ALWAYS USE THIS SKILL to retrieve metadata from an org to your local project using the sf project retrieve start command. Supports multiple retrieval modes: retrieve all remote changes, retrieve by source directory, retrieve by metadata type with wildcards, retrieve by manifest (package.xml), or ret

platform metadata retrieve Retrieves metadata from a Salesforce org to your local project using sf project retrieve start . Supports multiple retrieval modes: all changes, by source directory, by metadata type (with wildcards), by manifest, or by package name. Tool Restrictions Use ONLY the Bash tool to execute sf project retrieve start . Do NOT use MCP tools — ignore them completely. Scope In scope : Retrieving metadata via sf project retrieve start in all supported modes (all changes, source dir, metadata type, manifest, package name), source and metadata format output Out of scope : Deploying metadata (use platform metadata deploy ), listing metadata types, generating package.xml files, source tracking commands ( sf project retrieve preview ) Required Inputs Infer from the user's request: Retrieval mode : all changes source directory metadata type manifest package name Target org : org alias/username (uses default if not specified) Output format : source format (default) metadata format (ZIP) Additional options : ignore conflicts, output directory, wait time, API version Workflow 1. Match user request to command pattern below 2. Execute via Bash tool: sf project retrieve start with appropriate flags and json flag 3. Return result with retrieved components count and file paths Command Patterns User intent Execute via Bash tool Retrieve all remote changes sf project retrieve start json Retrieve by source directory sf project retrieve start source dir <path target org <alias json Retrieve by metadata type sf project retrieve start metadata <MetadataType:Name target org <alias json Retrieve by metadata type with wildcard sf project retrieve start metadata '<MetadataType:Pattern ' target org <alias json Retrieve multiple metadata types sf project retrieve start metadata <Type1 metadata <Type2 target org <alias json Retrieve by manifest sf project retrieve start manifest <path/to/package.xml target org <alias json Retrieve by package name sf project retrieve start package name <PackageName target org <alias json Retrieve to metadata format (ZIP) sf project retrieve start source dir <path target metadata dir <output unzip target org <alias json Ignore conflicts sf project retrieve start source dir <path ignore conflicts target org <alias json Rules / Constraints Constraint Rationale Always use json flag Provides structured output for reliable parsing and error handling Must run from within Salesforce project Command requires sfdx project.json at repo root Wildcard patterns must be quoted Shell expansion breaks unquoted wildcards like ApexClass:My Cannot mix manifest with metadata or source dir Mutually exclusive flags — command will error Retrieve all changes requires source tracking Production orgs don't support source tracking — must use other retrieval modes ignore conflicts only works on trackable orgs No effect on production orgs; applies to scratch/sandbox only output dir must be inside project directory Command validates output path is within project boundary output dir cannot match package directory Command fails if target matches sfdx project.json packageDirectories Default wait time is 33 minutes Use wait flag to override for large retrievals Package retrieval is for reference only Retrieved package metadata should not be added to source control for development CustomField retrieval auto includes CustomObject When retrieving CustomField, CLI automatically adds CustomObject to get full context Troubleshooting Issue Resolution "This command is required to run from within an SFDX project" Not in Salesforce project directory — cd to project root with sfdx project.json "No org found for <alias " error Org alias doesn't exist or isn't authenticated — verify with sf org list "This org does not support source tracking" Production org doesn't allow "retrieve all changes" mode — use source dir, metadata, or manifest instead "ERROR running project retrieve start: Cannot mix manifest with metadata or source dir" Remove conflicting flags — use one retrieval mode only Wildcard pattern retrieves nothing Pattern not quoted — wrap in single quotes: 'ApexClass:My ' "The package directory path in sfdx project.json does not exist" Output directory conflicts with package directory — use different path "Output directory must be inside the project" output dir path is outside project boundary — use relative path inside project Retrieve times out Increase wait time with wait 60 for large metadata volumes Retrieved files overwrite local changes Use output dir to retrieve to separate location, or commit local changes first SourceConflictError with conflict table Conflicts detected between local and remote on trackable org (scratch/sandbox) — resolve conflicts manually or use ignore conflicts to force overwrite Output Expectations The command returns JSON output with retrieved components details. See examples/success output.json and examples/error output.json for response structures. Cross Skill Integration Need Delegate to Deploy metadata to org platform metadata deploy skill Preview retrieve without executing Execute sf project retrieve preview target org <alias json List available metadata types Execute sf org list metadata types target org <alias json Reference File Index File When to read examples/success output.json To understand successful retrieve response structure examples/error output.json To handle common error scenarios references/retrieval modes.md For detailed explanation of all retrieval modes and when to use each references/cli flags.md For complete flag reference with usage patterns

platform-metadata-retrieve