CommunitiesSettings Metadata Type in SFDX

Architectural Overview#

The CommunitiesSettings metadata type (Communities.settings-meta.xml) is the org-wide foundation for Salesforce Experience Cloud (formerly Communities). Before a single Network or ExperienceBundle can be deployed to an org, enableNetworksEnabled in CommunitiesSettings must be true.

Beyond basic Experience Cloud enablement, CommunitiesSettings controls critical security and sharing architecture boundaries across all sites in the org—including whether records created by unauthenticated Guest Users are automatically reassigned to an internal owner (enableGuestRecordReassignOrgPref), whether external users are restricted by Account Role Optimization (ARO) and role depth, and whether Partner Super User access (enablePartnerSuperUserAccess) is permitted.

Directory Location and File Suffix#

In Salesforce DX projects, CommunitiesSettings is stored in the settings directory as Communities.settings-meta.xml.

Key Metadata Fields#

The following table highlights the most architecturally significant fields on CommunitiesSettings in API version 68.0 (Winter ’27):

Declarative Metadata Example#

The following Communities.settings-meta.xml enables Experience Cloud, enforces Guest User record reassignment (<enableGuestRecordReassignOrgPref>true</enableGuestRecordReassignOrgPref>), and enables OWD-based external user visibility:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<CommunitiesSettings xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata">
    <canModerateAllFeedPosts>true</canModerateAllFeedPosts>
    <enableCommunityWorkspaces>true</enableCommunityWorkspaces>
    <enableGuestRecordReassignOrgPref>true</enableGuestRecordReassignOrgPref>
    <enableNetworksEnabled>true</enableNetworksEnabled>
    <enableOwdBasedExtUserVisibility>true</enableOwdBasedExtUserVisibility>
    <enablePartnerSuperUserAccess>true</enablePartnerSuperUserAccess>
</CommunitiesSettings>

Package Manifest (package.xml)#

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Package xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata">
    <types>
        <members>Communities</members>
        <name>Settings</name>
    </types>
    <version>68.0</version>
</Package>

SFDX CLI Retrieval and Deployment#

Retrieve and deploy CommunitiesSettings using the Salesforce CLI (sf):

# Retrieve CommunitiesSettings into force-app/main/default/settings/Communities.settings-meta.xml
sf project retrieve start --metadata Settings:Communities

# Deploy CommunitiesSettings to the target org
sf project deploy start --metadata Settings:Communities

Architect Best Practices and Gotchas#

• Deployment Order in CI/CD: Always ensure Settings:Communities is enabled in your project-scratch-def.json ("communitiesSettings": { "enableNetworksEnabled": true }) or deployed before Network, CustomSite, CMSConnectSource, and ExperienceBundle metadata.
• External Sharing & User Visibility: Enabling enableOwdBasedExtUserVisibility recalculates external user visibility across portals. Schedule changes to this setting during off-peak maintenance windows in orgs with ratusan thousands of Customer Community Plus or Partner Community users.

Frequently asked questions

How is CommunitiesSettings referenced in package.xml and SFDX source format?

In package.xml, specify Settings as the type and Communities as the member, which maps to force-app/main/default/settings/Communities.settings-meta.xml.

Can enableNetworksEnabled be disabled once Experience Cloud is turned on?

No. Once enableNetworksEnabled is set to true in an org, it is permanent and cannot be disabled via Metadata API or Setup.

What does numberOfPartnerUserRoles control in CommunitiesSettings?

Wait—in Experience Cloud, partner account role hierarchy depth (1, 2, or 3 roles: Executive, Manager, User) is governed at the org level, directly impacting total role count governor limits.

How does CommunitiesSettings affect Guest User record ownership and security?

CommunitiesSettings includes org-wide guest user security flags such as enableGuestRecordReassignOrgPref, which automatically reassigns records created by guest users to a default internal owner.