Add profile app visibility assignment to Salesforce MCP tools
Resolved 💬 2 comments Opened Nov 23, 2025 by CharlesCage Closed Nov 23, 2025
Feature Request
Add ability to assign custom app visibility to Salesforce profiles programmatically.
Problem
When creating a custom Salesforce application, the app must be assigned to user profiles for visibility. Currently, there's no MCP tool to do this, requiring manual UI steps:
- Setup → Profiles → [Profile Name] → Edit
- Scroll to "Custom App Settings"
- Check "Visible" for the app
- Save
This breaks the automation flow and requires user intervention every time an app is created.
Current Workaround
# Create app successfully
create_app(appName="Pet_Adoption", label="Pet Adoption", tabs=[...])
# ❌ Can't assign to profile - must tell user:
# "Go to Setup → Profiles → System Administrator → Edit →
# Custom App Settings → Check 'Pet Adoption' Visible → Save"
Proposed Solution
Add new MCP tool or extend existing profile tools:
Option 1: New dedicated tool
mcp__salesforce-metadata__assign_app_to_profile(
appName="Pet_Adoption",
profileName="System Administrator",
visible=True,
default=False # Optional: make it the default app
)
Option 2: Extend update_metadata for Profile
mcp__salesforce-metadata__update_metadata(
metadataType="Profile",
fullName="Admin",
updates={
"applicationVisibilities": [
{
"application": "Pet_Adoption",
"visible": True,
"default": False
}
]
}
)
Option 3: Extend create_app to include profile assignments
mcp__salesforce-metadata__create_app(
appName="Pet_Adoption",
label="Pet Adoption",
tabs=[...],
assignToProfiles=["System Administrator", "Standard User"] # ← New param
)
Technical Details
Metadata API approach:
- Profile metadata contains
applicationVisibilitiesarray - Each entry has:
application,visible,defaultfields - Need to read existing profile, modify applicationVisibilities, deploy
Example Profile metadata structure:
<Profile>
<applicationVisibilities>
<application>Pet_Adoption</application>
<visible>true</visible>
<default>false</default>
</applicationVisibilities>
</Profile>
User Impact
High - Affects every custom app creation workflow:
- Breaks automation flow
- Requires manual UI intervention
- Confusing for users (app created but invisible)
- Time-consuming troubleshooting
Related Issues
- #12213 - Lightning Experience formFactors best practice
- Impacts all users creating custom Salesforce apps via MCP
Acceptance Criteria
- [ ] Can assign app visibility to specific profiles programmatically
- [ ] Can set default app for profile
- [ ] Works for multiple profiles at once
- [ ] Doesn't overwrite other profile settings
- [ ] Returns clear success/error messages
References
- Salesforce Profile Metadata API: https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.api_meta.meta/api_meta/meta_profile.htm
- ApplicationVisibility type: https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.api_meta.meta/api_meta/meta_profileapplicationvisibility.htm
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