/platform-custom-object-generate

name: platform-custom-object-generate
description: "Use when users create, generate, or validate Salesforce Custom Object metadata. Trigger on custom objects, .object files, sharing models, name fields, or validation rules — e.g. \"create a custom object\" — and deployment errors around sharing models and Master-Detail relationships. Also keep the object's <description> current when its fields or validation rules change. Do NOT use for non-Custom-Object metadata (Apex, Flows, LWC, Permission Sets, Custom Metadata Types) or standard objects."
metadata:
  version: "1.1"
  domains: ["Platform"]
  minApiVersion: "60.0"
  relatedSkills:
    - "platform-metadata-api-context-get"

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:

• Create new custom objects
• Generate custom object metadata XML
• Configure object sharing and security settings
• Set up object features and capabilities
• Troubleshoot deployment errors related to custom objects
• **Add, update, or delete a field OR a validation rule on an existing object** — any of these may make the object's `<description>` stale, so you must refresh it (propose + confirm). This applies equally to validation-rule changes, not just fields. See Section 3.B.

For authoritative Metadata API type, field, and enum details beyond this skill, use the `platform-metadata-api-context-get` skill.

Specification

1. Overview and Purpose

This document defines the mandatory constraints for generating CustomObject metadata XML (`.object-meta.xml` file). The agent must verify these constraints before outputting XML to prevent Metadata API deployment errors.

**File extension:** `.object-meta.xml`

> **Description freshness — applies to EVERY object change, fields AND validation rules:** Whenever you add, update, or delete a field **or a validation rule** on an object, the `<description>` may now be stale. Before finishing, refresh it per **Section 3.B** (propose, confirm with the user, write). A validation-rule change counts exactly like a field change — the change is **not** done until the description has been reconciled. This is easy to forget on validation-rule edits/deletes — don't.

---

2. Syntactic Essentials (Tier 1)

The following constraints must be true for the XML body to deploy successfully.

**Note:** The API Name (fullName) is NOT a tag; it is the filename (e.g., `Vehicle__c.object-meta.xml`).

Required Elements

| Element | Requirement | Notes | |---------|-------------|-------| | `<label>` | Required | Singular UI name | | `<pluralLabel>` | Required | Plural UI name | | `<sharingModel>` | Required | See Sharing Model Rules below | | `<deploymentStatus>` | Required | Always set to `Deployed` | | `<nameField>` | Required | Primary record identifier (requires `<label>` and `<type>`) | | `<visibility>` | Required | Always set to `Public` |

Sharing Model Rules

**Default:** Set `<sharingModel>` to `ReadWrite`.

**Exception:** If this object contains a Master-Detail relationship field, `<sharingModel>` MUST be `ControlledByParent`.

**Decision Logic:**

• IF object has NO Master-Detail field → use `ReadWrite`
• IF object has Master-Detail field → use `ControlledByParent`
• IF a Master-Detail field is being added to an existing child object → that existing object's `<sharingModel>` must also be updated to `ControlledByParent`

**INCORRECT** — Will cause error: `Cannot set sharingModel to ReadWrite on a CustomObject with a MasterDetail relationship field`

<CustomObject xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata">
  <label>Order Line Item</label>
  <pluralLabel>Order Line Items</pluralLabel>
  <sharingModel>ReadWrite</sharingModel>  <!-- WRONG: Object has a M-D field -->
  <deploymentStatus>Deployed</deploymentStatus>
</CustomObject>

**CORRECT:**

<CustomObject xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata">
  <label>Order Line Item</label>
  <pluralLabel>Order Line Items</pluralLabel>
  <sharingModel>ControlledByParent</sharingModel>  <!-- CORRECT -->
  <deploymentStatus>Deployed</deploymentStatus>
</CustomObject>

---

3. Smart Defaults & Decision Logic (Tier 2)

The agent must choose which features to enable based on the object's intended use case.

A. The Name Field Decision

| Type | When to Use | Additional Requirements | |------|-------------|------------------------| | **Text** | Default for human-named entities (Projects, Locations, Teams) | None | | **AutoNumber** | Use for transactions, logs, or IDs (Invoices, Requests, Tickets) | Must include `<displayFormat>` (e.g., `INV-{0000}`) and `<startingNumber>1</startingNumber>` |

**Text Name Field Example:**

<nameField>
  <label>Project Name</label>
  <type>Text</type>
</nameField>

**AutoNumber Name Field Example:**

<nameField>
  <label>Invoice Number</label>
  <type>AutoNumber</type>
  <displayFormat>INV-{0000}</displayFormat>
  <startingNumber>1</startingNumber>
</nameField>

B. Object Description (Enrichment)

**`<description>`**: **Mandatory** — every Custom Object MUST have one. It must read like human-written documentation, **never** a generic template ("Object used to track and manage...") or a metadata dump ("Contains 8 fields including `Project_Name__c`...").

**Always compose an enriched description** — when creating the object, and again on **any** change to it: adding, updating, or deleting a field **or a validation rule** (so it never goes stale). The change — field or validation rule — is never "done" until you've refreshed the object's description. This is not optional; do not ask *whether* to add a description.

**Confirm per change — every time.** Propose and confirm on **each** field/rule change separately. A previous "keep current" applies **only** to that one change; it is **never** standing permission to skip the proposal on a later change. Do not infer a preference from an earlier answer — re-propose and re-ask for every new change.

**Compose** the description (steps below). If the