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

1. 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

2. Check if the DevOps extension is installed:

   az extension show --name azure-devops

   If not installed, add it:

   az extension add --name azure-devops

3. 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

Product Build Queue Parameters (build/azure-pipelines/product-build.yml)

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

Cancelling a Build

Use the cancel command to stop a running build:

# 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

Testing Pipeline Changes

When the user asks to test changes in an Azure Pipelines build, follow this workflow:

1. Queue a new build on the current branch
2. Poll for completion by periodically checking the build status until it finishes

Polling for Build Completion

Use a shell loop with sleep to poll the build status. The sleep command works on all major operating systems:

# 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 <BUILD_ID> 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.