Ares DevOps

You can deploy and interact with the Ares DevOps MCP Server to securely manage Azure DevOps repositories, pull requests, pipelines, and commit history from any MCP client. This server provides a typed, predictable interface that keeps your CI/CD workflows in sync with Azure DevOps using the Model Context Protocol.

How to use

With an MCP client, you connect to the Ares DevOps MCP Server to perform repository and workflow operations. You can create repositories, open pull requests, list pipelines, and fetch commit histories across your Azure DevOps projects. Use the standard MCP interaction pattern your client supports, supplying the server name and environment credentials when prompted.

How to install

Prerequisites you need before installing and running the MCP server:

• Azure DevOps account with appropriate permissions
• Personal Access Token (PAT) with required scopes
• Claude Desktop or Cursor
• Node.js (v14 or higher)
• Git installed (only needed if using Git installation method)

Install and run the MCP server using NPX. This starts the server in the current environment and enables MCP interactions from compatible clients.

npx -y ares-devops-mcp@latest

Configuration and setup for MCP clients

Configure MCP clients to connect to the Ares DevOps MCP Server. Below are the configuration examples for Cline, Cursor, and Claude Desktop.

# Cline configuration example (via settings JSON)
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ares-devops-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "ares-devops-mcp@latest"],
      "env": {
        "AZURE_DEVOPS_ORG": "your-organization",
        "AZURE_DEVOPS_PROJECT": "your-project",
        "AZURE_DEVOPS_PAT": "your-pat-token"
      },
      "disabled": false,
      "autoApprove": []
    }
  }
}

# Cursor setup (requires Cursor 0.45.6+)
env AZURE_DEVOPS_ORG=your-org AZURE_DEVOPS_PROJECT=your-project AZURE_DEVOPS_PAT=your-pat npx -y ares-devops-mcp@latest

# Claude Desktop configuration (JSON)
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ares-devops-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "ares-devops-mcp@latest"],
      "env": {
        "AZURE_DEVOPS_ORG": "your-organization",
        "AZURE_DEVOPS_PROJECT": "your-project",
        "AZURE_DEVOPS_PAT": "your-pat-token"
      }
    }
  }
}

Usage in Claude Desktop App

After installation and configuration, close and reopen Claude Desktop to activate the Ares DevOps MCP Server. You should see a hammer icon in the bottom-left corner, indicating MCP tools are available.

Examples of common tasks you can perform with the server include creating a repository, creating a pull request, listing pipelines, and retrieving commit history.

# Create Repository
Create a new repository named "my-project" in Azure DevOps.

# Create Pull Request
Create a pull request from "feature-branch" to "main" in repository "my-project" with title "New Feature" and description "Adding new functionality".

# List Pipelines
List all available pipelines in the project.

# Get Commit History
Get the commit history for the "main" branch in repository "my-project".

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues, verify your setup step by step. Ensure Node.js is installed, the MCP server is running, and your Azure DevOps PAT has the correct scopes. Re-check client configuration files and environment variable values for organization, project, and PAT.

Available tools

Create Repository

Create a new repository named in a given Azure DevOps project.

Create Pull Request

Create a PR from a feature branch to a target branch within a repository with a title and description.

List Pipelines

List all available pipelines in the specified Azure DevOps project.

Get Commit History

Retrieve the commit history for a specified branch in a repository.