add-cloud-flow

SkillFiles & storage

Integrates Power Automate cloud flows into a Power Pages site. Lists available flows, suggests relevant ones based on intent, identifies scenarios and web roles, creates metadata files, and generates client-side code to call flows. Handles both new flow registration and adding already-registered flows to additional pages without re-creating metadata. Use when the user wants to add, connect, register, or link a Power Automate cloud flow to their site.

Available today. Use it from your connected AI after setup.

Connect ahel once, and every AI you use reads what you have installed.

Then ask your AI: use the add-cloud-flow skill

What this skill tells your AI

The instructions your AI receives, as published by microsoft/power-platform-skills in plugins/power-pages/skills/add-cloud-flow/SKILL.md and read by ahel’s review.

Plugin check: Run node "${PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/check-version.js" — if it outputs a message, show it to the user before proceeding.

Add Cloud Flow

Connect one or more Power Automate cloud flows to a Power Pages code site, or wire already-registered flows into additional pages/components. For new flows this skill:

  • Creates the adx_cloudflowconsumer metadata YAML in .powerpages-site/cloud-flow-consumer/
  • Assigns web roles based on the flow's scenario and target audience
  • Generates client-side TypeScript/JavaScript service code to trigger the flow with CSRF authentication

For already-registered flows, the skill skips metadata and role creation and goes straight to client-side integration — wiring the existing flow into new UI locations.

Core Principles

  • Multiple flows in one run: The user can add several flows at once. All flows are planned together and implemented together before asking for deployment.
  • Ask before acting: Present a full HTML plan (all flows, roles, reasoning) before creating any files.
  • Web roles drive access: Every flow must have at least one web role. Anonymous Users role is valid but must be confirmed.
  • Scenario determines roles: Understand what each flow does and who triggers it before picking roles.
  • Use TaskCreate/TaskUpdate: Track all phases upfront before starting any work.

Prerequisites:

  • An existing Power Pages code site with .powerpages-site deployed
  • PAC CLI authenticated (pac auth who must succeed)
  • Azure CLI authenticated (az login --allow-no-subscriptions works whether or not your account has an Azure subscription — Dataverse and Power Platform tokens are AAD-scoped)

Initial request: $ARGUMENTS


Workflow

  1. Verify Prerequisites — Locate the project, confirm .powerpages-site exists, inventory web roles and existing flows
  2. List Available Flows — Fetch flows from the Power Automate Flow RP API
  3. Select Flows & Understand Scenarios — User picks one or more flows; determine scenario and audience for each
  4. Determine Web Roles — Propose minimum roles per flow with reasoning
  5. Review Plan — Render HTML plan for all flows; get user approval
  6. Create Metadata — Write .cloudflowconsumer.yml for each flow; create missing web roles first
  7. Client-Side Integration — Generate typed service code to call each flow from the frontend
  8. Verify & Summarize — Validate all YAMLs, record skill usage, offer deployment

Phase 1: Verify Prerequisites

Goal: Locate the Power Pages project and confirm all prerequisites are met

Actions:

  1. Create todo list with all 8 phases (see Progress Tracking table)

1.1 Locate Project

Look for powerpages.config.json in the current directory or immediate subdirectories.

If not found: Tell the user to create a site first with /create-site.

1.2 Read Config

Read powerpages.config.json to get the siteName (used for display and plan rendering).

1.3 Check .powerpages-site Exists

Look for the .powerpages-site folder in the project root.

If not found:

🚦 Gate (plan · add-cloud-flow:1.3.deploy-first): .powerpages-site missing — cloud flow YAML lives inside it. Deploy first or stop.

Trigger: Phase 1.3 found no .powerpages-site directory. Why we ask: Cloud flow YAML written to a non-existent path will never deploy. Cancel leaves: Nothing — no YAML files written.

Use AskUserQuestion:

QuestionOptions
.powerpages-site is required to add cloud flows. Would you like to deploy the site now?Yes, deploy now (Required), Cancel

If "Yes, deploy now": Invoke /deploy-site first, then continue to Phase 2. If "Cancel": Stop.

1.4 Read Existing Web Roles

Read all .webrole.yml files from .powerpages-site/web-roles/ to inventory available roles. Note each role's id, name, adx_anonymoususersrole, and adx_authenticatedusersrole.

1.5 Check Existing Cloud Flows

Check .powerpages-site/cloud-flow-consumer/ for existing .cloudflowconsumer.yml files. For each file, read:

  • processid — the flow's workflowEntityId
  • name — the flow's display name
  • adx_CloudFlowConsumer_adx_webrole — assigned web role UUIDs

Store these as the already-registered flows list. These flows already have metadata and web roles configured but may need additional frontend integration on other pages or components.

1.6 Detect Frontend Framework

Read package.json to detect the framework (React, Vue, Angular, Astro). Note the framework and its conventions for Phase 7. See ${PLUGIN_ROOT}/references/framework-conventions.md for the detection mapping.

Output: Project root, site name, framework, available web roles, already-registered flows (with processid, name, and web roles)


Phase 2: List Available Flows

Goal: Fetch all Power Automate cloud flows that have a PowerPages trigger

Actions:

Run the list-cloud-flows script (reads environment from pac auth who internally):

node "${PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/add-cloud-flow/scripts/list-cloud-flows.js"

This calls the Power Automate Flow RP API with the filter properties/definitionSummary/triggers/any(t: t/kind eq 'powerpages'). Results include:

FieldSourceUsed for
idproperties.workflowEntityIdprocessid in YAML; URL in client-side API call
flowRpNameflow.nameFlow RP identifier
displayNameproperties.displayNameShown to user; written as name in YAML
descriptionproperties.descriptionShown to user
stateproperties.stateShown to user (Active/Draft)

Separate into two lists:

  • Unregistered flows: Flows whose id does NOT match any processid from Phase 1.5 — these need full setup (metadata + roles + client-side)
  • Already-registered flows: Flows whose id matches a processid from Phase 1.5 — these already have metadata and roles but can be integrated into additional pages/components

Handle errors:

  • Exit code 1 with auth message → prompt the user to run az login --allow-no-subscriptions

  • Zero flows from API (no flows with a PowerPages trigger exist at all) → tell the user that no Power Automate flows with a PowerPages trigger were found in this environment. Guide them to create a flow first:

    "No Power Automate cloud flows with a PowerPages trigger were found in this environment. To use this skill, you first need to create a flow in Power Automate with the "When a Power Pages flow step is run" trigger, then run this skill again to connect it to your site."

    Stop the workflow — do not continue to Phase 3.

  • Zero unregistered flows but already-registered flows exist → do not stop. Continue to Phase 3 with only the already-registered flows available (for additional frontend integration).

Output: List of unregistered flows and list of already-registered flows


Phase 3: Select Flows & Understand Scenarios

Goal: Understand the user's intent, suggest the most relevant flows (including already-registered ones for additional integration), let the user confirm or adjust, and determine the scenario for each selected flow

Actions:

3.1 Analyze User Intent & Suggest Flows

Before showing the full list, analyze the user's initial request ($ARGUMENTS) against both the unregistered flows and the already-registered flows. Match the user's described need to specific flows using display name, description, and scenario inference.

When matching intent, check already-registered flows first — the user may be asking to wire an existing flow into a new page or component, not register a new one.

  • If the user described a specific need (e.g., "add automation for the contact form", "connect the email notification flow"): Identify flows whose name or description closely match the request and present them as recommended picks, explaining why each is a good match. Also show the remaining flows as additional options in case the suggestion is wrong.

    Based on your request, I recommend:
      ⭐ 1. Contact Form Submission — Sends an email when a contact form is submitted (Active)
           → Matches your request to add automation for the contact form
    
    Other available flows:
      2. Support Ticket Handler — Creates a case record from user input (Active)
      3. Newsletter Signup — Adds the user's email to a mailing list (Draft)
    
  • If the user's request is generic (e.g., "add a cloud flow", "connect some flows"): Fall back to presenting the full list without recommendations.

    Available flows:
      1. Contact Form Submission — Sends an email when a contact form is submitted (Active)
      2. Support Ticket Handler — Creates a case record from user input (Active)
      3. Newsletter Signup — Adds the user's email to a mailing list (Draft)
    

Present both categories clearly when both exist:

New flows (not yet registered):
  1. Newsletter Signup — Adds the user's email to a mailing list (Active)

Already registered (available for additional frontend integration):
  2. Contact Form Submission — Already connected, can be wired into more pages
  3. Support Ticket Handler — Already connected, can be wired into more pages

🚦 Gate (plan · add-cloud-flow:3.1.select-flows): Multi-select over discovered + already-registered flows. Drives the rest of Phases 4–7.

Trigger: Phase 2 list-cloud-flows returned at least one flow. Why we ask: Wrong flows get registered (new .cloudflowconsumer.yml files written) or wrong existing flows get re-wired into the frontend. Cancel leaves: Nothing — no YAML or client code written yet.

Use AskUserQuestion:

QuestionOptions
Which flows would you like to add or integrate? You can select from both new and already-registered flows.(list or multi-select of flow names, with recommended flows pre-highlighted if applicable)

If more than 10 flows are available, ask the user to type names or numbers (comma-separated for multiple).

3.2 Tag Selected Flows

For each selected flow, tag it based on its source:

TagMeaningPhases to execute
newUnregistered flow — needs full setupPhases 4 → 5 → 6 → 7 (metadata + roles + client-side)
integration-onlyAlready registered — metadata and roles existSkip to Phase 7 (client-side integration only)

3.3 Determine Scenario Per Flow

For each selected flow, identify its scenario from the name and description:

Scenario typeExamplesWho triggers it
Form submissionContact form, feedback, surveyAuthenticated or anonymous visitors
User self-serviceProfile update, request, leave applicationAuthenticated users only
Admin actionBulk processing, content approval, data exportAdmins / specific roles only
Background / systemScheduled sync, enrichmentNot triggered by portal users directly

If a flow's scenario is unclear, use AskUserQuestion per flow:

QuestionContext
What does "[flow name]" do on your site? Who triggers it?Needed for role assignment

For integration-only flows, the scenario is still needed to guide where and how the flow is wired into the frontend (Phase 7).

3.4 Determine Client-Side Function Name Per Flow

For each flow, derive a camelCase function name for the client-side service:

  • Strip special characters and connector words from the display name
  • Example: "PowerPages -> Send an email notification (V3)" → sendEmailNotification
  • Example: "Contact Form Submission" → submitContactForm

For integration-only flows, check whether a trigger function already exists in the codebase (from a previous run of this skill). If it does, reuse that function name — do not create a duplicate. Only create a new function if one doesn't exist yet.

Output: Selected flows list, each with tag (new or integration-only), scenario, target audience, and client-side function name


Phase 4: Determine Web Roles

Goal: Propose the minimum set of web roles for each new flow based on its scenario

Skip for integration-only flows — these already have web roles assigned in their .cloudflowconsumer.yml. Do not re-propose or modify roles for them.

Actions:

4.1 Analyze Role Requirements Per Flow (New Flows Only)

ScenarioRecommended roles
Any visitor (including unauthenticated)Anonymous Users (confirm — security implication)
Only logged-in usersAuthenticated Users
Only specific groupsCustom role(s) matching the group

Do NOT assign all roles by default. Use the minimum set per flow. Different flows in the same batch can have different role sets.

4.2 Match Against Existing Roles

For each proposed role across all flows, check whether it exists in .powerpages-site/web-roles/. Mark roles as existing or proposed/new.

4.3 Compose Per-Role Reasoning

For each role assigned to each flow, write one sentence explaining why:

  • Authenticated Users on a profile form: "Only logged-in users can update their profile."
  • Anonymous Users on a contact form: "Unauthenticated visitors must be able to submit a contact request."
  • Blog Authors on an email flow: "Blog Authors are the primary actors who submit posts triggering this notification."

4.4 Flag Anonymous Roles

If any flow has Anonymous Users assigned, note this — the HTML plan renders a warning banner and the confirm step must explicitly surface it.

Output: Per-flow role sets with reasoning, list of roles that need creating


Phase 5: Review Plan

Goal: Render the HTML plan for all flows and get user approval before writing any files

Actions:

5.1 Build Plan Data

Assemble the plan JSON (kept in memory — not written to disk). Include all selected flows in CLOUD_FLOWS_DATA, distinguishing new from integration-only:

{
  "SITE_NAME": "<site name>",
  "PLAN_TITLE": "Cloud Flow Integration Plan",
  "SUMMARY": "<N new flows + M integration-only flows, scenarios, key role assignments>",
  "WEB_ROLES_DATA": [
    {
      "id": "<uuid or temp-id>",
      "name": "<role name>",
      "desc": "<description>",
      "builtin": false,
      "isNew": true,
      "isAnonymous": false,
      "color": "#0078d4"
    }
  ],
  "CLOUD_FLOWS_DATA": [
    {
      "flowId": "<workflowEntityId>",
      "name": "<flow display name>",
      "displayName": "<flow display name>",
      "description": "<flow description>",
      "state": "Active",
      "tag": "new | integration-only",
      "scenario": "<scenario type>",
      "rationale": "<why this flow is being added or where it will be additionally integrated>",
      "webRoles": [
        { "id": "<role-uuid>", "reasoning": "<why this role>" }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "RATIONALE_DATA": [
    { "icon": "⚡", "title": "<title>", "desc": "<reasoning>" }
  ]
}

For integration-only flows, webRoles should reflect the existing roles from the .cloudflowconsumer.yml (read-only — not being changed). The rationale should describe where the flow will be additionally integrated (e.g., "Wiring existing Contact Form flow into the support page").

5.2 Render HTML Plan

node "${PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/render-cloudflow-plan.js" \
  --output "<PROJECT_ROOT>/docs/cloud-flow-plan.html" \
  --data-inline '<json>'

The render script refuses to overwrite existing files. Before calling it, check if the default output path (<PROJECT_ROOT>/docs/cloud-flow-plan.html) already exists. If it does, choose a new descriptive filename based on context — e.g., cloud-flow-plan-contact-form.html, cloud-flow-plan-apr-2026.html. Pass the chosen name via --output.

Open the rendered file in the default browser (open on macOS, start on Windows, xdg-open on Linux).

5.3 Confirm with User

Give a brief CLI summary: number of flows, scenarios, role count, any anonymous-role warnings.

🚦 Gate (plan · add-cloud-flow:5.3.plan-approval): Final sign-off on the rendered HTML plan before any web role / .cloudflowconsumer.yml / client code is written.

Trigger: Phase 5.2 rendered the HTML plan. Why we ask: Wrong web role assignments committed (especially Anonymous Users on auth-protected flows); orphaned YAML files in .powerpages-site/cloud-flow-consumer/. Cancel leaves: Nothing — no YAML or frontend changes yet.

Use AskUserQuestion:

QuestionOptions
Review the cloud flow plan in the browser. Does it look correct?Approve and implement (Recommended), Request changes, Cancel

If "Request changes": Ask what to change, update, re-render, and present again. If "Cancel": Stop.

Output: User-approved plan for all flows


Phase 6: Create Metadata

Goal: Create web roles (if any are new) then write a .cloudflowconsumer.yml for every new flow in the approved plan

Skip for integration-only flows — these already have .cloudflowconsumer.yml and web roles. Do not recreate or modify their metadata. They will be handled in Phase 7 (client-side integration only).

If the approved plan contains only integration-only flows (no new flows), skip this entire phase and proceed to Phase 7.

Actions:

6.1 Create Missing Web Roles

If the approved plan includes roles that do not yet exist (for new flows), invoke /create-webroles now.

After it completes, re-read .powerpages-site/web-roles/ to collect id values for all new roles.

6.2 Process Each New Flow

Repeat steps 6.3–6.4 for every new flow in the approved plan.

6.3 Determine Flow API URL

/_api/cloudflow/v1.0/trigger/<workflowEntityId>

6.4 Run the Create Metadata Script

node "${PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/add-cloud-flow/scripts/create-cloud-flow-metadata.js" \
  --projectRoot "<PROJECT_ROOT>" \
  --fileSlug "<url-safe-slug>" \
  --flowName "<flow-display-name>" \
  --flowId "<workflowEntityId>" \
  --flowTriggerUrl "" \
  --flowApiUrl "/_api/cloudflow/v1.0/trigger/<workflowEntityId>" \
  --webRoleIds "<uuid1>,<uuid2>" \
  --metadata "<flow-display-name>"

--fileSlug: lowercase display name, special characters replaced with hyphens, max 50 chars. --flowName: display name written as-is into the name YAML field.

The generated YAML (PAC CLI code-site git format):

  • adx_* scalar prefix stripped: adx_flowapiurlflowapiurl, adx_processidprocessid
  • adx_cloudflowconsumeridid; adx_websiteid omitted
  • M2M key adx_CloudFlowConsumer_adx_webrole kept as-is
  • statecode/statuscode defaults omitted; empty strings written as ''
  • Fields alphabetically sorted

6.5 Git Commit

After all YAML files (and any new web roles) are created, do a single git commit. Include the HTML plan file (use the actual output path from the render script's JSON response).

Output: One .cloudflowconsumer.yml per new flow, committed (skipped for integration-only flows)


Phase 7: Client-Side Integration

Goal: Generate typed service code that calls each registered flow from the site's frontend

Cloud flows are invoked via an authenticated POST to /_api/cloudflow/v1.0/trigger/<workflowEntityId>. The request must include a CSRF token fetched from /_layout/tokenhtml, and the payload must be wrapped in an eventData key as a JSON-stringified string.

Actions:

7.1 Discover Existing Frontend Patterns

Use the Explore agent to scan the site:

"Check the Power Pages site frontend for existing patterns. Look for:

  1. Any existing API service files in src/shared/, src/services/, src/api/, or similar
  2. Existing CSRF token handling (__RequestVerificationToken, _layout/tokenhtml)
  3. The framework (React / Vue / Angular / Astro) and its conventions (hooks, composables, services)
  4. Any existing cloud flow calls (/_api/cloudflow/) already in the codebase — note which flows are already called and from which pages/components Report all findings."

For integration-only flows, the Explore agent's findings in point 4 are critical — they reveal where the flow is already wired in, so the new integration targets a different page/component without duplicating existing call sites.

7.2 Create or Update the Cloud Flow Service

Do not use the site's existing OData fetch wrapper for cloud flow triggers.

If the site has a centralized API client (e.g. powerPagesFetch) that targets the Dataverse Web API, do not use it here. Cloud flow trigger URLs (/_api/cloudflow/v1.0/trigger/...) are a different endpoint that does not accept OData-specific request headers. Using an OData wrapper will cause the request to fail.

Use direct fetch or an equivalent low-level HTTP client (for example, Angular's HttpClient) for cloud flow calls. Do not use any OData-specific wrappers or helpers that automatically add Dataverse Web API headers. You may reuse the site's existing CSRF token helper if one is exported — but perform the HTTP request via fetch or the chosen low-level client directly.

Based on the framework and existing patterns:

If the site already has an API service layer: add the new flow functions to it. If no service layer exists: create src/services/cloudFlowService.{ts,js} (or framework equivalent).

For integration-only flows: if a trigger function already exists in the service file, do not create a duplicate — reuse it. Only add a new trigger function if the flow has no existing function in the codebase.

Service structure

REQUIRED for every flow trigger call — without these headers the request returns a 500 error:

  • __RequestVerificationToken: CSRF token fetched from /_layout/tokenhtml
  • X-Requested-With: XMLHttpRequest

The payload must be wrapped in eventData as a JSON-stringified string — this is the shape the Power Pages cloud flow endpoint expects:

{ "eventData": "{\"Email\":\"abc@contoso.com\"}" }

The service file must contain a getCsrfToken helper and one trigger function per flow. If a getCsrfToken helper already exists in the codebase, reuse it; otherwise create it. Either way, every trigger function must call it and include both headers shown above.

CSRF helper (reuse existing or create):

async function getCsrfToken(): Promise<string> {
  const res = await fetch('/_layout/tokenhtml');
  const html = await res.text();
  const match = html.match(/value="([^"]+)"/);
  if (!match) throw new Error('CSRF token not found');
  return match[1];
}

Per-flow trigger function (one per registered flow):

Shortened here. Read the whole file on GitHub.

Signals

GitHub stars
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Last commit
Sep 2026
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Catalog kind
skill
Gateway key
add-cloud-flow
Source
github.com/microsoft/power-platform-skills