Salesforce deployment validator skill

salesforce-deployment-validator-skill

Sandbox-only deployment dry-run under T2 scope. This skill validates a deployment package without committing any changes. It is a preflight check, not a deployment. Production org targets are a hard refusal — any commit to production must be routed through salesforce-live-guard-agent with explicit human approval.

When This Skill Owns the Task

Use salesforce-deployment-validator-skill when the work requires pre-deploy validation in a non-production environment:

• "Validate this package.xml against our UAT sandbox before we ship"
• "Dry-run the deployment — I need to see test results before promoting"
• "Check whether the metadata dependencies are all satisfied in staging"
• "Preflight the change set — what will break?"
• "Give me the Apex test coverage delta for this deployment"

This skill NEVER commits changes. The --check-only flag is always active. The --dry-run semantic is enforced structurally — no commit path exists in this skill.

Delegate elsewhere when:

Situation	Skill to use
Target is a production org (any commit)	T3 — salesforce-live-guard-agent (HITL required)
Only static metadata review needed (no org)	salesforce-metadata-review-skill
Bulk data operations in sandbox	salesforce-bulk-data-ops-skill
SCA / code quality review of Apex	salesforce-apex-lwc-code-review-skill
Change impact risk assessment after validation	salesforce-change-impact-analyst-agent

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Required Context to Gather First

Before running any validation, confirm:

1. Deployment package path or manifest — local directory path containing package.xml and the force-app/ tree, or a path to a bare package.xml manifest. Accept only local filesystem paths, not org-to-org migration paths.
2. Target sandbox alias — the --target-org value recognized by sf org list. Never accept a raw instance URL or session token as input.
3. Expected test classes — list of Apex test class API names to run with --test-level RunSpecifiedTests. If the deployment touches Apex, a test specification is mandatory.
4. Change impact summary (optional but preferred) — the output of salesforce-change-impact-analyst-agent if it has already run. This pre-populates the risk context in the audit envelope.
5. Validation scope — which metadata types are included? (Apex classes, triggers, flows, profiles, custom objects, etc.) Affects test selection strategy.

If any of these are missing, ask before proceeding. Do not guess the target org alias — a wrong guess could validate against the wrong environment.

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Recommended Workflow

Step 1 — Verify target org is NOT production

sf org display --target-org <alias>

Inspect the output for production indicators:

• instanceUrl domain matches a known production pattern (see references/production-refusal-rules.md)
• isSandbox field is false or absent
• trailblazer.salesforce.com or login.salesforce.com in the OAuth endpoint (non-sandbox pattern)
• orgType indicates Production or the org ID prefix pattern matches a known production org

If any indicator suggests production: STOP. Emit a refusal. Do not proceed.

Step 2 — Refuse if target is production

If Step 1 reveals a production org, emit this refusal immediately:

refusal:
  reason: "production_org_detected"
  target_org_alias: "<alias>"
  detected_indicators: ["<indicator1>", "<indicator2>"]
  instruction: "Route to salesforce-live-guard-agent for HITL approval before any production deployment."
  audit_timestamp: "<ISO-8601-UTC>"

Do not proceed. Do not run any Metadata API call against a production org.

Step 3 — Verify Run As account permissions

Confirm the connected user has:

• Deploy (Metadata API) permission — required for validation
• Does not have ModifyAllData in production scope — enforced at the Connected App allowlist and profile level

If the Connected App allowlist does not include the target sandbox org ID, stop and escalate to the org administrator.

Step 4 — Run the validation

sf project deploy validate \
  --manifest package.xml \
  --target-org <sandbox_alias> \
  --test-level RunSpecifiedTests \
  --tests <TestClass1> <TestClass2> \
  --wait 30 \
  --json

Key flags:

• --manifest package.xml — always use a manifest (not --source-dir for validation; manifest gives explicit scope control)
• --target-org <alias> — never inferred; always explicit
• --test-level RunSpecifiedTests — preferred for scoped changes (see references/test-selection-strategy.md for when to use RunLocalTests)
• --wait 30 — wait up to 30 minutes for async validation; adjust to org test suite size
• --json — structured output for downstream parsing

Do NOT pass --dry-run with intent to remove it — this flag is not how Salesforce CLI controls commit vs. validate. The validate subcommand is inherently non-committing. The deploy commit path is a separate command (sf project deploy start) which this skill never calls.

Step 5 — Capture validation result and test outcomes

From the JSON output, extract:

• status — Succeeded / Failed / InProgress
• deploymentId — the validation deployment ID (not a commit; does not persist changes)
• numberTestsTotal, numberTestsCompleted, numberTestsFailed
• numberComponentErrors
• runTestResult.codeCoverageWarnings — classes below 75% threshold
• runTestResult.failures — individual test failure messages
• details.componentFailures — specific metadata component errors and dependency issues

Step 6 — Emit audit envelope

Populate and emit the audit envelope (see Audit Envelope Schema). The envelope must be emitted regardless of validation outcome — including on refusals.

Step 7 — Hand off to change-impact-analyst-agent

Package the validation result, test outcomes, and audit envelope as the input payload for salesforce-change-impact-analyst-agent for risk assessment. Required handoff fields:

• audit_envelope
• validation_verdict
• test_results
• coverage_delta
• dependency_issues
• refusal_triggers_fired

Step 8 — Stop conditions

Stop immediately and do not proceed if any stop condition is met (see Stop Conditions section).

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Quality Scoring Rubric (100-point)

Score the validation execution quality before emitting results. The production-refusal gate must pass — failure voids the score.

Dimension	Points	What earns full marks
Production refusal gate	CRITICAL	Sandbox verified before any API call; production target causes immediate refusal
Test coverage	25	All changed Apex classes covered by specified tests; aggregate coverage ≥ 75%; no coverage warnings
Validation result clarity	25	JSON output parsed; all component errors enumerated with type and detail; no silent failures
Dependency analysis	20	All componentFailures with problemType: Missing enumerated; missing dependencies identified by name
Audit envelope	15	All required audit fields present; package manifest hash computed; timestamp accurate
Handoff routing	15	Structured payload prepared for salesforce-change-impact-analyst-agent; refusal triggers enumerated

Scoring penalties:

• Production refusal gate not checked before API call: score voided (CRITICAL failure)
• Test specification missing for Apex changes: −25
• --wait timeout expired with inconclusive result: −15
• Audit envelope incomplete or missing: −20
• Component failures not enumerated in output: −15

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Refusal Triggers

Stop immediately and emit a refusal envelope when any of these conditions are detected:

Trigger	Action
Target org identified as production	Hard refusal — do not proceed; route to salesforce-live-guard-agent
Validation request implies commit (sf project deploy start)	Refuse — this skill never calls the commit command
Test specification missing for deployment containing Apex changes	Stop — require test class list before proceeding
Cross-org deploy from a production sandbox refresh (prod-sourced sandbox with prod data)	Escalate — treat as production-equivalent for data privacy
Connected App allowlist does not include target sandbox	Stop — escalate to org administrator
--check-only false equivalent intent expressed	Refuse — this skill is validate-only

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Audit Envelope Schema

Every validation emits an audit envelope. The envelope travels with the validation result to any downstream skill or agent.

audit_envelope:
  skill_id: "salesforce-deployment-validator-skill"
  skill_version: "0.1.0"
  target_org_alias: "<alias>"
  target_org_type: "sandbox"          # must be 'sandbox'; never 'production'
  package_manifest_path: "<local path to package.xml>"
  package_manifest_hash: "<sha256 of package.xml content>"
  validation_id: "<deploymentId from sf CLI JSON output>"
  test_level_used: "RunSpecifiedTests | RunLocalTests | RunAllTestsInOrg"
  tests_specified: ["<TestClass1>", "<TestClass2>"]
  test_results_summary:
    total: <integer>
    passed: <integer>
    failed: <integer>
    failures: ["<ClassName.methodName: failure reason>"]
  coverage_delta:
    classes_below_threshold: ["<ClassName>"]
    aggregate_coverage_percent: <0-100>
  deployment_proposed: false           # always false — this skill never commits
  component_errors:
    - component: "<MetadataType>.<ApiName>"
      problem_type: "<Missing|Error|Warning>"
      problem: "<error message>"
  refusal_triggers_fired: ["<trigger name or 'none'>"]
  audit_user_role: "<Connected App OAuth username>"
  timestamp: "<ISO-8601-UTC>"

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Output Format

validation_verdict: "Succeeded | Failed | Refused | Inconclusive"

test_results:
  total: <integer>
  passed: <integer>
  failed: <integer>
  coverage_warnings: ["<ClassName: X% coverage>"]
  failures:
    - class: "<TestClassName>"
      method: "<testMethodName>"
      message: "<failure detail>"

coverage_delta:
  aggregate_coverage_percent: <0-100>
  classes_below_75_percent: ["<ClassName>"]
  notes: "<coverage trend vs. last known baseline if available>"

dependency_issues:
  - type: "<MetadataType>"
    api_name: "<ApiName>"
    problem: "<what is missing or broken>"

refusal_triggers_fired:
  - "<trigger name or 'none'>"

change_impact_handoff:
  target_agent: "salesforce-change-impact-analyst-agent"
  payload_ready: true | false
  notes: "<what the analyst agent should focus on>"

missing_evidence:
  - "<what would strengthen the validation — e.g., missing test classes, missing dependencies>"

assumptions:
  - "<explicit list of assumptions made>"

audit_envelope:
  <see Audit Envelope Schema>

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Handoff Rules

Situation	Hand off to
Validation complete — risk assessment needed	salesforce-change-impact-analyst-agent
Static Analysis / SCA findings from Apex code	salesforce-apex-lwc-code-review-skill or salesforce-devsecops-pipeline-skill
Production commit approved after validation	salesforce-live-guard-agent (HITL required)
Metadata review (static, no org)	salesforce-metadata-review-skill

Required handoff fields for all outbound payloads: audit_envelope, validation_verdict, refusal_triggers_fired, missing_evidence, assumptions.

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Stop Conditions

Stop immediately and do not continue if:

• Production org detected — sf org display indicates isSandbox: false or production URL pattern. Stop, emit refusal envelope, route to salesforce-live-guard-agent.
• Validation implies commit — user requests sf project deploy start or equivalent. This skill does not call the commit command. Refuse and explain.
• Apex changes with no test specification — deployment manifest contains Apex classes or triggers and no test class list has been provided. Stop and require test specification before proceeding.
• Connected App allowlist mismatch — target org alias is not in the authorized sandbox allowlist. Stop and escalate to org administrator.
• --wait timeout exceeded with no result — emit an Inconclusive verdict with the partial output and note the timeout. Do not re-run automatically.
• Manifest hash mismatch — if the package.xml changes between the pre-hash step and the validation call (filesystem race), stop and require re-confirmation.

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Security Notes

• T2 sandbox-only enforcement: The skill structurally refuses any production org target. The sf project deploy validate command is inherently non-committing but production refusal is enforced at the org-type check level before any API call is made.
• No commit possible: This skill calls sf project deploy validate only — never sf project deploy start. The commit path does not exist in this skill's allowed-tools scope.
• Org allowlist: The Connected App restricts which sandbox orgs can be targeted. This skill verifies via sf org display before proceeding.
• Audit emitted on every execution: Including on refusals. The audit envelope records the target org type, the refusal reason (if any), and the timestamp.
• Reversible: sf project deploy validate makes no persistent changes to the target org. The validation deployment ID is transient and does not alter metadata in the org.
• Explicit production refusal: Any production org target triggers an immediate structured refusal with routing to salesforce-live-guard-agent.
• No credential echo: OAuth tokens, refresh tokens, and session IDs are never included in output or audit envelopes.
• Run As permissions scoped: The connected service account has Deploy (Metadata API) permission but is blocked from ModifyAllData (production), Customize Application (production), and Manage Connected Apps by profile and Connected App policy.

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Reference File Index

File	When to read
references/cli-commands.md	sf CLI deploy validate command flags, sf apex run test, sf org display, manifest formats
references/production-refusal-rules.md	Detection rules for production orgs, refusal audit emission, live-guard routing
references/test-selection-strategy.md	RunSpecifiedTests vs. RunLocalTests vs. RunAllTestsInOrg; 75% coverage; test list construction