Salesforce soql explorer skill

salesforce-soql-explorer-skill

Read-only live SOQL execution against a connected Salesforce org under T1 least-privilege scope. This skill is a flashlight, not a filing cabinet. It queries evidence; it does not write, deploy, or mutate anything.

When This Skill Owns the Task

Use salesforce-soql-explorer-skill when the work requires live record evidence from a connected org:

• "Show me the Opportunity pipeline for Q3 in sandbox"
• "How many Contacts have no email address?"
• "What is the value of Account.BillingCountry for record 001Xx000001ABC?"
• "Count open Cases by priority for the service team"
• "Verify the field value changed after yesterday's data load"

Delegate elsewhere when:

Situation	Skill to use
User pastes metadata XML or deployment export for review	salesforce-metadata-review-skill
Schema or field definitions needed without record values	salesforce-metadata-fetcher-skill
Request requires INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, MERGE, or UPSERT	T3 — requires human approval via salesforce-live-guard-agent
Large-volume export (> 2,000 records) or scheduled batch	salesforce-bulk-data-ops-skill
Static code review of a .soql file or Apex selector	querying-soql (sf-skills)
A change proposal emerges from findings	Escalate to salesforce-live-guard-agent
Permission topology findings surface	Hand off to salesforce-permission-model-review-skill

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Required Context to Gather First

Before executing any query, confirm:

1. Target org alias — the --target-org value recognized by sf org list. Never accept a raw instance URL or session token.
2. Org type — production or sandbox. Flag if production; apply stricter scrutiny on field selection and result volume.
3. Target sObject — the API name (e.g., Account, Opportunity, My_Custom_Object__c).
4. Fields needed — enumerate explicitly; do not use SELECT *.
5. Filter criteria — WHERE clause conditions, date ranges, owner scope.
6. Expected result volume — inform LIMIT choice.
7. Sensitivity classification — does the query touch PII fields (email, phone, address, SSN, health, financial)? Regulated-vertical indicator (Health Cloud, Financial Services Cloud )? Encrypted fields (Shield PE / PMLE)?

If any of these are missing, ask before proceeding.

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Recommended Workflow

Step 1 — Confirm org alias and reachability

sf org display --target-org <alias>

Verify: org type (production vs. sandbox), username, instance URL, OAuth Connected App. If the org type is production and the Connected App allowlist does not explicitly authorize this alias, stop (see Stop Conditions).

Step 2 — Confirm sObject exists and check FLS

sf sobject describe --sobject <SObjectName> --target-org <alias>

Confirm: the sObject exists, the Run As account has Read access, and the requested fields are accessible (not restricted by FLS). If any field is encrypted (Shield PE / PMLE), remove it from the query and note the redaction.

Step 3 — Generate the simplest correct query

Apply these constraints:

• Enumerate only required fields — no SELECT *
• Apply a selective WHERE clause using indexed fields (Id, Name, ExternalId, lookup fields, standard indexed fields)
• Include LIMIT (default 200; reduce for PII-adjacent queries)
• Avoid formula fields or non-indexed fields in WHERE without a companion indexed filter

Step 4 — Preview with LIMIT 5 first

sf data query \
  --query "SELECT <fields> FROM <SObject> WHERE <filter> LIMIT 5" \
  --target-org <alias> \
  --result-format json

Inspect output for: unexpected fields, encrypted placeholders, PII exposure, schema surprises. Confirm the shape matches the intent before expanding volume.

Step 5 — Execute with appropriate LIMIT

sf data query \
  --query "SELECT <fields> FROM <SObject> WHERE <filter> LIMIT <n>" \
  --target-org <alias> \
  --result-format json

Maximum interactive LIMIT: 2,000. For larger volumes, decline and route to salesforce-bulk-data-ops-skill.

Step 6 — Sanitize output

Apply redaction rules before emitting any output:

• Replace all 15/18-character Salesforce Ids with <org_id_placeholder> or <record_id_placeholder> as appropriate.
• Replace user IDs (User.Id references, OwnerId, CreatedById, LastModifiedById) with <user_id_placeholder>.
• Remove or mask any field that contains plaintext email, phone, SSN, or financial account numbers unless the user has explicitly acknowledged the PII scope and the org is not regulated.
• Skip any encrypted field (Shield PE / PMLE) entirely — do not include placeholder text that implies a value was present.
• Never emit OAuth tokens, refresh tokens, or session IDs.

Use jq for structured redaction:

sf data query \
  --query "SELECT Id, Name FROM Account LIMIT 5" \
  --target-org <alias> \
  --result-format json \
  | jq '.result.records[] | {Id: "<record_id_placeholder>", Name: .Name}'

Step 7 — Emit audit envelope

Every execution must produce a structured audit envelope (see Audit Envelope Schema below). Do not omit the envelope even if results are empty.

Step 8 — Hand off to review skill if findings warrant

If query results surface access anomalies, unexpected field values, or policy violations, hand off to the appropriate review skill with the sanitized results and the audit envelope as the input payload. Do not escalate raw unsanitized output.

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Quality Scoring Rubric (100-point)

Score the query design and execution quality before emitting results. Threshold: 80+ acceptable, 60–79 emit with caveat, below 60 reject and request revision.

Dimension	Points	What earns full marks
Selectivity	30	WHERE clause uses at least one indexed field; no full table scans on objects > 10k records
Field minimality	20	Only required fields enumerated; no SELECT *; no encrypted fields included
Governor limit awareness	20	LIMIT applied and appropriate to volume; no queries likely to exceed 50k row limit; aggregate used when count is the goal
Redaction quality	15	All Salesforce IDs, user IDs, PII fields redacted per rules; audit envelope populated
Audit envelope completeness	15	All required audit fields present; query text hash computed; timestamp accurate

Scoring penalties:

• No WHERE clause on object with > 50k records: -20
• SELECT *: -15
• Missing LIMIT: -15
• Missing audit envelope: -20 (automatic caveat regardless of total score)
• Encrypted field included in output: immediate reject (score voided)

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T1 Least-Privilege Contract

This skill operates exclusively at T1 — read-only runtime. The contract is:

• OAuth scopes used: api and refresh_token only. No full, web, sfap_api, cdp_query_api, or any other scope.
• Run As account profile: System permissions: View Setup and Configuration only. Object permissions: Read only on objects in scope. FLS restricted to non-PII, non-encrypted fields by default.
• Denied permissions (enforced at Connected App and profile level):
  • Modify All Data
  • View All Data (system-level bypass)
  • View Encrypted Data
  • Modify Metadata Through Metadata API Functions
  • Author Apex
  • Customize Application
  • Manage Connected Apps
• Org allowlist: Enforced by Connected App IP restrictions and explicit org alias allowlist. Skill verifies via sf org list that the target alias is in the authorized set before executing any query.
• No DML under any circumstances: This skill will not construct or execute any statement containing INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, MERGE, or UPSERT. Requests for DML must be refused and routed to the human approval path.
• Revocation: The least-privilege Run As account's refresh token can be rotated to instantly revoke all access without affecting other integrations.

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Refusal Triggers

Stop immediately and do not execute if:

• The target org appears to be production but the Connected App allowlist does not include it.
• The requested SOQL contains DML keywords: INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, MERGE, UPSERT (case-insensitive).
• The query targets fields marked as encrypted (Shield PE / PMLE indicators in the describe output: encrypted: true).
• The audit envelope cannot be populated (matter_id missing, org alias unresolvable, run_as_user_id unavailable).
• The user requests that redaction be skipped or disabled.
• The org is identified as a regulated-vertical production org (Health Cloud, Financial Services Cloud ) and jurisdiction is unknown.
• The query result volume exceeds 2,000 records in interactive mode — route to bulk ops instead.
• The Run As account is missing the required View Setup and Configuration permission (verify via sf org display output).

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Audit Envelope Schema

Every execution emits an audit envelope. The envelope travels with the sanitized output to any downstream review skill.

audit_envelope:
  matter_id: "<caller-provided-or-generated-uuid>"
  skill_id: "salesforce-soql-explorer-skill"
  skill_version: "0.1.0"
  target_org_alias: "<alias>"             # never the raw org ID
  run_as_user_id: "<user_id_placeholder>" # placeholder; never real ID in output
  query_text_hash: "<sha256-of-query>"    # hash only if PII risk; else include query
  query_text: "<soql-string-or-redacted>" # omit if PII risk; include hash instead
  record_count: <integer>
  redactions_applied:
    - field: "<FieldApiName>"
      reason: "<pii|encrypted|org_id|user_id>"
  timestamp: "<ISO-8601-UTC>"
  org_type_verified: "sandbox | production"
  governor_limit_headroom: "<estimated-rows-vs-limit>"

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Output Format

verdict: "acceptable | caveat | reject"
quality_score: <0-100>
quality_notes: "<what drove the score>"

records:
  - <sanitized record objects>

metadata:
  record_count: <integer>
  sObject: "<SObjectApiName>"
  fields_queried: ["<field1>", "<field2>"]
  fls_notes: "<any FLS restrictions observed>"
  fields_skipped_encrypted: ["<field>"]   # if any

audit_envelope:
  <see Audit Envelope Schema>

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

missing_evidence:
  - "<what would strengthen the query or findings>"

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

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Redaction Rules

Apply in order. Do not bypass for any reason.

1. OAuth tokens, refresh tokens, session IDs: Never include in any output, log, or audit envelope field. If they appear in CLI output, strip before emitting.
2. Salesforce Org IDs (18-char starting with 00D): Replace with <org_id_placeholder>.
3. Salesforce Record IDs (15/18-char): Replace with <record_id_placeholder> in output records.
4. User IDs (OwnerId, CreatedById, LastModifiedById, User.Id): Replace with <user_id_placeholder>.
5. Encrypted fields (Shield PE / PMLE): Skip entirely — do not emit the field name or any placeholder that implies a value was retrieved. List skipped fields in fields_skipped_encrypted.
6. PII fields (email, phone, SSN, health data, financial account numbers): Mask or omit unless the user has explicitly acknowledged the PII scope, the org is non-production, and the matter classification permits. Document the acknowledgment in assumptions.
7. Instance URLs and API endpoints: Omit from output; reference only the org alias in the audit envelope.

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Handoff Rules

When findings from query results warrant further review, hand off to the appropriate skill with the sanitized output and audit envelope as the payload:

Finding type	Hand off to
Metadata anomalies (field config, object structure)	salesforce-metadata-review-skill
Access or permission findings (unexpected record visibility)	salesforce-permission-model-review-skill
A change proposal emerges from query evidence	salesforce-live-guard-agent
Org posture concern from query results	salesforce-org-assessment-skill

Required handoff fields: matter_id, audit_envelope, sanitized_records (summary — not full dump), escalation_triggers_fired, missing_evidence, assumptions.

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Stop Conditions

Stop and do not continue if:

• Target org appears to be production but Connected App allowlist excludes it — stop, emit a refusal with reason, do not execute query.
• Query contains DML keywords (INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, MERGE, UPSERT) — stop, emit a refusal, route to human approval path.
• Query targets encrypted fields (encrypted: true in describe output) — remove fields and warn, or stop if the user insists on including them.
• Audit envelope cannot be completed (missing matter_id or unresolvable org alias) — stop until resolved.
• Run As account is missing View Setup and Configuration — stop and escalate to org administrator.
• Result volume would exceed 2,000 records in interactive mode — stop and route to salesforce-bulk-data-ops-skill.
• The user requests redaction be disabled — stop and explain the policy.

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Security Notes

• T1 read-only operational: No DML, no metadata mutation, no Apex execution, no deployment.
• Sanitized output only: All Salesforce IDs, user IDs, and PII fields redacted before emission.
• Org allowlist enforced: Connected App restricts which orgs can be targeted; skill verifies before executing.
• Structured audit emitted: Every execution produces a complete audit envelope regardless of result count.
• Revocable: Rotating the Run As account's refresh token immediately revokes all access without affecting other integrations.
• Least-privilege Run As account: No Modify All Data, View All Data, View Encrypted Data, or any mutation permission.
• No credential echo: OAuth tokens, refresh tokens, and session IDs are never included in output or audit envelopes.
• Regulated-vertical escalation: Health Cloud and Financial Services Cloud orgs trigger mandatory escalation to a qualified compliance specialist before results are shared externally.

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Reference File Index

File	When to read
references/cli-commands.md	sf CLI query commands, output formats, jq patterns, org introspection
references/least-privilege-scope.md	Connected App config, Run As profile design, denied permissions, token rotation
references/safe-query-patterns.md	Safe SOQL patterns, indexing rules, anti-patterns, annotated examples