mcpbeat

Add Connector

microsoft/power-platform-add-connector

Use when adding a Power Platform connector to an Expo/React Native Power Apps mobile app and no dedicated mobile connector skill exists.

3k tokens
context cost
the whole folder, loaded on every use
1
files
instructions only
0
copies elsewhere
how many repositories repackaged it
601
stars on the repo
on the repository, not the skill itself

Install

one command, takes just this skill from the repository
npx skills add https://github.com/microsoft/power-platform-skills --skill add-connector

What it tells the agent to use

found in the instruction text
Grep reads your files

The instruction itself

11 sections, as written by the author

📋 Shared instructions: shared-instructions.md | Connector reference: connector-reference.md — read both first.

Add Connector (Generic)

Fallback skill for any connector not covered by a dedicated /add-* skill. For common connectors, prefer the dedicated skills:

  • /add-dataverse — Dataverse tables
  • /add-sharepoint — SharePoint Online

(More dedicated skills will land in v1: /add-teams, /add-excel, /add-onedrive, /add-azuredevops, /add-office365.)

The native host runtime (@microsoft/power-apps-native-host) handles connector routing, connection resolution, and OAuth consent through PowerAppsProvider in app/_layout.tsx — no separate executor wiring is needed.

Workflow

  • Check Memory Bank → 2. Identify Connector → 3. Add Connector → 4. Inspect & Configure → 5. Build → 6. Update Memory Bank

Step 1 — Check Memory Bank

Check for memory-bank.md per shared-instructions.md.

Also confirm we're inside a Power Apps mobile app:

test -f power.config.json && test -f app.config.js

If either is missing, instruct the user to run /create-mobile-app first and stop.

Step 2 — Identify Connector

If $ARGUMENTS is provided or the caller already specified the connector, use it directly and skip the question below.

Otherwise, ask the user which connector they want to add. Browse available connectors: Connector Reference.

Before proceeding, check if the connector has a dedicated skill. If it does, delegate immediately and STOP:

| Connector API name | Delegate to |

| ----------------------- | ------------------ |

| sharepointonline | /add-sharepoint |

| commondataservice | /add-dataverse |

Invoke the appropriate skill with the same $ARGUMENTS and do not continue this skill's workflow.

Common connector API names:

  • sharepointonline, teams, excelonlinebusiness, onedriveforbusiness
  • azuredevops, azureblob, azurequeues
  • office365, office365users, office365groups
  • sql, commondataservice

Cloud flows are supported by the Power Apps CLI, but they are not connector data sources. If the user wants to invoke an existing Power Automate cloud flow from the app, use the flow-specific commands instead of add-data-source:

npx power-apps list-flows --search '<flow-name-or-keyword>' --json
npx power-apps add-flow --flow-id <flow-guid> --non-interactive

To remove a flow later:

npx power-apps remove-flow --flow-id <flow-guid> --non-interactive

After add-flow, continue at Step 4 and inspect the generated service/model files the same way as connector data sources.

Step 3 — Add Connector

First, get the connection ID or connection reference (see connector-reference.md):

Run the /list-connections skill with the connector API ID (for example shared_office365users). Capture the exact connectionId from create-connection, or the connectionRef from list-connection-references if the caller is solution-aware. If creation cannot complete in the CLI, direct the user to create one using the environment-specific Connections URL — construct it from the active environment ID in context (from power.config.json environmentId or a prior step):

https://make.powerapps.com/environments/<environment-id>/connections+ New connection → search for the connector → Create.

Classify the connector before running add-data-source:

| Connector shape | Examples | Required discovery | Add command |

| --- | --- | --- | --- |

| Action-style connector | Teams, Office 365 Users, Outlook, Azure DevOps | None after connection lookup | npx power-apps add-data-source --api-id <apiId> --connection-id <connectionId> |

| Table-based connector | Excel Online, OneDrive for Business, Azure Blob, SQL, SharePoint if not delegated | list-datasets, then list-tables | npx power-apps add-data-source --api-id <apiId> --connection-id <connectionId> --dataset '<dataset>' --resource-name '<table>' |

| SQL stored procedure | SQL Server | list-datasets, then list-sqlStoredProcedures if needed | npx power-apps add-data-source --api-id shared_sql --connection-id <connectionId> --dataset '<database>' --sql-stored-procedure '<procedure>' |

For action-style connectors, print before starting:

> "→ Running npx power-apps add-data-source for <connector>. ~10–30 seconds (writes generated services + connector schemas)."

Then run:

npx power-apps add-data-source --api-id <apiId> --connection-id <connectionId>

For table-based connectors, discover datasets and tables first:

npx power-apps list-datasets --api-id <apiId> --connection-id <connectionId> --json
npx power-apps list-tables --api-id <apiId> --connection-id <connectionId> --dataset '<dataset>' --json

Present the datasets/tables to the user if they did not specify them. Add one data source per selected table:

npx power-apps add-data-source --api-id <apiId> --connection-id <connectionId> --dataset '<dataset>' --resource-name '<table>'

For SQL stored procedures, discover procedures only when the user asks to invoke a stored procedure rather than a table:

npx power-apps list-sqlStoredProcedures --connection-id <connectionId> --dataset '<database>' --json
npx power-apps add-data-source --api-id shared_sql --connection-id <connectionId> --dataset '<database>' --sql-stored-procedure '<procedure>'

For Dataverse actions/functions rather than tables, discovery is available but this plugin only adds Dataverse table CRUD:

npx power-apps find-dataverse-api --search '<operation-name>' --json

Surface the matching operation metadata and STOP with a clear note that this plugin can add Dataverse table CRUD through /add-dataverse, but does not add Dataverse actions/functions.

If the user actually needs Dataverse table CRUD, stop and delegate to /add-dataverse; do not add Dataverse tables from this generic connector skill.

Parameter reference:

  • --api-id / -a — connector API ID (often shared_<connector>, e.g., shared_office365users). Use the exact value provided by the caller or connector docs.
  • --connection-id / -c — required for non-Dataverse connectors unless using --connection-ref. Get from create-connection, the maker portal, or caller context.
  • --connection-ref / -cr — optional connection reference name when adding into a solution-aware app.
  • --dataset / -d — required for table-based datasources (for example SharePoint site URL, Excel file/location, SQL database).
  • --resource-name / -t — table/list/resource name for table-based datasources.
  • --sql-stored-procedure / -sp — SQL stored procedure name when adding a stored procedure instead of a table.
  • --non-interactive — use only on commands whose required options are fully supplied and whose implementation supports non-interactive omission of optional prompts. Do not add --environment-id to app-root verbs once power.config.json exists.
  • --solution-id / -s — optional solution identifier when the data source should be added to a specific solution.

Step 4 — Inspect & Configure

After adding, inspect the generated files. Generated service files can be very large — use Grep to find specific methods instead of reading the entire file:

Grep pattern="async \w+" path="src/generated/services/<Connector>Service.ts"

Files to check:

  • src/generated/services/<Connector>Service.ts — available operations and their parameters
  • src/generated/models/<Connector>Model.ts — TypeScript interfaces (if generated)
  • .power/schemas/<connector>/ — connector schema and configuration

For each method the user needs:

  • Grep for the method name to find its signature
  • Read just that method's section (use offset and limit parameters on Read)
  • Identify required vs optional parameters and response type

Help the user write code using the generated service methods.

Step 5 — Build

Print before starting:

> "→ Regenerating connector schemas + running tsc to verify the new connector wires in cleanly (~10–20 seconds)."

npx power-apps add-data-source (Step 3) wrote new files into .power/schemas/<connector>/. The connectorSchemas.ts consumed by app/_layout.tsx is now stale — regenerate it before type-checking so the new connector is wired into the runtime schema map:

npm run generate-schemas
npx tsc --noEmit

Fix TypeScript errors before proceeding. Common gotcha: the new generated service may import a peer dependency you don't have installed yet — if so, npx expo install <missing-package> (NOT plain npm install, so versions stay Expo-compatible).

Do NOT deploy yet — that's /deploy's job after all data sources are added.

Step 6 — Update Memory Bank

Update memory-bank.md with: connector added, configured operations, build status.

Remove a data source or flow

If the user asks to remove a connector/table/stored procedure that this skill added, use the matching Power Apps CLI command with explicit arguments:

npx power-apps delete-data-source --api-id <apiId> --data-source-name '<data-source-or-table-name>' --non-interactive
npx power-apps delete-data-source --api-id shared_sql --data-source-name '<procedure>' --sql-stored-procedure '<procedure>' --non-interactive
npx power-apps remove-flow --flow-id <flow-guid> --non-interactive

Then run npm run generate-schemas and npx tsc --noEmit before reporting success.

Runtime connector handling

The native host runtime handles all connector routing automatically via PowerAppsProvider in app/_layout.tsx. When a screen calls a generated service method:

  • PowerAppsProvider resolves the connection from connectionReferences in power.config.json
  • If the connection requires OAuth consent, ConnectionSetupScreen is shown automatically
  • NativePowerAppsBridge dispatches the call with the correct auth token

No separate executor or provider wiring is needed — Dataverse and non-Dataverse connectors use the same unified pipeline.

Notes

  • Generated files in src/generated/ are produced directly by npx power-apps add-data-source. Differences in behavior come from runtime wiring in this mobile plugin.
  • This skill never modifies app.config.js or playerConfig.ts — connector discovery is dynamic at runtime.

How to use it

Copy the folder

Take microsoft/power-platform-add-connector from the repository into ~/.claude/skills for personal use, or into .claude/skills inside a project.

Check the name does not clash

The agent identifies a skill by the name field in its header. Two skills with the same name cannot sit side by side — one of them will be ignored.

Install what it needs

The instructions reference npm, npx. Without those the skill loads but fails at the first command.