sf-flow: Salesforce Flow Creation and Validation

Expert Salesforce Flow Builder with deep knowledge of best practices, bulkification, and Winter '26 (API 65.0) metadata. Create production-ready, performant, secure, and maintainable flows.

Quick Reference: Validation Script

python3 ~/.claude/plugins/marketplaces/sf-skills/sf-flow/hooks/scripts/validate_flow.py <flow-file.xml>

Scoring: 110 points across 6 categories. Minimum 88 (80%) for deployment.

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Core Responsibilities

1. Flow Generation: Create well-structured Flow metadata XML from requirements
2. Strict Validation: Enforce best practices with comprehensive checks and scoring
3. Safe Deployment: Integrate with sf-deploy skill for two-step validation and deployment
4. Testing Guidance: Provide type-specific testing checklists and verification steps

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CRITICAL: Orchestration Order

sf-metadata → sf-flow → sf-deploy → sf-data (you are here: sf-flow)

Flow references custom object/fields? Create with sf-metadata FIRST. Deploy objects BEFORE flows. See references/orchestration.md for extended patterns including Agentforce.

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Key Insights

Insight	Details
Before vs After Save	Before-Save: same-record updates (no DML), validation. After-Save: related records, emails, callouts
Test with 251	Batch boundary at 200. Test 251+ records for governor limits, N+1 patterns, bulk safety
$Record context	Single-record, NOT a collection. Platform handles batching. Never loop over $Record
Transform vs Loop	Transform: data mapping/shaping (30-50% faster). Loop: per-record decisions, counters, varying logic. See references/transform-vs-loop-guide.md

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Workflow Design (5-Phase Pattern)

Phase 1: Requirements Gathering

Before building, evaluate alternatives: See references/flow-best-practices.md Section 1 — sometimes a Formula Field, Validation Rule, or Roll-Up Summary is the better choice.

Ask the user to gather: flow type, primary purpose, trigger object/conditions, target org alias.

Then: Check existing flows (Glob: **/*.flow-meta.xml), offer reusable subflows from references/subflow-library.md, reference references/governance-checklist.md for complex automation.

Phase 2: Flow Design & Template Selection

Flow Type	Template File	Naming Prefix
Screen	screen-flow-template.xml	Screen_
Record-Triggered (After)	record-triggered-*.xml	Auto_
Record-Triggered (Before)	record-triggered-*.xml	Before_
Scheduled	scheduled-flow-template.xml	Sched_
Platform Event	platform-event-flow-template.xml	Event_
Autolaunched	autolaunched-flow-template.xml	Sub_ or Util_

Element Pattern Templates in assets/elements/: loop-pattern.xml, get-records-pattern.xml, record-delete-pattern.xml

Format: [Prefix]_Object_Action using PascalCase (e.g., Auto_Lead_Priority_Assignment)

Screen Flow Buttons: allowFinish="true" required on all screens. Connector present → "Next", absent → "Finish".

CRITICAL: Record-triggered flows CANNOT call subflows via XML deployment. See references/xml-gotchas.md and references/orchestration-guide.md.

Phase 3: Flow Generation & Validation

mkdir -p force-app/main/default/flows
# Write: force-app/main/default/flows/[FlowName].flow-meta.xml
# Populate template: API Version 65.0, alphabetical XML element ordering, Auto-Layout (locationX/Y = 0)

Validation (STRICT MODE):

• BLOCK: XML invalid, missing required fields, API <65.0, broken refs, DML in loops
• WARN: Element ordering, deprecated elements, non-zero coords, missing fault paths, unused vars, naming violations

Validation Report Format (6-Category Scoring 0-110):

Score: 92/110 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very Good
├─ Design & Naming: 18/20 (90%)
├─ Logic & Structure: 20/20 (100%)
├─ Architecture: 12/15 (80%)
├─ Performance & Bulk Safety: 20/20 (100%)
├─ Error Handling: 15/20 (75%)
└─ Security: 15/15 (100%)

Generation Guardrails (MANDATORY)

Anti-Pattern	Impact	Correct Pattern
After-Save updating same object without entry conditions	Infinite loop	MUST add entry conditions
Get Records inside Loop	Governor limit failure	Query BEFORE loop
Create/Update/Delete Records inside Loop	Governor limit failure	Collect → single DML after loop
DML without Fault Path	Silent failures	Add Fault connector → error handler
storeOutputAutomatically=true	Security risk	Select only needed fields explicitly
Query same object as trigger	Wasted SOQL	Use {!$Record.FieldName} directly
Hardcoded Salesforce ID	Deployment failure	Use input variable or Custom Label

DO NOT generate anti-patterns even if explicitly requested.

Phase 4: Deployment & Integration

1. Use the sf-deploy skill: "Deploy flow [path] to [org] with --dry-run"
2. Review validation results
3. Use the sf-deploy skill: "Proceed with actual deployment"
4. Edit <status>Draft</status> → Active, redeploy

Phase 5: Testing & Documentation

See references/testing-guide.md | references/testing-checklist.md | references/wait-patterns.md

Quick: Screen → Run + test all paths. Record-Triggered → Debug Logs + bulk test 200+ records. Autolaunched → Apex test class. Scheduled → Verify schedule + manual Run.

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Best Practices & Error Patterns

See references/best-practices.md for full enforcement rules: record-triggered architecture, no parent traversal, recordLookups settings, XML element ordering, variable naming prefixes, and performance patterns.

Key rules: Never loop over $Record. No DML in loops. All DML needs fault paths. No parent traversal in Get Records. XML elements grouped alphabetically.

Common Error Patterns

Error Pattern	Fix
DML in Loop	Collect → single DML after loop
Self-Referencing Fault	Route fault to DIFFERENT element
Element Duplicated	Group ALL same-type elements together
$Record__Prior in Create-only	Only valid for Update/CreateAndUpdate triggers
"Parent.Field doesn't exist"	Use TWO Get Records (child then parent)

See references/xml-gotchas.md for XML-specific issues.

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Integration Patterns

See references/integration-patterns.md for LWC-in-Flow XML patterns, Apex @InvocableMethod integration, and documentation links.

See references/agentforce-flow-integration.md for Agentforce variable name matching, output variable naming, formula limitations, and Action Definition registration (required for flow:// targets in Agent Script).

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Cross-Skill Integration

From Skill	To sf-flow	When
sf-ai-agentscript	→ sf-flow	"Create Autolaunched Flow for agent action"
sf-apex	→ sf-flow	"Create Flow wrapper for Apex logic"
sf-integration	→ sf-flow	"Create HTTP Callout Flow"

From sf-flow	To Skill	When
sf-flow	→ sf-metadata	"Describe Invoice__c" (verify fields before flow)
sf-flow	→ sf-deploy	"Deploy flow with --dry-run"
sf-flow	→ sf-data	"Create 200 test Accounts" (after deploy)

Flow Testing (CLI)

sf flow run test --test-names FlowTest1,FlowTest2 --target-org my-sandbox
sf flow run test --test-level RunAllFlowTests --target-org my-sandbox
sf flow get test --test-run-id <id> --target-org my-sandbox

GA since v2.86.9. For Apex tests, see /sf-testing. For unified runner (Beta): sf logic run test.

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Edge Cases

Scenario	Solution
>200 records	Warn limits, suggest scheduled flow
>5 branches	Use subflows
Cross-object	Check circular deps, test recursion
Production	Deploy Draft, activate explicitly

Debug: Flow not visible → deploy report + permissions | Tests fail → Debug Logs + bulk test | Sandbox→Prod fails → FLS + dependencies

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Notes

Dependencies (optional): sf-deploy, sf-metadata, sf-data | API: 65.0 | Mode: Strict (warnings block) | Python validators recommended