Skill: Connect

One-step, idempotent Dataverse connection. Each step checks if it's already done and skips.

Environment-First Rule — All metadata and plugin registrations are created in the environment via API/scripts, then pulled into the repo. Never hand-write solution XML to create components.

Execute steps in order; do not skip ahead. Exception: Step 0 can short-circuit the flow if the workspace is already set up.

Host entry test (FIRST — before Step 0). A local Windows/macOS host is capable by default, whichever agent drives it — it can run the CLIs, use persistent credentials, and host local MCP servers; an approval/sandbox gate isn't a constraint, and a missing CLI = install it. Constrained only when a runtime can't start, auth can't persist, or the host is explicitly ChatGPT Work Mode / Codex cloud / CI / no-keyring Linux (deterministic table: headless-hosts.md). Constrained → install only Python + pip deps, .env, scripts/auth.py, verify python scripts/auth.py --check, skip CLI / PAC / MCP. Capable → normal flow below.

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Step 0: Detect existing setup (run this first)

Before touching anything, check whether this workspace is already connected to a Dataverse environment. Repeating setup on an already-configured workspace overwrites .env, re-registers MCP, and wastes time.

Run these checks in order. If all four pass, skip straight to Step 7 (final verification) and stop there.

1. .env is present and complete — file exists at the workspace root and contains non-empty values for DATAVERSE_URL, TENANT_ID, and MCP_CLIENT_ID
2. MCP is registered — .mcp.json (Claude Code) or the equivalent Copilot / Cursor config file has a dataverse-* server entry pointing at the DATAVERSE_URL from .env
3. Both auth surfaces match .env — dataverse auth who shows a profile whose Environment Url matches DATAVERSE_URL, AND pac org who against a PAC profile for the same URL succeeds. (DV CLI auth covers Connect / Data / Query / Metadata / MCP / Python; PAC auth covers dv-solution and dv-admin. Both are front-loaded at connect time so neither prompts later.)
4. Python SDK is importable and current — python -c "from PowerPlatform.Dataverse.client import DataverseClient; import pandas; from importlib.metadata import version; v=version('PowerPlatform-Dataverse-Client'); assert int(v.split('.')[0])>=1, f'SDK {v} is outdated, need >=1.0.0'" exits 0

If all pass: Refresh DATAVERSE_PLUGIN_VERSION in .env if it's stale, confirm the detected setup (URL, profile, MCP server), and jump to Step 7. Do not otherwise rewrite .env, re-register MCP, or re-run pip install.

If any check fails: Proceed through the normal flow (Steps 1–7), but still use each step's own skip condition. A partially-configured workspace doesn't need a full redo — e.g., if only .env and MCP are missing but tools and auth are fine, start at Step 2 or Step 3.

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Step 1: Ensure tools are installed

Check each tool independently -- report all missing tools at once. See tools-setup.md for install commands.

Tool	Check
Python 3	python --version
Git	git --version
Node.js	node --version
PAC CLI	pac (prints version banner; pac --version is not valid) (see tools-setup.md if not in PATH)
Dataverse CLI	npm list -g @microsoft/dataverse
.NET SDK	dotnet --version
Azure CLI	az --version

.NET SDK is needed for PAC CLI but NOT for the Dataverse CLI (the npm package bundles its own runtime). Node.js powers the Dataverse CLI npm package (@microsoft/dataverse), which is used as the MCP proxy and for scripted data plane actions. Azure CLI is used as a fallback for environment discovery when PAC CLI isn't available (see mcp-configuration.md Step 3b). GitHub CLI is not needed for connecting — it's used later for ALM/CI/CD scenarios (see dv-solution).

If any tool is missing, install it (see tools-setup.md), then verify. If winget installs a tool but it's not in PATH, ask the user to restart the terminal.

After Python is confirmed, check if deps are already present before installing:

python -c "from PowerPlatform.Dataverse.client import DataverseClient; import azure.identity, msal, msal_extensions, requests, pandas; print('OK')"

If it prints OK, skip pip. Otherwise:

pip install --upgrade azure-identity requests PowerPlatform-Dataverse-Client pandas msal msal-extensions

msal + msal-extensions let scripts/auth.py reuse the dataverse auth create cache -- one sign-in for CLI, MCP, Python.

After Node.js is confirmed, install the Dataverse CLI only if missing (do not re-run on every connect -- on managed devices each @latest fetch can trigger npm-registry security prompts; see tools-setup.md):

npm install -g @microsoft/dataverse@latest

Skip condition: All tools present, Python SDK installed, and pandas importable (python -c "import pandas").

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Step 2: Discover and select the environment

Before asking the user for a URL, check what's already available.

Auth tool choice. Two tools, two AAD apps, two caches — front-load both at connect:

1. dataverse auth create (app 0c412cc3-…) covers DV CLI + MCP + Python.
2. pac auth create (PAC's own app) covers dv-solution + dv-admin.

Check for an existing DV CLI profile first, then fall back to PAC for environment discovery if needed:

dataverse auth list
dataverse auth who
pac auth list   # PAC profiles are still useful for env discovery / pac org list

If dataverse auth who shows a profile and its environment matches the user's target:

• Reuse it. Set DATAVERSE_URL and TENANT_ID from the profile.

If no DV CLI profile exists (or it points at the wrong environment):

• Ask: "Do you want to connect to an existing environment or create a new one?"

Before selecting, check for tenant/region mismatch. If the target URL uses a different region than the authenticated account's environments, create a new profile for the correct tenant rather than reuse the old one:

dataverse auth create --environment <url>          # interactive (WAM broker on Windows → no browser tab)
dataverse auth create --environment <url> --deviceCode   # headless / remote / SSH

If the user hits an admin-consent error, the CLI prints the correct scope-scoped consent URL to share with a tenant admin — do not synthesize one.

To switch between existing DV CLI profiles:

dataverse auth select --name <profile-name>

To create a new environment (requires admin permissions):

pac admin create --name "<name>" --type "<type>" --region "<region>"

If this fails with permissions error, guide the user to Power Platform Admin Center to create it, then connect.

Confirm connection:

dataverse auth who
dataverse org who      # or: pac org who

Parse the output to extract DATAVERSE_URL, TENANT_ID, and — on ERP-linked envs — ERP_URL (see erp-detection.md).

If neither command shows a tenant ID, fall back to:

curl -sI https://<org>.crm.dynamics.com/api/data/v9.2/ \
  | grep -i "WWW-Authenticate" \
  | sed -n 's|.*login\.microsoftonline\.com/\([^/]*\).*|\1|p'

Step 2b: Front-load PAC CLI auth for the same environment

PAC uses its own AAD app, so a separate sign-in is required for dv-solution and dv-admin — do it now.

pac auth list                                       # skip if a profile for $DATAVERSE_URL exists
pac auth create --name <orgid> --environment <DATAVERSE_URL>

Use the same account as Step 2. If PAC CLI is not installed, skip with a note that dv-solution / dv-admin will need it later.

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Step 3: Create .env

Present authentication options:

How would you like to authenticate with Dataverse?

1. Interactive login (recommended) — Sign in via browser. No app registration needed. Token stays cached across sessions.
2. Service principal (for CI/CD) — Uses CLIENT_ID and CLIENT_SECRET from an Azure app registration.

Write .env directly — do not instruct the user to create it:

Detect the current tool (Claude or Copilot) from context and set MCP_CLIENT_ID automatically:

• Claude (CLI or VSCode extension): 0c412cc3-0dd6-449b-987f-05b053db9457
• GitHub Copilot: aebc6443-996d-45c2-90f0-388ff96faa56

Also set plugin attribution variables for User-Agent tagging. Fill in the two literals below from your own context — you (the agent) loaded this plugin, so you already know both values:

• PLUGIN_VERSION — the version field of your loaded plugin manifest (e.g. "1.5.0"). At runtime, auth.py re-reads this from the live manifest via host env vars; this .env entry is a fallback for offline cases.
• AGENT — your host identity, one of: claude-code, copilot, cursor, codex, or unknown. Must match an entry in _ALLOWED_AGENTS in auth.py — if you don't recognize your host, use unknown.

# Substitute these two literals from your loaded plugin context.
# Do NOT leave the angle-bracket placeholders — replace with real values.
plugin_version = "<plugin manifest version, e.g. 1.5.0>"
agent_host = "<your host name: claude-code | copilot | cursor | codex | unknown>"

with open(".env", "w") as f:
    f.write(f"DATAVERSE_URL={dataverse_url}\n")
    f.write(f"TENANT_ID={tenant_id}\n")
    f.write(f"MCP_CLIENT_ID={mcp_client_id}\n")
    f.write(f"DATAVERSE_PLUGIN_VERSION={plugin_version}\n")
    f.write(f"DATAVERSE_PLUGIN_AGENT={agent_host}\n")
    f.write(f"SOLUTION_NAME={solution_name}\n")
    f.write(f"PUBLISHER_PREFIX=\n")  # filled in when solution is created
    f.write(f"PAC_AUTH_PROFILE=nonprod\n")
    if client_id:
        f.write(f"CLIENT_ID={client_id}\n")
    if client_secret:
        f.write(f"CLIENT_SECRET={client_secret}\n")

Ensure .env is in .gitignore:

import os

GITIGNORE_ENTRIES = [
    ".env", ".vscode/settings.json", ".claude/mcp_settings.json",
    ".token_cache.bin", ".dataverse/", "*.snk", "__pycache__/", "*.pyc",
    "solutions/*.zip", "plugins/**/bin/", "plugins/**/obj/",
]
gitignore = open(".gitignore").read() if os.path.exists(".gitignore") else ""
missing = [e for e in GITIGNORE_ENTRIES if e not in gitignore]
if missing:
    with open(".gitignore", "a") as f:
        f.write("\n" + "\n".join(missing) + "\n")

Skip condition: .env already exists with all required values.

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Step 4: Set up project structure (new projects only)

If this is a new project (no scripts/ directory):

mkdir -p solutions plugins scripts

Copy plugin scripts:

cp .github/plugins/dataverse/scripts/auth.py scripts/

Copy templates/CLAUDE.md to the repo root if it doesn't exist. Replace placeholders ({{DATAVERSE_URL}}, {{SOLUTION_NAME}}, {{PUBLISHER_PREFIX}}) with values from .env.

Skip condition: scripts/auth.py exists.

---

Step 5: Verify the connection

dataverse auth who
pac org who
python scripts/auth.py --check

--check makes a real data-plane call (not just a token) — the only proof the org is actually reachable; a token can be minted while the org domain is blocked. All must resolve the same user/environment, proving the DV CLI cache, the PAC profile (Step 2b), and Python's reuse of the shared cache are wired.

If any fail:

• dataverse auth who fails → re-run Step 2.
• pac org who fails → re-run Step 2b.
• python scripts/auth.py --check prints a device-code URL → browser/WAM cache has no Python-reusable token. Auto-fix: re-run dataverse auth create --environment <url> --deviceCode, then retry. If it still prompts, check pip show msal msal-extensions. Headless hosts (ChatGPT / Codex cloud / CI): dataverse auth create can't persist here — don't loop (see headless-hosts.md).
• python scripts/auth.py --check prints NOT REACHABLE with a connection/timeout error → the org domain is blocked by network egress, not auth. Do NOT report success or a count — see headless-hosts.md remediation.
• Other Python error → check SDK install and .env.

Before metadata work, also confirm the account has the prvCreateEntity customization privilege — see tools-setup.md.

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Step 6: Configure MCP server

Skip this step if MCP is already configured:

• .mcp.json or ~/.copilot/mcp-config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json or ~/.codex/config.toml contains a Dataverse server entry
• claude mcp list shows a dataverse-* server registered

If MCP is not configured, follow mcp-configuration.md:

1. Detect which tool the user is running (Copilot, Claude, Cursor, or Codex) from context
2. Set MCP_CLIENT_ID based on tool choice
3. Get environment URL from .env
4. Default to GA endpoint (/api/mcp)
5. Register the MCP server per host (see the per-host blocks below)
6. Handle admin consent and allowlist — prefer dataverse mcp allow <MCP_CLIENT_ID> over the portal (one-time per tenant/environment)

Plugin attribution for MCP: This plugin uses the stdio proxy transport (npx @microsoft/dataverse mcp <url>). When registering it, include DATAVERSE_OPERATION_CONTEXT in the env block so the CLI appends it to its User-Agent on requests to /api/mcp. Build the value from .env:

DATAVERSE_OPERATION_CONTEXT=app=dataverse-skills/{DATAVERSE_PLUGIN_VERSION};skill=mcp-direct;agent={DATAVERSE_PLUGIN_AGENT}

For Claude Code (claude mcp add -t stdio), pass it via -e DATAVERSE_OPERATION_CONTEXT=.... For Copilot/Cursor JSON configs, add it to the "env" object in the stdio server entry; for Codex, add it to its [mcp_servers.<name>.env] table.

Important: MCP configuration requires an editor/CLI restart.

For Copilot: Write the JSON config, then:

✅ Dataverse MCP server configured. Restart your editor for changes to take effect.

For Claude: Run the claude mcp add command, then warn the user about the auth popup that will appear on next launch:

✅ Dataverse MCP server registered. Restart Claude Code to enable MCP tools. Remember to use claude --continue to resume the session without losing context.

On restart, a browser window may open to sign in to your Dataverse environment (the MCP proxy authenticating on your behalf). See mcp-configuration.md for details.

For Cursor: Write the JSON config, then:

✅ Dataverse MCP server dataverse-{orgid} configured in ~/.cursor/mcp.json. Reload the Cursor window (Ctrl+Shift+P → "Developer: Reload Window") for the new MCP server to appear under Settings → Tools & MCPs.

On first use the npx @microsoft/dataverse proxy signs in via browser device code, then reuses the shared cache silently. See mcp-configuration.md.

For Codex: Write the TOML config to ~/.codex/config.toml. Codex loads MCP tools only at startup, so don't claim they're callable until the user restarts. Tell the user:

✅ Dataverse MCP server dataverse-{orgid} configured in ~/.codex/config.toml. Restart Codex (CLI) or reload the Codex IDE to load the MCP tools.

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Step 7: Final verification

After the editor/CLI restarts, both of these must succeed before declaring the setup complete:

Check 1: claude mcp list (or Copilot equivalent) shows ✓ Connected

claude mcp list

This proves the MCP server process starts and speaks the MCP protocol. It does NOT by itself prove that data operations work — authentication, environment allowlisting, and endpoint reachability are only exercised on the first real tool call.

Check 2: Agent successfully lists tables via describe/search and returns data

"List the tables in my Dataverse environment."

This proves end-to-end wiring: auth, tenant consent, environment allowlist, and endpoint reachability are all correct. If the agent falls back to PAC CLI or Web API, see mcp-configuration.md troubleshooting.

Only when both checks pass is the setup verified.

Interpreting failures:

• If Check 1 fails (server not ✓ Connected): the MCP server itself cannot start. Re-run Step 6 and check that npx/Node.js are installed and the MCP registration succeeded.
• If Check 1 passes but Check 2 fails (server starts but describe/search errors): the server can speak MCP but cannot reach or read Dataverse. Run --validate below to diagnose.

Diagnostic — --validate (for failure investigation only):

npx @microsoft/dataverse mcp {DATAVERSE_URL} --validate

This exercises two Dataverse MCP endpoints with a fresh authentication handshake and reports detailed errors (auth, allowlist, consent, endpoint reachability):

• GA / Production endpoint — {DATAVERSE_URL}/api/mcp. This is the one the plugin actually uses at runtime.
• Preview endpoint — {DATAVERSE_URL}/api/mcp_preview. Opt-in per environment; not used by the plugin.

Do not use --validate as a success gate on first-time setup. On a freshly configured workspace, the token cache hasn't warmed up, so --validate can fail with MsalClientException or 403 while MCP is actually working fine on subsequent real calls. Reserve --validate for diagnosing a confirmed failure in Check 1 or Check 2.

How to read --validate output:

• Look at the GA / Production endpoint (/api/mcp) result first. If this passes, MCP will work for normal plugin usage regardless of what the Preview endpoint reports.
• A 403 Forbidden on the Preview endpoint (/api/mcp_preview) is expected for most environments. Preview is opt-in per environment; if your environment hasn't enabled it, the Preview check will always fail. This does not indicate a broken setup.
• Ignore the overall exit code and the ⚠ Partial success warning in this case. The validator returns exit code 1 (failure) unless BOTH /api/mcp and /api/mcp_preview pass. Because most environments don't enable the Preview endpoint, --validate will exit 1 even when MCP is fully functional via the GA endpoint. Focus on per-endpoint results, not the aggregate status.
• If the GA endpoint (/api/mcp) fails: that's the real signal to investigate — auth, tenant consent, environment allowlist, or endpoint reachability.

MCP Server Capabilities

For what MCP can and can't do (data CRUD + batch up to 25, table/column creation incl. choice/lookup, search/describe, file upload/download) versus the SDK / Web API, see the overview skill's Tool Capabilities matrix.

After verifying MCP works, tell the user:

✅ Connected to Dataverse at {DATAVERSE_URL}. Tools installed, authenticated, MCP live.

You can now:

• Create tables, columns, and relationships (dv-metadata)
• Write and import data (dv-data)
• Query and analyze data (dv-query)
• Export and promote solutions (dv-solution)

To create your first solution, see the dv-solution skill. To load sample data (accounts, contacts, opportunities), ask: "Load demo data into my Dataverse environment."

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Supported Agents

This plugin's skill files are natively loaded by both GitHub Copilot CLI and Claude Code CLI when installed as a plugin. No manual context-loading is needed — both agents discover and invoke skills automatically.

The PAC CLI commands, Python scripts, and XML templates work identically in both environments.