deploy-pipeline
deploy-pipeline triggers a Power Platform Pipeline deployment run by reading the pipeline configuration from docs/alm/last-pipeline.json, prompting the user to select a target stage, validating the solution package, and deploying it to the chosen environment. Use this skill after setup-pipeline has created the pipeline configuration and when ready to promote solutions across Power Platform environments in an application lifecycle management workflow.
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/microsoft/power-platform-skills /tmp/deploy-pipeline && cp -r /tmp/deploy-pipeline/plugins/power-pages/skills/deploy-pipeline ~/.claude/skills/deploy-pipelineSKILL.md
> **Plugin check**: Run `node "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/check-version.js"` — if it outputs a message, show it to the user before proceeding.
# deploy-pipeline
Triggers a **Power Platform Pipeline** deployment run. Reads the existing pipeline configuration from `docs/alm/last-pipeline.json`, selects a target stage, validates the solution package, and deploys it to the target environment.
> **Prerequisite**: Run `/power-pages:setup-pipeline` first to create the pipeline configuration.
> Refer to `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/references/cicd-pipeline-patterns.md` for all HAR-confirmed API patterns used in this skill.
## Prerequisites
> **Important**: The source (dev) environment must have a Power Platform Pipelines host environment configured. This is set in Power Platform Admin Center (Environments → select env → Pipelines) or via the tenant-level `DefaultCustomPipelinesHostEnvForTenant` setting. Without this configuration, `pac pipeline deploy` will fail. The `setup-pipeline` skill creates the pipeline definition in the host; this admin step connects the dev environment to that host.
- `docs/alm/last-pipeline.json` exists (created by `setup-pipeline`)
- `.solution-manifest.json` exists
- Azure CLI logged in (`az account show` succeeds)
- PAC CLI logged in (`pac env who` succeeds)
## Phases
### Phase 0 — ALM plan gate
> **`plan-alm` is the front door.** When the user expresses an ALM intent (*promote / ship / deploy / move to staging / push to prod / release this version*), the orchestrator (`/power-pages:plan-alm`) should run first. Direct invocation of `deploy-pipeline` bypasses the orchestrator's pre-plan completeness check, env-var resolution per stage, activation steps, and validation runs. This gate makes that bypass explicit.
**Skip rule.** If this skill was invoked *as part of an active `plan-alm` orchestration*, skip Phase 0 entirely and proceed to Phase 1. The gate helper exposes this via its `inExecution` block — pass through silently to Phase 1 when:
```
inExecution.status === "active"
```
The helper computes this from `docs/.alm-plan-data.json` — `PLAN_STATUS === "In Execution"` AND `LAST_INVOCATION_AT` within the last 60 minutes. `check-alm-plan.js` refreshes `LAST_INVOCATION_AT` automatically on every invocation that finds the plan in execution, so each in-chain skill keeps the chain alive for the next one — even multi-hour deploys (deploy-pipeline alone can take 60 min per stage) survive the window without the chain incorrectly de-classifying. Stalled chains (no heartbeat for > 60 min) reclassify as `stale-heartbeat` and Phase 0 gates fire normally so an abandoned plan doesn't silently bypass user confirmation.
When `inExecution.status` is anything other than `"active"` (`"not-running"`, `"stale-heartbeat"`, `"no-plan"`), run the Phase 0 gate flow below. Branch on the remaining helper fields:
**Step 1 — Run the gate helper.**
```bash
node "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/lib/check-alm-plan.js" \
--projectRoot "." \
--envUrl "{devEnvUrl}" \
--token "{token}" \
--solutionId "{solutionId from .solution-manifest.json, if available}"
```
The helper returns JSON with `{ exists, stale, staleness: { reason, detail }, generatedAt, planStatus, ... }`. The freshness check requires env credentials + solutionId; without those the helper does an existence-only check.
**Step 2 — Branch on the result.**
| Result | Behavior |
|---|---|
| `deferred: true` | The user has explicitly deferred ALM for this project (`.alm-deferred` marker present). Pass through silently to Phase 1 — do not nag. |
| `exists: false` | The user hasn't run `plan-alm` yet. See Step 3. |
| `exists: true, stale: false` | Plan is current. Pass through silently to Phase 1. |
| `exists: true, stale: true` (reason: `solution-modified`) | The solution changed after the plan was generated. See Step 4. |
**Step 3 — No plan.** Tell the user:
> "No ALM plan exists for this project. `/power-pages:plan-alm` builds one — it detects the project state, asks about your promotion strategy, and orchestrates this skill in the right order alongside setup-solution / setup-pipeline / activate-site / test-site. Want me to run plan-alm now?"
<!-- gate: deploy-pipeline:0.no-plan | category=intent | cancel-leaves=nothing -->
> 🚦 **Gate (intent · deploy-pipeline:0.no-plan):** Fail-closed entry gate when `check-alm-plan.js` returns `exists:false`. Helper-script-backed.
`AskUserQuestion`:
| Question | Header | Options |
|---|---|---|
| Run `/power-pages:plan-alm` first? | ALM plan gate | Yes — run /power-pages:plan-alm now (Recommended), Continue without a plan (advanced — I just want to deploy), Cancel |
- **Yes (Recommended)** → invoke `/power-pages:plan-alm`. plan-alm's Phase 7 dispatches back into this skill at the appropriate stage.
- **Continue without a plan** → set `BYPASSED_PLAN_GATE = true` and proceed to Phase 1. The deploy will still work, but env-var per-stage values, activation, and post-deploy validation aren't orchestrated.
- **Cancel** → exit cleanly.
**Step 4 — Stale plan.** Tell the user:
> "ALM plan exists from `{generatedAt}` but the source solution has been modified since (at `{solution.modifiedon}`). The plan's component count, size analysis, and split decisions may be outdated. Re-running `plan-alm` will refresh the analysis."
<!-- gate: deploy-pipeline:0.stale-plan | category=intent | cancel-leaves=nothing -->
> 🚦 **Gate (intent · deploy-pipeline:0.stale-plan):** Fail-closed entry gate when `check-alm-plan.js` returns `stale:true`. Helper-script-backed.
`AskUserQuestion`:
| Question | Header | Options |
|---|---|---|
| Refresh the plan first? | ALM plan freshness | Refresh — re-run /power-pages:plan-alm (Recommended), Continue with the existing plan, Cancel |
- **Refresh (Recommended)** → invoke `/power-pages:plan-alm`. After completion, re-run the Phase 0 helper once to confirm freshness; if still stale, surface the detail and proceed to Phase 1 anyway (don't infinite-loop).
- **ContiGuide the user to add a data source, connection, or API connector to a Canvas App via Power Apps Studio, then verify and continue. USE WHEN the user asks to add a data source, add a connection, add an API, add a connector, connect to SharePoint / Dataverse / SQL / Excel / OneDrive / Teams / Office 365, or any similar request to make new data available to the app. DO NOT USE WHEN the user is asking to list or describe existing data sources — call list_data_sources or list_apis directly instead.
Creates or edits a Power Apps Canvas App through the Canvas Authoring MCP coauthoring session. Handles new app generation from requirements, simple inline edits, and complex multi-screen changes with parallel screen builders. Triggers on requests to create, build, generate, modify, update, change, or edit a Canvas App or .pa.yaml files.
Configure the Canvas Authoring MCP server for the current coauthoring session. USE WHEN "configure MCP", "set up MCP server", "MCP not working", "connect Canvas Apps MCP", "canvas-authoring not available", "MCP not configured", "set up canvas apps". DO NOT USE WHEN prerequisites are missing — direct the user to install .NET 10 SDK first.
[DEPRECATED — use canvas-app instead] Generate a complete Power Apps canvas app.
>
Adds Azure DevOps connector to a Power Apps code app. Use when querying work items, creating bugs, managing pipelines, or making ADO API calls.
Adds any Power Platform connector to a Power Apps code app. Generic fallback for connectors not covered by a specific skill.
Adds a data source or connector to a Power Apps code app. Asks what the user wants to accomplish and routes to the appropriate specialized skill.