Azure DevOps CLI Skill
Quick Start
Installation & Authentication
# Install Azure DevOps CLI extension
az extension add --name azure-devops
# Authenticate (choose one method)
az login # Interactive browser login
az devops login --organization https://dev.azure.com/YOUR_ORG # PAT token login
# Configure defaults (recommended)
az devops configure --defaults organization=https://dev.azure.com/YOUR_ORG project=YOUR_PROJECT
# Verify setup
az devops project list
Configuration Patterns
# Set defaults to avoid repeating --organization and --project
az devops configure --defaults organization=https://dev.azure.com/myorg project=myproject
# List current configuration
az devops configure --list
# Use Git aliases for common commands
az devops configure --defaults use-git-aliases=true
# Common output formats
--output table # Human-readable tables (default)
--output json # JSON for scripting
--output tsv # Tab-separated values
Essential Commands by Group
1. DevOps (Organization & Projects)
# List projects
az devops project list --organization https://dev.azure.com/myorg
# Create project
az devops project create --name "MyProject" --visibility private
# Show project details
az devops project show --project MyProject
# Delete project
az devops project delete --id PROJECT_ID --yes
# Manage users/teams
az devops user list
az devops team list --project MyProject
2. Pipelines (Build & Release)
# List pipelines
az pipelines list --project MyProject
# Run a pipeline
az pipelines run --name "MyPipeline" --branch main
# Show pipeline runs
az pipelines runs list --pipeline-ids 123
# Show run details
az pipelines runs show --id RUN_ID
# Create pipeline from YAML
az pipelines create --name "NewPipeline" --repository myrepo --branch main --yml-path azure-pipelines.yml
3. Boards (Work Items & Sprints)
# List work items
az boards query --wiql "SELECT [System.Id], [System.Title] FROM WorkItems WHERE [System.State] = 'Active'"
# Create work item
az boards work-item create --type "User Story" --title "New Feature" --assigned-to me@example.com
# Update work item
az boards work-item update --id 123 --state "In Progress"
# Show work item
az boards work-item show --id 123
# List iterations/sprints
az boards iteration project list
4. Repos (Git Repositories)
# List repositories
az repos list --project MyProject
# Create repository
az repos create --name "myrepo" --project MyProject
# List pull requests
az repos pr list --repository myrepo --status active
# Create pull request
az repos pr create --repository myrepo --source-branch feature/new --target-branch main --title "New Feature"
# Show PR details
az repos pr show --id PR_ID
5. Artifacts (Package Management)
# List feeds
az artifacts feed list
# Create feed
az artifacts feed create --name "myfeed" --project MyProject
# List packages
az artifacts universal list --feed myfeed --project MyProject
# Publish package
az artifacts universal publish --feed myfeed --name mypackage --version 1.0.0 --path ./dist
# Download package
az artifacts universal download --feed myfeed --name mypackage --version 1.0.0 --path ./download
Common Workflows
Workflow 1: CI/CD Pipeline Automation
# Create pipeline, run it, and monitor
az pipelines create --name "API-Build" --repository myrepo --yml-path ci/azure-pipelines.yml
az pipelines run --name "API-Build" --branch main
az pipelines runs show --id RUN_ID --open # Opens in browser
Workflow 2: Pull Request Review Automation
# List active PRs, show details, add comment
az repos pr list --repository myrepo --status active --output table
az repos pr show --id 456 --open
az repos pr update --id 456 --status approved
Workflow 3: Work Item Batch Creation
# Create multiple work items from template
for title in "Feature A" "Feature B" "Feature C"; do
az boards work-item create --type "User Story" --title "$title" --assigned-to team@example.com
done
Workflow 4: Pipeline Status Dashboard
# Get recent pipeline runs with status
az pipelines runs list --top 10 --query "[].{Name:pipeline.name, Status:status, Result:result, Started:startTime}" --output table
Workflow 5: Repository Clone Automation
# List all repos and clone them
az repos list --query "[].{Name:name, URL:remoteUrl}" --output tsv | while IFS=$'\t' read -r name url; do
git clone "$url" "./$name"
done
Workflow 6: Sprint Planning Helper
# List current sprint work items
az boards query --wiql "SELECT [System.Id], [System.Title], [System.State] FROM WorkItems WHERE [System.IterationPath] = @CurrentIteration" --output table
Workflow 7: Release Gate Checking
# Check if all PRs are approved before release
PENDING=$(az repos pr list --status active --query "length([?status!='approved'])")
if [ "$PENDING" -eq 0 ]; then
az pipelines run --name "Release-Pipeline"
fi
Workflow 8: Artifact Versioning
# Publish versioned artifact with timestamp
VERSION="1.0.$(date +%Y%m%d%H%M%S)"
az artifacts universal publish --feed myfeed --name myapp --version "$VERSION" --path ./build
Workflow 9: Team Dashboard Data
# Export team metrics to JSON
az devops project show --project MyProject > project.json
az pipelines runs list --top 50 > recent-runs.json
az repos pr list --status all > all-prs.json
Workflow 10: Environment Sync
# Copy pipeline variables across environments
az pipelines variable list --pipeline-name "MyPipeline" --output json > vars.json
# Edit vars.json as needed
az pipelines variable-group create --name "Production" --variables @vars.json
Troubleshooting
Common Issues
Authentication Failures:
# Clear cached credentials
az account clear
az login
# Use PAT token directly
export AZURE_DEVOPS_EXT_PAT=your_personal_access_token
az devops login
Default Configuration:
# Reset defaults if commands fail
az devops configure --defaults organization="" project=""
# Then set explicitly in each command
az pipelines list --organization https://dev.azure.com/myorg --project MyProject
Extension Issues:
# Update Azure DevOps extension
az extension update --name azure-devops
# Check extension version
az extension show --name azure-devops
Query Syntax:
# WIQL queries require proper escaping
az boards query --wiql "SELECT [System.Id] FROM WorkItems WHERE [System.State] = 'Active' AND [System.AssignedTo] = 'me@example.com'"
Advanced Patterns
REST API Access
# Direct REST API calls for unsupported operations
az devops invoke --area build --resource builds --route-parameters project=MyProject --api-version 6.0 --http-method GET
# POST with JSON body
az devops invoke --area git --resource repositories --route-parameters project=MyProject --http-method POST --in-file payload.json
Scripting with JMESPath
# Complex queries using JMESPath
az pipelines runs list --query "[?result=='failed'].{Pipeline:pipeline.name, Branch:sourceBranch, Time:finishedDate}" --output table
# Filter and transform data
az repos pr list --query "[?targetRefName=='refs/heads/main' && status=='active'].{ID:pullRequestId, Title:title, Author:createdBy.displayName}"
Aliases and Functions
# Create shell aliases for common commands
alias azdo-pipelines="az pipelines list --output table"
alias azdo-prs="az repos pr list --status active --output table"
alias azdo-builds="az pipelines runs list --top 20 --output table"
# Function for quick PR creation
azdo-pr() {
az repos pr create --source-branch "$(git branch --show-current)" --target-branch main --title "$1" --open
}
Extended Content
For comprehensive command references and advanced workflows, see:
- Complete Command References:
examples/pipelines-reference.md,examples/boards-reference.md,examples/repos-reference.md,examples/artifacts-reference.md - Advanced Workflows:
examples/workflows/ci-cd-automation.md,examples/workflows/release-management.md,examples/workflows/team-collaboration.md - Testing Scenarios:
tests/test-scenarios.md
References
- Azure DevOps CLI Documentation: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/cli/azure/devops
- WIQL Syntax: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/boards/queries/wiql-syntax
- REST API: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/rest/api/azure/devops