platform-encryption-configure

name	platform-encryption-configure
description	Configure Salesforce Shield Platform Encryption — generate deployable encryption settings and encrypted-field metadata, and answer key-model and lifecycle questions. TRIGGER when: user wants to turn on deterministic encryption, encrypt a field, set up Cache-Only Keys, External Key Management, or replay detection, or mentions Shield Platform Encryption, encryption at rest, deterministic vs probabilistic encryption, encryptionScheme, PlatformEncryptionSettings, EncryptionKeySettings, BYOK, BYOKMS, tenant secrets, key rotation, or .settings-meta.xml / .field-meta.xml for encryption — even when they don't say 'Shield'. SKIP when: user needs a generic custom field with no encryption (use platform-custom-field-generate), needs the raw Metadata API type reference (use platform-metadata-api-context-get), or asks about Classic Encryption (encrypted text fields), which is a different feature. Use this skill for any Platform Encryption configuration, field-encryption, or key-model question.
metadata	{"version":"1.0","minApiVersion":"62.0","relatedSkills":["platform-custom-field-generate","platform-metadata-api-context-get"]}

Configure Platform Encryption

Configures Salesforce Shield Platform Encryption by generating the metadata that turns it on and choosing the right settings: which encryption scheme a field should use, which key-management model fits a requirement, and how the tenant-secret lifecycle works. This is a hybrid skill — it emits deployable *.settings-meta.xml / *.field-meta.xml where Platform Encryption exposes a real Metadata API surface, and returns grounded guidance where the operation is UI/REST-only.

Scope

• In scope: choosing and applying encryptionScheme on a field; enabling deterministic encryption, Cache-Only Keys, External Key Management, and replay detection via PlatformEncryptionSettings / EncryptionKeySettings; explaining BYOK / BYOKMS / EKM / Cache-Only key models; tenant-secret rotation and destruction semantics; the query behavior of encrypted fields.
• Out of scope: a plain custom field with no encryption (use platform-custom-field-generate); the raw Metadata API field reference (use platform-metadata-api-context-get); Classic Encryption (EncryptedText fields) — that is a separate, legacy feature; deploying/pushing metadata to an org (that belongs to a deploy lifecycle skill).

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Required Inputs

Gather or infer before proceeding:

• Question type: is the user asking for a deployable artifact (a settings file, an encrypted field) or guidance (which model, what happens when I rotate a key)? Deployable → generate XML from assets/. Guidance → answer from references/. A question is guidance whenever the ask is to explain, confirm, or compare — "is that right?", "what's the relationship?", "can we…?", "is there an ordering requirement?", "explain the difference between X and Y", "which key model should we use?" — even if the user also says they are about to write, deploy, or author settings themselves. The user writing settings is their action; it does not make the skill's deliverable a file. Only an explicit "generate / create / give me the file / here is my field, encrypt it" is an artifact request.
• Key-model choice questions are guidance, not deployable metadata. "Explain BYOK vs external key management / BYOKMS / EKM / Cache-Only", "which one keeps key material out of Salesforce?", "should we use BYOK or EKM?" → answer them in a single markdown answer file (the guidance write-up), not a deployable *.settings-meta.xml. Naming the enabling setting in that answer (e.g. canExternalKeyManagement, enableCacheOnlyKeys) does NOT turn it into a settings artifact — cite the field name inline in the answer file; do not emit an EncryptionKey.settings-meta.xml unless the user explicitly says "generate/create the settings file."
• Field encryption target (for field work): the object and field API name, and whether the user needs to filter, sort, or group on the field (drives deterministic vs probabilistic).
• Key model (for key work): whether keys are Salesforce-derived (default), customer-supplied (BYOK), stored in an external KMS (BYOKMS/EKM), or fetched on demand (Cache-Only).

If the request is clear, generate or answer immediately — do not interrogate the user.

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Workflow

1. Classify the request — deployable artifact vs guidance, using the Required Inputs above. Then scope the output to exactly what was asked:

   • A guidance question produces exactly one markdown answer file — a single file (e.g. answer.md) containing the full written diagnosis/explanation — and nothing else. Do not also emit a *.settings-meta.xml, a *.field-meta.xml, or a second helper doc. This covers every "what happens when…?", "how do I…?", "which model…?", "is X right…?", "can we…?", "what's the relationship / ordering…?" question, including query-behavior and Cache-Only/replay questions. A clause like "before I write our settings" or "before I author the file" describes the user's next step and does NOT turn the question into a deployable-metadata request — write the answer file, not a settings file.
   • Naming a metadata change in a guidance answer does NOT mean emitting the deployable file for it. A remediation or diagnosis question — "how do I make the field queryable?", "why did my query fail and how do I fix it?", "which key model keeps material out of Salesforce?" — is answered inside the one markdown answer file, naming the relevant element/scheme inline (e.g. "switch to a Deterministic* scheme and enable enableDeterministicEncryption", or "use External Key Management — canExternalKeyManagement"). Do not additionally materialize a *.field-meta.xml or *.settings-meta.xml to demonstrate that change — mentioning the element in the answer is the complete deliverable. Produce a deployable metadata file only when the user explicitly says generate/create/give me the field or settings file.
   • An artifact request gets only the specific metadata file(s) named — do not add a DEPLOYMENT_GUIDE.md, README.md, an EXPLANATION.md, an org-settings file, or any companion artifact the user did not ask for.
   • If a deploy step or org setting is a prerequisite, state it inside the one answer file (for guidance) or in a code comment inside the one artifact (for an artifact request) — never as an extra file.

2. For field encryption — read references/encryption-schemes.md to choose the scheme, then load as the starting template. Set to exactly one of the four valid enum values (see the reference). Only schemes are filterable.

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Rules / Constraints

Constraint	Rationale
encryptionScheme must be exactly one of CaseInsensitiveDeterministicEncryption, CaseSensitiveDeterministicEncryption, None, ProbabilisticEncryption	These are the only values the Metadata API accepts (CustomField, API 44.0+); any other string fails deployment.
Set enableReplayDetection only when enableCacheOnlyKeys is true	The contract is "Requires enableCacheOnlyKeys=true before setting enableReplayDetection to true" — a one-way dependency.
Use deterministic schemes only when the field must be filtered, sorted, or grouped	Probabilistic is stronger but non-filterable; deterministic trades some cryptographic strength for queryability.
Never claim a filter/sort/group on a probabilistically-encrypted field silently returns zero rows	The platform rejects the query with INVALID_FIELD (see gotchas); telling the user it "returns nothing" is factually wrong.
Do not emit enableExternalKeyManagement — the field is canExternalKeyManagement	The WSDL element is canExternalKeyManagement; the sample in some docs uses a non-existent element name.
Transactional-DB, EKM, and Data 360 key fields require API 63.0+	canEncryptTransactionalDatabase, canExternalKeyManagement, canManageDataCloudKeys were introduced in 63.0.
A guidance question produces exactly one markdown answer file — never a deployable *.settings-meta.xml / *.field-meta.xml, and never a second doc	The answer file is the user's reference document — it persists in the workspace and can be shared or revised. Emitting a deployable metadata file for a guidance question is unsolicited configuration that could be accidentally applied; emitting no file leaves the user without a tangible deliverable.
An artifact request emits only the metadata file(s) asked for — no companion files	Adding a DEPLOYMENT_GUIDE.md/README.md/ or an extra file the user didn't request is noise. Prerequisites belong in a code comment inside the artifact, not a second file.

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Gotchas

Issue	Resolution
Filtering/sorting/grouping on a probabilistically-encrypted field	The query is rejected with INVALID_FIELD: "field '' can not be sorted / filtered / grouped in a query call." Switch the field to a deterministic scheme if queryability is required.
Assuming Cache-Only Keys auto-enables replay detection	It does not. Set enableReplayDetection explicitly, and only after enableCacheOnlyKeys=true.
Case sensitivity in deterministic matching	CaseSensitiveDeterministicEncryption matches exact case; CaseInsensitiveDeterministicEncryption normalizes case. Choosing wrong silently breaks equality filters.
Confusing BYOK with BYOKMS/EKM	BYOK = you upload key material Salesforce stores; BYOKMS/EKM = key material stays in your external KMS. See references/key-models.md.
Using enableExternalKeyManagement element name	Wrong element. The field is canExternalKeyManagement.
Classic Encryption vs Shield	encryptionScheme is Shield only. EncryptedText custom fields are the legacy Classic feature and out of scope.

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Output Expectations

Deliverables depend on the request — produce exactly these and nothing more:

• Guidance questions produce exactly ONE markdown answer file. Any "what happens when…", "how do I…", "which model…", "is X right…" question — including encrypted-field query behavior, Cache-Only/replay-detection relationships, tenant-secret / BYOK / Cache-Only lifecycle, and key-model choices — is answered by writing a single markdown file (e.g. answer.md) that fully captures the diagnosis/explanation. Do not additionally emit a deployable *.settings-meta.xml / *.field-meta.xml or a second doc, and do not answer with no file at all — the answer file is the user's persistent reference document.
• Field encryption artifact: only the *.field-meta.xml with encryptionScheme set, written at objects/<ObjectApiName>/fields/<FieldApiName>__c.field-meta.xml. Not a settings file, not a deploy guide. Pick <type> to match the request: Text for a string field up to 255 chars; LongTextArea only when the field must exceed 255 chars (256+). "Long text … up to 255 characters" is a Text field, not LongTextArea. Strip the template's instructional comment block from the delivered file — ship clean metadata. Keep the accompanying chat prose tight — one or two sentences naming the scheme chosen and why (e.g. "ProbabilisticEncryption — strongest at-rest protection; the field can't be filtered/sorted/grouped, which matches your no-query requirement"). Do not restate the whole prompt, enumerate every scheme, or add setup/deployment walkthroughs; the deliverable is the file, not an essay.
• Org settings artifact: only the settings file the request needs, at settings/<member>.settings-meta.xml named after its Metadata API member — settings/PlatformEncryption.settings-meta.xml (root <PlatformEncryptionSettings>) and/or settings/EncryptionKey.settings-meta.xml (root <EncryptionKeySettings>). Do not name the file after the root element, and do not drop it at the repo root.

Do not add companion files (DEPLOYMENT_GUIDE.md, README.md, an extra org-settings file) that the user did not ask for — state prerequisites in a code comment inside the artifact, or inside the single answer file for guidance. File structure follows the templates in assets/.

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Cross-Skill Integration

Need	Delegate to
A custom field with no encryption	platform-custom-field-generate
The raw Metadata API type/field reference	platform-metadata-api-context-get

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Reference File Index

File	When to read
assets/encrypted-field.field-meta.xml	Before generating an encrypted custom field
assets/PlatformEncryption.settings-meta.xml	Before generating org encryption-policy settings (member PlatformEncryption)
assets/EncryptionKey.settings-meta.xml	Before generating key-management settings — Cache-Only, EKM, Data 360 (member EncryptionKey)
references/encryption-schemes.md	When choosing deterministic vs probabilistic, or explaining encrypted-field query behavior
references/key-models.md	When configuring or explaining BYOK / BYOKMS / EKM / Cache-Only key models
references/tenant-secret-lifecycle.md	When the user asks about key rotation, destruction, or BYOK upload
examples/cache-only-keys.settings-meta.xml	To verify a generated Cache-Only key-settings file
scripts/validate-encryption-metadata.sh	After generating any settings XML — validates the replay dependency and scheme enum