Handling Destructive Changes

Coordinate metadata deletion against a Salesforce org via the destructiveChanges manifest. Runs in three phases: scope → validate → execute, with stricter guardrails for production.

Phase 1 — Scope the deletion

Step 1a — Gather the components to remove

Ask the user (or infer from context) which components to delete. For each, capture:

• Metadata type (e.g. CustomObject, CustomField, ApexClass, Flow, PermissionSet)
• API name (e.g. Project__c, Account.Status__c, MyController)

Step 1b — Local dependency scan (best-effort)

Before generating the manifest, scan the local project for references to each component. Use Grep over force-app/:

grep -rn "<componentApiName>" force-app/ --include='*.cls' --include='*.trigger' --include='*.xml' --include='*.js' --include='*.html'

If references are found:

• List them to the user
• Recommend either updating those references first OR removing them in the same destructive deploy
• Do NOT proceed silently — surface the dependency risk

Step 1c — Generate destructiveChanges.xml

Write to manifest/destructiveChangesPre.xml (for pre-deploy deletion) or manifest/destructiveChangesPost.xml (for post-deploy deletion). Use the standard Salesforce metadata format:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Package xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata">
    <types>
        <members>Project__c</members>
        <members>OldThing__c</members>
        <name>CustomObject</name>
    </types>
    <types>
        <members>Account.Status__c</members>
        <name>CustomField</name>
    </types>
    <version>62.0</version>
</Package>

Use the API version from sfdx-project.json's sourceApiVersion.

Group components by metadata type (one <types> block per type). For namespaced fields, use Object.Field notation.

Phase 2 — Validate

ALWAYS validate before executing a destructive deploy:

sf project deploy validate \
  --pre-destructive-changes manifest/destructiveChangesPre.xml \
  --manifest manifest/package.xml \
  --target-org <alias> \
  --test-level RunLocalTests \
  --json

(For post-destructive: use --post-destructive-changes.)

If package.xml doesn't exist, create an empty one alongside (deletion-only deploy needs a package descriptor):

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Package xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata">
    <version>62.0</version>
</Package>

If validation fails, surface errors and STOP. Common failure modes:

• "Cannot delete: referenced by Apex/Flow/Layout" → component still has references
• "Cannot delete: required for license" → managed-package or license dependency
• "Insufficient access" → user lacks delete permission

Phase 3 — Execute

Production path

Confirm whether the target is production before executing. The reliable check is the gate's classifier (returns production|sandbox|scratch|trial|devhub|unknown):

sf org display --target-org <alias> --json | "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/sf-deploy-gate" classify

If the classifier returns production:

1. Display destructive confirmation banner (mirroring platform-quick-deploy)
2. List EVERY component that will be deleted
3. Require explicit "yes, delete from PRODUCTION" confirmation
4. Reject --purge-on-delete unless the user types it explicitly

The PreToolUse hook (sf-deploy-gate destructive) will already block bare destructive commands against prod — surface that denial to the user, do not work around it.

Sandbox / Scratch path

sf project deploy start \
  --pre-destructive-changes manifest/destructiveChangesPre.xml \
  --manifest manifest/package.xml \
  --target-org <alias> \
  --json \
  --wait 30

Add --purge-on-delete only if the user explicitly asked to permanently delete (skip the recycle bin).

Phase 4 — Post-delete cleanup

After a successful destructive deploy:

• Recommend a sf project retrieve start --metadata <Type>:<Name> is NOT useful (component is gone) — instead suggest cleaning up the local source:

  # Remove the now-deleted local files to keep source tracking accurate
  rm -rf force-app/main/default/<path-to-component>
  

• If deleting a custom field with data, remind the user that data is gone (or in the recycle bin until purged)
• Recommend running tests to confirm no runtime regressions

Rules

• ALWAYS validate first; NEVER skip Phase 2
• ALWAYS scan for local references; NEVER delete blindly
• ALWAYS gate production with explicit user confirmation
• NEVER add --purge-on-delete without explicit user request
• NEVER use --ignore-errors on a destructive deploy
• ALWAYS use the API version from sfdx-project.json, not a hardcoded value
• If the user is deleting a field with required="true" or that's used in RecordType picklist values, surface the cascade impact before proceeding