CLI Parameter Resolution Order

Salesforce CLI resolves command-line flags and arguments, definition files, environment variables, and settings in this order, which means items at the top of the list take precedence over items lower down:

• Command-line flags such as --target-org.
• Options listed in a file specified at the command line. An example is a scratch org definition in a file, which you specify with the --definition-file flag of org create scratch. If you specify a flag at the command line, such as --edition, whose value differs from what exists in the definition file, the command-line flag takes precedence.
• Environment variables, such as SF_TARGET_ORG.
• Local configuration variables, such as target-org or target-dev-hub. To view the local configuration variables, run sf config list from your project directory.
• Global CLI configuration variables. To view the global configuration variables, run sf config list --global from any directory.

Remember, command-line flags are at the top of the precedence list. For example, let’s say you set the SF_TARGET_ORG environment variable to myorg@mydomain.com. If you specify --target-org myotherorg@myotherdomain.com when you run a command, it connects to an org with the myotherorg@myotherdomain.com username.

Similarly, let’s say you set the configuration variable target-org to myorg@mydomain.com. If you specify --target-org myotherorg@myotherdomain.com when you run a command, you connect to an org with the myotherorg@myotherdomain.com username.