Azure DevOps Work Items Plugin

A Claude Code plugin for managing Azure DevOps work items, boards, backlogs, and sprints using the Azure CLI (az devops).

Why This Plugin?

This plugin uses the official Azure CLI with the azure-devops extension instead of the Microsoft MCP server, which has known stability issues. The Azure CLI provides a reliable, well-documented interface to Azure DevOps APIs.

Prerequisites

1. Azure CLI

Install the Azure CLI:

• Windows: winget install Microsoft.AzureCLI or download installer
• macOS: brew install azure-cli
• Linux: See installation guide

2. Azure DevOps Extension

Install the Azure DevOps extension for Azure CLI:

az extension add --name azure-devops

3. Authentication

Log in to Azure:

az login

Or use a Personal Access Token (PAT):

az devops login

4. Configure Defaults

Set your default organization and project:

az devops configure --defaults organization=https://dev.azure.com/YOUR_ORG project=YOUR_PROJECT

Verify configuration:

az devops configure --list

Installation

From Claude Plugin Marketplace

claude plugin marketplace add ms-ado-az

From Local Source

claude plugin install /path/to/ado

Available Commands

Setup & Status

Command	Description
/ado:setup	Configure Azure DevOps CLI authentication and defaults
/ado:status	Check current configuration and test connectivity

Work Items

Command	Description
/ado:items:show	Show details of a work item by ID
/ado:items:create	Create a new work item (bug, task, user story, etc.)
/ado:items:update	Update an existing work item
/ado:items:query	Query work items using WIQL
/ado:items:search	Full-text search across work items
/ado:items:link	Link work items together (parent/child, related, etc.)
/ado:items:comments	View and add comments to work items

Boards

Command	Description
/ado:boards:list	List boards for a team
/ado:boards:columns	Get board column configuration
/ado:boards:card-rules	View board card styling rules

Backlogs

Command	Description
/ado:backlogs:list	List backlogs for a team
/ado:backlogs:items	Get items in a backlog

Sprints

Command	Description
/ado:sprints:list	List team iterations/sprints
/ado:sprints:capacity	View team capacity for a sprint
/ado:sprints:days-off	View team days off for a sprint

Areas & Iterations

Command	Description
/ado:areas-iterations:list-areas	List project area paths
/ado:areas-iterations:list-iterations	List project iteration paths
/ado:areas-iterations:assign-team	Assign areas or iterations to a team

Available Skills

Skills provide reference documentation and guidance for complex operations:

Skill	Description
wiql-queries	Build and execute WIQL (Work Item Query Language) queries
wit-invoke	Call Azure DevOps REST APIs via az devops invoke
hierarchy-tree	Construct ASCII tree visualizations from parent/child work item data
work-item-fields	Reference for work item fields, link types, and states

Agent

The plugin includes an AI agent for interactive work item management:

ado-work-items Agent

An Azure DevOps work item assistant that can:

• Query and search work items
• Create and update work items
• Manage boards and backlogs
• Handle sprints and capacity
• Work with areas and iterations

Start the agent with:

/agent ado-work-items

Examples

Query My Open Tasks

/ado:items:query

Then ask for: "Show me all tasks assigned to me that are not done"

Create a Bug

/ado:items:create

Then provide: Type "Bug", Title "Login button not responding", Priority 1

View Sprint Capacity

/ado:sprints:capacity

Then specify the team and sprint iteration.

Troubleshooting

Check Status

Run /ado:status to verify:

• Azure CLI is installed
• Azure DevOps extension is present
• Default organization and project are configured
• Connectivity to Azure DevOps is working

Common Issues

1. "az: command not found" - Azure CLI is not installed or not in PATH
2. "The following extension is not installed: azure-devops" - Run az extension add --name azure-devops
3. "Please run 'az login' to setup account" - Run az login to authenticate
4. "TF401019: The project does not exist" - Check your project name is correct (case-sensitive)
5. "TF400813: Resource not available" - Verify organization URL format is https://dev.azure.com/orgname

Re-authenticate

az account clear
az login
az devops configure --defaults organization=https://dev.azure.com/YOUR_ORG project=YOUR_PROJECT

License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details.

Author

Joshua Ramirez