azure-repos

name	azure-repos
description	Expert knowledge for Azure Repos development including troubleshooting, best practices, decision making, architecture & design patterns, limits & quotas, security, configuration, and integrations & coding patterns. Use when managing Git/TFVC repos, branch policies, PR workflows, CLI/IDE integrations, or security scanning, and other Azure Repos related development tasks. Not for Azure DevOps (use azure-devops), Azure Pipelines (use azure-pipelines), Azure Boards (use azure-boards), Azure Test Plans (use azure-test-plans).
compatibility	Requires network access. Uses mcp_microsoftdocs:microsoft_docs_fetch or fetch_webpage to retrieve documentation.
metadata	{"generated_at":"2026-08-09","generator":"docs2skills/1.0.0"}

Azure Repos Skill

This skill provides expert guidance for Azure Repos. Covers troubleshooting, best practices, decision making, architecture & design patterns, limits & quotas, security, configuration, and integrations & coding patterns. It combines local quick-reference content with remote documentation fetching capabilities.

How to Use This Skill

IMPORTANT for Agent: Use the Category Index below to locate relevant sections. For categories with line ranges (e.g., L35-L120), use read_file with the specified lines. For categories with file links (e.g., [security.md](security.md)), use read_file on the linked reference file

IMPORTANT for Agent: If metadata.generated_at is more than 3 months old, suggest the user pull the latest version from the repository. If mcp_microsoftdocs tools are not available, suggest the user install it: Installation Guide

This skill requires network access to fetch documentation content:

• Preferred: Use mcp_microsoftdocs:microsoft_docs_fetch with query string from=learn-agent-skill. Returns Markdown.
• Fallback: Use fetch_webpage with query string from=learn-agent-skill&accept=text/markdown. Returns Markdown.

Category Index

Category	Lines	Description
Troubleshooting	L36-L51	Diagnosing and fixing Git/TFVC issues in Azure Repos: migration errors, locks, merge conflicts, RPC failures, undo/recovery, and troubleshooting Copilot, CodeQL, dependency, and secret scanning.
Best Practices	L52-L65	Git and TFVC best practices: branching, merges, large files, history cleanup, cross‑platform compatibility, author/identity management, repo health, and post‑migration validation.
Decision Making	L66-L74	Guidance on choosing Git vs TFVC, local vs server workspaces, and planning migrations from TFVC or SVN to Git, including handling large files in Azure Repos.
Architecture & Design Patterns	L75-L83	Designing and choosing TFVC branching structures/strategies, planning strategic branches, implementing feature isolation, and managing branches for DevOps workflows in Azure Repos.
Limits & Quotas	L84-L90	ELM migration timing, monitoring sync and read-only windows, plus hard limits and quotas for Git repositories (size, branches, files) in Azure Repos.
Security	L91-L118	Securing Azure Repos and TFVC: auth methods (PAT/SSH/Entra, credential managers, Xcode/Go), branch/repo permissions and policies, secure imports, GitHub Advanced Security, and access control.
Configuration	L119-L153	Configuring Azure Repos/DevOps behavior: branch policies, PR checks/notifications, Copilot reviews, Git/TFVC settings, workspaces, check-in policies, and GitHub Advanced Security scanning.
Integrations & Coding Patterns	L154-L206	Integrating Azure Repos with tools (CLI, IntelliJ, Slack/Teams, Functions, Node.js), PR policies/status, SARIF scanners, and detailed TFVC/tf.exe command usage for automation.

Troubleshooting

Topic	URL
Diagnose and resolve Azure DevOps ELM migration errors	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/enterprise-live-migrations/troubleshoot?view=azure-devops
Troubleshoot Copilot code review issues in Azure Repos	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/copilot-code-reviews-faq?view=azure-devops
Handle Git index.lock issues in Visual Studio and Azure Repos	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/git-index-lock?view=azure-devops
Troubleshoot Git issues in Azure Repos	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/howto?view=azure-devops
Troubleshoot and resolve Git merge conflicts in Azure Repos	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/merging?view=azure-devops
Fix RPC failure errors when pushing to Azure Repos	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/rpc-failures-http-postbuffer?view=azure-devops
Undo and recover Git changes in Azure Repos	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/undo?view=azure-devops
Troubleshoot CodeQL code scanning in Azure DevOps	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/security/github-advanced-security-code-scanning-troubleshoot?view=azure-devops
Troubleshoot dependency scanning in GitHub Advanced Security	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/security/github-advanced-security-dependency-scanning-troubleshoot?view=azure-devops
Troubleshoot secret scanning issues in GitHub Advanced Security

Best Practices

Topic	URL
Complete, abandon, or revert Azure Repos pull requests	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/complete-pull-requests?view=azure-devops
Adopt effective Git branching strategies in Azure Repos	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/git-branching-guidance?view=azure-devops
Manage author names and emails for Azure Repos commits	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/git-names?view=azure-devops
Configure Git ignore rules for Azure Repos projects	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/ignore-files?view=azure-devops
Choose merge strategies and use squash merges in Azure Repos	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/merging-with-squash?view=azure-devops
Ensure cross-platform Git compatibility in Azure Repos	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/os-compatibility?view=azure-devops
Remove large binaries from Azure Repos Git history	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/remove-binaries?view=azure-devops
Maintain healthy Git repositories in Azure Repos	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/repo-health?view=azure-devops
Clean up TFVC workspaces and files when users leave	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/tfvc/clean-up-files-when-users-leave?view=azure-devops
Optimize TFVC workspaces for performance	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/tfvc/optimize-your-workspace?view=azure-devops

Decision Making

Topic	URL
Plan and execute TFVC to Git migration in Azure DevOps	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/import-from-tfvc?view=azure-devops
Choose storage for large files in Azure Repos Git	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/manage-large-files?view=azure-devops
Decide how to migrate from SVN to Git in Azure DevOps	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/perform-migration-from-svn-to-git?view=azure-devops
Choose between Git and TFVC in Azure Repos	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/tfvc/comparison-git-tfvc?view=azure-devops
Choose between local and server TFVC workspaces	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/tfvc/decide-between-using-local-server-workspace?view=azure-devops

Architecture & Design Patterns

Topic	URL
Design TFVC branch structures for teams	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/tfvc/branch-folders-files?view=azure-devops
Plan strategic branching in TFVC	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/tfvc/branch-strategically?view=azure-devops
Choose effective TFVC branching strategies	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/tfvc/branching-strategies-with-tfvc?view=azure-devops
Implement feature isolation strategy in TFVC	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/tfvc/effective-feature-isolation-on-tfvc?view=azure-devops
Manage TFVC branching for DevOps workflows	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/tfvc/effective-tfvc-branching-strategies-for-devops?view=azure-devops

Limits & Quotas

Topic	URL
Plan ELM cutover timing and read-only window	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/enterprise-live-migrations/cut-over-to-github?view=azure-devops
Monitor ELM sync duration and 21-day window	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/enterprise-live-migrations/monitor-migration?view=azure-devops
Git repository limits and quotas in Azure Repos	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/limits?view=azure-devops

Security

Topic	URL
Manage Azure Repos pull requests and permissions	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/about-pull-requests?view=azure-devops
Authenticate to Azure Repos Git with Entra, PAT, or SSH	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/auth-overview?view=azure-devops
Set Azure Repos Git branch permissions and access	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/branch-permissions?view=azure-devops
Clone Azure Repos Git repositories with secure authentication	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/clone?view=azure-devops
Secure Azure Repos SSH keys with passphrases	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/gcm-ssh-passphrase?view=azure-devops
Authenticate Go install with Azure Repos Git	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/go-install?view=azure-devops
Securely import external Git repositories into Azure Repos	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/import-git-repository?view=azure-devops
Lock Azure Repos Git branches to prevent updates	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/lock-branches?view=azure-devops
Enforce branch folder structure and secure auth in Azure Repos	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/require-branch-folders?view=azure-devops
Secure Azure Repos with permissions and policies	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/secure-repositories-pull-requests?view=azure-devops

Configuration

Topic	URL
Meet ELM prerequisites for Azure DevOps to GitHub	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/enterprise-live-migrations/prerequisites?view=azure-devops
Configure Azure DevOps pull request status checks	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/available-pr-status-checks?view=azure-devops
Configure Azure Repos Git branch policies for code quality	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/branch-policies-overview?view=azure-devops
Configure Azure Repos Git branch policies	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/branch-policies?view=azure-devops
Use Visual Studio Git commands and Azure DevOps integration	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/command-prompt?view=azure-devops
Configure Copilot code review instructions and agent skills	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/configure-copilot-code-review-instructions?view=azure-devops
Enable and configure Copilot code reviews in Azure Repos	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/copilot-code-reviews?view=azure-devops
Configure Git preferences and config files in Visual Studio	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/git-config?view=azure-devops
Configure external status branch policies in Azure Repos	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/pr-status-policy?view=azure-devops
Configure Azure Repos pull request notification subscriptions	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/pull-request-notifications?view=azure-devops

Integrations & Coding Patterns

Topic	URL
Use Azure DevOps ELM CLI commands and parameters	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/enterprise-live-migrations/elm-cli-reference?view=azure-devops
Authenticate and start ELM sync from Azure DevOps	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/enterprise-live-migrations/start-migration?view=azure-devops
Create Azure Functions-based custom branch policy for PRs	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/create-pr-status-server-with-azure-functions?view=azure-devops
Build a Node.js pull request status server for Azure Repos	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/create-pr-status-server?view=azure-devops
Use Azure DevOps IntelliJ plugin with Git repositories	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/create-repo-intellij?view=azure-devops
Extend Azure Repos pull request workflow with status and policy	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/pull-request-status?view=azure-devops
Use Azure CLI and Git to share code in Azure Repos	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/share-your-code-in-git-cmdline?view=azure-devops
Connect Azure Repos notifications to Slack channels	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/integrations/repos-slack?view=azure-devops
Monitor Azure Repos activity in Microsoft Teams	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/integrations/repos-teams?view=azure-devops
Integrate third-party scanners via SARIF in Azure DevOps