| name | update-work-items |
| description | Modify work item fields, add comments, and create new items. Use when user wants to update, comment on, or create work items. |
Update Work Items
Modify work item fields, add comments, and create new items in Azure DevOps.
When to Use
- User wants to update a work item
- Adding comments or notes to tickets
- Changing state, assignment, or other fields
- Creating new bugs or user stories
Prerequisites
- Azure DevOps must be initialized with
Initialize-AzureDevOps
- User must have write permissions in Azure DevOps
Examples
Update state
Update-WorkItem -Id 12345 -State "Closed"
Update assignment
Update-WorkItem -Id 12345 -AssignedTo "john.doe@company.com"
Update multiple fields
Update-WorkItem -Id 12345 -State "Active" -Priority 1 -Tags "urgent,bug-fix"
Add comment
Add-WorkItemComment -Id 12345 -Comment "Fixed in PR #789"
Create new bug
New-WorkItem -Type "Bug" -Title "Login fails on Safari" -Priority 1
Create user story with details
New-WorkItem -Type "User Story" `
-Title "Add export to PDF" `
-Description "Users need to export reports as PDF" `
-Priority 2 `
-AreaPath "MyProject\Features"
Functions
Update-WorkItem
Updates fields on an existing work item.
Parameters:
- Id: Work item ID (required)
- State: New state value
- AssignedTo: User email to assign to
- Priority: Priority level (1-4)
- Tags: Comma-separated tags
- Title: New title
- Description: New description
Add-WorkItemComment
Adds a comment to a work item.
Parameters:
- Id: Work item ID (required)
- Comment: Comment text (required)
New-WorkItem
Creates a new work item.
Parameters:
- Type: Bug, User Story, Task, etc. (required)
- Title: Work item title (required)
- Description: Detailed description
- Priority: Priority level (1-4)
- AssignedTo: User email to assign to
- AreaPath: Area path
- IterationPath: Iteration/sprint path
- Tags: Comma-separated tags
Output
All functions return the updated/created work item object with all current fields.
Tips for Copilot
- Confirm changes with user before executing
- Use Add-WorkItemComment for audit trail
- Verify work item exists before updating
- Check valid state transitions in project
- Use specific, descriptive titles for new items
