DevOps Center Project Management

Manages the complete DevOps Center project lifecycle — from listing existing projects through creation to updating project settings. Provides headless CLI-driven operations for autonomous release workflows.

Scope

• In scope: List DevOps Center projects, create a new project, update project fields (name, description), resolve a project name to its ID for downstream skills
• Out of scope: Work item lifecycle, pipeline creation/configuration, promotion/deployment, conflict detection (separate skills)

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Required Inputs

Gather or infer before proceeding:

• Operation type: list, create, or update
• Target org: --target-org <alias> is required on every command unless the target-org config var is already set (sf config get target-org)
• For list: no other required input (lists all projects in the org); optional name filter
• For create: project name (required), description (optional)
• For update: project ID (required), fields to update — at least one of name, description, or active status

Defaults unless specified:

• Output format: --json for headless consumption
• Project identifier: when the user gives a project name for update, resolve it to a project ID first via sf devops project list --target-org <alias> --json

If the user provides a clear request ("list all projects", "create a project called Release Alpha", "rename project X to Y"), proceed immediately without unnecessary questions.

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Workflow

All operations use sf devops project CLI commands with --json output for structured consumption.

Phase 1 — Identify Operation

1. Determine the operation type from user intent:
   • Keywords like "list", "show", "find", "what projects", "get project ID" → list operation
   • Keywords like "create", "new", "set up", "initialize" → create operation
   • Keywords like "update", "change", "rename", "modify", "edit" → update operation

Phase 2 — Execute Operation

2. Verify org authentication before any operation, checking the same org the operation will target:

   # When a specific org is requested, check that alias (do NOT rely on the default org):
   sf org display --target-org <alias> --json
   # Only when no alias is supplied and a default org is expected:
   sf org display --json
   

   • If the requested org is not authenticated or authentication has expired, instruct the user to run:

     sf org login web --alias <alias>
     

   • Verify the authenticated org has DevOps Center enabled by attempting to list projects
   • --target-org <alias> is required on every sf devops project command unless the target-org config var is set (check with sf config get target-org). Add --target-org <alias> to all commands when targeting a specific org — a targeted operation must never require or reset the default org

   Deterministic project-list parsing, empty-list handling, name→ID resolution, idempotent create, and update are handled by the scripts in scripts/ — each script exits non-zero with an actionable message on failure. Pass the org alias as the trailing/--target-org argument when the target-org config var is not set; omit it to use the default org. The scripts read the authoritative .result.projects[] list envelope.

3. List projects — when the user wants to see existing projects or resolve a project name to an ID:

   • Use the sf devops project list CLI (via scripts/list-projects.sh) — do NOT substitute an MCP/metadata tool (e.g. a list_devops_center_projects tool). The sf devops project CLI is the only supported, verifiable path; other tools bypass this skill and will not satisfy the operation.
   • To list all projects: run scripts/list-projects.sh [target-org] and report any errors it returns. Output is tab-separated Id Name Description, one project per line; a single line NO_PROJECTS means none exist.
   • To resolve a single project name to its ID: run scripts/list-projects.sh --resolve "<project-name>" [target-org] and report any errors it returns (exit 3 = no such project).

4. Create a project — when the user wants to create a new project:

   • Run scripts/create-project.sh "<name>" "<description>" [target-org] and report any errors it returns. The description argument is optional.
   • The script is idempotent: it prints EXISTING <id> if a project with that name already exists, or CREATED <id> after creating and verifying a new one. Capture the returned ID for downstream operations (work items, pipelines).

5. Update a project — when the user wants to change name, description, or active status:

   • Run scripts/update-project.sh --project (<id>|name:<name>) [--name "<new-name>"] [--description "<new-desc>"] [--is-active|--no-is-active] [--target-org <alias>] and report any errors it returns.
   • Pass --project name:<name> to update by name (the script resolves it to an ID) or --project <id> for a known ID.
   • At least one of --name, --description, or --is-active/--no-is-active must be provided (the script enforces this). Use --is-active to activate or --no-is-active to deactivate.
   • The script prints UPDATED <id> on success.

Phase 3 — Report

6. Report results (the scripts already verified success deterministically; report their output to the user):
   • List: present projects in a readable format showing project ID, name, and description. If NO_PROJECTS was returned, state that no DevOps Center projects were found. If resolving a name to an ID, return the ID.
   • Create: return the project ID and confirm — "Project created successfully. Use this project ID for work items and pipelines: ." If the script returned EXISTING <id>, tell the user the project already existed and return that ID.
   • Update: confirm which fields were changed (e.g., "Project name updated to 'Platform Core'", or "Project deactivated").

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Rules / Constraints

Constraint	Rationale
Always use the sf devops project CLI	List/create/update MUST go through sf devops project (via the scripts/), never a salesforce_dx MCP tool or metadata query — those bypass this skill and fail the operation
All sf devops commands must use --json flag	Structured output is required for headless consumption; human-readable output is unreliable for parsing
--target-org required unless config var set	Every sf devops project command requires --target-org <alias> unless the target-org config var is already set
Project ID required for update	Use --project-id (-i); resolve from a name via sf devops project list --target-org <alias> --json when the user gives a name
--name required for create	A project cannot be created without a name
At least one update field required	Update command fails if none of --name, --description, or --is-active is provided
Use --is-active / --no-is-active for activation	Activate with --is-active, deactivate with --no-is-active; do not pass a value
Idempotent create operations	Check for an existing project with the same name before creating a duplicate
Never use interactive prompts	Skills run in headless environments; all inputs must be via CLI flags
A project is a prerequisite for work items and pipelines	Downstream skills (work-item-manage, pipeline-manage) need the project ID this skill returns

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Gotchas

Issue	Resolution
No default org set	Run sf org display --json first; if it fails, instruct the user to run sf org login web --set-default
User provides project by name, not ID (update)	Resolve via scripts/list-projects.sh --resolve "<name>" [target-org], or pass --project name:<name> to scripts/update-project.sh (it resolves internally)
Tempted to use an MCP listing tool	A salesforce_dx MCP tool (e.g. list_devops_center_projects) may be available, but using it bypasses this skill and the sf devops project list CLI — always list via scripts/list-projects.sh
DevOps Center not enabled	If sf devops project list errors, the org lacks DevOps Center; instruct the user to provision it in Setup → DevOps Center
Project not found (update)	User provided an invalid project ID; run scripts/list-projects.sh [target-org] to show available projects
Wrong list envelope	project list returns records under .result.projects[] (capitalized Id/Name/Description), NOT .result[]; the scripts already use the correct path
Duplicate project name	Idempotent create check should catch this; return the existing project ID instead of creating a duplicate
Empty project list	No projects exist yet; guide the user to create one before setting up work items or pipelines
Missing update field	Update fails if none of --name, --description, or --is-active is provided; ensure at least one is passed
No default org and no --target-org	Commands fail with a NoOrgFound / missing target-org error; set --target-org <alias> or sf config set target-org <alias>
Activate/deactivate passes a value	--is-active is a boolean flag — use --is-active or --no-is-active, never --is-active true

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Output Expectations

Deliverables vary by operation:

• List: tab-separated Id Name Description lines (or NO_PROJECTS) from scripts/list-projects.sh
• Create: EXISTING <id> or CREATED <id> from scripts/create-project.sh
• Update: UPDATED <id> from scripts/update-project.sh

Outputs are derived from the sf devops project CLI via the scripts/ helpers, which read the authoritative .result.projects[] list envelope.

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Verification Checklist

Before reporting results to the user:

Universal Checks

• Was org authentication verified with sf org display --json?
• Was --target-org <alias> supplied to the script (or the target-org config var confirmed set)?
• Did the invoked script exit 0? (Non-zero exit means the operation failed — report the script's error message.)

List Operation Checks

• Are projects displayed with project ID, name, and description?
• If the script returned NO_PROJECTS, was this communicated to the user?
• If resolving a name to an ID, was the ID returned (or "not found" surfaced on exit 3)?

Create Operation Checks

• Did the script return CREATED <id> or EXISTING <id>, and was the ID reported?

Update Operation Checks

• Was the project identified by --project <id> or --project name:<name>?
• Was at least one update field provided (name, description, or --is-active/--no-is-active)?
• Did the script return UPDATED <id>?

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Cross-Skill Integration

When	Delegate to
User wants to create, list, or update work items in a project	dx-devops-work-item-manage (pass the project ID from this skill)
User wants to create or configure a pipeline for a project	dx-devops-pipeline-manage
User wants to promote or deploy changes	dx-devops-promote

This skill typically runs first in a DevOps Center workflow — the project ID it returns is the entry point for work item and pipeline skills.

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Reference File Index

File	When to read / run
scripts/list-projects.sh	Workflow step 3 — list all projects or resolve a project name to an ID (--resolve); handles the empty-list case
scripts/create-project.sh	Workflow step 4 — idempotently create a project and verify it via re-read
scripts/update-project.sh	Workflow step 5 — update name/description/active status by ID or name
references/cli-commands.md	When you need detailed CLI flag documentation, JSON output schemas, or error handling patterns
examples/common-workflows.md	When the user's request matches a common pattern (name resolution, idempotent creation, project setup as a workflow entry point)