How do I install the Azure Devops skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add markpitt/azure-devops in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

What does the Azure Devops skill do?

Comprehensive skill for working with Azure DevOps REST API across all services including Boards (work items, queries, backlogs), Repos (Git, pull requests, commits), Pipelines (builds, releases, deployments), Test Plans, Artifacts, organizations, projects, security, extensions, and more. Use when implementing Azure DevOps integrations, automating DevOps workflows, or building applications that interact with Azure DevOps services. It is listed under DevOps & Infra on SkillMD.

Is Azure Devops safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. Capability flags: makes network calls, reads secrets. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Azure Devops?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Azure Devops free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Azure Devops?

markpitt (@markpitt) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Azure Devops by markpitt — Agent Skill

Name: Azure Devops
Rating: 4.2 (5 reviews)
Author: markpitt

Azure DevOps API Skill

Security

Never output, suggest, or generate code that embeds PAT values verbatim. Always reference credentials via environment variables (e.g., $AZURE_DEVOPS_PAT) or a secrets manager such as Azure Key Vault. When generating scripts or curl examples, use placeholder variable references — never literal token strings.

This skill provides comprehensive guidance for working with the Azure DevOps REST API, enabling programmatic access to all Azure DevOps Services and Azure DevOps Server resources.

Overview

Azure DevOps REST API is a RESTful web API enabling you to access and manage work items, repositories, pipelines, test plans, artifacts, and more across all Azure DevOps services.

Base URL: https://dev.azure.com/{organization}/{project}/_apis/{area}/{resource}?api-version={version}

Organization: Your Azure DevOps organization name
Project: Project name (optional for org-level resources)
API Version: Required on all requests (e.g., 7.1, 7.0, 6.0)
Authentication: Personal Access Tokens (PAT), OAuth 2.0, or Azure AD

Quick Start

Authentication Requirements

Azure DevOps supports multiple authentication methods:

Personal Access Token (PAT) - Most common for scripts and integrations
OAuth 2.0 - For web applications
Azure Active Directory - For enterprise applications
SSH Keys - For Git operations only

Basic PAT Authentication

GET https://dev.azure.com/{organization}/_apis/projects?api-version=7.1
Authorization: Basic {base64-encoded-PAT}

To encode PAT: base64(":{PAT}") — Note the colon before the PAT. Always read the PAT from an environment variable (e.g., $AZURE_DEVOPS_PAT) rather than hardcoding it in scripts or outputs.

Common Request Pattern

GET https://dev.azure.com/{organization}/{project}/_apis/{resource}?api-version=7.1
Authorization: Basic {encoded-PAT}
Content-Type: application/json

Core Services

Azure DevOps is organized into major service areas. Each area has its own set of REST APIs:

Azure Boards - Work Item Tracking

Work Items

Create work item: POST /{organization}/{project}/_apis/wit/workitems/${type}?api-version=7.1
Get work item: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/wit/workitems/{id}?api-version=7.1
Update work item: PATCH /{organization}/{project}/_apis/wit/workitems/{id}?api-version=7.1
Delete work item: DELETE /{organization}/{project}/_apis/wit/workitems/{id}?api-version=7.1

Request body uses JSON Patch format:

[
  {
    "op": "add",
    "path": "/fields/System.Title",
    "value": "New bug report"
  },
  {
    "op": "add",
    "path": "/fields/System.AssignedTo",
    "value": "user@example.com"
  }
]

Queries

Run stored query: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/wit/wiql/{id}?api-version=7.1

Run WIQL query: POST /{organization}/{project}/_apis/wit/wiql?api-version=7.1

{
  "query": "SELECT [System.Id], [System.Title] FROM WorkItems WHERE [System.WorkItemType] = 'Bug' AND [System.State] = 'Active'"
}

Boards & Backlogs

Get boards: GET /{organization}/{project}/{team}/_apis/work/boards?api-version=7.1
Get backlog items: GET /{organization}/{project}/{team}/_apis/work/backlogs/{backlogId}/workItems?api-version=7.1
Get iterations: GET /{organization}/{project}/{team}/_apis/work/teamsettings/iterations?api-version=7.1
Get capacity: GET /{organization}/{project}/{team}/_apis/work/teamsettings/iterations/{iterationId}/capacities?api-version=7.1

Work Item Types & Fields

List work item types: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/wit/workitemtypes?api-version=7.1
List fields: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/wit/fields?api-version=7.1
Get field: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/wit/fields/{fieldNameOrRefName}?api-version=7.1

Area & Iteration Paths

Get areas: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/wit/classificationnodes/areas?api-version=7.1
Get iterations: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/wit/classificationnodes/iterations?api-version=7.1
Create area: POST /{organization}/{project}/_apis/wit/classificationnodes/areas?api-version=7.1

Azure Repos - Source Control

Git Repositories

List repositories: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/git/repositories?api-version=7.1
Get repository: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/git/repositories/{repositoryId}?api-version=7.1
Create repository: POST /{organization}/{project}/_apis/git/repositories?api-version=7.1
Delete repository: DELETE /{organization}/{project}/_apis/git/repositories/{repositoryId}?api-version=7.1

Commits

Get commits: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/git/repositories/{repositoryId}/commits?api-version=7.1
Get commit: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/git/repositories/{repositoryId}/commits/{commitId}?api-version=7.1
Get commit changes: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/git/repositories/{repositoryId}/commits/{commitId}/changes?api-version=7.1

Branches

Get branches: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/git/repositories/{repositoryId}/refs?filter=heads/&api-version=7.1
Create branch: POST /{organization}/{project}/_apis/git/repositories/{repositoryId}/refs?api-version=7.1

Delete branch: POST /{organization}/{project}/_apis/git/repositories/{repositoryId}/refs?api-version=7.1

[
  {
    "name": "refs/heads/feature-branch",
    "oldObjectId": "0000000000000000000000000000000000000000",
    "newObjectId": "{commitId}"
  }
]

Pull Requests

Get pull requests: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/git/repositories/{repositoryId}/pullrequests?api-version=7.1
Get pull request: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/git/repositories/{repositoryId}/pullrequests/{pullRequestId}?api-version=7.1

Create pull request: POST /{organization}/{project}/_apis/git/repositories/{repositoryId}/pullrequests?api-version=7.1

{
  "sourceRefName": "refs/heads/feature",
  "targetRefName": "refs/heads/main",
  "title": "PR Title",
  "description": "PR Description"
}

Update pull request: PATCH /{organization}/{project}/_apis/git/repositories/{repositoryId}/pullrequests/{pullRequestId}?api-version=7.1
Get PR reviewers: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/git/repositories/{repositoryId}/pullrequests/{pullRequestId}/reviewers?api-version=7.1
Add PR reviewer: PUT /{organization}/{project}/_apis/git/repositories/{repositoryId}/pullrequests/{pullRequestId}/reviewers/{reviewerId}?api-version=7.1
Get PR work items: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/git/repositories/{repositoryId}/pullrequests/{pullRequestId}/workitems?api-version=7.1
Get PR threads: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/git/repositories/{repositoryId}/pullrequests/{pullRequestId}/threads?api-version=7.1
Add PR comment: POST /{organization}/{project}/_apis/git/repositories/{repositoryId}/pullrequests/{pullRequestId}/threads?api-version=7.1

Pushes

Get pushes: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/git/repositories/{repositoryId}/pushes?api-version=7.1
Get push: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/git/repositories/{repositoryId}/pushes/{pushId}?api-version=7.1

Items (Files & Folders)

Get item: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/git/repositories/{repositoryId}/items?path={path}&api-version=7.1
Get item content: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/git/repositories/{repositoryId}/items?path={path}&download=true&api-version=7.1
Get items batch: POST /{organization}/{project}/_apis/git/repositories/{repositoryId}/itemsbatch?api-version=7.1

Policies

Get policy configurations: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/policy/configurations?api-version=7.1
Create policy: POST /{organization}/{project}/_apis/policy/configurations?api-version=7.1

Azure Pipelines - CI/CD

Build Definitions (Pipelines)

List definitions: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/build/definitions?api-version=7.1
Get definition: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/build/definitions/{definitionId}?api-version=7.1
Create definition: POST /{organization}/{project}/_apis/build/definitions?api-version=7.1
Update definition: PUT /{organization}/{project}/_apis/build/definitions/{definitionId}?api-version=7.1
Delete definition: DELETE /{organization}/{project}/_apis/build/definitions/{definitionId}?api-version=7.1

Builds

Queue build: POST /{organization}/{project}/_apis/build/builds?api-version=7.1

{
  "definition": {
    "id": 123
  },
  "sourceBranch": "refs/heads/main"
}

Get builds: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/build/builds?api-version=7.1
Get build: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/build/builds/{buildId}?api-version=7.1
Update build: PATCH /{organization}/{project}/_apis/build/builds/{buildId}?api-version=7.1
Delete build: DELETE /{organization}/{project}/_apis/build/builds/{buildId}?api-version=7.1
Get build logs: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/build/builds/{buildId}/logs?api-version=7.1
Get build timeline: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/build/builds/{buildId}/timeline?api-version=7.1
Get build artifacts: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/build/builds/{buildId}/artifacts?api-version=7.1

Release Definitions

List definitions: GET https://vsrm.dev.azure.com/{organization}/{project}/_apis/release/definitions?api-version=7.1
Get definition: GET https://vsrm.dev.azure.com/{organization}/{project}/_apis/release/definitions/{definitionId}?api-version=7.1
Create definition: POST https://vsrm.dev.azure.com/{organization}/{project}/_apis/release/definitions?api-version=7.1

Releases

Create release: POST https://vsrm.dev.azure.com/{organization}/{project}/_apis/release/releases?api-version=7.1
Get releases: GET https://vsrm.dev.azure.com/{organization}/{project}/_apis/release/releases?api-version=7.1
Get release: GET https://vsrm.dev.azure.com/{organization}/{project}/_apis/release/releases/{releaseId}?api-version=7.1
Update release: PATCH https://vsrm.dev.azure.com/{organization}/{project}/_apis/release/releases/{releaseId}?api-version=7.1
Get release environment: GET https://vsrm.dev.azure.com/{organization}/{project}/_apis/release/releases/{releaseId}/environments/{environmentId}?api-version=7.1
Update release environment: PATCH https://vsrm.dev.azure.com/{organization}/{project}/_apis/release/releases/{releaseId}/environments/{environmentId}?api-version=7.1

Approvals

Get approvals: GET https://vsrm.dev.azure.com/{organization}/{project}/_apis/release/approvals?api-version=7.1
Update approval: PATCH https://vsrm.dev.azure.com/{organization}/{project}/_apis/release/approvals/{approvalId}?api-version=7.1

Agent Pools

List pools: GET /{organization}/_apis/distributedtask/pools?api-version=7.1
Get pool: GET /{organization}/_apis/distributedtask/pools/{poolId}?api-version=7.1
Add pool: POST /{organization}/_apis/distributedtask/pools?api-version=7.1

Agents

List agents: GET /{organization}/_apis/distributedtask/pools/{poolId}/agents?api-version=7.1
Get agent: GET /{organization}/_apis/distributedtask/pools/{poolId}/agents/{agentId}?api-version=7.1
Update agent: PATCH /{organization}/_apis/distributedtask/pools/{poolId}/agents/{agentId}?api-version=7.1

Variable Groups

List variable groups: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/distributedtask/variablegroups?api-version=7.1
Get variable group: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/distributedtask/variablegroups/{groupId}?api-version=7.1
Create variable group: POST /{organization}/{project}/_apis/distributedtask/variablegroups?api-version=7.1
Update variable group: PUT /{organization}/{project}/_apis/distributedtask/variablegroups/{groupId}?api-version=7.1

Task Groups

List task groups: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/distributedtask/taskgroups?api-version=7.1
Get task group: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/distributedtask/taskgroups/{taskGroupId}?api-version=7.1

Service Endpoints (Connections)

List endpoints: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/serviceendpoint/endpoints?api-version=7.1
Get endpoint: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/serviceendpoint/endpoints/{endpointId}?api-version=7.1
Create endpoint: POST /{organization}/{project}/_apis/serviceendpoint/endpoints?api-version=7.1

Azure Test Plans

Test Plans

List test plans: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/testplan/plans?api-version=7.1
Get test plan: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/testplan/plans/{planId}?api-version=7.1
Create test plan: POST /{organization}/{project}/_apis/testplan/plans?api-version=7.1
Update test plan: PATCH /{organization}/{project}/_apis/testplan/plans/{planId}?api-version=7.1

Test Suites

List test suites: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/testplan/plans/{planId}/suites?api-version=7.1
Get test suite: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/testplan/plans/{planId}/suites/{suiteId}?api-version=7.1
Create test suite: POST /{organization}/{project}/_apis/testplan/plans/{planId}/suites?api-version=7.1

Test Cases

List test cases: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/testplan/plans/{planId}/suites/{suiteId}/testcases?api-version=7.1
Get test case: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/testplan/plans/{planId}/suites/{suiteId}/testcases/{testCaseId}?api-version=7.1
Add test cases: POST /{organization}/{project}/_apis/testplan/plans/{planId}/suites/{suiteId}/testcases?api-version=7.1

Test Runs

Create test run: POST /{organization}/{project}/_apis/test/runs?api-version=7.1
Get test runs: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/test/runs?api-version=7.1
Get test run: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/test/runs/{runId}?api-version=7.1
Update test run: PATCH /{organization}/{project}/_apis/test/runs/{runId}?api-version=7.1

Test Results

Get test results: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/test/runs/{runId}/results?api-version=7.1
Get test result: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/test/runs/{runId}/results/{resultId}?api-version=7.1
Update test results: PATCH /{organization}/{project}/_apis/test/runs/{runId}/results?api-version=7.1
Add test results: POST /{organization}/{project}/_apis/test/runs/{runId}/results?api-version=7.1

Test Configurations

List configurations: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/testplan/configurations?api-version=7.1
Get configuration: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/testplan/configurations/{configurationId}?api-version=7.1

Azure Artifacts

Feeds

List feeds: GET https://feeds.dev.azure.com/{organization}/_apis/packaging/feeds?api-version=7.1
Get feed: GET https://feeds.dev.azure.com/{organization}/_apis/packaging/feeds/{feedId}?api-version=7.1
Create feed: POST https://feeds.dev.azure.com/{organization}/_apis/packaging/feeds?api-version=7.1
Update feed: PATCH https://feeds.dev.azure.com/{organization}/_apis/packaging/feeds/{feedId}?api-version=7.1

Packages

List packages: GET https://feeds.dev.azure.com/{organization}/_apis/packaging/feeds/{feedId}/packages?api-version=7.1
Get package: GET https://feeds.dev.azure.com/{organization}/_apis/packaging/feeds/{feedId}/packages/{packageId}?api-version=7.1
Delete package: DELETE https://feeds.dev.azure.com/{organization}/_apis/packaging/feeds/{feedId}/packages/{packageId}?api-version=7.1

Package Versions

List package versions: GET https://feeds.dev.azure.com/{organization}/_apis/packaging/feeds/{feedId}/packages/{packageId}/versions?api-version=7.1
Get package version: GET https://feeds.dev.azure.com/{organization}/_apis/packaging/feeds/{feedId}/packages/{packageId}/versions/{versionId}?api-version=7.1
Delete package version: DELETE https://feeds.dev.azure.com/{organization}/_apis/packaging/feeds/{feedId}/packages/{packageId}/versions/{versionId}?api-version=7.1

Feed Permissions

Get feed permissions: GET https://feeds.dev.azure.com/{organization}/_apis/packaging/feeds/{feedId}/permissions?api-version=7.1
Set feed permissions: PATCH https://feeds.dev.azure.com/{organization}/_apis/packaging/feeds/{feedId}/permissions?api-version=7.1

Organization & Project Management

Organizations

List organizations: Available via Azure DevOps Profile API
Get organization details: GET https://dev.azure.com/{organization}/_apis/projectcollections?api-version=7.1

Projects

List projects: GET /{organization}/_apis/projects?api-version=7.1
Get project: GET /{organization}/_apis/projects/{projectId}?api-version=7.1

Create project: POST /{organization}/_apis/projects?api-version=7.1

{
  "name": "MyProject",
  "description": "Project description",
  "capabilities": {
    "versioncontrol": {
      "sourceControlType": "Git"
    },
    "processTemplate": {
      "templateTypeId": "6b724908-ef14-45cf-84f8-768b5384da45"
    }
  }
}

Update project: PATCH /{organization}/_apis/projects/{projectId}?api-version=7.1
Delete project: DELETE /{organization}/_apis/projects/{projectId}?api-version=7.1

Teams

List teams: GET /{organization}/_apis/teams?api-version=7.1
Get team: GET /{organization}/_apis/projects/{projectId}/teams/{teamId}?api-version=7.1
Create team: POST /{organization}/_apis/projects/{projectId}/teams?api-version=7.1
Update team: PATCH /{organization}/_apis/projects/{projectId}/teams/{teamId}?api-version=7.1
Delete team: DELETE /{organization}/_apis/projects/{projectId}/teams/{teamId}?api-version=7.1

Team Members

Get team members: GET /{organization}/_apis/projects/{projectId}/teams/{teamId}/members?api-version=7.1
Add team member: PUT /{organization}/_apis/projects/{projectId}/teams/{teamId}/members/{userId}?api-version=7.1
Remove team member: DELETE /{organization}/_apis/projects/{projectId}/teams/{teamId}/members/{userId}?api-version=7.1

Processes

List processes: GET /{organization}/_apis/process/processes?api-version=7.1
Get process: GET /{organization}/_apis/process/processes/{processId}?api-version=7.1
Create process: POST /{organization}/_apis/process/processes?api-version=7.1

Security & Identity

Identities (Users & Groups)

Read identities: GET https://vssps.dev.azure.com/{organization}/_apis/identities?api-version=7.1
Read identity: GET https://vssps.dev.azure.com/{organization}/_apis/identities/{identityId}?api-version=7.1

Graph (Azure DevOps specific)

List users: GET https://vssps.dev.azure.com/{organization}/_apis/graph/users?api-version=7.1-preview.1
Get user: GET https://vssps.dev.azure.com/{organization}/_apis/graph/users/{userDescriptor}?api-version=7.1-preview.1
Create user: POST https://vssps.dev.azure.com/{organization}/_apis/graph/users?api-version=7.1-preview.1
Delete user: DELETE https://vssps.dev.azure.com/{organization}/_apis/graph/users/{userDescriptor}?api-version=7.1-preview.1

Groups

List groups: GET https://vssps.dev.azure.com/{organization}/_apis/graph/groups?api-version=7.1-preview.1
Get group: GET https://vssps.dev.azure.com/{organization}/_apis/graph/groups/{groupDescriptor}?api-version=7.1-preview.1
Create group: POST https://vssps.dev.azure.com/{organization}/_apis/graph/groups?api-version=7.1-preview.1
Delete group: DELETE https://vssps.dev.azure.com/{organization}/_apis/graph/groups/{groupDescriptor}?api-version=7.1-preview.1

Group Memberships

List memberships: GET https://vssps.dev.azure.com/{organization}/_apis/graph/memberships/{subjectDescriptor}?api-version=7.1-preview.1
Add membership: PUT https://vssps.dev.azure.com/{organization}/_apis/graph/memberships/{subjectDescriptor}/{containerDescriptor}?api-version=7.1-preview.1
Remove membership: DELETE https://vssps.dev.azure.com/{organization}/_apis/graph/memberships/{subjectDescriptor}/{containerDescriptor}?api-version=7.1-preview.1

Access Control Lists (ACLs)

Query ACLs: GET /{organization}/_apis/accesscontrollists/{securityNamespaceId}?api-version=7.1
Set ACLs: POST /{organization}/_apis/accesscontrollists/{securityNamespaceId}?api-version=7.1
Remove ACLs: DELETE /{organization}/_apis/accesscontrollists/{securityNamespaceId}?api-version=7.1

Security Namespaces

List security namespaces: GET /{organization}/_apis/securitynamespaces?api-version=7.1
Get security namespace: GET /{organization}/_apis/securitynamespaces/{securityNamespaceId}?api-version=7.1

Permissions

Query permissions: GET /{organization}/_apis/permissions/{securityNamespaceId}/{permissions}?api-version=7.1
Check permission: GET /{organization}/_apis/security/permissions/{securityNamespaceId}?api-version=7.1

Extensions & Integrations

Extensions

List installed extensions: GET /{organization}/_apis/extensionmanagement/installedextensions?api-version=7.1
Get installed extension: GET /{organization}/_apis/extensionmanagement/installedextensions/{publisherName}/{extensionName}?api-version=7.1
Install extension: POST /{organization}/_apis/extensionmanagement/installedextensions?api-version=7.1
Uninstall extension: DELETE /{organization}/_apis/extensionmanagement/installedextensions/{publisherName}/{extensionName}?api-version=7.1

Service Hooks

List subscriptions: GET /{organization}/_apis/hooks/subscriptions?api-version=7.1
Get subscription: GET /{organization}/_apis/hooks/subscriptions/{subscriptionId}?api-version=7.1

Create subscription: POST /{organization}/_apis/hooks/subscriptions?api-version=7.1

{
  "publisherId": "tfs",
  "eventType": "git.push",
  "resourceVersion": "1.0",
  "consumerId": "webHooks",
  "consumerActionId": "httpRequest",
  "publisherInputs": {
    "projectId": "{projectId}"
  },
  "consumerInputs": {
    "url": "https://example.com/webhook"
  }
}

Delete subscription: DELETE /{organization}/_apis/hooks/subscriptions/{subscriptionId}?api-version=7.1

Notifications

List subscriptions: GET /{organization}/_apis/notification/subscriptions?api-version=7.1
Create subscription: POST /{organization}/_apis/notification/subscriptions?api-version=7.1

Additional Services

Wiki

List wikis: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/wiki/wikis?api-version=7.1
Get wiki: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/wiki/wikis/{wikiId}?api-version=7.1
Create wiki: POST /{organization}/{project}/_apis/wiki/wikis?api-version=7.1
Get wiki page: GET /{organization}/{project}/_apis/wiki/wikis/{wikiId}/pages?path={path}&api-version=7.1
Create/update wiki page: PUT /{organization}/{project}/_apis/wiki/wikis/{wikiId}/pages?path={path}&api-version=7.1

Search

Search work items: POST /{organization}/{project}/_apis/search/workitemsearchresults?api-version=7.1
Search code: POST /{organization}/{project}/_apis/search/codesearchresults?api-version=7.1

Dashboards

List dashboards: GET /{organization}/{project}/{team}/_apis/dashboard/dashboards?api-version=7.1
Get dashboard: GET /{organization}/{project}/{team}/_apis/dashboard/dashboards/{dashboardId}?api-version=7.1
Create dashboard: POST /{organization}/{project}/{team}/_apis/dashboard/dashboards?api-version=7.1

Widgets

List widgets: GET /{organization}/{project}/{team}/_apis/dashboard/dashboards/{dashboardId}/widgets?api-version=7.1
Create widget: POST /{organization}/{project}/{team}/_apis/dashboard/dashboards/{dashboardId}/widgets?api-version=7.1

Audit

Query audit log: GET /{organization}/_apis/audit/auditlog?api-version=7.1-preview.1
Download audit log: GET /{organization}/_apis/audit/downloadlog?api-version=7.1-preview.1

Common Operations

Pagination

Azure DevOps API uses continuation tokens for pagination:

Response with continuation token:

{
  "count": 100,
  "value": [...],
  "continuationToken": "MTIz"
}

Next request:

GET /{endpoint}?continuationToken=MTIz&api-version=7.1

Some endpoints use $top and $skip:

GET /{endpoint}?$top=100&$skip=100&api-version=7.1

Filtering & Querying

OData-style filters (select endpoints):

GET /{endpoint}?$filter=state eq 'Active'&api-version=7.1

Work item queries use WIQL (Work Item Query Language):

SELECT [System.Id], [System.Title], [System.State]
FROM WorkItems
WHERE [System.WorkItemType] = 'Bug'
  AND [System.State] = 'Active'
  AND [System.AssignedTo] = @Me
ORDER BY [System.ChangedDate] DESC

Batch Operations

Some Azure DevOps APIs support batch operations:

Work Items batch get:

GET /{organization}/_apis/wit/workitemsbatch?ids=1,2,3,4,5&api-version=7.1

Git items batch:

POST /{organization}/{project}/_apis/git/repositories/{repositoryId}/itemsbatch?api-version=7.1
{
  "itemDescriptors": [
    {"path": "/file1.txt", "version": "main"},
    {"path": "/file2.txt", "version": "main"}
  ]
}

JSON Patch for Updates

Work items and some other resources use JSON Patch (RFC 6902):

Operations:

add - Add a field or relationship
remove - Remove a field
replace - Replace field value
test - Test a value (for concurrency)
copy - Copy a value
move - Move a value

Example:

[
  {
    "op": "add",
    "path": "/fields/System.Title",
    "value": "New title"
  },
  {
    "op": "replace",
    "path": "/fields/System.State",
    "value": "Active"
  },
  {
    "op": "add",
    "path": "/relations/-",
    "value": {
      "rel": "System.LinkTypes.Hierarchy-Reverse",
      "url": "https://dev.azure.com/{org}/_apis/wit/workItems/123"
    }
  }
]

Error Handling

Azure DevOps API returns standard HTTP status codes:

200 OK - Success
201 Created - Resource created
202 Accepted - Request accepted (async operation)
204 No Content - Success, no content
400 Bad Request - Invalid request
401 Unauthorized - Authentication required
403 Forbidden - Insufficient permissions
404 Not Found - Resource not found
409 Conflict - Conflict (e.g., version mismatch)
429 Too Many Requests - Rate limit exceeded
500 Internal Server Error - Server error
503 Service Unavailable - Service unavailable

Error response format:

{
  "id": "request-id",
  "innerException": null,
  "message": "TF401019: The Git repository with name or identifier MyRepo does not exist or you do not have permissions for the operation you are attempting.",
  "typeName": "Microsoft.TeamFoundation.Git.Server.GitRepositoryNotFoundException",
  "typeKey": "GitRepositoryNotFoundException",
  "errorCode": 0,
  "eventId": 3000
}

Rate Limiting

Azure DevOps enforces rate limits:

Global limit: Varies by service (typically 200-300 requests per minute)
TSTUs (Team Services Time Units): Used to measure resource consumption
Retry-After header: Indicates when to retry after 429 error

Best practices:

Implement exponential backoff
Respect Retry-After header
Cache responses when appropriate
Use batch operations when available

Permissions & Scopes

PAT Scopes

When creating Personal Access Tokens, select appropriate scopes:

Agent Pools: Read & manage
Analytics: Read
Audit: Read audit log
Build: Read & execute
Code: Full, Read, or Status
Extensions: Read & manage
Graph: Read
Identity: Read
Marketplace: Acquire, manage, publish
Member Entitlement Management: Read & write
Packaging: Read, write, & manage
Project and Team: Read, write, & manage
Release: Read, write, execute, & manage
Secure Files: Read, create, & manage
Service Connections: Read, query, & manage
Symbols: Read
Task Groups: Read, create, & manage
Test Management: Read & write
Tokens: Read & manage
User Profile: Read & write
Variable Groups: Read, create, & manage
Work Items: Full, Read, & write

Important: Always use the least privileged scope required.

OAuth 2.0 Scopes

For OAuth applications, use scopes in the format:

vso.work - Work items (read)
vso.work_write - Work items (write)
vso.code - Code (read)
vso.code_write - Code (write)
vso.build - Build (read)
vso.build_execute - Build (execute)

Full list: https://docs.microsoft.com/azure/devops/integrate/get-started/authentication/oauth

API Versioning

Azure DevOps APIs use explicit versioning:

Versions:

7.1 - Latest stable (recommended)
7.0 - Stable
6.0 - Stable
5.1 - Older stable
Versions with -preview suffix (e.g., 7.1-preview.1) - Preview features

Version format:

api-version=7.1 - Latest patch of 7.1
api-version=7.1-preview.1 - Preview version 1 of 7.1

Important:

Always specify api-version (required on all requests)
Preview APIs may change or be removed
Use stable versions for production
Monitor deprecation notices

Best Practices

Performance

Use batch operations when fetching multiple items
Implement pagination for large result sets
Use specific fields with $select where supported
Cache responses when appropriate
Use delta queries for incremental sync
Leverage continuation tokens properly

Security

Store PATs securely (use Azure Key Vault or similar)
Use appropriate scopes (least privilege)
Rotate PATs regularly (set expiration)
Use HTTPS only
Validate input to prevent injection
Implement proper error handling
Log security events
Never commit PATs to source control

Development

Use latest stable API version
Handle rate limits with retry logic
Implement exponential backoff
Check for preview API stability before using
Monitor service health
Use JSON Patch for updates
Validate responses
Handle pagination correctly
Test with various edge cases
Use descriptive error messages

Integration Patterns

Webhooks (Service Hooks): For event-driven integrations
Polling: For batch processing (avoid excessive polling)
Scheduled Jobs: For periodic sync operations
Real-time sync: Using service hooks + API calls

Common Use Cases

Create Work Item

POST https://dev.azure.com/{organization}/{project}/_apis/wit/workitems/$Bug?api-version=7.1
Content-Type: application/json-patch+json

[
  {
    "op": "add",
    "path": "/fields/System.Title",
    "value": "Critical bug in login flow"
  },
  {
    "op": "add",
    "path": "/fields/System.Description",
    "value": "Users cannot log in with SSO"
  },
  {
    "op": "add",
    "path": "/fields/Microsoft.VSTS.Common.Priority",
    "value": 1
  }
]

Create Pull Request

POST https://dev.azure.com/{organization}/{project}/_apis/git/repositories/{repositoryId}/pullrequests?api-version=7.1
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "sourceRefName": "refs/heads/feature/new-feature",
  "targetRefName": "refs/heads/main",
  "title": "Add new feature",
  "description": "This PR adds the new feature",
  "reviewers": [
    {"id": "reviewer-id-1"},
    {"id": "reviewer-id-2"}
  ]
}

Queue Build

POST https://dev.azure.com/{organization}/{project}/_apis/build/builds?api-version=7.1
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "definition": {
    "id": 123
  },
  "sourceBranch": "refs/heads/main",
  "parameters": "{\"param1\":\"value1\"}"
}

Run WIQL Query

POST https://dev.azure.com/{organization}/{project}/_apis/wit/wiql?api-version=7.1
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "query": "SELECT [System.Id], [System.Title], [System.State] FROM WorkItems WHERE [System.WorkItemType] = 'Bug' AND [System.State] = 'Active' AND [System.AssignedTo] = @Me ORDER BY [System.Priority] ASC"
}

Create Service Hook Subscription

POST https://dev.azure.com/{organization}/_apis/hooks/subscriptions?api-version=7.1
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "publisherId": "tfs",
  "eventType": "workitem.updated",
  "resourceVersion": "1.0",
  "consumerId": "webHooks",
  "consumerActionId": "httpRequest",
  "publisherInputs": {
    "projectId": "{projectId}",
    "workItemType": "Bug"
  },
  "consumerInputs": {
    "url": "https://example.com/webhook",
    "httpHeaders": "Content-Type:application/json"
  }
}

Tools & Testing

REST Client Tools

Postman - Popular API testing tool
curl - Command-line tool
PowerShell - Invoke-RestMethod
Python - requests library
Azure DevOps CLI - Official CLI tool

Azure DevOps CLI

Install and use the official CLI:

# Install
pip install azure-devops

# Login
az devops login --organization https://dev.azure.com/{organization}

# Configure defaults
az devops configure --defaults organization=https://dev.azure.com/{organization} project={project}

# Examples
az repos list
az pipelines build list
az boards work-item create --title "Bug" --type Bug

Testing Authentication

Test PAT authentication using an environment variable — never hardcode the token:

# Set once in your shell session (do not commit this to scripts or source control)
# export AZURE_DEVOPS_PAT="<your-pat>"

# Encode from environment variable
PAT_ENCODED=$(echo -n ":$AZURE_DEVOPS_PAT" | base64)

# Test
curl -H "Authorization: Basic $PAT_ENCODED" \
  "https://dev.azure.com/{organization}/_apis/projects?api-version=7.1"

Preferred: Use az devops login which handles credential storage securely without manual encoding.

SDKs Available

.NET - Microsoft.TeamFoundationServer.Client, Microsoft.VisualStudio.Services.Client
Node.js - azure-devops-node-api
Python - azure-devops
Java - Azure DevOps SDK for Java

Progressive Loading

This skill provides comprehensive coverage of Azure DevOps API. For specific tasks:

Identify the service area (Boards, Repos, Pipelines, Test, Artifacts)
Find the relevant section in this document
Use the API reference for detailed parameter information
Test with Azure DevOps CLI or REST client before implementing

Reference Links

Official Docs: https://docs.microsoft.com/rest/api/azure/devops/
API Reference: https://docs.microsoft.com/rest/api/azure/devops/?view=azure-devops-rest-7.1
Authentication: https://docs.microsoft.com/azure/devops/integrate/get-started/authentication/authentication-guidance
Service Hooks: https://docs.microsoft.com/azure/devops/service-hooks/overview
Rate Limits: https://docs.microsoft.com/azure/devops/integrate/concepts/rate-limits
API Versioning: https://docs.microsoft.com/azure/devops/integrate/concepts/rest-api-versioning
Azure DevOps CLI: https://docs.microsoft.com/cli/azure/devops
Node.js SDK: https://github.com/microsoft/azure-devops-node-api
Python SDK: https://github.com/microsoft/azure-devops-python-api
Status Page: https://status.dev.azure.com/

API URL Patterns

Different Azure DevOps services use different base URLs:

Core services: https://dev.azure.com/{organization}/
Release Management: https://vsrm.dev.azure.com/{organization}/
Package Management: https://feeds.dev.azure.com/{organization}/
Identity: https://vssps.dev.azure.com/{organization}/
Analytics: https://analytics.dev.azure.com/{organization}/

Notes

This skill covers the Azure DevOps REST API version 7.1 (latest stable)
Some endpoints may require preview API versions
Always check the official documentation for latest changes
API versions and endpoints may evolve over time
Rate limits and throttling policies apply
Proper authentication and permissions are required for all operations
Some features are only available in Azure DevOps Services, not Server

Azure Devops

File contents

Azure DevOps API Skill

Security

Overview

Quick Start

Authentication Requirements

Basic PAT Authentication

Common Request Pattern

Core Services

Azure Boards - Work Item Tracking

Azure Repos - Source Control

Azure Pipelines - CI/CD

Azure Test Plans

Azure Artifacts

Organization & Project Management

Security & Identity

Extensions & Integrations

Additional Services

Common Operations

Pagination

Filtering & Querying

Batch Operations

JSON Patch for Updates

Error Handling

Rate Limiting

Permissions & Scopes

PAT Scopes

OAuth 2.0 Scopes

API Versioning

Best Practices

Performance

Security

Development

Integration Patterns

Common Use Cases

Create Work Item

Create Pull Request

Queue Build

Run WIQL Query

Create Service Hook Subscription

Tools & Testing

REST Client Tools

Azure DevOps CLI

Testing Authentication

SDKs Available

Progressive Loading

Reference Links

API URL Patterns

Notes

Related skills

Frequently asked questions

How do I install the Azure Devops skill?

What does the Azure Devops skill do?

Is Azure Devops safe to use?

Which AI agents work with Azure Devops?

Is Azure Devops free to use?

Who published Azure Devops?