Cannot retrieve or deploy using new sf CLI on production: source tracking not enabled?

[zqstack]

Summary

When I run sf project retrieve start on a production Org, it says:

Error (1): This command can only be used on orgs that have source tracking enabled, such as sandboxes and scratch orgs
Is there a way to retrieve all project files locally from a production environment? Is this possible using the Salesforce CLI?

Or for sf project deploy preview --metadata x:x it shows
Error (1): This org does not have source tracking

On my sandbox this solve the issue, but I would like to do the same on production if possible in any way.

When using the old and deprecated sfdx force:source:retrieve no error is shown.

Steps To Reproduce

Running these commands on a production Org:
sf project retrieve start
or
sf project deploy preview --metadata x:x

I don't know how to simulate a production environment without giving my credentials.

Expected result

Retrieve / Deploy without errors.

Actual result

Errors were shown as described.

System Information

Using Git Bash on Windows.

sf version --verbose --json:

{
  "architecture": "win32-x64",
  "cliVersion": "@salesforce/cli/2.26.10",
  "nodeVersion": "node-v20.10.0",
  "osVersion": "Windows_NT 10.0.22631",
  "rootPath": "C:\\Program Files\\sf\\client",
  "shell": "C:\\Program Files\\Git\\usr\\bin\\bash.exe",
  "pluginVersions": [
    "@oclif/plugin-autocomplete 3.0.5 (core)",
    "@oclif/plugin-commands 3.1.1 (core)",
    "@oclif/plugin-help 6.0.12 (core)",
    "@oclif/plugin-not-found 3.0.9 (core)",
    "@oclif/plugin-plugins 4.1.21 (core)",
    "@oclif/plugin-search 1.0.12 (core)",
    "@oclif/plugin-update 4.1.8 (core)",
    "@oclif/plugin-version 2.0.11 (core)",
    "@oclif/plugin-warn-if-update-available 3.0.9 (core)",
    "@oclif/plugin-which 3.0.15 (core)",
    "@salesforce/cli 2.26.10 (core)",
    "apex 3.0.20 (core)",
    "auth 3.3.3 (core)",
    "data 3.0.17 (core)",
    "deploy-retrieve 3.2.6 (core)",
    "info 3.0.18 (core)",
    "limits 3.1.5 (core)",
    "marketplace 1.0.18 (core)",
    "org 3.3.8 (core)",
    "packaging 2.1.3 (core)",
    "schema 3.1.0 (core)",
    "settings 2.0.19 (core)",
    "sobject 1.1.3 (core)",
    "source 3.1.6 (core)",
    "telemetry 3.1.10 (core)",
    "templates 56.0.11 (core)",
    "trust 3.3.2 (core)",
    "user 3.2.4 (core)"
  ]
}

[github-actions]

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[mshanemc]

sf project retrieve start (with no flags) will try to retrieve the changes, and requires source tracking.

Is there a way to retrieve all project files locally from a production environment? Is this possible using the Salesforce CLI?

I'm assuming that you have "all project files"? Otherwise, how would the CLI know which files you want?
sf project retrieve start --source-dir [wherever your project files are

or sf project retrieve start --metadata x to get all the metadata of one or more types if you know what you want.

If you mean, "I have no project but I want to dump the whole org out" you can use sf project generate manifest --from-org which will try to ask the org what all metadata it has, and make that a package.xml. You could then pass that package.xml to sf project retrieve start --manifest and it would retrieve most everything. [this results in a LOT of metadata, much of which you probably don't want, and some of it might not even be deployable]

we're working to come up with a better solution for this scenario, see #2040

[nishithcv]

Hi @mshanemc , I have enabled source tracking in my free dev org and I have tried the command sf project deploy preview but it says the tracking is not enabled in my dev org. Is it that the source tracking is only enabled in the scratch orgs that I create from free dev org and not in the dev org itself?

[mshanemc]

all scratch orgs support tracking

I have enabled source tracking in my free dev org
did you toggle a switch that says Enable Source Tracking in Developer and Developer Pro Sandboxes ? If so, that turns it on for those sandbox types create from the org.

as far as I know, developer orgs, like trailhead playgrounds, don't support tracking tracking.

You should still be able to sf project retrieve start -m/-d/-x from any org.