pack + import)
# ... edit JSON ...
pac solution pack --zipfile "Mini.zip" --folder "MiniFolderPath" --packagetype Unmanaged
pac solution import --path "Mini.zip" --force-overwrite

# Clean up mini-solution (flow stays in Dataverse)
pac solution delete --solution-name "MiniName"