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
bash# 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
bash# 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) |
