Azure DevOps Boards for VS Code

Manage your Azure DevOps Boards, work items, sprints, and backlogs directly from Visual Studio Code. Plan, track, and collaborate on your projects without leaving your editor.

Demo

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/demo.mov

Features

Secure Authentication

• OAuth 2.0 authentication using Microsoft accounts
• No Personal Access Token (PAT) required
• Secure token storage using VS Code's SecretStorage API
• Support for multiple organizations and projects
• Auto-connect on startup
• Multi-tenant support

Work Item Management

• View work items by type (User Stories, Tasks, Bugs, Epics)
• Create new work items from within VS Code
• Edit work item details inline
• Filter work items by state, assigned to, and type
• Quick search and navigation
• Rich work item details with tooltips

Boards & Sprints

• Interactive Kanban-style board views
• View team boards and columns
• Sprint planning interface
• Drag-and-drop work items between columns
• Real-time board updates
• Card styling rules support (colors based on field criteria)
• Automatic contrast text colors for optimal readability

Backlogs

• View and manage product backlogs
• Hierarchical backlog views (Epics → Features → Stories)
• Reorder backlog items
• Quick access to work item details

Git Integration

• Create branches from work items
• Auto-link commits to work items
• Branch naming suggestions
• Pull request creation linked to work items

Developer Experience

• Intuitive tree view interface
• Status bar integration showing connection status
• Quick access to all work item operations
• Detailed work item panels
• Keyboard shortcuts for common actions

Getting Started

Installation

1. Install the extension from the VS Code Marketplace
2. Click the Azure DevOps icon in the Activity Bar
3. Click "Sign In" to authenticate with your Microsoft account
4. Select your Azure DevOps organization
5. Select your project and team
6. Start managing your work items!

Usage

Authentication

1. Open the Azure DevOps Boards view from the Activity Bar
2. Click "Sign In" in the Connection section
3. Authenticate with your Microsoft account in the browser
4. Return to VS Code - you're now connected!
5. Complete the setup wizard to select your organization, project, and team

Managing Work Items

View Work Items:

• Browse all work items in the Work Items view
• Filter by type, state, or assignee
• Click on a work item to view details

Create a Work Item:

• Right-click in the Work Items view
• Select "Create Work Item"
• Choose the type and enter details
• The work item is created immediately

Edit Work Items:

• Click on a work item to open the details panel
• Edit fields inline
• Changes are saved automatically

Using Boards

View Boards:

• Navigate to the Boards view
• Select a board to open the interactive Kanban view
• See all columns and work items

Move Work Items:

• Drag and drop cards between columns
• Work item state updates automatically
• Visual feedback during drag operations

Card Styling:

• Cards automatically apply colors based on board styling rules
• Tag colors from Azure DevOps are preserved
• Text colors adjust automatically for readability

Filter Boards:

• Use the filter bar to narrow down work items
• Filter by assignee, type, priority, state, or area
• Search by ID or title
• Toggle "Hide Done" or "My Items" for quick views

Managing Sprints

View Sprints:

• Browse all sprints in the Sprints view
• See sprint capacity and progress
• View sprint backlog and taskboard

Sprint Planning:

• Assign work items to sprints
• Track sprint capacity
• Monitor burndown

Changing Organization/Project

• Click the status bar item (bottom left) showing your connection
• Or use Command Palette: "Azure DevOps: Setup Wizard"
• Choose a different organization, project, or team

Commands

Access these commands from the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P or Ctrl+Shift+P):

• Azure DevOps: Sign In to Azure DevOps - Authenticate with Microsoft account
• Azure DevOps: Sign Out - Sign out from Azure DevOps
• Azure DevOps: Setup Wizard - Configure organization, project, and team
• Azure DevOps: Create Work Item - Create a new work item
• Azure DevOps: Search Work Items - Search for work items
• Azure DevOps: Open Board - Open team board
• Azure DevOps: Open Sprint - Open sprint details
• Azure DevOps: Refresh - Refresh all data

Requirements

• Visual Studio Code 1.85.0 or higher
• Azure DevOps account with appropriate permissions
• Microsoft account for authentication

Features in Detail

Board View

• Interactive Kanban Board: Drag-and-drop work items between columns
• Card Styling Rules: Automatic color coding based on Azure DevOps styling rules
• Smart Text Colors: Automatic contrast adjustment for tag text (black on light backgrounds, white on dark)
• Filtering: Advanced filtering by assignee, type, priority, state, area, and keywords
• Column Management: Collapse/expand columns, view WIP limits
• Quick Actions: Assign to me, change state, add comments, create branches

Work Item Details

• Inline Editing: Edit title, description, and fields without opening browser
• Rich Information: View all fields, tags, comments, and attachments
• Relationship Tracking: See parent/child relationships and links
• History: View work item history and changes
• Quick Actions: Create branches, link pull requests, add tasks

Sprint Management

• Sprint Backlog: View and manage sprint work items
• Taskboard: Interactive taskboard for daily standups
• Capacity Planning: Track team capacity and allocation
• Burndown: Monitor sprint progress (planned)

Support

For issues, feature requests, or contributions, please visit the GitHub repository.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request. For major changes, please open an issue first to discuss what you would like to change.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

About the Developer

Damilola Onadeinde
DevOps/AI Engineer | Cloud Infrastructure Specialist | Open Source Contributor

Connect with me:

Support the Developer

If you find this project helpful and would like to support my work, consider buying me a coffee!

Your support helps me continue creating open-source tools and improving this project!

License

MIT License

Enjoy managing your Azure DevOps Boards from VS Code!