Validating Azure Pipeline Changes When modifying Azure DevOps pipeline files (YAML files in build/azure-pipelines/ ), you can validate changes locally using the Azure CLI before committing. This avoids the slow feedback loop of pushing changes, waiting for CI, and checking results. Prerequisites Check if Azure CLI is installed : az --version If not installed, install it:
macOS
brew install azure-cli
Windows (PowerShell as Administrator)
winget install Microsoft.AzureCLI
Linux (Debian/Ubuntu)
- curl
- -sL
- https://aka.ms/InstallAzureCLIDeb
- |
- sudo
- bash
- Check if the DevOps extension is installed
- :
- az extension show
- --name
- azure-devops
- If not installed, add it:
- az extension
- add
- --name
- azure-devops
- Authenticate
- :
- az login
- az devops configure
- --defaults
- organization
- =
- https://dev.azure.com/monacotools
- project
- =
- Monaco
- VS Code Main Build
- The main VS Code build pipeline:
- Organization
- :
- monacotools
- Project
- :
- Monaco
- Definition ID
- :
- 111
- URL
- :
- https://dev.azure.com/monacotools/Monaco/_build?definitionId=111
- VS Code Insider Scheduled Builds
- Two Insider builds run automatically on a scheduled basis:
- Morning build
-
- ~7:00 AM CET
- Evening build
- ~7:00 PM CET These scheduled builds use the same pipeline definition ( 111 ) but run on the main branch to produce Insider releases. Queueing a Build Use the queue command to queue a validation build:
Queue a build on the current branch
node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts queue
Queue with a specific source branch
node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts queue --branch my-feature-branch
Queue with custom parameters
node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts queue --parameter "VSCODE_BUILD_WEB=false" --parameter "VSCODE_PUBLISH=false"
Parameter value with spaces
- node
- .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts queue
- --parameter
- "VSCODE_BUILD_TYPE=Product Build"
- Important
- Before queueing a new build, cancel any previous builds on the same branch that you no longer need. This frees up build agents and reduces resource waste:
Find the build ID from status, then cancel it
node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts status node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts cancel --build-id < id
node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts queue Script Options Option Description --branch
Source branch to build (default: current git branch) --definition Pipeline definition ID (default: 111) --parameter Pipeline parameter in KEY=value format (repeatable) --parameters Space-separated parameters in KEY=value KEY2=value2 format --dry-run Print the command without executing Product Build Queue Parameters ( build/azure-pipelines/product-build.yml ) Name Type Default Allowed Values Description VSCODE_QUALITY string insider exploration , insider , stable Build quality channel VSCODE_BUILD_TYPE string Product Build Product , CI Build mode for Product vs CI NPM_REGISTRY string https://pkgs.dev.azure.com/monacotools/Monaco/_packaging/vscode/npm/registry/ any URL Custom npm registry CARGO_REGISTRY string sparse+https://pkgs.dev.azure.com/monacotools/Monaco/_packaging/vscode/Cargo/index/ any URL Custom Cargo registry VSCODE_BUILD_WIN32 boolean true true , false Build Windows x64 VSCODE_BUILD_WIN32_ARM64 boolean true true , false Build Windows arm64 VSCODE_BUILD_LINUX boolean true true , false Build Linux x64 VSCODE_BUILD_LINUX_SNAP boolean true true , false Build Linux x64 Snap VSCODE_BUILD_LINUX_ARM64 boolean true true , false Build Linux arm64 VSCODE_BUILD_LINUX_ARMHF boolean true true , false Build Linux armhf VSCODE_BUILD_ALPINE boolean true true , false Build Alpine x64 VSCODE_BUILD_ALPINE_ARM64 boolean true true , false Build Alpine arm64 VSCODE_BUILD_MACOS boolean true true , false Build macOS x64 VSCODE_BUILD_MACOS_ARM64 boolean true true , false Build macOS arm64 VSCODE_BUILD_MACOS_UNIVERSAL boolean true true , false Build macOS universal (requires both macOS arches) VSCODE_BUILD_WEB boolean true true , false Build Web artifacts VSCODE_PUBLISH boolean true true , false Publish to builds.code.visualstudio.com VSCODE_RELEASE boolean false true , false Trigger release flow if successful VSCODE_STEP_ON_IT boolean false true , false Skip tests Example: run a quick CI-oriented validation with minimal publish/release side effects: node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts queue \ --parameter "VSCODE_BUILD_TYPE=CI Build" \ --parameter "VSCODE_PUBLISH=false" \ --parameter "VSCODE_RELEASE=false" Checking Build Status Use the status command to monitor a running build:
Get status of the most recent builds
node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts status
Get overview of a specific build by ID
node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts status --build-id 123456
Watch build status (refreshes every 30 seconds)
node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts status --watch
Watch with custom interval (60 seconds)
node
.github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts status
--watch
60
Script Options
Option
Description
--build-id
Cancel a build by ID (use status command to find IDs)
node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts cancel --build-id 123456
Dry run (show what would be cancelled)
node
.github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts cancel --build-id
123456
--dry-run
Script Options
Option
Description
--build-id
Queue the build and note the build ID from output (e.g., 123456)
node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts queue
Poll every 60 seconds until complete (works on macOS, Linux, and Windows with Git Bash/WSL)
Replace with the actual build ID from the queue command
while true ; do node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts status --build-id < BUILD_ID
--json 2
/dev/null | grep -q '"status": "completed"' && break sleep 60 done
Check final result
node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts status --build-id < BUILD_ID
Alternatively, use the built-in --watch flag which handles polling automatically: node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts queue
Use the build ID returned by the queue command
- node
- .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts status --build-id
- <
- BUILD_ID
- >
- --watch
- Note
- The --watch flag polls every 30 seconds by default. Use --watch 60 for a 60-second interval to reduce API calls. Common Workflows 1. Quick Pipeline Validation
Make your YAML changes, then:
git add -A && git commit -m "test: pipeline changes" git push origin HEAD
Check for any previous builds on this branch and cancel if needed
node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts status node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts cancel --build-id < id
if there's an active build
Queue and watch the new build
node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts queue node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts status --watch 2. Investigate a Build
Get overview of a build (shows stages, artifacts, and log IDs)
node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts status --build-id 123456
Download a specific log for deeper inspection
node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts status --build-id 123456 --download-log 5
Download an artifact
node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts status --build-id 123456 --download-artifact unsigned_vscode_cli_win32_x64_cli 3. Test with Modified Parameters
Customize build matrix for quicker validation
node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts queue \ --parameter "VSCODE_BUILD_TYPE=CI Build" \ --parameter "VSCODE_BUILD_WEB=false" \ --parameter "VSCODE_BUILD_ALPINE=false" \ --parameter "VSCODE_BUILD_ALPINE_ARM64=false" \ --parameter "VSCODE_PUBLISH=false" 4. Cancel a Running Build
First, find the build ID
node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts status
Cancel a specific build by ID
node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts cancel --build-id 123456
Dry run to see what would be cancelled
node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts cancel --build-id 123456 --dry-run 5. Iterate on Pipeline Changes When iterating on pipeline YAML changes, always cancel obsolete builds before queueing new ones:
Push new changes
git add -A && git commit --amend --no-edit git push --force-with-lease origin HEAD
Find the outdated build ID and cancel it
node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts status node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts cancel --build-id < id
Queue a fresh build and monitor
node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts queue node .github/skills/azure-pipelines/azure-pipeline.ts status --watch Troubleshooting Authentication Issues
Re-authenticate
az logout az login
Check current account
az account show Extension Not Found az extension add --name azure-devops --upgrade Rate Limiting If you hit rate limits, add delays between API calls or use --watch with a longer interval.