Azure DevOps MCP Server with PAT Authentication

Instructions

Implementation Reference

• src/tools/testplans.ts:128-183 (handler)

  Handler function that creates a Test Case work item using the Azure DevOps Work Item Tracking API. Constructs a JSON patch document with title, steps (converted to XML), priority, areaPath, and iterationPath. Returns the created work item as JSON.

  async ({ project, title, steps, priority, areaPath, iterationPath }) => {
    const connection = await connectionProvider();
    const witClient = await connection.getWorkItemTrackingApi();
  
    let stepsXml;
    if (steps) {
      stepsXml = convertStepsToXml(steps);
    }
  
    // Create JSON patch document for work item
    const patchDocument = [];
  
    patchDocument.push({
      op: "add",
      path: "/fields/System.Title",
      value: title,
    });
  
    if (stepsXml) {
      patchDocument.push({
        op: "add",
        path: "/fields/Microsoft.VSTS.TCM.Steps",
        value: stepsXml,
      });
    }
  
    if (priority) {
      patchDocument.push({
        op: "add",
        path: "/fields/Microsoft.VSTS.Common.Priority",
        value: priority,
      });
    }
  
    if (areaPath) {
      patchDocument.push({
        op: "add",
        path: "/fields/System.AreaPath",
        value: areaPath,
      });
    }
  
    if (iterationPath) {
      patchDocument.push({
        op: "add",
        path: "/fields/System.IterationPath",
        value: iterationPath,
      });
    }
  
    const workItem = await witClient.createWorkItem({}, patchDocument, project, "Test Case");
  
    return {
      content: [{ type: "text", text: JSON.stringify(workItem, null, 2) }],
    };
  }

• src/tools/testplans.ts:116-127 (schema)

  Zod input schema defining parameters for creating a test case: project, title, optional steps (formatted string), priority, areaPath, iterationPath.

    project: z.string().describe("The unique identifier (ID or name) of the Azure DevOps project."),
    title: z.string().describe("The title of the test case."),
    steps: z
      .string()
      .optional()
      .describe(
        "The steps to reproduce the test case. Make sure to format each step as '1. Step one|Expected result one\n2. Step two|Expected result two. USE '|' as the delimiter between step and expected result. DO NOT use '|' in the description of the step or expected result."
      ),
    priority: z.number().optional().describe("The priority of the test case."),
    areaPath: z.string().optional().describe("The area path for the test case."),
    iterationPath: z.string().optional().describe("The iteration path for the test case."),
  },

• src/tools/testplans.ts:112-184 (registration)

  Registration of the 'testplan_create_test_case' tool on the MCP server using server.tool(), referencing Test_Plan_Tools.create_test_case as the tool name, with description, input schema, and handler function.

  server.tool(
    Test_Plan_Tools.create_test_case,
    "Creates a new test case work item.",
    {
      project: z.string().describe("The unique identifier (ID or name) of the Azure DevOps project."),
      title: z.string().describe("The title of the test case."),
      steps: z
        .string()
        .optional()
        .describe(
          "The steps to reproduce the test case. Make sure to format each step as '1. Step one|Expected result one\n2. Step two|Expected result two. USE '|' as the delimiter between step and expected result. DO NOT use '|' in the description of the step or expected result."
        ),
      priority: z.number().optional().describe("The priority of the test case."),
      areaPath: z.string().optional().describe("The area path for the test case."),
      iterationPath: z.string().optional().describe("The iteration path for the test case."),
    },
    async ({ project, title, steps, priority, areaPath, iterationPath }) => {
      const connection = await connectionProvider();
      const witClient = await connection.getWorkItemTrackingApi();
  
      let stepsXml;
      if (steps) {
        stepsXml = convertStepsToXml(steps);
      }
  
      // Create JSON patch document for work item
      const patchDocument = [];
  
      patchDocument.push({
        op: "add",
        path: "/fields/System.Title",
        value: title,
      });
  
      if (stepsXml) {
        patchDocument.push({
          op: "add",
          path: "/fields/Microsoft.VSTS.TCM.Steps",
          value: stepsXml,
        });
      }
  
      if (priority) {
        patchDocument.push({
          op: "add",
          path: "/fields/Microsoft.VSTS.Common.Priority",
          value: priority,
        });
      }
  
      if (areaPath) {
        patchDocument.push({
          op: "add",
          path: "/fields/System.AreaPath",
          value: areaPath,
        });
      }
  
      if (iterationPath) {
        patchDocument.push({
          op: "add",
          path: "/fields/System.IterationPath",
          value: iterationPath,
        });
      }
  
      const workItem = await witClient.createWorkItem({}, patchDocument, project, "Test Case");
  
      return {
        content: [{ type: "text", text: JSON.stringify(workItem, null, 2) }],
      };
    }
  );

• src/tools/testplans.ts:234-259 (helper)

  Helper function to parse steps string and generate XML for the Microsoft.VSTS.TCM.Steps field in test case work items.

  function convertStepsToXml(steps: string): string {
    // Accepts steps in the format: '1. Step one|Expected result one\n2. Step two|Expected result two'
    const stepsLines = steps.split("\n").filter((line) => line.trim() !== "");
  
    let xmlSteps = `<steps id="0" last="${stepsLines.length}">`;
  
    for (let i = 0; i < stepsLines.length; i++) {
      const stepLine = stepsLines[i].trim();
      if (stepLine) {
        // Split step and expected result by '|', fallback to default if not provided
        const [stepPart, expectedPart] = stepLine.split("|").map((s) => s.trim());
        const stepMatch = stepPart.match(/^(\d+)\.\s*(.+)$/);
        const stepText = stepMatch ? stepMatch[2] : stepPart;
        const expectedText = expectedPart || "Verify step completes successfully";
  
        xmlSteps += `
                  <step id="${i + 1}" type="ActionStep">
                      <parameterizedString isformatted="true">${escapeXml(stepText)}</parameterizedString>
                      <parameterizedString isformatted="true">${escapeXml(expectedText)}</parameterizedString>
                  </step>`;
      }
    }
  
    xmlSteps += "</steps>";
    return xmlSteps;
  }

• src/tools/testplans.ts:264-281 (helper)

  Utility function to escape XML special characters, used in convertStepsToXml.

  function escapeXml(unsafe: string): string {
    return unsafe.replace(/[<>&'"]/g, (c) => {
      switch (c) {
        case "<":
          return "<";
        case ">":
          return ">";
        case "&":
          return "&";
        case "'":
          return "'";
        case '"':
          return """;
        default:
          return c;
      }
    });
  }