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pipeline-secrets-management
Store and inject Salesforce auth URLs, JWT keys, and API credentials into CI without leaking them. NOT for authoring the GitHub Actions workflow itself — use devops/github-actions-for-salesforce. NOT for secrets Apex reads — use apex/apex-secrets-and-protected-cmdt.
Open the skill folder on GitHub
Pipeline Secrets Management
Salesforce CI pipelines need to authenticate to orgs (sandboxes, UAT, prod). The safest pattern is a JWT bearer flow with a Connected App per pipeline stage and the private key stored as a base64 secret in the CI provider's vault. This skill defines naming, rotation, and leak-detection procedures.
Recommended Workflow
- Create one Connected App per CI stage (CI-Dev, CI-UAT, CI-Prod) with JWT flow enabled; export certificate + private key.
- Store the PEM private key as a CI secret (GitHub Actions: repository secret, base64-encoded).
- In the pipeline, write the key to a temp file, run
sf org login jwt --client-id ... --username ... --jwt-key-file ..., then delete the temp file. - Rotate the private key every 90 days via a scheduled task; invalidate the previous certificate in the Connected App.
- Enable GitHub secret scanning and a pre-commit hook that blocks
force://auth URL patterns.
Key Considerations
- Never commit sfdxAuthUrl (
force://...) — it contains a refresh token. - JWT flow uses a cert, not a password — much safer for long-lived automation.
- Scope the Connected App to only the API scopes needed (api, refresh_token).
- Audit logs of JWT logins appear in LoginHistory — wire to SIEM.
Worked Examples (see references/examples.md)
- GitHub Actions JWT step — Deploy workflow
- Rotation job — 90-day rotation SLA
Common Gotchas (see references/gotchas.md)
- Auth URL committed — Anyone with repo read owns the org.
- Shared Connected App — Blast radius includes all pipelines.
- Expired certificate — Pipelines fail silently at midnight.
Top LLM Anti-Patterns (full list in references/llm-anti-patterns.md)
- sfdxAuthUrl in env vars
- One Connected App for all stages
- Password+security token auth
Official Sources Used
- Salesforce DX Developer Guide — https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.sfdx_dev.meta/sfdx_dev/
- Unlocked Packaging — https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.sfdx_dev.meta/sfdx_dev/sfdx_dev_dev2gp.htm
- SF CLI — https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.sfdx_cli_reference.meta/sfdx_cli_reference/
- DevOps Center — https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.devops_center_overview.htm
- Scratch Org Snapshots — https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.sfdx_dev.meta/sfdx_dev/sfdx_dev_scratch_orgs_snapshots.htm
- sfdx-hardis — https://sfdx-hardis.cloudity.com/