azure-devops-cli
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.
Summary
- Purpose
- Provides Azure CLI command guidance for managing Azure DevOps projects, repositories, pipelines, work items, and related services.
- When to use
- Consult the relevant reference when a task needs Azure DevOps command syntax, such as configuring authentication or defaults, managing CI/CD, reviewing pull requests, or handling work items, security, or packages.
- Outputs
- Provides task-specific az commands and workflow guidance, with references for output formatting, scripting patterns, and error handling.
Upstream changes (4, latest included 2026-06-29)
4e8726d azure-devops-cli: handle long comments on Windows (#2061) (#2140) Adds a reference-index row for the Windows long-comment guide, noting the affected options, command-length limit, and listed workarounds. 103dd7d [azure-devops-cli] Add note for legacy URL replacement in SKILL.md (#958) Adds a note that legacy `https://{org}.visualstudio.com` URLs should be replaced with `https://dev.azure.com/{org}`. 2f71741 Merge pull request #841 from fondoger/fondoger/ado-skill-update Replaces the extensive inline command guide with a concise CLI overview, setup and authentication examples, and an index to domain-specific reference files. e24be77 Add 8 new skills for development tools and workflows Adds the initial Azure DevOps CLI skill document, covering setup and authentication plus command examples for Azure DevOps resources. npx skills add "lettucebo/Skills#v2.2.0@azure-devops-cli" --full-depth ⚠ Available after v2.2.0 is published
Azure DevOps CLI
Manage Azure DevOps resources using the Azure CLI with the Azure DevOps extension.
CLI Version: 2.81.0 (current as of 2025)
Prerequisites
# Install Azure CLI
brew install azure-cli # macOS
curl -sL https://aka.ms/InstallAzureCLIDeb | sudo bash # Linux
# Install Azure DevOps extension
az extension add --name azure-devops
Authentication
# Login with PAT token
az devops login --organization https://dev.azure.com/{org} --token YOUR_PAT_TOKEN
# Set default organization and project (avoids repeating --org/--project)
# Note: Legacy URL https://{org}.visualstudio.com should be replaced with https://dev.azure.com/{org}
az devops configure --defaults organization=https://dev.azure.com/{org} project={project}
# List current configuration
az devops configure --list
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
Reference Files
Read the relevant reference file based on the user's task. Each file contains complete command syntax and examples for its domain.
| File | When to read | Covers |
|---|---|---|
references/repos-and-prs.md |
Repos, branches, pull requests, branch policies | Repositories, Import, PRs (create/list/vote/reviewers/policies), Git refs, Branch policies |
references/pipelines-and-builds.md |
Pipelines, builds, releases, artifacts | Pipelines CRUD, runs, builds, releases, artifacts download/upload |
references/boards-and-iterations.md |
Work items, sprints, area paths | Work items (WIQL/create/update/relations), Area paths, Iterations, Team iterations |
references/variables-and-agents.md |
Pipeline variables, agent pools | Pipeline variables, Variable groups, Pipeline folders, Agent pools/queues |
references/org-and-security.md |
Projects, teams, users, permissions, wikis | Projects, Extensions, Teams, Users, Security groups/permissions, Service endpoints, Wikis, Admin |
references/advanced-usage.md |
Output formatting, JMESPath queries | Output formats, JMESPath queries (basic + advanced), Global args, Common params, Git aliases |
references/workflows-and-patterns.md |
Automation scripts, best practices, error handling | Common workflows, Best practices, Error handling, Scripting patterns, Real-world examples |
references/long-comments-on-windows.md |
Long --discussion, --description, or --content values failing on Windows |
The cmd.exe 8191 char cap on az.cmd, shell detection, and three verified workarounds (azps.ps1, native --file-path, az devops invoke --in-file) |