setup-pipeline
setup-pipeline configures a Power Platform Pipeline in Dataverse for automated Power Pages solution deployments using the PP Pipelines OData API, eliminating the need for YAML files or external CI/CD systems. Use this skill after creating a solution via setup-solution to establish direct deployment automation within your Power Platform environment, provided Azure CLI and PAC CLI are authenticated and the Pipelines package is installed on your host environment.
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/microsoft/power-platform-skills /tmp/setup-pipeline && cp -r /tmp/setup-pipeline/plugins/power-pages/skills/setup-pipeline ~/.claude/skills/setup-pipelineSKILL.md
> **Plugin check**: Run `node "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/check-version.js"` — if it outputs a message, show it to the user before proceeding.
# setup-pipeline
Sets up a **Power Platform Pipeline** for automated Power Pages solution deployments. Creates the pipeline configuration directly in Dataverse using the PP Pipelines OData API — no YAML files, no external CI/CD infrastructure needed.
GitHub Actions and Azure DevOps Pipeline options are shown in the platform menu as **coming soon**.
> Refer to `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/references/cicd-pipeline-patterns.md` for all HAR-confirmed API patterns used in this skill.
## Prerequisites
- `powerpages.config.json` exists in the project root
- `.solution-manifest.json` exists (solution must be created first via `setup-solution`)
- Azure CLI logged in (`az account show` succeeds)
- PAC CLI logged in (`pac env who` succeeds)
- A Power Platform environment with Pipelines package installed (the "host" environment)
## Phases
### Phase 0 — ALM plan gate
> **`plan-alm` is the front door.** When the user expresses an ALM intent (*promote / ship / deploy / set up CI-CD / move to staging / push to prod*), the orchestrator (`/power-pages:plan-alm`) should run first. This Phase 0 enforces that and is meant to fail closed when there's no plan, not to be a one-time check the user can dismiss forever.
**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 (PP Pipelines vs Manual export/import), and orchestrates the right skills (including this one) in the right order. Want me to run plan-alm now?"
<!-- gate: setup-pipeline:0.no-plan | category=intent | cancel-leaves=nothing -->
> 🚦 **Gate (intent · setup-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 know what I'm doing), 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.
- **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}`). Components may have changed. Re-running `plan-alm` will refresh the analysis and the rendered HTML."
<!-- gate: setup-pipeline:0.stale-plan | category=intent | cancel-leaves=nothing -->
> 🚦 **Gate (intent · setup-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).
- **Continue** → set `STALE_PLAN_ACK = true` and proceed to Phase 1.
- **Cancel** → exit cleanly.
**Why this gate exists.** Direct invocation of this skill bypasses the orchestrator's pre-deploy completeness check, host-resolution decision, deployment-strategy selection, and rendered HTML plan. Users who run `setup-pipeline` directly often miss components that should have been added to the solution, miss the asset advisory for large web files, or build a pipeline against the wrong host environment. The gate ensures `plan-alm` either ran (so all of those decisionsGuide 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.