Core & Deployment

The standard sfdt deployment cycle:


sfdt preflight          # validate the branch is ready
sfdt test               # run Apex tests
sfdt manifest           # generate package.xml from git diff
sfdt deploy             # deploy to the target org
sfdt smoke              # post-deploy verification
sfdt changelog generate # update CHANGELOG.md
sfdt notify deploy-success

sfdt deploy automatically runs preflight first unless you pass --skip-preflight.

`sfdt init`

Initializes the .sfdt/ configuration directory interactively. Run it once from your Salesforce DX project root.


sfdt init

It prompts for a project name, default org alias, coverage threshold, and AI provider, then scans your packageDirectories for Apex test classes to populate test-config.json. See Configuration for what it writes.

`sfdt deploy`

Deploys metadata to a Salesforce org. Preflight runs automatically first unless skipped. Output streams to your terminal with full TTY passthrough (spinner, colors, interactive prompts).


sfdt deploy
sfdt deploy --managed
sfdt deploy --skip-preflight
sfdt deploy --source-dir force-app/feature-a   # deploy a folder directly (no manifest)

Option	Description
`--managed`	Use the managed-package deploy path (namespace + version locking)
`--skip-preflight`	Skip the preflight validation step
`--dry-run`	Show what would run without making changes
`--source-dir <path>`	Deploy a source directory directly instead of a manifest
`--org <alias>`	Target org (defaults to `config.defaultOrg`)

Use --source-dir for targeted deploys of a single package directory without generating a manifest first — handy during development.

`sfdt preflight`

Runs pre-deployment validation checks without deploying — the same checks sfdt deploy runs internally. The result is written to logs/preflight-latest.json and shows in the dashboard.


sfdt preflight
sfdt preflight --strict

Option	Description
`--strict`	Fail on any warning, not just errors
`--dry-run`	Preview without writing results

What it checks (controlled by deployment.preflight.* in config):

Branch-naming conventions
Apex-test presence
CHANGELOG.md has unreleased content

Set the enforce* flags in config to turn warnings into hard failures.

`sfdt rollback`

Rolls back a deployment to a target org. By default it backs up the org’s current state first (deployment.backupBeforeRollback, default true).


sfdt rollback
sfdt rollback --org staging

Option	Description
`--org <alias>`	Target org (defaults to `config.defaultOrg`)
`--dry-run`	Preview the rollback
`--json`	Structured output

`sfdt smoke`

Runs post-deployment smoke tests against a target org to verify the deploy succeeded. Intended to run immediately after a successful sfdt deploy.


sfdt smoke
sfdt smoke --org production

Option	Description
`--org <alias>`	Target org (defaults to `config.defaultOrg`)
`--dry-run`	Preview

`sfdt release`

Generates a versioned release manifest, optionally creates AI release notes, and walks you through a git commit → tag → deploy → push workflow. Every git step is optional — bail at any confirm prompt.


sfdt release 1.5.0
sfdt release          # version resolved from config or prompted

Argument	Description
`[version]`	Semver version string (e.g. `1.5.0`). Optional.

What happens:

Produces versioned manifests in manifest/release/ (e.g. rl-1.5.0-package.xml).
If AI is enabled, offers to generate release notes to release-notes/rl-1.5.0-RELEASE-NOTES.md.
Stages manifests, CHANGELOG.md, and release notes.
Prompts to commit (release: Generate manifests for 1.5.0).
Prompts to create an annotated tag (v1.5.0).
Prompts to deploy.
Prompts to push the tag.

See the Production Release workflow for the full sequence.