[power-automate][Bug] update_flow/edit_flow can't apply any edit to a Dataverse-solution flow once a connector action uses a connectionReferences alias

[Augus611]

Plugin

power-automate

Plugin Version

3.0.1

Skill / Command

N/A (MCP tools: update_flow, edit_flow)

Bug Description

Both update_flow and edit_flow fail to resolve a connector action's connection when the action's inputs.host.connectionName is a positional alias (e.g. shared_smtp-1) that's mapped to the real connection through the flow's connectionReferences — which is the standard shape the Power Automate designer itself produces for connector actions in Dataverse-solution-backed cloud flows (confirmed by inspecting other existing flows in the same environment using the identical <connector>-N alias pattern). Instead of dereferencing the alias through connectionReferences to find the real connector, both tools appear to treat the alias literally as if it were a connector/connection name.

Severity note: this blocks any further edit — via either tool — to an existing Dataverse-solution flow that already has one connector action wired the normal way, not just edits to that action. A trivial, unrelated addition (e.g. a plain Compose action) fails identically. The only workaround found was to avoid editing such flows through these tools at all.

This may be related to #360 (closed as completed) — that issue covered a different symptom (authentication property rejected on save) in the same general area of solution-flow connector-action handling. This report reproduces cleanly on the currently-installed plugin version, after that fix, so it looks like either a distinct gap in the same code path or a partial regression — no authentication property is involved in this repro at all.

Steps to Reproduce

1. In a Dataverse-solution-backed cloud flow, add a connector action (e.g. an SMTP or similar OpenApiConnection action) through the Power Automate designer UI and save — this provisions a connectionReferences entry keyed by an alias like <connector>-1, referenced from the action via inputs.host.connectionName.
2. Confirm the underlying connection is genuinely connected (e.g. via test_connection with the real connector name and connection id) — it reports connected: true.
3. Call edit_flow (non-dryRun) with any operation, including one that doesn't touch the connector action at all (e.g. adding an unrelated Compose action).
4. Observe the edit is rejected. dryRun: true with the identical operations does NOT hit this and returns a correct preview/diff — the bug is specific to the real-apply path.
5. Alternatively, call update_flow with a full definition replacement reproducing the existing action verbatim (same alias, same authentication block already saved by the designer) — with or without passing connectionRefs — and observe a save failure.

Expected Behavior

The edit applies successfully, since the connection is genuinely connected and the flow definition is unchanged from (or a strict superset of) what the designer itself already saved successfully.

Actual Behavior

edit_flow (real apply), for a change that doesn't touch the connector action:

No connected connection found for shared_smtp-1. Create one with: create-connection --env=<env-id> --connector=shared_smtp-1

update_flow, when connectionRefs is passed attempting to reuse the existing alias:

Flow save failed with code 'WorkflowRunActionInputsInvalidProperty' and message 'The API connection reference 'ap_sharedsmtp_56f20' could not be found for the operation 'Send_Email_V3'.'

(Note: ap_sharedsmtp_56f20 is an auto-generated name the tool appears to synthesize rather than reusing the alias/logical name that was actually supplied or the one the designer already provisioned.)

update_flow, when connectionRefs is omitted entirely:

No connected connection found for shared_smtp-1. Create one with: create-connection --env=<env-id> --connector=shared_smtp-1

Relevant Logs / Screenshots

See Actual Behavior above for the three distinct failure messages observed across both tools.

Environment

• OS: Windows (build 10.0.22631.7517)
• Claude Code version: 2.1.220 (Claude Code)
• PAC CLI: not installed / not used for this work

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🤖 This issue was created using the /report-issue skill.