When to Use This Skill
Use when generating or editing permission set metadata, or when granting object, field, user, and app permissions.
Step 1: Define Core Properties
Start by defining the required permission set properties:
xml
<PermissionSet xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata">
<fullName>YourPermissionSetName</fullName>
<label>Display Name for Administrators</label>
<description>Clear description of purpose and intended audience</description>
</PermissionSet>
Naming conventions:
- Use descriptive API names (e.g., )
Step 2: Configure Object Permissions
Add CRUD permissions for standard and custom objects:
xml
<objectPermissions>
<allowCreate>true</allowCreate>
<allowRead>true</allowRead>
<allowEdit>true</allowEdit>
<allowDelete>false</allowDelete>
<modifyAllRecords>false</modifyAllRecords>
<viewAllRecords>false</viewAllRecords>
<viewAllFields>false</viewAllFields>
<object>Account</object>
</objectPermissions>
Step 3: Set Field-Level Security
Define field permissions for sensitive or custom fields:
xml
<fieldPermissions>
<editable>true</editable>
<readable>true</readable>
<field>Account.SSN__c</field>
</fieldPermissions>
Important:
- Required fields must NEVER appear in list of field permissions. Granting field-level security on required fields is not allowed by the platform and will cause deployment failure.
- Before adding any field, confirm from the object metadata that the field exists and is not required
- A field is required when its metadata contains
<required>true</required>
:
- Formula fields cannot be editable
- Master-detail fields are required fields on the child (detail) object
xml
<fields>
<fullName>FieldName__c</fullName>
<required>true</required>
</fields>
- Use format for field references
- Set both readable and editable to true when the user needs edit access; editable implies readable
- If all fields should be visible, can alternatively enable the "viewAllFields" object permission
Step 4: Grant User Permissions
Add system-level permissions for features and capabilities:
xml
<userPermissions>
<enabled>true</enabled>
<name>ApiEnabled</name>
</userPermissions>
<userPermissions>
<enabled>true</enabled>
<name>RunReports</name>
</userPermissions>
Common permissions:
- : API access
- : View Setup menu
- : User management
- : Report execution
Security review required for:
- : Read all records
- : Edit all records
- : User administration
Step 5: Configure App and Tab Visibility
Make applications and tabs visible to users:
xml
<applicationVisibilities>
<application>Sales_Console</application>
<visible>true</visible>
</applicationVisibilities>
<tabSettings>
<tab>CustomTab__c</tab>
<visibility>Visible</visibility>
</tabSettings>
Application visibility options:
- <visible> can be true or false
Tab visibility options:
- : The tab is available on the All Tabs page and appears in the visible tabs for its associated app. Can be customized.
- : The tab is available on the All Tabs page. Individual users can customize their display to make the tab visible in any app
- : Not visible
CRITICAL - Tab Naming:
- Custom object tabs: MUST include the __c suffix (e.g., MyCustomObject__c)
- Standard object tabs: Use the object name with "standard-" prefix (e.g., standard-Account, standard-Contact)
- The tab name matches the object's API name exactly
Step 6: Add Apex and Visualforce Access (Optional)
Grant access to custom code:
xml
<classAccesses>
<apexClass>CustomController</apexClass>
<enabled>true</enabled>
</classAccesses>
<pageAccesses>
<apexPage>CustomPage</apexPage>
<enabled>true</enabled>
</pageAccesses>
Step 7: Set License and Record Type Settings (Optional)
Specify license requirements and record type visibility:
xml
<license>Salesforce</license>
<hasActivationRequired>false</hasActivationRequired>
<recordTypeVisibilities>
<recordType>Account.Business</recordType>
<visible>true</visible>
<default>true</default>
</recordTypeVisibilities>
Step 8: Set Agent Access (Optional)
Enable access to Agentforce Employee Agents for users assigned to this permission set:
<agentAccesses>
<agentName>Sales_Assistant_Agent</agentName>
<enabled>true</enabled>
</agentAccesses>
Field requirements:
- agentName (Required): The developer name of the employee agent
- enabled (Required): Set to true to grant access, false to deny
Important:
- Agent names must match existing Agentforce Employee Agent developer names
Validation Checklist
Before deploying, verify:
What Causes Deployment Failure
- Field permissions on required fields: Any required field in fails deployment. Required fields cannot have FLS; omit them entirely. Always confirm from object/field metadata that a field exists and is not required—never assume.
- Incorrect API names: Using the wrong name or missing suffixes (e.g. missing for custom objects, fields, tabs) cause failure.
Deployment
Deploy using Salesforce CLI