| name | wit-invoke |
| description | Call Azure DevOps REST APIs via az devops invoke command. Use when you need to access Azure DevOps features not available in the CLI, such as work item comments, search, boards, backlogs, capacities, or any wit/work/search API endpoint. Use when the user mentions "invoke", "REST API", "API call", or needs features like comments, search, board columns, or team capacity. |
Azure DevOps REST API via az devops invoke (Verified)
CRITICAL LIMITATIONS - READ FIRST
--in-file requires actual file path - Does NOT accept stdin (
-):# WRONG - will fail: echo '{}' | az devops invoke --in-file - # CORRECT: echo '{"searchText": "query"}' > /tmp/request.json az devops invoke --in-file /tmp/request.jsonComments API doesn't work via invoke - Use
--discussionon update instead:# WRONG - returns 404: az devops invoke --area wit --resource comments --route-parameters workItemId=123 # CORRECT - add comment via update: az boards work-item update --id 123 --discussion "My comment" -o jsonRoute parameters must match exactly - Missing or extra params cause KeyError
Command Pattern
az devops invoke \
--area {AREA} \
--resource {RESOURCE} \
--route-parameters {key}={value} \
--http-method {GET|POST|PUT|PATCH|DELETE} \
--in-file {file.json} \
--api-version {VERSION} \
-o json
Verified Working Examples
Search Work Items (VERIFIED)
Create search payload:
echo '{"searchText": "pipeline", "$top": 10}' > /tmp/search.json
Execute search:
az devops invoke \
--area search \
--resource workitemsearchresults \
--http-method POST \
--in-file /tmp/search.json \
--api-version 7.0 \
-o json
With JMESPath query for clean output:
az devops invoke \
--area search \
--resource workitemsearchresults \
--http-method POST \
--in-file /tmp/search.json \
--api-version 7.0 \
--query "results[].{id:fields.\"system.id\", title:fields.\"system.title\", state:fields.\"system.state\"}" \
-o table
List Boards (VERIFIED)
az devops invoke \
--area work \
--resource boards \
--route-parameters project=ProjectName team="TeamName" \
--api-version 7.0 \
-o json
Get Board Columns (VERIFIED)
az devops invoke \
--area work \
--resource columns \
--route-parameters project=ProjectName team="TeamName" board=Features \
--api-version 7.0 \
-o json
Get Backlogs (VERIFIED)
az devops invoke \
--area work \
--resource backlogs \
--route-parameters project=ProjectName team="TeamName" \
--api-version 7.0 \
-o json
Get Team Capacity
az devops invoke \
--area work \
--resource capacities \
--route-parameters project=ProjectName team="TeamName" iterationId={GUID} \
--api-version 7.0 \
-o json
Verified Areas and Resources
work (Boards & Backlogs)
| Resource | Route Parameters | Verified |
|---|---|---|
| boards | project, team | YES |
| columns | project, team, board | YES |
| backlogs | project, team | YES |
| capacities | project, team, iterationId | - |
| teamdaysoff | project, team, iterationId | - |
search
| Resource | Method | Verified |
|---|---|---|
| workitemsearchresults | POST | YES |
wit (Work Item Tracking)
| Resource | Note |
|---|---|
| comments | NOT WORKING via invoke - use az boards work-item update --discussion instead |
API Discovery
To see ALL available API areas and resources:
az devops invoke -o json > api-discovery.json
This returns 214 areas with 1,407+ resources.
Tips
- Use temp files for POST bodies - Create in /tmp/, clean up after
- Quote team names with spaces -
team="Team Name" - Check resource names - Some use camelCase, others lowercase
- Use --query for filtering - JMESPath queries reduce output
- Try 7.0 first - Fall back to preview versions if needed