Lesson222 words
Azure Boards and GitHub integration
Configure integration between Azure Boards and GitHub repositories
Setting it up
- In Azure Boards, add a GitHub connection for the project.
- Authenticate — the Azure Boards app for GitHub is the recommended route, rather than a personal access token, so the connection does not depend on one person's account.
- Select the repositories in scope.
- Developers link work by writing
AB#<id>in commit messages, branch names, or pull request titles and descriptions.
State transitions from commits
Mention syntax can also move a work item:
Fix null reference on checkout. Fixes AB#4821
A transition keyword closes the item when the commit merges, which removes the manual step people most often forget — and closing an item as a side effect of merging is far more reliable than asking someone to remember afterwards.
Where it breaks
| Symptom | Cause |
|---|---|
| No links appearing | Nobody is writing AB# |
| Links stopped after a leaver | The connection used a personal access token |
| Some repositories not linking | They were not selected in the connection scope |
The middle row is the argument for the GitHub app: an integration authenticated as an individual is an integration with a single point of failure who eventually changes jobs.
Primary sources