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Introduction:
The Power Platform ecosystem is undergoing a fundamental architectural shift. As Nick Doelman and other Microsoft MVPs have been highlighting, we are moving decisively into an “agent-first” era where AI agents and natural language become the primary interface for development. This transformation demands new workflows—and new tools. PACX (Greg.Xrm.Command), an open-source command-line utility belt for Dataverse, has emerged as the essential bridge between traditional Power Platform development and this agent-driven future, extending the capabilities of Microsoft’s PAC CLI with over 100 commands designed specifically for developers who prefer to work from the terminal.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand how PACX complements and extends Microsoft’s PAC CLI for Dataverse automation
- Master the complete data CRUD suite including the unified query command (FetchXML, SQL, OData)
- Implement custom API lifecycle management and solution component governance from the terminal
- Configure naming conventions and organizational settings at scale
- Position CLI-based workflows within the agent-first development paradigm
You Should Know:
1. PACX Installation and Core Architecture
PACX is distributed as a .NET global tool via NuGet, making it accessible across Windows, Linux, and macOS environments. The installation process is straightforward:
Install PACX globally dotnet tool install -g Greg.Xrm.Command Update to the latest version dotnet tool update -g Greg.Xrm.Command Verify installation pacx --version
The tool is built with a plugin-based architecture inspired by XrmToolBox, meaning developers can extend its capabilities by creating custom commands packaged as DLLs. This extensibility model allows organizations to build private tooling that addresses their specific Dataverse automation needs without waiting for upstream feature additions.
One of PACX’s most significant improvements over the base PAC CLI is its authentication handling. While PAC CLI requires setting a default authentication profile that can be cumbersome when switching between client environments, PACX checks for updates in the background and can auto-update itself. To disable auto-update:
pacx !config disableAutoUpdate
To re-enable:
pacx !config enableAutoUpdate
PACX also offers an interactive mode that provides command tree navigation, search functionality, inline help, and colorized output—making it accessible even for developers who are not terminal power users:
pacx --interactive
- The Data CRUD Suite: Query, Create, Update, Delete
The most transformative addition to PACX in 2026 is the complete data CRUD suite. Riccardo Gregori built this after encountering reliability issues with the Dataverse MCP server while attempting basic record operations. The crown jewel is the `pacx data query` command, which accepts a single `-q` flag with your query—whether it’s FetchXML, SQL, or OData—and automatically detects the type, routes it to the appropriate engine, and returns a normalized result set.
FetchXML Query Example:
pacx data query -q "<fetch><entity name='account'><attribute name='name'/></entity></fetch>"
SQL Query Example:
pacx data query -q "SELECT name, accountnumber FROM account WHERE statecode = 0"
OData Query Example:
pacx data query -q "accounts?$select=name,accountnumber&$filter=statecode eq 0"
The CRUD operations follow a consistent pattern:
Create a record pacx data create --table account --fields "name=Contoso Ltd,accountnumber=CON001" Update a record pacx data update --table account --id "account-id" --fields "name=Contoso International" Delete a record pacx data delete --table account --id "account-id"
The query command supports paging with `–top` and `–page` parameters, and output can be formatted as JSON with full record metadata. This unified approach eliminates the need to remember different syntaxes for different query languages—PACX handles the translation internally.
3. Custom API Lifecycle Management
Custom APIs represent one of Dataverse’s most powerful extensibility mechanisms, allowing developers to define business logic that can be called from Power Apps, Power Automate, and external applications. PACX now provides full lifecycle management for Custom APIs, all from the terminal.
The workflow typically involves:
Creating a Custom API:
pacx customapi create --1ame "CalculateDiscount" --displayname "Calculate Discount" --description "Calculates discount based on order amount"
Binding the API to a solution:
pacx customapi bind --api "CalculateDiscount" --solution "MySolution"
Running the API:
pacx customapi run --api "CalculateDiscount" --parameters '{"OrderAmount": 1500.00}'
Evolving the contract:
pacx customapi update --api "CalculateDiscount" --add-parameter "CustomerType" --type "String"
This command group effectively replaces the need to open the Plug-in Registration Tool or navigate through the Maker Portal for Custom API operations. The terminal-based approach enables these operations to be scripted and incorporated into CI/CD pipelines, ensuring that API definitions remain in sync with source control.
4. Solution Component Management and Governance
PACX provides comprehensive solution component management capabilities that address a common pain point: reorganizing and auditing components within solutions. The solution namespace includes commands for moving components between solutions, reorganizing structure, and generating audit reports:
List all components in a solution pacx solution components --solution "MySolution" Move a component to another solution pacx solution move --component "account" --type "entity" --from "OldSolution" --to "NewSolution" Generate an audit report of solution components pacx solution audit --solution "MySolution" --output "audit.json"
The customizable naming conventions feature allows teams to configure naming rules once and enforce them across all environments:
pacx naming configure --rule "table_prefix=contoso_" --rule "column_suffix=_c" pacx naming enforce --solution "MySolution"
This governance capability is particularly valuable for organizations managing multiple environments and development teams, as it codifies best practices and prevents naming drift.
5. Organization, Language, and User Settings at Scale
Managing organization settings, language packs, and user configurations across multiple environments has historically required either manual UI work or complex PowerShell scripts. PACX introduces command groups that streamline these administrative tasks:
Organization Settings:
View current organization settings pacx org settings list Update a specific setting pacx org settings set --1ame "AllowCalendarReminders" --value "true"
Language Management:
List installed languages pacx language list Install a new language pack pacx language install --locale "fr-FR" Set default language pacx language set-default --locale "en-US"
User Settings at Scale:
Apply a setting to all users pacx user settings apply --setting "timezone" --value "Eastern Standard Time" --all Apply to a specific user pacx user settings apply --user "[email protected]" --setting "locale" --value "fr-FR"
These commands transform what were once time-consuming administrative tasks into simple, repeatable operations that can be version-controlled and automated.
6. AI-Ready Architecture for the Agent-First Era
The most strategic aspect of PACX is its positioning within the agent-first development paradigm. CLI tools are inherently well-suited for AI-driven automation because large language models and AI agents can invoke command-line interfaces programmatically with far greater ease than they can interact with graphical UIs.
As Microsoft’s 2026 release wave continues to position Power Platform around AI-assisted apps and agent capabilities, PACX serves as the connective tissue between human developers and AI agents. The tool’s architecture enables:
- CI/CD Integration: PACX runs in headless environments (servers, containers, build agents) and integrates seamlessly with Azure DevOps and GitHub Actions
- Agent Orchestration: AI agents can invoke PACX commands to perform Dataverse operations without requiring UI interaction
- Configuration as Code: Every PACX operation produces structured, auditable logs that can be versioned alongside application code
The Dataverse MCP server provides similar data operations but comes with licensing considerations and is not enabled by default. PACX offers a free, open-source alternative that provides more control and doesn’t incur Copilot credit costs for basic operations.
What Undercode Say:
- PACX represents a philosophical shift from UI-driven to CLI-driven development—it’s not just about automation but about fundamentally changing how developers interact with the Power Platform. The ability to chain commands, script complex workflows, and integrate with CI/CD pipelines transforms the developer experience from point-and-click to code-first.
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The agent-first era demands CLI-first tooling—as AI agents become the primary interface for development, tools that expose rich command-line surfaces become essential. PACX’s extensibility and AI-ready architecture position it as the natural integration point for AI-powered workflows on top of Power Platform.
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PACX addresses real developer pain points that Microsoft’s official tools overlook—from authentication friction when switching between environments to the inability to perform Custom API lifecycle management from the terminal. The community-driven development model ensures that features align with actual developer needs.
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The unified query command (FetchXML, SQL, OData) is a game-changer—eliminating the need to remember multiple syntaxes and providing normalized output regardless of query type dramatically reduces cognitive load and accelerates development.
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Governance and scale are finally achievable from the command line—the ability to enforce naming conventions, manage user settings across thousands of users, and audit solution components programmatically brings enterprise-grade governance to Power Platform development.
Prediction:
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+1 PACX will become the de facto standard for Power Platform developers who prioritize terminal-based workflows, potentially influencing Microsoft’s roadmap for the official PAC CLI as the community demonstrates what’s possible.
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+1 The gap between PACX and the Dataverse MCP server will narrow, with PACX potentially adding MCP server capabilities or becoming the recommended CLI for MCP-integrated workflows.
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-1 Organizations that fail to adopt CLI-first tooling for Power Platform will struggle to keep pace with the agent-first paradigm shift, as AI agents and automation increasingly require programmatic interfaces.
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+1 The PACX extensibility model will spawn an ecosystem of community-contributed tools and commands, similar to what XrmToolBox achieved for GUI-based Power Platform development.
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-1 Microsoft may introduce licensing or feature restrictions that impact PACX’s ability to interact with certain Dataverse APIs, though the open-source nature of the project makes adaptation likely.
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+1 As AI coding assistants (GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, etc.) become more sophisticated, PACX commands will increasingly be generated by AI, accelerating the shift toward natural language-driven Power Platform development.
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+1 The demand for PACX-like tooling will grow across other Microsoft platforms (Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations, Business Central), potentially inspiring similar open-source projects.
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