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platform-environment-validate — Claude Code skill: check your

The skill scans your local Salesforce environment, reports each tool's status and offers to install or update what is missing.

Install into Claude Code · Skills CLI (Vercel) All methods and platforms ↓
npx skills add forcedotcom/sf-skills --skill platform-environment-validate -a claude-code
Open on GitHub

What platform-environment-validate does

This skill runs on demand. It does not fire on session start, so you call it when you want to check or repair your local setup. It runs ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/sf-context check-tools and gets back JSON with a tools array. The plugin then paints the framed "Ready to build on Salesforce?" banner itself, one row per tool plus a footer verdict and a Next: hint. Do not redraw it. Add a short read of what the result means and move on.

The scan covers Salesforce CLI, the Code Analyzer plugin, Node.js (>= 18), NPM (>= 3.10), Git, three separate MCP rows and Source Tracking. Each row carries a state: 🔴 means missing or below the minimum, 🟡 means outdated or misconfigured, 🟢 is fine, ℹ️ is a note the script cannot verify. The JSON stays the source of truth. If a check fails, do not re-run it another way and present the tool as green — the same check-tools check has to pass.

The Salesforce MCP (process) row is informational by design. The script cannot see the MCP subprocess Claude owns, so a green config and endpoint do not add up to a working MCP. Confirm process health with /mcp or /doctor. When the banner does not paint, ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/sf-context readiness-banner prints the same result, with row order and the next step decided in the script.

What it helps with

  • check that every Salesforce development tool is installed and current
  • find out why sf does not resolve on Windows
  • confirm Source Tracking is enabled for the connected org
  • tell an MCP config problem apart from an unreachable endpoint
  • get a diagnostic with resolved executable paths after a critical failure

Example prompts for the agent

  • check my setup
  • validate tools — something is missing
  • verify prerequisites for Salesforce development

How to install platform-environment-validate

1Skills CLI (Vercel)

npx skills add forcedotcom/sf-skills --skill platform-environment-validate -a claude-code

2Manually: put the files in place

~/.claude/skills/platform-environment-validate/SKILL.md

Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/platform-environment-validate/

Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to install skills in Claude Code: five ways

Questions about platform-environment-validate

How do I install platform-environment-validate in Claude?

Run npx skills add forcedotcom/sf-skills --skill platform-environment-validate -a claude-code. The skill file lands at ~/.claude/skills/platform-environment-validate/SKILL.md.

What does platform-environment-validate do?

It scans your local Salesforce environment and reports every tool with its version and status. For anything missing or outdated it offers an install or update.

Does the skill run automatically at session start?

No, it is on-demand. You run it explicitly when you want to check or repair your local setup.

Source text

SKILL.md · Apache-2.0
---
name: platform-environment-validate
description: "Validate and configure the local Salesforce development environment. Runs a prerequisite scan across required tools with per-tool status and offers to install or update missing items. Use when the user asks to 'check my setup', 'validate tools', 'verify prerequisites', 'am I set up correctly', or reports a tool is missing or not working. DO NOT TRIGGER for org auth (/salesforce-development:login), deployment problems (platform-metadata-deploy), or status checks (/salesforce-development:status)."
allowed-tools:
  - Bash
  - Read
---

# Validating: Salesforce Development Environment

Validate all required prerequisites and surface a clear, actionable status report. This skill is on-demand — it does not run automatically on session start. Run it explicitly to check or repair your local setup.

## Phase 1: Prerequisite Scan

Run the tool check:

```bash
${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/sf-context check-tools
```

The output is a JSON object with a `tools` array (plus a `diagnostic` block on any critical failure).

**The banner is painted for you — do not reproduce it.** When `check-tools` runs, the plugin paints the framed **"Ready to build on Salesforce?"** banner deterministically on the visible channel — one status row per tool, the footer verdict, and the wayfinding footer — exactly like the SessionStart banner. It is a **Tier-1 surface**: read the JSON for your own understanding, but do **NOT** reproduce, redraw, or re-render the banner. Add only a short read of what the result means for the user, then go to **Phase 2**.

The painted banner looks like this (illustrative — the version/message text in each row comes straight from the JSON: `version` for 🟢, `message` + fix hint for 🟡/🔴, the note for ℹ️; the values below show the style, not fixed strings):

```
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 Ready to build on Salesforce?   checking your toolchain…
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 🟢 Salesforce CLI             v2.144.6
 🟢 Code Analyzer              v5.14.0 · JIT, auto-installs on first use
 🟢 Node.js                    v22.11.0 LTS
 🟢 NPM                        v10.9.0
 🟢 Git                        v2.50.1
 🟢 Salesforce MCP (config)    .mcp.json + proxy present
 🟢 Salesforce MCP (endpoint)  org instance reachable
 ℹ️  Salesforce MCP (process)   confirm with /mcp or /doctor
 🟢 Source Tracking            enabled
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 ✓ toolchain ready                                (skill: platform-environment-validate)
```

Each row's status dot carries the state — 🔴 `critical` (missing or below minimum — Salesforce development cannot proceed), 🟡 `warn` (installed but outdated, non-LTS, or misconfigured), 🟢 `ok`, ℹ️ `info` (a contextual note that can't be auto-verified, e.g. MCP process health) — and the framed footer gives the verdict plus the single most relevant `Next:` step. The JSON `status` field is the source of truth per tool; use these states when you write your short read.

**If the banner did not paint** (an older Claude Code build, or a paint fallback), do **not** hand-render it from the JSON. Print it with the deterministic renderer instead:

```bash
${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/sf-context readiness-banner
```

This reads the same scan result `check-tools` just recorded and prints the identical framed banner — rows in fixed order, the footer verdict, and the "you don't memorize commands here" wayfinding footer with its `Next:` step — so ordering, padding, counts, and next-step selection are decided once in the script, never re-derived by hand. The `check-tools` JSON stays the authoritative, machine-readable result.

**Deterministic results — do NOT override a failure:** the JSON report
is the authoritative, machine-readable result. If a tool reports 🔴/🟡, report it
as-is. Do **not** re-run the tool a different way (PowerShell, a raw shell probe,
a different command) and then present the result as 🟢 — a fallback that happens
to find the tool does **not** mean the deterministic check passed. A failed check
must stay failed until that **same** `check-tools` check passes. When the report
includes a `diagnostic` block (attached on any critical failure), surface it: it
carries the platform, active shell, working directory, plugin root, and the
**resolved executable paths** — the fastest way to see why a tool didn't resolve
(e.g. a Windows `sf.cmd` not on `PATH`). The diagnostic is secret-free by design;
never add tokens or org auth to it.

**MCP is reported as three distinct rows — never inferred from one another:**
`Salesforce MCP (config)` (is `.mcp.json` + the `sf-mcp-proxy.bundled.js` present?),
`Salesforce MCP (endpoint)` (is the platform endpoint reachable?), and
`Salesforce MCP (process)` (is the MCP process actually healthy?). The process row
is reported as ℹ️ **informational** (not a warning) — this script cannot see the
MCP subprocess that Claude Code owns, so a green config/endpoint must **not** be
presented as a working MCP. Confirm process health with `/mcp` or `/doctor`. The
endpoint row probes the org **instance URL** as a connectivity proxy, not the
platform-MCP endpoint itself.

## Tools Checked

| Tool | Minimum Requirement | Verification |
|---|---|---|
| Salesforce CLI | Present, and on the latest release | `sf --version` (🟡 when an update is available) |
| Code Analyzer plugin | Installed **or** JIT-registered | `sf plugins inspect @salesforce/plugin-code-analyzer`, falling back to the CLI's `oclif.jitPlugins` registry |
| Node.js | >= 18 (even/LTS) | `node --version` |
| NPM | >= 3.10 | `npm --version` |
| Git | Must be present | `git --version` |
| Salesforce MCP (config) | `.mcp.json` configured + proxy bundle present | Plugin root `.mcp.json` check + `sf-mcp-proxy.bundled.js` presence |
| Salesforce MCP (endpoint) | Org instance URL reachable (connectivity proxy) | HTTP probe of org instance URL |
| Salesforce MCP (process) | ℹ️ informational — not verifiable here | Confirm with `/mcp` or `/doctor` |
| Source Tracking | Enabled for connected org | `sf project deploy preview` |

All external tools (`sf`, `npm`, `node`, `git`) are launched through a single
cross-platform resolver: `shutil.which` (PATHEXT-aware) finds the tool,
and a Windows `.cmd`/`.bat` shim (`sf.cmd`, `npm.cmd`) is invoked via a
COMSPEC-wrapped argv array — never a shell string — so this scan and
`/salesforce-development:org` detect `sf`/`npm`/the default org correctly on
Windows, macOS, and Linux.

**Code Analyzer is a JIT plugin — registered ≠ installed.** The Salesforce CLI
declares `@salesforce/plugin-code-analyzer` as a "just-in-time" (JIT) plugin: it
is only physically installed the first time a `sf code-analyzer` command runs.
Until then, `sf plugins inspect` **fails** for it even though it is fully
available to the user. The check therefore treats JIT registration as success —
if `inspect` returns no version, it falls back to the CLI's own
`oclif.jitPlugins` registry (read from the root entry of `sf plugins --json`) and
reports 🟢 with the pinned version and a note that it auto-installs on first use.
Only a plugin that is neither installed nor JIT-registered is 🔴 critical.

## Phase 2: Install / Update

**If all green:** Confirm setup is complete. The user is ready to develop.

**If warnings or critical items exist:** Present the user with options:

```
Some tools need attention. What would you like to do?

  [1] Fix all items
  [2] Choose which items to fix
  [3] Skip for now
```

For each tool the user wants to fix, provide the correct install/update command for their OS. Do **not** run install commands automatically — show the command and ask the user to confirm before running it.

### Install / Update Commands by Tool

**Salesforce CLI — not installed:**
```bash
# macOS/Linux (npm)
npm install --global @salesforce/cli

# macOS (Homebrew)
brew install sf
```

**Salesforce CLI — update:**
```bash
sf update
```

**Code Analyzer plugin — not installed:**
```bash
sf plugins install @salesforce/plugin-code-analyzer
```

**Code Analyzer plugin — update:**
```bash
sf plugins update @salesforce/plugin-code-analyzer
```

**Node.js — not installed or below minimum:**
```bash
# macOS (nvm — recommended, installs LTS)
nvm install --lts && nvm use --lts

# macOS (Homebrew)
brew install node

# Windows — download from https://nodejs.org (LTS version)
```

**NPM — update:**
```bash
npm install --global npm@latest
```

**Git — not installed:**
```bash
# macOS (Xcode CLT)
xcode-select --install

# macOS (Homebrew)
brew install git

# Windows — download from https://git-scm.com
```

**Source Tracking — not enabled:**
```bash
sf org enable tracking --target-org <alias>
```

**Salesforce MCP — misconfigured:** If `.mcp.json` is missing or empty, reload the plugin:
```
/reload-plugins
```

## Important Notes

- After installing a tool that modifies PATH (Node.js, SF CLI), the user may need to exit and restart Claude Code for the change to take effect.
- Source Tracking requires a connected org — if no org is configured, prompt to run `/salesforce-development:login` first.
- For org authentication issues (expired session, wrong org, INVALID_SESSION_ID), run `/salesforce-development:login` instead of this skill.
- **SF CLI outdated → 🟡 in the readiness scan:** readiness means *latest*. When the CLI's cached update check reports a newer release, `check-tools` reports the Salesforce CLI as 🟡 (installed but outdated) with the correct update command, rather than 🟢. Unlike the session-start notice below, this warning ignores the per-version no-nag gate — an explicit readiness scan always reports the factual state — but it still honors the hard opt-out `SFDX_SKIP_CLI_UPDATE_CHECK=1`.
- **SF CLI update notice at session start:** when the CLI reports an available update, the `sf-context detect` SessionStart hook surfaces it once and asks the agent to offer the update (`sf update`, or `npm install --global @salesforce/cli@latest` for npm-global installs). Declining or a failed update records a **per-version** no-nag gate (`.sf/sf-cli-update-state.json`) so the same version won't nag again, but a newer release will re-prompt. Set `SFDX_SKIP_CLI_UPDATE_CHECK=1` to disable the check entirely.

© forcedotcom · Apache-2.0 · forcedotcom/sf-skills

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