Azure DevOps Blog
DevOps, Git, and Agile updates from the team building Azure DevOps
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Remote MCP Server preview in Microsoft Foundry
Earlier this week we release the public preview for our Azure DevOps MCP Server. Today we are excited to let you know that the Azure DevOps MCP Server is now available to use in Microsoft Foundry. For those who are new to Foundry, Microsoft Foundry is a unified platform for building and managing AI powered applications and agents at scale. It brings together model access, orchestration, evaluation, and deployment into a single environment. It is used to develop intelligent solutions such as copilots and automated workflows, connect AI to real world tools and services, and move projects from experimentation to s...
Authentication Tokens Are Not a Data Contract
Authentication tokens exist to answer one question: is this caller authorized to do this? They are not intended to be a stable data interface, a schema you can depend on, or an input into application logic. If your application decodes tokens and reads claims from them, this is an important heads-up. Token Claims Were Never Guaranteed Although tokens may appear readable today, that was never a promise. We have never publicly documented token contents, and as a result, we have always reserved the right to change token claims at any point, for any reason. Claims may change, become optional, be renamed, be remov...
Azure DevOps Remote MCP Server (public preview)
When we released the local Azure DevOps MCP Server, it gave customers a way to connect Azure DevOps data with tools like Visual Studio and Visual Studio Code through GitHub Copilot Chat. The next step was to make this experience easier to get started with and to enable it for services that support only remote MCP servers. The Remote MCP Server is a hosted version of the Azure DevOps MCP Server that uses streamable HTTP transport. It supports the same core scenarios as the local server but removes the need for additional setup and installation. The Remote Azure DevOps MCP Server preview is available now. We are ...
March Patches for Azure DevOps Server
We are releasing patches for our self‑hosted product, Azure DevOps Server. We strongly recommend that all customers stay on the latest, most secure version of Azure DevOps Server. The latest release, Azure DevOps Server, is available from the download page. This patch addresses an issue introduced in the original Azure DevOps Server release that, under certain conditions, could cause group memberships to become deactivated. Who should install this patch This patch applies to customers who installed Azure DevOps Server prior to the March 13, 2026 re‑published release. If you previously applied the mitigation de...
Temporary rollback: build identities can access Advanced Security: read alerts again
If you use build service identities like to call Advanced Security APIs, the Advanced Security permission changes in Sprint 269 broke that. We restricted API access for build identities as a security improvement but failed to provide an early notice for customers that relied upon this for various automations. We're rolling it back temporarily. The restriction will be re-enforced on April 15, 2026. What you should do Action is required. The recommended path is a service principal with Advanced Security: Read alerts permissions for your Advanced Security-enabled repositories. Scope it narrowly, and if the servi...
Updates to Team Calendar extension
We are excited to release a new update to the Team Calendar extension. This update includes a series of visual refinements across the extension, introducing a more consistent design language, smoother transitions when expanding and collapsing sections, improved contrast for better readability, an updated color palette aligned with Azure DevOps, and clearer, more consistent icons throughout the experience. Side Panel UI Improvements The side panel has received a complete visual overhaul with a modern, clean design that better integrates with Azure DevOps. Enhanced Summary View The Calendar Summary panel has...
TFVC Remove Existing Obsolete Policies ASAP
In April 2025, we announced the deprecation schedule for legacy TFVC check-in policies. This change was required due to limitations in how those policies were previously implemented and stored. The old policies have been marked as obsolete, and you can replace them by selecting the equivalent updated policy. We are currently in Phase II of this transition. During this phase, you can still replace obsolete policies through Team Explorer. When attempting to check in, you’ll also see a notification indicating that your configuration is out of compliance and still using obsolete policies. The final phase of this ...
Condensed views on Kanban and Sprint boards
One of the challenges teams face when working with large boards or displaying multiple fields on work item cards is limited screen space. This became even more noticeable with the rollout of the New Boards hub, which introduced additional spacing and padding for improved readability. While this enhances clarity, it can also reduce the number of cards visible at once. For example, if a work item contains a dozen or more tags and several custom fields, a single card can easily consume a significant portion of your vertical space. In Delivery Plans, we addressed this challenge with the condensed view option, where ...
February Patches for Azure DevOps Server
We are releasing patches for our self‑hosted product, Azure DevOps Server. We strongly recommend that all customers stay on the latest, most secure version of Azure DevOps Server. The latest release, Azure DevOps Server, is available from the download page. To make it easier to find and apply the latest patches, we are sharing patch details in the table below. Each entry includes the Azure DevOps Server version, a direct download link for the patch, and a link to the corresponding release notes with additional details. ⬇️Azure DevOps Server Patch Download ✅Verifying Installation To verify that the patch is ...
Azure Boards integration with GitHub Copilot includes custom agent support
We recently released the GitHub Copilot Coding Agent for Azure Boards to all customers. If you’re not already familiar with it, we recommend taking a few minutes to read this blog post for an overview and details. One of the top requests from customers using the GitHub Copilot Coding Agent for Azure Boards has been the ability to select and use custom agents defined at the GitHub repository or organization level. In this update, we’re excited to share that support for custom agents is on the way. 🤷♀️ What are custom agents? Custom agents in GitHub Copilot are tailored versions of the Copilot coding agent that...
Azure Boards additional field filters (private preview)
We’re introducing a limited private preview that allows you to add additional fields as filters on backlog and Kanban boards. This long-requested feature helps teams tailor their views, focus on the work that matters most, and provide feedback as we iterate toward general availability.
What’s new with Azure Repos?
We thought it was a good time to check in and highlight some of the work happening in Azure Repos. In this post, we’ve covered several recent improvements, along with a preview of features that are coming soon. To stay up to date, be sure to visit the Azure DevOps Roadmap. These changes have either already been released or are currently rolling out. Be sure to check the sprint release notes for full details. Breaking Change: Disabling Obsolete TFVC Check-In Policies Back in April 2025, we shared changes to how TFVC check-in policies are stored. These updates affect TFVC projects using policies such as Build (r...
The New Test Run Hub is Going Generally Available!
Delivering high-quality software requires clarity, speed, and collaboration. That’s why we introduced the New Test Run Hub in Azure Test Plans. A modern, streamlined experience designed to make test execution and analysis fast and intuitive. And we’re excited to announce that this experience is moving to General Availability (GA) for the Azure DevOps Services throughout January 2026. Why the New Test Run Hub? The new hub centralizes test execution for both manual and automated runs, giving teams: Your Feedback Matters Based on your feedback, we’ve made several improvements ahead of General Availabi...
Work item linking for Advanced Security alerts now available
Security vulnerabilities don't fix themselves. Someone needs to track them, prioritize them, and actually ship the fix. If you've ever tried to manage security alerts alongside your regular sprint work, though, you know the friction: you're looking at an alert in one tab, switching to your backlog in another, trying to remember which vulnerability you were supposed to file a bug for. We shipped work item linking for GitHub Advanced Security for Azure DevOps alerts to fix this. It's now generally available and it does exactly what it sounds like: you can link work items in Boards directly to security alerts. Note...
Azure Boards integration with GitHub Copilot
A few months ago we introduced the Azure Boards integration with GitHub Copilot in private preview. The goal was simple: allow teams to take a work item from Azure Boards and send it directly to GitHub Copilot so the coding agent could begin working on it, track progress, and generate a pull request. We are happy to announce that this integration is now being rolled out as generally available 🎉. Customers who participated in the preview helped us validate the experience, find issues, and shape improvements. GA includes the same workflow introduced in preview, along with new capabilities based on customer feedbac...
Retirement of Global Personal Access Tokens in Azure DevOps
In the new year, we’ll be retiring the Global Personal Access Token (PAT) type in Azure DevOps. Global PATs allow users to authenticate across all accessible organizations. While this can feel convenient, a single credential with broad reach creates a concentrated security risk — especially as a user’s access footprint grows. This level of privilege becomes an attractive target for bad actors, making global tokens unsuitable for today’s security‑conscious environments. Setting clear boundaries around high‑impact credentials is one of the most effective ways to prevent large‑scale breaches. As part of Microsof...
Updated: Announcing Azure DevOps Server General Availability
Update March 13, 2026: We have released a patch that resolves the issue introduced in the original Azure DevOps Server release that, under certain conditions, could cause group memberships to become deactivated. Who should install Azure DevOps Server Patch 2 Who does not need this patch Update March 13, 2026: Azure DevOps Server Issue Resolved and Release Re‑Published We’re happy to share that the previously identified issue affecting Azure DevOps Server has been resolved, and the corrected release is now available. You can now proceed with new installations or upgrades using the previously published ...
Azure DevOps and GitHub Repositories — Next Steps in the Path to Agentic AI
In May, we talked about the evolution of GitHub Copilot from a coding assistant into an AI powered peer programmer. Since then, GitHub has taken a major step forward - becoming an open platform for agentic development, where Agent HQ enables developers to orchestrate any agent, anytime, anywhere. Agent HQ provides observability, governance, and security controls for agents, so organizations can manage access, audit usage, and enforce policies. Meanwhile, the new GitHub Code Quality (in public preview) provides in-context findings, maintainability scores, and one-click fixes—helping teams ensure their code is heal...