ADO MCP Server — Azure DevOps × Claude Code Bridge

Connects Azure DevOps work items to Claude Code via the MCP protocol.
Type work on task #123 in Claude Code → it fetches the full ticket → writes code → opens a PR.

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Project Structure

ado-mcp-server/
├── src/
│   ├── index.js              # MCP server entry point (4 tools exposed)
│   ├── ado-client.js         # Azure DevOps HTTP client (PAT auth)
│   └── tools/
│       ├── get-ticket.js     # ado_get_work_item
│       ├── list-tickets.js   # ado_list_work_items
│       └── update-ticket.js  # ado_update_work_item_state + ado_add_comment
├── CLAUDE.md                 # ← Copy this to your GitHub repo root!
├── .env                      # Your secrets (never commit this)
├── .env.example              # Template
└── package.json

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Setup (One-Time)

1. Configure your credentials

# .env
ADO_ORG=your-actual-org-name          # found in: https://dev.azure.com/{ORG}
ADO_PROJECT=your-actual-project-name
ADO_PAT=xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx   # from ADO → User Settings → PATs

Create a PAT in Azure DevOps:

1. Go to https://dev.azure.com/{your-org}
2. Click your avatar → Personal Access Tokens
3. New Token → Name it claude-mcp
4. Scopes: Work Items → Read & Write
5. Copy the token into .env

2. Install dependencies

cd E:\MCP\ado-mcp-server
npm install

3. Register with Claude Code CLI

claude mcp add ado-server node E:\MCP\ado-mcp-server\src\index.js

Or manually add to %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ado-server": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["E:\\MCP\\ado-mcp-server\\src\\index.js"]
    }
  }
}

4. Install GitHub CLI (for PR creation)

winget install GitHub.cli
gh auth login

5. Copy CLAUDE.md to your GitHub repo root

copy E:\MCP\ado-mcp-server\CLAUDE.md C:\path\to\your-github-repo\CLAUDE.md

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Daily Usage

# Open Claude Code in your repo
cd C:\path\to\your-github-repo
claude

Then just type any of these:

> work on task #123
> implement PBI 456
> what's in the current sprint?
> show me unassigned bugs
> list tasks assigned to me

Claude will automatically:

1. Fetch the full ticket from Azure DevOps
2. Mark it as "In Progress"
3. Create a feature branch
4. Write the code following the acceptance criteria
5. Commit and push
6. Create a PR on GitHub
7. Post the PR link as a comment on the ADO ticket

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Available MCP Tools

Tool	Description	Example Prompt
ado_get_work_item	Full ticket details	"work on task #123"
ado_list_work_items	List/filter tickets	"show sprint backlog"
ado_update_work_item_state	Change ticket state	auto-called when starting/completing
ado_add_comment	Add comment to ticket	auto-called after PR creation

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Troubleshooting

"Missing required environment variables"
→ Make sure .env exists and has all 3 values: ADO_ORG, ADO_PROJECT, ADO_PAT

"401 Unauthorized"
→ Your PAT may be expired or missing Work Items (Read & Write) scope. Regenerate it.

"Tool not found in Claude Code"
→ Run claude mcp list to verify the server is registered. Re-run the claude mcp add command.

PR creation fails
→ Run gh auth status — make sure GitHub CLI is authenticated.