Setup Pipeline

What the source does

• FilesystemDeclared2 observations
• NetworkNone observedNo outbound calls in the source
• ShellNone observedNo commands run in the source
• DependenciesPinnedNothing floats
• SecretsNone foundNo keys in source

Five audit layers

Gates applied: no behavioural pass.

const { approve, block, runValidation, findProjectRoot, findPath, readDeferralMarker } = require('../../../scripts/lib/validation-helpers');

const { almPath } = require('../../../scripts/lib/alm-paths');

Audit 0.4.1 · source sha 8075ef5705c5 · 18 Oct 2026Report an issue or request a re-scan

• Publishermicrosoft GitHub organizationOwner of the repository this skill is read from
• Source foldermicrosoft/power-platform-skills/plugins/power-pages/skills/setup-pipelineThe exact folder we audited
• LicenceMITAs the repository states it
• Commit pinned for this verdict8075ef5705c5A new audit runs when the source changes
• Repository statusNot archivedPushed today
• Sandboxed runNot runSkills are read, not executed; layer L4 is skipped

Its description: Sets up a Power Platform Pipeline for automated Power Pages deployments. Power Platform Pipelines is Microsoft's native CI/CD tool built into the Power Platform — no external infrastructure required. Use when asked to:…

---
name: setup-pipeline
description: >-
  Sets up a Power Platform Pipeline for automated Power Pages deployments.
  Power Platform Pipelines is Microsoft's native CI/CD tool built into the
  Power Platform — no external infrastructure required.
  Use when asked to: "set up ci/cd", "create pipeline", "setup pipeline",
  "set up power platform pipelines", "create power pipelines",
  "automate deployments", "set up automated deployment",
  "create deployment pipeline", "use power pipelines".
  Also handles: "set up github actions" or "set up azure devops pipeline"
  (shows coming-soon guidance for those platforms).
user-invocable: true
argument-hint: "Optional: 'power-platform', 'github', or 'ado' to skip platform selection"
allowed-tools: Read, Write, Edit, Bash, Glob, Grep, TaskCreate, TaskUpdate, TaskList, AskUserQuestion, mcp__plugin_power-pages_microsoft-learn__microsoft_docs_search, mcp__plugin_power-pages_microsoft-learn__microsoft_docs_fetch
model: opus
---

> **Plugin check**: Run `node "${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 `${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 "${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`. It builds the plan and returns — `plan-alm` is a planner and does not deploy. This skill then re-runs the Phase 0 check (now `exists:true`) and proceeds to Phase 1.
- **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` retur

Excerpt, first 6,002 characters of SKILL.md, verbatim from the audited commit. It is text from someone else’s repository, quoted so you can judge it before your agent reads it.

git clone https://github.com/microsoft/power-platform-skills
git -C power-platform-skills checkout 8075ef5705c5

Works in

1. 2026-10-18
   ✓SAFE B 89 / 100

   first audit · source 8075ef5705c5

Questions about Setup Pipeline

• github.com/microsoft/power-platform-skills/tree/main/plugins/pow — the audited source at commit 8075ef5705c5 and every finding aboveObserved · 18 Oct 2026

Spotted something wrong? Report a correction · Methodology