azure-devops-cli

name	azure-devops-cli
description	Manage Azure DevOps resources via CLI including projects, repos, pipelines, builds, pull requests, work items, artifacts, and service endpoints. Use when working with Azure DevOps, az commands, devops automation, CI/CD, or when user mentions Azure DevOps CLI.

Azure DevOps CLI

This Skill helps manage Azure DevOps resources using the Azure CLI with Azure DevOps extension.

CLI Version: 2.81.0 (current as of 2025)

Prerequisites

Install Azure CLI and Azure DevOps extension:

# Install Azure CLI
brew install azure-cli  # macOS
curl -sL https://aka.ms/InstallAzureCLIDeb | sudo bash  # Linux
pip install azure-cli  # via pip

# Verify installation
az --version

# Install Azure DevOps extension
az extension add --name azure-devops
az extension show --name azure-devops

CLI Structure

az devops          # Main DevOps commands
├── admin          # Administration (banner)
├── extension      # Extension management
├── project        # Team projects
├── security       # Security operations
│   ├── group      # Security groups
│   └── permission # Security permissions
├── service-endpoint # Service connections
├── team           # Teams
├── user           # Users
├── wiki           # Wikis
├── configure      # Set defaults
├── invoke         # Invoke REST API
├── login          # Authenticate
└── logout         # Clear credentials

az pipelines       # Azure Pipelines
├── agent          # Agents
├── build          # Builds
├── folder         # Pipeline folders
├── pool           # Agent pools
├── queue          # Agent queues
├── release        # Releases
├── runs           # Pipeline runs
├── variable       # Pipeline variables
└── variable-group # Variable groups

az boards          # Azure Boards
├── area           # Area paths
├── iteration      # Iterations
└── work-item      # Work items

az repos           # Azure Repos
├── import         # Git imports
├── policy         # Branch policies
├── pr             # Pull requests
└── ref            # Git references

az artifacts       # Azure Artifacts
└── universal      # Universal Packages
    ├── download   # Download packages
    └── publish    # Publish packages

Authentication

Login to Azure DevOps

# Interactive login (prompts for PAT)
az devops login --organization https://dev.azure.com/{org}

# Login with PAT token
az devops login --organization https://dev.azure.com/{org} --token YOUR_PAT_TOKEN

# Logout
az devops logout --organization https://dev.azure.com/{org}

Configure Defaults

# Set default organization and project
az devops configure --defaults organization=https://dev.azure.com/{org} project={project}

# List current configuration
az devops configure --list

# Enable Git aliases
az devops configure --use-git-aliases true

Extension Management

List Extensions

# List available extensions
az extension list-available --output table

# List installed extensions
az extension list --output table

Manage Azure DevOps Extension

# Install Azure DevOps extension
az extension add --name azure-devops

# Update Azure DevOps extension
az extension update --name azure-devops

# Remove extension
az extension remove --name azure-devops

# Install from local path
az extension add --source ~/extensions/azure-devops.whl

Projects

List Projects

az devops project list --organization https://dev.azure.com/{org}
az devops project list --top 10 --output table

Create Project

az devops project create \
  --name myNewProject \
  --organization https://dev.azure.com/{org} \
  --description "My new DevOps project" \
  --source-control git \
  --visibility private

Show Project Details

az devops project show --project {project-name} --org https://dev.azure.com/{org}

Delete Project

az devops project delete --id {project-id} --org https://dev.azure.com/{org} --yes

Repositories

List Repositories

az repos list --org https://dev.azure.com/{org} --project {project}
az repos list --output table

Show Repository Details

az repos show --repository {repo-name} --project {project}

Create Repository

az repos create --name {repo-name} --project {project}

Delete Repository

az repos delete --id {repo-id} --project {project} --yes

Update Repository

az repos update --id {repo-id} --name {new-name} --project {project}

Repository Import

Import Git Repository

# Import from public Git repository
az repos import create \
  --git-source-url https://github.com/user/repo \
  --repository {repo-name}

# Import with authentication
az repos import create \
  --git-source-url https://github.com/user/private-repo \
  --repository {repo-name} \
  --user {username} \
  --password {password-or-pat}

Pull Requests

Create Pull Request

# Basic PR creation
az repos pr create \
  --repository {repo} \
  --source-branch {source-branch} \
  --target-branch {target-branch} \
  --title "PR Title" \
  --description "PR description" \
  --open

# PR with work items
az repos pr create \
  --repository {repo} \
  --source-branch {source-branch} \
  --work-items 63 64

# Draft PR with reviewers
az repos pr create \
  --repository {repo} \
  --source-branch feature/new-feature \
  --target-branch main \
  --title "Feature: New functionality" \
  --draft true \
  --reviewers [e-mail] [e-mail] \
  --required-reviewers [e-mail] \
  --labels "enhancement" "backlog"

List Pull Requests

# All PRs
az repos pr list --repository {repo}

# Filter by status
az repos pr list --repository {repo} --status active

# Filter by creator
az repos pr list --repository {repo} --creator {email}

# Output as table
az repos pr list --repository {repo} --output table

Show PR Details

az repos pr show --id {pr-id}
az repos pr show --id {pr-id} --open  # Open in browser

Update PR (Complete/Abandon/Draft)

# Complete PR
az repos pr update --id {pr-id} --status completed

# Abandon PR
az repos pr update --id {pr-id} --status abandoned

# Set to draft
az repos pr update --id {pr-id} --draft true

# Publish draft PR
az repos pr update --id {pr-id} --draft false

# Auto-complete when policies pass
az repos pr update --id {pr-id} --auto-complete true

# Set title and description
az repos pr update --id {pr-id} --title "New title" --description "New description"

Checkout PR Locally

# Checkout PR branch
az repos pr checkout --id {pr-id}

# Checkout with specific remote
az repos pr checkout --id {pr-id} --remote-name upstream

Vote on PR

az repos pr set-vote --id {pr-id} --vote approve
az repos pr set-vote --id {pr-id} --vote approve-with-suggestions
az repos pr set-vote --id {pr-id} --vote reject
az repos pr set-vote --id {pr-id} --vote wait-for-author
az repos pr set-vote --id {pr-id} --vote reset

PR Reviewers

# Add reviewers
az repos pr reviewer add --id {pr-id} --reviewers [e-mail] [e-mail]

# List reviewers
az repos pr reviewer list --id {pr-id}

# Remove reviewers
az repos pr reviewer remove --id {pr-id} --reviewers [e-mail]

PR Work Items

# Add work items to PR
az repos pr work-item add --id {pr-id} --work-items {id1} {id2}

# List PR work items
az repos pr work-item list --id {pr-id}

# Remove work items from PR
az repos pr work-item remove --id {pr-id} --work-items {id1}

PR Policies

# List policies for a PR
az repos pr policy list --id {pr-id}

# Queue policy evaluation for a PR
az repos pr policy queue --id {pr-id} --evaluation-id {evaluation-id}

Pipelines

List Pipelines

az pipelines list --output table
az pipelines list --query "[?name=='myPipeline']"
az pipelines list --folder-path 'folder/subfolder'

Create Pipeline

# From local repository context (auto-detects settings)
az pipelines create --name 'ContosoBuild' --description 'Pipeline for contoso project'

# With specific branch and YAML path
az pipelines create \
  --name {pipeline-name} \
  --repository {repo} \
  --branch main \
  --yaml-path azure-pipelines.yml \
  --description "My CI/CD pipeline"

# For GitHub repository
az pipelines create \
  --name 'GitHubPipeline' \
  --repository https://github.com/Org/Repo \
  --branch main \
  --repository-type github

# Skip first run
az pipelines create --name 'MyPipeline' --skip-run true

Show Pipeline

az pipelines show --id {pipeline-id}
az pipelines show --name {pipeline-name}

Update Pipeline

az pipelines update --id {pipeline-id} --name "New name" --description "Updated description"

Delete Pipeline

az pipelines delete --id {pipeline-id} --yes

Run Pipeline

# Run by name
az pipelines run --name {pipeline-name} --branch main

# Run by ID
az pipelines run --id {pipeline-id} --branch refs/heads/main

# With parameters
az pipelines run --name {pipeline-name} --parameters version=1.0.0 environment=prod

# With variables
az pipelines run --name {pipeline-name} --variables buildId=123 configuration=release

# Open results in browser
az pipelines run --name {pipeline-name} --open

Pipeline Runs

List Runs

az pipelines runs list --pipeline {pipeline-id}
az pipelines runs list --name {pipeline-name} --top 10
az pipelines runs list --branch main --status completed

Show Run Details

az pipelines runs show --run-id {run-id}
az pipelines runs show --run-id {run-id} --open

Pipeline Artifacts

# List artifacts for a run
az pipelines runs artifact list --run-id {run-id}

# Download artifact
az pipelines runs artifact download \
  --artifact-name '{artifact-name}' \
  --path {local-path} \
  --run-id {run-id}

# Upload artifact
az pipelines runs artifact upload \
  --artifact-name '{artifact-name}' \
  --path {local-path} \
  --run-id {run-id}

Pipeline Run Tags

# Add tag to run
az pipelines runs tag add --run-id {run-id} --tags production v1.0

# List run tags
az pipelines runs tag list --run-id {run-id} --output table

Builds

List Builds

az pipelines build list
az pipelines build list --definition {build-definition-id}
az pipelines build list --status completed --result succeeded

Queue Build

az pipelines build queue --definition {build-definition-id} --branch main
az pipelines build queue --definition {build-definition-id} --parameters version=1.0.0

Show Build Details

az pipelines build show --id {build-id}

Cancel Build

az pipelines build cancel --id {build-id}

Build Tags

# Add tag to build
az pipelines build tag add --build-id {build-id} --tags prod release

# Delete tag from build
az pipelines build tag delete --build-id {build-id} --tag prod

Build Definitions

List Build Definitions

az pipelines build definition list
az pipelines build definition list --name {definition-name}

Show Build Definition

az pipelines build definition show --id {definition-id}

Releases

List Releases

az pipelines release list
az pipelines release list --definition {release-definition-id}

Create Release

az pipelines release create --definition {release-definition-id}
az pipelines release create --definition {release-definition-id} --description "Release v1.0"

Show Release

az pipelines release show --id {release-id}

Release Definitions

List Release Definitions

az pipelines release definition list

Show Release Definition

az pipelines release definition show --id {definition-id}

Pipeline Variables

List Variables

az pipelines variable list --pipeline-id {pipeline-id}

Create Variable

# Non-secret variable
az pipelines variable create \
  --name {var-name} \
  --value {var-value} \
  --pipeline-id {pipeline-id}

# Secret variable
az pipelines variable create \
  --name {var-name} \
  --secret true \
  --pipeline-id {pipeline-id}

# Secret with prompt
az pipelines variable create \
  --name {var-name} \
  --secret true \
  --prompt true \
  --pipeline-id {pipeline-id}

Update Variable

az pipelines variable update \
  --name {var-name} \
  --value {new-value} \
  --pipeline-id {pipeline-id}

# Update secret variable
az pipelines variable update \
  --name {var-name} \
  --secret true \
  --value "{new-secret-value}" \
  --pipeline-id {pipeline-id}

Delete Variable

az pipelines variable delete --name {var-name} --pipeline-id {pipeline-id} --yes

Variable Groups

List Variable Groups

az pipelines variable-group list
az pipelines variable-group list --output table

Show Variable Group

az pipelines variable-group show --id {group-id}

Create Variable Group

az pipelines variable-group create \
  --name {group-name} \
  --variables key1=value1 key2=value2 \
  --authorize true

Update Variable Group

az pipelines variable-group update \
  --id {group-id} \
  --name {new-name} \
  --description "Updated description"

Delete Variable Group

az pipelines variable-group delete --id {group-id} --yes

Variable Group Variables

List Variables

az pipelines variable-group variable list --group-id {group-id}

Create Variable

# Non-secret variable
az pipelines variable-group variable create \
  --group-id {group-id} \
  --name {var-name} \
  --value {var-value}

# Secret variable (will prompt for value if not provided)
az pipelines variable-group variable create \
  --group-id {group-id} \
  --name {var-name} \
  --secret true

# Secret with environment variable
export AZURE_DEVOPS_EXT_PIPELINE_VAR_MySecret=secretvalue
az pipelines variable-group variable create \
  --group-id {group-id} \
  --name MySecret \
  --secret true

Update Variable

az pipelines variable-group variable update \
  --group-id {group-id} \
  --name {var-name} \
  --value {new-value} \
  --secret false

Delete Variable

az pipelines variable-group variable delete \
  --group-id {group-id} \
  --name {var-name}

Pipeline Folders

List Folders

az pipelines folder list

Create Folder

az pipelines folder create --path 'folder/subfolder' --description "My folder"

Delete Folder

az pipelines folder delete --path 'folder/subfolder'

Update Folder

az pipelines folder update --path 'old-folder' --new-path 'new-folder'

Agent Pools

List Agent Pools

az pipelines pool list
az pipelines pool list --pool-type automation
az pipelines pool list --pool-type deployment

Show Agent Pool

az pipelines pool show --pool-id {pool-id}

Agent Queues

List Agent Queues

az pipelines queue list
az pipelines queue list --pool-name {pool-name}

Show Agent Queue

az pipelines queue show --id {queue-id}

Work Items (Boards)

Query Work Items

# WIQL query
az boards query \
  --wiql "SELECT [System.Id], [System.Title], [System.State] FROM WorkItems WHERE [System.AssignedTo] = @Me AND [System.State] = 'Active'"

# Query with output format
az boards query --wiql "SELECT * FROM WorkItems" --output table

Show Work Item

az boards work-item show --id {work-item-id}
az boards work-item show --id {work-item-id} --open

Create Work Item

# Basic work item
az boards work-item create \
  --title "Fix login bug" \
  --type Bug \
  --assigned-to [e-mail] \
  --description "Users cannot login with SSO"

# With area and iteration
az boards work-item create \
  --title "New feature" \
  --type "User Story" \
  --area "Project\\Area1" \
  --iteration "Project\\Sprint 1"

# With custom fields
az boards work-item create \
  --title "Task" \
  --type Task \
  --fields "Priority=1" "Severity=2"

# With discussion comment
az boards work-item create \
  --title "Issue" \
  --type Bug \
  --discussion "Initial investigation completed"

# Open in browser after creation
az boards work-item create --title "Bug" --type Bug --open

Update Work Item

# Update state, title, and assignee
az boards work-item update \
  --id {work-item-id} \
  --state "Active" \
  --title "Updated title" \
  --assigned-to [e-mail]

# Move to different area
az boards work-item update \
  --id {work-item-id} \
  --area "{ProjectName}\\{Team}\\{Area}"

# Change iteration
az boards work-item update \
  --id {work-item-id} \
  --iteration "{ProjectName}\\Sprint 5"

# Add comment/discussion
az boards work-item update \
  --id {work-item-id} \
  --discussion "Work in progress"

# Update with custom fields
az boards work-item update \
  --id {work-item-id} \
  --fields "Priority=1" "StoryPoints=5"

Delete Work Item

# Soft delete (can be restored)
az boards work-item delete --id {work-item-id} --yes

# Permanent delete
az boards work-item delete --id {work-item-id} --destroy --yes

Work Item Relations

# List relations
az boards work-item relation list --id {work-item-id}

# List supported relation types
az boards work-item relation list-type

# Add relation
az boards work-item relation add --id {work-item-id} --relation-type parent --target-id {parent-id}

# Remove relation
az boards work-item relation remove --id {work-item-id} --relation-id {relation-id}

Area Paths

List Areas for Project

az boards area project list --project {project}
az boards area project show --path "Project\\Area1" --project {project}

Create Area

az boards area project create --path "Project\\NewArea" --project {project}

Update Area

az boards area project update \
  --path "Project\\OldArea" \
  --new-path "Project\\UpdatedArea" \
  --project {project}

Delete Area

az boards area project delete --path "Project\\AreaToDelete" --project {project} --yes

Area Team Management

# List areas for team
az boards area team list --team {team-name} --project {project}

# Add area to team
az boards area team add \
  --team {team-name} \
  --path "Project\\NewArea" \
  --project {project}

# Remove area from team
az boards area team remove \
  --team {team-name} \
  --path "Project\\AreaToRemove" \
  --project {project}

# Update team area
az boards area team update \
  --team {team-name} \
  --path "Project\\Area" \
  --project {project} \
  --include-sub-areas true

Iterations

List Iterations for Project

az boards iteration project list --project {project}
az boards iteration project show --path "Project\\Sprint 1" --project {project}

Create Iteration

az boards iteration project create --path "Project\\Sprint 1" --project {project}

Update Iteration

az boards iteration project update \
  --path "Project\\OldSprint" \
  --new-path "Project\\NewSprint" \
  --project {project}

Delete Iteration

az boards iteration project delete --path "Project\\OldSprint" --project {project} --yes

List Iterations for Team

az boards iteration team list --team {team-name} --project {project}

Add Iteration to Team

az boards iteration team add \
  --team {team-name} \
  --path "Project\\Sprint 1" \
  --project {project}

Remove Iteration from Team

az boards iteration team remove \
  --team {team-name} \
  --path "Project\\Sprint 1" \
  --project {project}

List Work Items in Iteration

az boards iteration team list-work-items \
  --team {team-name} \
  --path "Project\\Sprint 1" \
  --project {project}

Set Default Iteration for Team

az boards iteration team set-default-iteration \
  --team {team-name} \
  --path "Project\\Sprint 1" \
  --project {project}

Show Default Iteration

az boards iteration team show-default-iteration \
  --team {team-name} \
  --project {project}

Set Backlog Iteration for Team

az boards iteration team set-backlog-iteration \
  --team {team-name} \
  --path "Project\\Sprint 1" \
  --project {project}

Show Backlog Iteration

az boards iteration team show-backlog-iteration \
  --team {team-name} \
  --project {project}

Show Current Iteration

az boards iteration team show --team {team-name} --project {project} --timeframe current

Git References

List References (Branches)

az repos ref list --repository {repo}
az repos ref list --repository {repo} --query "[?name=='refs/heads/main']"

Create Reference (Branch)

az repos ref create --name refs/heads/new-branch --object-type commit --object {commit-sha}

Delete Reference (Branch)

az repos ref delete --name refs/heads/old-branch --repository {repo} --project {project}

Lock Branch

az repos ref lock --name refs/heads/main --repository {repo} --project {project}

Unlock Branch

az repos ref unlock --name refs/heads/main --repository {repo} --project {project}

Repository Policies

List All Policies

az repos policy list --repository {repo-id} --branch main

Create Policy Using Configuration File

az repos policy create --config policy.json

Update/Delete Policy

# Update
az repos policy update --id {policy-id} --config updated-policy.json

# Delete
az repos policy delete --id {policy-id} --yes

Policy Types

Approver Count Policy

az repos policy approver-count create \
  --blocking true \
  --enabled true \
  --branch main \
  --repository-id {repo-id} \
  --minimum-approver-count 2 \
  --creator-vote-counts true

Build Policy

az repos policy build create \
  --blocking true \
  --enabled true \
  --branch main \
  --repository-id {repo-id} \
  --build-definition-id {definition-id} \
  --queue-on-source-update-only true \
  --valid-duration 720

Work Item Linking Policy

az repos policy work-item-linking create \
  --blocking true \
  --branch main \
  --enabled true \
  --repository-id {repo-id}

Required Reviewer Policy

az repos policy required-reviewer create \
  --blocking true \
  --enabled true \
  --branch main \
  --repository-id {repo-id} \
  --required-reviewers [e-mail]

Merge Strategy Policy

az repos policy merge-strategy create \
  --blocking true \
  --enabled true \
  --branch main \
  --repository-id {repo-id} \
  --allow-squash true \
  --allow-rebase true \
  --allow-no-fast-forward true

Case Enforcement Policy

az repos policy case-enforcement create \
  --blocking true \
  --enabled true \
  --branch main \
  --repository-id {repo-id}

Comment Required Policy

az repos policy comment-required create \
  --blocking true \
  --enabled true \
  --branch main \
  --repository-id {repo-id}

File Size Policy

az repos policy file-size create \
  --blocking true \
  --enabled true \
  --branch main \
  --repository-id {repo-id} \
  --maximum-file-size 10485760  # 10MB in bytes

Service Endpoints

List Service Endpoints

az devops service-endpoint list --project {project}
az devops service-endpoint list --project {project} --output table

Show Service Endpoint

az devops service-endpoint show --id {endpoint-id} --project {project}

Create Service Endpoint

# Using configuration file
az devops service-endpoint create --service-endpoint-configuration endpoint.json --project {project}

Delete Service Endpoint

az devops service-endpoint delete --id {endpoint-id} --project {project} --yes

Teams

List Teams

az devops team list --project {project}

Show Team

az devops team show --team {team-name} --project {project}

Create Team

az devops team create \
  --name {team-name} \
  --description "Team description" \
  --project {project}

Update Team

az devops team update \
  --team {team-name} \
  --project {project} \
  --name "{new-team-name}" \
  --description "Updated description"

Delete Team

az devops team delete --team {team-name} --project {project} --yes

Show Team Members

az devops team list-member --team {team-name} --project {project}

Users

List Users

az devops user list --org https://dev.azure.com/{org}
az devops user list --top 10 --output table

Show User

az devops user show --user {user-id-or-email} --org https://dev.azure.com/{org}

Add User

az devops user add \
  --email [e-mail] \
  --license-type express \
  --org https://dev.azure.com/{org}

Update User

az devops user update \
  --user {user-id-or-email} \
  --license-type advanced \
  --org https://dev.azure.com/{org}

Remove User

az devops user remove --user {user-id-or-email} --org https://dev.azure.com/{org} --yes

Security Groups

List Groups

# List all groups in project
az devops security group list --project {project}

# List all groups in organization
az devops security group list --scope organization

# List with filtering
az devops security group list --project {project} --subject-types vstsgroup

Show Group Details

az devops security group show --group-id {group-id}

Create Group

az devops security group create \
  --name {group-name} \
  --description "Group description" \
  --project {project}

Update Group

az devops security group update \
  --group-id {group-id} \
  --name "{new-group-name}" \
  --description "Updated description"

Delete Group

az devops security group delete --group-id {group-id} --yes

Group Memberships

# List memberships
az devops security group membership list --id {group-id}

# Add member
az devops security group membership add \
  --group-id {group-id} \
  --member-id {member-id}

# Remove member
az devops security group membership remove \
  --group-id {group-id} \
  --member-id {member-id} --yes

Security Permissions

List Namespaces

az devops security permission namespace list

Show Namespace Details

# Show permissions available in a namespace
az devops security permission namespace show --namespace "GitRepositories"

List Permissions

# List permissions for user/group and namespace
az devops security permission list \
  --id {user-or-group-id} \
  --namespace "GitRepositories" \
  --project {project}

# List for specific token (repository)
az devops security permission list \
  --id {user-or-group-id} \
  --namespace "GitRepositories" \
  --project {project} \
  --token "repoV2/{project}/{repository-id}"

Show Permissions

az devops security permission show \
  --id {user-or-group-id} \
  --namespace "GitRepositories" \
  --project {project} \
  --token "repoV2/{project}/{repository-id}"

Update Permissions

# Grant permission
az devops security permission update \
  --id {user-or-group-id} \
  --namespace "GitRepositories" \
  --project {project} \
  --token "repoV2/{project}/{repository-id}" \
  --permission-mask "Pull,Contribute"

# Deny permission
az devops security permission update \
  --id {user-or-group-id} \
  --namespace "GitRepositories" \
  --project {project} \
  --token "repoV2/{project}/{repository-id}" \
  --permission-mask 0

Reset Permissions

# Reset specific permission bits
az devops security permission reset \
  --id {user-or-group-id} \
  --namespace "GitRepositories" \
  --project {project} \
  --token "repoV2/{project}/{repository-id}" \
  --permission-mask "Pull,Contribute"

# Reset all permissions
az devops security permission reset-all \
  --id {user-or-group-id} \
  --namespace "GitRepositories" \
  --project {project} \
  --token "repoV2/{project}/{repository-id}" --yes

Wikis

List Wikis

# List all wikis in project
az devops wiki list --project {project}

# List all wikis in organization
az devops wiki list

Show Wiki

az devops wiki show --wiki {wiki-name} --project {project}
az devops wiki show --wiki {wiki-name} --project {project} --open

Create Wiki

# Create project wiki
az devops wiki create \
  --name {wiki-name} \
  --project {project} \
  --type projectWiki

# Create code wiki from repository
az devops wiki create \
  --name {wiki-name} \
  --project {project} \
  --type codeWiki \
  --repository {repo-name} \
  --mapped-path /wiki

Delete Wiki

az devops wiki delete --wiki {wiki-id} --project {project} --yes

Wiki Pages

# List pages
az devops wiki page list --wiki {wiki-name} --project {project}

# Show page
az devops wiki page show \
  --wiki {wiki-name} \
  --path "/page-name" \
  --project {project}

# Create page
az devops wiki page create \
  --wiki {wiki-name} \
  --path "/new-page" \
  --content "# New Page\n\nPage content here..." \
  --project {project}

# Update page
az devops wiki page update \
  --wiki {wiki-name} \
  --path "/existing-page" \
  --content "# Updated Page\n\nNew content..." \
  --project {project}

# Delete page
az devops wiki page delete \
  --wiki {wiki-name} \
  --path "/old-page" \
  --project {project} --yes

Administration

Banner Management

# List banners
az devops admin banner list

# Show banner details
az devops admin banner show --id {banner-id}

# Add new banner
az devops admin banner add \
  --message "System maintenance scheduled" \
  --level info  # info, warning, error

# Update banner
az devops admin banner update \
  --id {banner-id} \
  --message "Updated message" \
  --level warning \
  --expiration-date "2025-12-31T23:59:59Z"

# Remove banner
az devops admin banner remove --id {banner-id}

DevOps Extensions

Manage extensions installed in an Azure DevOps organization (different from CLI extensions).

# List installed extensions
az devops extension list --org https://dev.azure.com/{org}

# Search marketplace extensions
az devops extension search --search-query "docker"

# Show extension details
az devops extension show --ext-id {extension-id} --org https://dev.azure.com/{org}

# Install extension
az devops extension install \
  --ext-id {extension-id} \
  --org https://dev.azure.com/{org} \
  --publisher {publisher-id}

# Enable extension
az devops extension enable \
  --ext-id {extension-id} \
  --org https://dev.azure.com/{org}

# Disable extension
az devops extension disable \
  --ext-id {extension-id} \
  --org https://dev.azure.com/{org}

# Uninstall extension
az devops extension uninstall \
  --ext-id {extension-id} \
  --org https://dev.azure.com/{org} --yes

Universal Packages

Publish Package

az artifacts universal publish \
  --feed {feed-name} \
  --name {package-name} \
  --version {version} \
  --path {package-path} \
  --project {project}

Download Package

az artifacts universal download \
  --feed {feed-name} \
  --name {package-name} \
  --version {version} \
  --path {download-path} \
  --project {project}

Agents

List Agents in Pool

az pipelines agent list --pool-id {pool-id}

Show Agent Details

az pipelines agent show --agent-id {agent-id} --pool-id {pool-id}

Git Aliases

After enabling git aliases:

# Enable Git aliases
az devops configure --use-git-aliases true

# Use Git commands for DevOps operations
git pr create --target-branch main
git pr list
git pr checkout 123

Output Formats

All commands support multiple output formats:

# Table format (human-readable)
az pipelines list --output table

# JSON format (default, machine-readable)
az pipelines list --output json

# JSONC (colored JSON)
az pipelines list --output jsonc

# YAML format
az pipelines list --output yaml

# YAMLC (colored YAML)
az pipelines list --output yamlc

# TSV format (tab-separated values)
az pipelines list --output tsv

# None (no output)
az pipelines list --output none

JMESPath Queries

Filter and transform output:

# Filter by name
az pipelines list --query "[?name=='myPipeline']"

# Get specific fields
az pipelines list --query "[].{Name:name, ID:id}"

# Chain queries
az pipelines list --query "[?name.contains('CI')].{Name:name, ID:id}" --output table

# Get first result
az pipelines list --query "[0]"

# Get top N
az pipelines list --query "[0:5]"

Global Arguments

Available on all commands:

• --help / -h: Show help
• --output / -o: Output format (json, jsonc, none, table, tsv, yaml, yamlc)
• --query: JMESPath query string
• --verbose: Increase logging verbosity
• --debug: Show all debug logs
• --only-show-errors: Only show errors, suppress warnings
• --subscription: Name or ID of subscription

Common Parameters

Parameter	Description
--org / --organization	Azure DevOps organization URL (e.g., https://dev.azure.com/{org})
--project / -p	Project name or ID
--detect	Auto-detect organization from git config
--yes / -y	Skip confirmation prompts
--open	Open in web browser

Common Workflows

Create PR from current branch

CURRENT_BRANCH=$(git branch --show-current)
az repos pr create \
  --source-branch $CURRENT_BRANCH \
  --target-branch main \
  --title "Feature: $(git log -1 --pretty=%B)" \
  --open

Create work item on pipeline failure

az boards work-item create \
  --title "Build $BUILD_BUILDNUMBER failed" \
  --type bug \
  --org $SYSTEM_TEAMFOUNDATIONCOLLECTIONURI \
  --project $SYSTEM_TEAMPROJECT

Download latest pipeline artifact

RUN_ID=$(az pipelines runs list --pipeline {pipeline-id} --top 1 --query "[0].id" -o tsv)
az pipelines runs artifact download \
  --artifact-name 'webapp' \
  --path ./output \
  --run-id $RUN_ID

Approve and complete PR

# Vote approve
az repos pr set-vote --id {pr-id} --vote approve

# Complete PR
az repos pr update --id {pr-id} --status completed

Create pipeline from local repo

# From local git repository (auto-detects repo, branch, etc.)
az pipelines create --name 'CI-Pipeline' --description 'Continuous Integration'

Bulk update work items

# Query items and update in loop
for id in $(az boards query --wiql "SELECT ID FROM WorkItems WHERE State='New'" -o tsv); do
  az boards work-item update --id $id --state "Active"
done

Best Practices

Authentication and Security

# Use PAT from environment variable (most secure)
export AZURE_DEVOPS_EXT_PAT=$MY_PAT
az devops login --organization $ORG_URL

# Pipe PAT securely (avoids shell history)
echo $MY_PAT | az devops login --organization $ORG_URL

# Set defaults to avoid repetition
az devops configure --defaults organization=$ORG_URL project=$PROJECT

# Clear credentials after use
az devops logout --organization $ORG_URL

Idempotent Operations

# Always use --detect for auto-detection
az devops configure --defaults organization=$ORG_URL project=$PROJECT

# Check existence before creation
if ! az pipelines show --id $PIPELINE_ID 2>/dev/null; then
  az pipelines create --name "$PIPELINE_NAME" --yaml-path azure-pipelines.yml
fi

# Use --output tsv for shell parsing
PIPELINE_ID=$(az pipelines list --query "[?name=='MyPipeline'].id" --output tsv)

# Use --output json for programmatic access
BUILD_STATUS=$(az pipelines build show --id $BUILD_ID --query "status" --output json)

Script-Safe Output

# Suppress warnings and errors
az pipelines list --only-show-errors

# No output (useful for commands that only need to execute)
az pipelines run --name "$PIPELINE_NAME" --output none

# TSV format for shell scripts (clean, no formatting)
az repos pr list --output tsv --query "[].{ID:pullRequestId,Title:title}"

# JSON with specific fields
az pipelines list --output json --query "[].{Name:name, ID:id, URL:url}"

Pipeline Orchestration

# Run pipeline and wait for completion
RUN_ID=$(az pipelines run --name "$PIPELINE_NAME" --query "id" -o tsv)

while true; do
  STATUS=$(az pipelines runs show --run-id $RUN_ID --query "status" -o tsv)
  if [[ "$STATUS" != "inProgress" && "$STATUS" != "notStarted" ]]; then
    break
  fi
  sleep 10
done

# Check result
RESULT=$(az pipelines runs show --run-id $RUN_ID --query "result" -o tsv)
if [[ "$RESULT" == "succeeded" ]]; then
  echo "Pipeline succeeded"
else
  echo "Pipeline failed with result: $RESULT"
  exit 1
fi

Variable Group Management

# Create variable group idempotently
VG_NAME="production-variables"
VG_ID=$(az pipelines variable-group list --query "[?name=='$VG_NAME'].id" -o tsv)

if [[ -z "$VG_ID" ]]; then
  VG_ID=$(az pipelines variable-group create \
    --name "$VG_NAME" \
    --variables API_URL=$API_URL API_KEY=$API_KEY \
    --authorize true \
    --query "id" -o tsv)
  echo "Created variable group with ID: $VG_ID"
else
  echo "Variable group already exists with ID: $VG_ID"
fi

Service Connection Automation

# Create service connection using configuration file
cat > service-connection.json <<'EOF'
{
  "data": {
    "subscriptionId": "$SUBSCRIPTION_ID",
    "subscriptionName": "My Subscription",
    "creationMode": "Manual",
    "serviceEndpointId": "$SERVICE_ENDPOINT_ID"
  },
  "url": "https://management.azure.com/",
  "authorization": {
    "parameters": {
      "tenantid": "$TENANT_ID",
      "serviceprincipalid": "$SP_ID",
      "authenticationType": "spnKey",
      "serviceprincipalkey": "$SP_KEY"
    },
    "scheme": "ServicePrincipal"
  },
  "type": "azurerm",
  "isShared": false,
  "isReady": true
}
EOF

az devops service-endpoint create \
  --service-endpoint-configuration service-connection.json \
  --project "$PROJECT"

Pull Request Automation

# Create PR with work items and reviewers
PR_ID=$(az repos pr create \
  --repository "$REPO_NAME" \
  --source-branch "$FEATURE_BRANCH" \
  --target-branch main \
  --title "Feature: $(git log -1 --pretty=%B)" \
  --description "$(git log -1 --pretty=%B)" \
  --work-items $WORK_ITEM_1 $WORK_ITEM_2 \
  --reviewers "$REVIEWER_1" "$REVIEWER_2" \
  --required-reviewers "$LEAD_EMAIL" \
  --labels "enhancement" "backlog" \
  --open \
  --query "pullRequestId" -o tsv)

# Set auto-complete when policies pass
az repos pr update --id $PR_ID --auto-complete true

Error Handling and Retry Patterns

Retry Logic for Transient Failures

# Retry function for network operations
retry_command() {
  local max_attempts=3
  local attempt=1
  local delay=5

  while [[ $attempt -le $max_attempts ]]; do
    if "$@"; then
      return 0
    fi
    echo "Attempt $attempt failed. Retrying in ${delay}s..."
    sleep $delay
    ((attempt++))
    delay=$((delay * 2))
  done

  echo "All $max_attempts attempts failed"
  return 1
}

# Usage
retry_command az pipelines run --name "$PIPELINE_NAME"

Check and Handle Errors

# Check if pipeline exists before operations
PIPELINE_ID=$(az pipelines list --query "[?name=='$PIPELINE_NAME'].id" -o tsv)

if [[ -z "$PIPELINE_ID" ]]; then
  echo "Pipeline not found. Creating..."
  az pipelines create --name "$PIPELINE_NAME" --yaml-path azure-pipelines.yml
else
  echo "Pipeline exists with ID: $PIPELINE_ID"
fi

Validate Inputs

# Validate required parameters
if [[ -z "$PROJECT" || -z "$REPO" ]]; then
  echo "Error: PROJECT and REPO must be set"
  exit 1
fi

# Check if branch exists
if ! az repos ref list --repository "$REPO" --query "[?name=='refs/heads/$BRANCH']" -o tsv | grep -q .; then
  echo "Error: Branch $BRANCH does not exist"
  exit 1
fi

Handle Permission Errors

# Try operation, handle permission errors
if az devops security permission update \
  --id "$USER_ID" \
  --namespace "GitRepositories" \
  --project "$PROJECT" \
  --token "repoV2/$PROJECT/$REPO_ID" \
  --allow-bit 2 \
  --deny-bit 0 2>&1 | grep -q "unauthorized"; then
  echo "Error: Insufficient permissions to update repository permissions"
  exit 1
fi

Pipeline Failure Notification

# Run pipeline and check result
RUN_ID=$(az pipelines run --name "$PIPELINE_NAME" --query "id" -o tsv)

# Wait for completion
while true; do
  STATUS=$(az pipelines runs show --run-id $RUN_ID --query "status" -o tsv)
  if [[ "$STATUS" != "inProgress" && "$STATUS" != "notStarted" ]]; then
    break
  fi
  sleep 10
done

# Check result and create work item on failure
RESULT=$(az pipelines runs show --run-id $RUN_ID --query "result" -o tsv)
if [[ "$RESULT" != "succeeded" ]]; then
  BUILD_NUMBER=$(az pipelines runs show --run-id $RUN_ID --query "buildNumber" -o tsv)

  az boards work-item create \
    --title "Build $BUILD_NUMBER failed" \
    --type Bug \
    --description "Pipeline run $RUN_ID failed with result: $RESULT\n\nURL: $ORG_URL/$PROJECT/_build/results?buildId=$RUN_ID"
fi

Graceful Degradation

# Try to download artifact, fallback to alternative source
if ! az pipelines runs artifact download \
  --artifact-name 'webapp' \
  --path ./output \
  --run-id $RUN_ID 2>/dev/null; then
  echo "Warning: Failed to download from pipeline run. Falling back to backup source..."

  # Alternative download method
  curl -L "$BACKUP_URL" -o ./output/backup.zip
fi

Advanced JMESPath Queries

Filtering and Sorting

# Filter by multiple conditions
az pipelines list --query "[?name.contains('CI') && enabled==true]"

# Filter by status and result
az pipelines runs list --query "[?status=='completed' && result=='succeeded']"

# Sort by date (descending)
az pipelines runs list --query "sort_by([?status=='completed'], &finishTime | reverse(@))"

# Get top N items after filtering
az pipelines runs list --query "[?result=='succeeded'] | [0:5]"

Nested Queries

# Extract nested properties
az pipelines show --id $PIPELINE_ID --query "{Name:name, Repo:repository.{Name:name, Type:type}, Folder:folder}"

# Query build details
az pipelines build show --id $BUILD_ID --query "{ID:id, Number:buildNumber, Status:status, Result:result, Requested:requestedFor.displayName}"

Complex Filtering

# Find pipelines with specific YAML path
az pipelines list --query "[?process.type.name=='yaml' && process.yamlFilename=='azure-pipelines.yml']"

# Find PRs from specific reviewer
az repos pr list --query "[?contains(reviewers[?displayName=='John Doe'].displayName, 'John Doe')]"

# Find work items with specific iteration and state
az boards work-item show --id $WI_ID --query "{Title:fields['System.Title'], State:fields['System.State'], Iteration:fields['System.IterationPath']}"

Aggregation

# Count items by status
az pipelines runs list --query "groupBy([?status=='completed'], &[result]) | {Succeeded: [?key=='succeeded'][0].count, Failed: [?key=='failed'][0].count}"

# Get unique reviewers
az repos pr list --query "unique_by(reviewers[], &displayName)"

# Sum values
az pipelines runs list --query "[?result=='succeeded'] | [].{Duration:duration} | [0].Duration"

Conditional Transformation

# Format dates
az pipelines runs list --query "[].{ID:id, Date:createdDate, Formatted:createdDate | format_datetime(@, 'yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm')}"

# Conditional output
az pipelines list --query "[].{Name:name, Status:(enabled ? 'Enabled' : 'Disabled')}"

# Extract with defaults
az pipelines show --id $PIPELINE_ID --query "{Name:name, Folder:folder || 'Root', Description:description || 'No description'}"

Complex Workflows

# Find longest running builds
az pipelines build list --query "sort_by([?result=='succeeded'], &queueTime) | reverse(@) | [0:3].{ID:id, Number:buildNumber, Duration:duration}"

# Get PR statistics per reviewer
az repos pr list --query "groupBy([], &reviewers[].displayName) | [].{Reviewer:@.key, Count:length(@)}"

# Find work items with multiple child items
az boards work-item relation list --id $PARENT_ID --query "[?rel=='System.LinkTypes.Hierarchy-Forward'] | [].{ChildID:url | split('/', @) | [-1]}"

Scripting Patterns for Idempotent Operations

Create or Update Pattern

# Ensure pipeline exists, update if different
ensure_pipeline() {
  local name=$1
  local yaml_path=$2

  PIPELINE=$(az pipelines list --query "[?name=='$name']" -o json)

  if [[ -z "$PIPELINE" ]]; then
    echo "Creating pipeline: $name"
    az pipelines create --name "$name" --yaml-path "$yaml_path"
  else
    echo "Pipeline exists: $name"
  fi
}

Ensure Variable Group

# Create variable group with idempotent updates
ensure_variable_group() {
  local vg_name=$1
  shift
  local variables=("$@")

  VG_ID=$(az pipelines variable-group list --query "[?name=='$vg_name'].id" -o tsv)

  if [[ -z "$VG_ID" ]]; then
    echo "Creating variable group: $vg_name"
    VG_ID=$(az pipelines variable-group create \
      --name "$vg_name" \
      --variables "${variables[@]}" \
      --authorize true \
      --query "id" -o tsv)
  else
    echo "Variable group exists: $vg_name (ID: $VG_ID)"
  fi

  echo "$VG_ID"
}

Ensure Service Connection

# Check if service connection exists, create if not
ensure_service_connection() {
  local name=$1
  local project=$2

  SC_ID=$(az devops service-endpoint list \
    --project "$project" \
    --query "[?name=='$name'].id" \
    -o tsv)

  if [[ -z "$SC_ID" ]]; then
    echo "Service connection not found. Creating..."
    # Create logic here
  else
    echo "Service connection exists: $name"
    echo "$SC_ID"
  fi
}

Idempotent Work Item Creation

# Create work item only if doesn't exist with same title
create_work_item_if_new() {
  local title=$1
  local type=$2

  WI_ID=$(az boards query \
    --wiql "SELECT ID FROM WorkItems WHERE [System.WorkItemType]='$type' AND [System.Title]='$title'" \
    --query "[0].id" -o tsv)

  if [[ -z "$WI_ID" ]]; then
    echo "Creating work item: $title"
    WI_ID=$(az boards work-item create --title "$title" --type "$type" --query "id" -o tsv)
  else
    echo "Work item exists: $title (ID: $WI_ID)"
  fi

  echo "$WI_ID"
}

Bulk Idempotent Operations

# Ensure multiple pipelines exist
declare -a PIPELINES=(
  "ci-pipeline:azure-pipelines.yml"
  "deploy-pipeline:deploy.yml"
  "test-pipeline:test.yml"
)

for pipeline in "${PIPELINES[@]}"; do
  IFS=':' read -r name yaml <<< "$pipeline"
  ensure_pipeline "$name" "$yaml"
done

Configuration Synchronization

# Sync variable groups from config file
sync_variable_groups() {
  local config_file=$1

  while IFS=',' read -r vg_name variables; do
    ensure_variable_group "$vg_name" "$variables"
  done < "$config_file"
}

# config.csv format:
# prod-vars,API_URL=prod.com,API_KEY=secret123
# dev-vars,API_URL=dev.com,API_KEY=secret456

Real-World Workflows

CI/CD Pipeline Setup

# Setup complete CI/CD pipeline
setup_cicd_pipeline() {
  local project=$1
  local repo=$2
  local branch=$3

  # Create variable groups
  VG_DEV=$(ensure_variable_group "dev-vars" "ENV=dev API_URL=api-dev.com")
  VG_PROD=$(ensure_variable_group "prod-vars" "ENV=prod API_URL=api-prod.com")

  # Create CI pipeline
  az pipelines create \
    --name "$repo-CI" \
    --repository "$repo" \
    --branch "$branch" \
    --yaml-path .azure/pipelines/ci.yml \
    --skip-run true

  # Create CD pipeline
  az pipelines create \
    --name "$repo-CD" \
    --repository "$repo" \
    --branch "$branch" \
    --yaml-path .azure/pipelines/cd.yml \
    --skip-run true

  echo "CI/CD pipeline setup complete"
}

Automated PR Creation

# Create PR from feature branch with automation
create_automated_pr() {
  local branch=$1
  local title=$2

  # Get branch info
  LAST_COMMIT=$(git log -1 --pretty=%B "$branch")
  COMMIT_SHA=$(git rev-parse "$branch")

  # Find related work items
  WORK_ITEMS=$(az boards query \
    --wiql "SELECT ID FROM WorkItems WHERE [System.ChangedBy] = @Me AND [System.State] = 'Active'" \
    --query "[].id" -o tsv)

  # Create PR
  PR_ID=$(az repos pr create \
    --source-branch "$branch" \
    --target-branch main \
    --title "$title" \
    --description "$LAST_COMMIT" \
    --work-items $WORK_ITEMS \
    --auto-complete true \
    --query "pullRequestId" -o tsv)

  # Set required reviewers
  az repos pr reviewer add \
    --id $PR_ID \
    --reviewers $(git log -1 --pretty=format:'%ae' "$branch") \
    --required true

  echo "Created PR #$PR_ID"
}

Pipeline Monitoring and Alerting

# Monitor pipeline and alert on failure
monitor_pipeline() {
  local pipeline_name=$1
  local slack_webhook=$2

  while true; do
    # Get latest run
    RUN_ID=$(az pipelines list --query "[?name=='$pipeline_name'] | [0].id" -o tsv)
    RUNS=$(az pipelines runs list --pipeline $RUN_ID --top 1)

    LATEST_RUN_ID=$(echo "$RUNS" | jq -r '.[0].id')
    RESULT=$(echo "$RUNS" | jq -r '.[0].result')

    # Check if failed and not already processed
    if [[ "$RESULT" == "failed" ]]; then
      # Send Slack alert
      curl -X POST "$slack_webhook" \
        -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
        -d "{\"text\": \"Pipeline $pipeline_name failed! Run ID: $LATEST_RUN_ID\"}"
    fi

    sleep 300 # Check every 5 minutes
  done
}

Bulk Work Item Management

# Bulk update work items based on query
bulk_update_work_items() {
  local wiql=$1
  local updates=("$@")

  # Query work items
  WI_IDS=$(az boards query --wiql "$wiql" --query "[].id" -o tsv)

  # Update each work item
  for wi_id in $WI_IDS; do
    az boards work-item update --id $wi_id "${updates[@]}"
    echo "Updated work item: $wi_id"
  done
}

# Usage: bulk_update_work_items "SELECT ID FROM WorkItems WHERE State='New'" --state "Active" --assigned-to "[e-mail]"

Branch Policy Automation

# Apply branch policies to all repositories
apply_branch_policies() {
  local branch=$1
  local project=$2

  # Get all repositories
  REPOS=$(az repos list --project "$project" --query "[].id" -o tsv)

  for repo_id in $REPOS; do
    echo "Applying policies to repo: $repo_id"

    # Require minimum approvers
    az repos policy approver-count create \
      --blocking true \
      --enabled true \
      --branch "$branch" \
      --repository-id "$repo_id" \
      --minimum-approver-count 2 \
      --creator-vote-counts true

    # Require work item linking
    az repos policy work-item-linking create \
      --blocking true \
      --branch "$branch" \
      --enabled true \
      --repository-id "$repo_id"

    # Require build validation
    BUILD_ID=$(az pipelines list --query "[?name=='CI'].id" -o tsv | head -1)
    az repos policy build create \
      --blocking true \
      --enabled true \
      --branch "$branch" \
      --repository-id "$repo_id" \
      --build-definition-id "$BUILD_ID" \
      --queue-on-source-update-only true
  
}

Multi-Environment Deployment

# Deploy across multiple environments
deploy_to_environments() {
  local run_id=$1
  shift
  local environments=("$@")

  # Download artifacts
  ARTIFACT_NAME=$(az pipelines runs artifact list --run-id $run_id --query "[0].name" -o tsv)
  az pipelines runs artifact download \
    --artifact-name "$ARTIFACT_NAME" \
    --path ./artifacts \
    --run-id $run_id

  # Deploy to each environment
  for env in "${environments[@]}"; do
    echo "Deploying to: $env"

    # Get environment-specific variables
    VG_ID=$(az pipelines variable-group list --query "[?name=='$env-vars'].id" -o tsv)

    # Run deployment pipeline
    DEPLOY_RUN_ID=$(az pipelines run \
      --name "Deploy-$env" \
      --variables ARTIFACT_PATH=./artifacts ENV="$env" \
      --query "id" -o tsv)

    # Wait for deployment
    while true; do
      STATUS=$(az pipelines runs show --run-id $DEPLOY_RUN_ID --query "status" -o tsv)
      if [[ "$STATUS" != "inProgress" ]]; then
        break
      
       10
    
  
}

Enhanced Global Arguments

Parameter	Description
--help / -h	Show command help
--output / -o	Output format (json, jsonc, none, table, tsv, yaml, yamlc)
--query	JMESPath query string for filtering output
--verbose	Increase logging verbosity
--debug	Show all debug logs
--only-show-errors	Only show errors, suppress warnings
--subscription	Name or ID of subscription
--yes / -y	Skip confirmation prompts

Enhanced Common Parameters

Parameter	Description
--org / --organization	Azure DevOps organization URL (e.g., https://dev.azure.com/{org})
--project / -p	Project name or ID
--detect	Auto-detect organization from git config
--yes / -y	Skip confirmation prompts
--open	Open resource in web browser
--subscription	Azure subscription (for Azure resources)

Getting Help

# General help
az devops --help

# Help for specific command group
az pipelines --help
az repos pr --help

# Help for specific command
az repos pr create --help

# Search for examples
az find "az repos pr create"