Agent skill

Azure Pipelines Validator

by akin-ozer in akin-ozer/cc-devops-skills

Validate, lint, audit, or review azure-pipelines.yml — syntax, security, best practices.

Apache-2.0Auto-check passedDevOps & Cloud

Install Azure Pipelines Validator

skills CLI
$ npx skills add akin-ozer/cc-devops-skills --skill azure-pipelines-validator -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install akin-ozer/cc-devops-skills azure-pipelines-validator --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/akin-ozer/cc-devops-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/devops-skills-plugin/skills/azure-pipelines-validator .claude/skills/azure-pipelines-validator && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
azure-pipelines-validator
GitHub stars
320
Token cost
~1.5k tokens
SKILL.md length
521 words
Files
22 (incl. scripts, assets)
Skills in repo
30
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
Apache-2.0

At a glance

Validate, lint, audit, or review azure-pipelines.yml — syntax, security, best practices.

  • Works in 3 steps: Context7 docs tooling first. → Official docs second… → General web search only if the first two…
  • DevOps & Cloud work in your project
  • SKILL.md covers Trigger Phrases, Deterministic Path Setup (No…, Local-First Execution Model and Expected Report Format…, plus 5 more sections
  • Runs Python and Shell scripts from its folder; calls bash and git

What it does

Azure Pipelines Validator is an agent skill from akin-ozer/cc-devops-skills. Validate, lint, audit, or review azure-pipelines.yml — syntax, security, best practices.

Its SKILL.md is about 1.5k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 25 other files, including scripts and assets (for example `docs/azure-pipelines-reference.md`, `examples/basic-pipeline.yml` and `examples/deployment-pipeline.yml`).

It sits in DevOps & Cloud. It works with Azure DevOps. The repository describes itself as: DevOps skills for Claude Code and Codex. The licence is Apache-2.0.

When your agent uses it

  • DevOps & Cloud work in your project

Example prompts

  • “/azure-pipelines-validator”

Requirements

  • Python 3
  • A Bash shell

Workflow steps

3 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

  1. Context7 docs tooling first.
  2. Official docs second (learn.microsoft.com / Microsoft Azure DevOps docs).
  3. General web search only if the first two are insufficient.

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 276af75. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    Ships 3 files in scripts/ (Python and Shell, from the files we listed), which the agent can run.

    Shell commands in SKILL.md call:

    • bash
    • git

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    No URLs in SKILL.md. Its commands use git, which can reach the network depending on how they are called.

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Azure Pipelines Validator loads about 1.5k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 29 tokens; SKILL.md has 521 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~29
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~1.5k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); the scripts in this folder are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from akin-ozer/cc-devops-skills at commit 276af75, republished under its Apache-2.0 licence (© akin-ozer). 521 words, ~1,547 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/azure-pipelines-validator/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 21 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.
name
azure-pipelines-validator
description
Validate, lint, audit, or review azure-pipelines.yml — syntax, security, best practices.

Azure Pipelines Validator

Use this skill to validate Azure DevOps pipeline YAML (azure-pipelines.yml / azure-pipelines.yaml) with local scripts first, then escalate to docs only when local output is not enough.

Trigger Phrases

Use this skill when the user asks things like:

  • "Validate my azure-pipelines.yml."
  • "Why is this Azure pipeline YAML failing?"
  • "Run a security scan on this Azure DevOps pipeline."
  • "Check this pipeline for best-practice issues."
  • "Review this pipeline in CI before merge."

Do not use this skill for pipeline generation from scratch. Use azure-pipelines-generator for that.

Deterministic Path Setup (No Ambiguity)

Run from any directory using explicit absolute paths:

bash
REPO_ROOT="$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null)"
SKILL_DIR="$REPO_ROOT/devops-skills-plugin/skills/azure-pipelines-validator"
PIPELINE_FILE="$REPO_ROOT/azure-pipelines.yml"

If REPO_ROOT is empty, stop and ask for the repository root path. Do not guess paths.

Validate one file:

bash
bash "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/validate_azure_pipelines.sh" "$PIPELINE_FILE"

Auto-detect from current directory (up to depth 3):

bash
bash "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/validate_azure_pipelines.sh"

If auto-detect returns multiple files, rerun with one explicit file path.

Local-First Execution Model

  1. Preflight
  • Confirm bash and python3 are available.
  • Confirm target file exists.
  1. Run local validator
  • Default full pass:
bash
bash "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/validate_azure_pipelines.sh" "$PIPELINE_FILE"
  • Syntax only:
bash
bash "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/validate_azure_pipelines.sh" "$PIPELINE_FILE" --syntax-only
  • Best practices only:
bash
bash "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/validate_azure_pipelines.sh" "$PIPELINE_FILE" --best-practices
  • Security only:
bash
bash "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/validate_azure_pipelines.sh" "$PIPELINE_FILE" --security-only
  • Strict mode (warnings fail):
bash
bash "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/validate_azure_pipelines.sh" "$PIPELINE_FILE" --strict
  1. Interpret exit behavior
  • 0: pass (or non-blocking checks only)
  • 1: validation failed (blocking issues)
  • 2: invalid invocation (missing/ambiguous file or bad args)
  1. Return findings in the report format below.

Expected Report Format (Severity Buckets)

Always return results in this structure:

text
Validation Report: <path>

Summary:
- Blocking: <count>        # Syntax errors + Security critical/high
- Warning: <count>         # Security medium/low + best-practice warnings
- Info: <count>            # Suggestions
- Skipped: <count>         # Explicitly name skipped checks

Findings:
- [Blocking][syntax][<rule-id>] line <n> - <message>
- [Blocking][security-high][<rule-id>] line <n> - <message>
- [Warning][security-medium][<rule-id>] line <n> - <message>
- [Warning][best-practice][<rule-id>] line <n> - <message>
- [Info][best-practice][<rule-id>] line <n> - <message>

Remediation:
- <short, concrete fix per finding>

Execution Notes:
- Commands run: <exact commands>
- Environment/fallback notes: <tool missing, skipped checks, offline constraints>

Escalation Policy (Docs Only When Needed)

Run local checks first. Escalate only when at least one condition is true:

  • Local finding depends on current upstream behavior (task versions, deprecations, new inputs).
  • User asks for "latest/current/recent" Azure Pipelines task or schema details.
  • Local scripts cannot determine validity for a specific task/resource syntax.

Escalation order:

  1. Context7 docs tooling first.
text
mcp__context7__resolve-library-id(...)
mcp__context7__query-docs(...)
  1. Official docs second (learn.microsoft.com / Microsoft Azure DevOps docs).
  2. General web search only if the first two are insufficient.

When escalating, cite the source URL and state what local check could not answer.

Show full SKILL.md (217 more words)Show less

Fallback Behavior

Use this matrix when tools are unavailable:

  • Condition: yamllint unavailable.

  • Action: Continue with syntax/best-practice/security checks.

  • Report note: "YAML lint skipped because yamllint is unavailable."

  • Condition: python3 unavailable or venv/dependency setup fails.

  • Action: Mark scripted validation blocked; perform manual YAML review only if requested.

  • Report note: "Local scripted validation blocked by missing Python runtime/dependencies."

  • Condition: No network while dependencies/docs are needed.

  • Action: Run whatever local checks are still possible; defer doc/version verification.

  • Report note: "External verification deferred due offline environment."

  • Condition: Multiple auto-detected pipeline files.

  • Action: Do not pick arbitrarily; require explicit target file path.

  • Report note: "Validation paused until a single target file is specified."

Rule Buckets (What the Scripts Check)

Syntax examples:

  • yaml-syntax
  • yaml-invalid-root
  • invalid-hierarchy
  • task-invalid-format
  • pool-invalid
  • deployment-missing-strategy

Best-practice examples:

  • missing-displayname
  • task-version-zero
  • task-missing-version
  • pool-latest-image
  • missing-cache
  • missing-deployment-condition

Security examples:

  • hardcoded-password
  • hardcoded-secret
  • curl-pipe-shell
  • eval-command
  • insecure-ssl
  • container-latest-tag
  • variable-not-secret

Use script output rule IDs directly in the report.

References and Examples

  • Syntax reference: docs/azure-pipelines-reference.md
  • Example pipelines: examples/

Quick local test:

bash
bash "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/validate_azure_pipelines.sh" "$SKILL_DIR/examples/basic-pipeline.yml"

Done Criteria

This skill execution is done when all conditions are true:

  • Trigger match is explicit and plain-language examples are provided near the top.
  • Validation command(s) were run with unambiguous paths.
  • Report uses severity buckets (Blocking, Warning, Info, Skipped).
  • Fallback behavior is explicitly reported for unavailable tools/environment constraints.
  • External docs were consulted only when local checks were insufficient.

© akin-ozer, Apache-2.0. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

SKILL.md and 21 other files (scripts, assets) in devops-skills-plugin/skills/azure-pipelines-validator of akin-ozer/cc-devops-skills.

  • SKILL.md
  • .gitignore
  • assets/.yamllint
  • docs/azure-pipelines-reference.md
  • examples/basic-pipeline.yml
  • examples/deployment-pipeline.yml
  • examples/docker-build.yml
  • examples/multi-platform.yml
  • examples/regression-conditional-danger.yml
  • examples/regression-runonce-on-failure.yml
  • examples/template-conditional-stages.yml
  • examples/template-conditional-steps.yml
  • examples/template-example.yml
  • examples/test-with-issues.yml
  • scripts/check_best_practices.py
  • scripts/check_security.py
  • scripts/python_wrapper.sh
  • … and 5 more

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 276af75

Compare with similar skills

Azure Pipelines Validator next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Azure Pipelines Validator compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Azure Pipelines Validator this skillakin-ozer/cc-devops-skills320—~1.5kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0
Azure Pipelines Log Downloaderansible/ansible71k—~825Automated safety check: PassGPL-3.0
ONNX Runtime CI Managementmicrosoft/onnxruntime22k—~4.1kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Megalinter Checknvuillam/npm-groovy-lint2481 repos~3.9kAutomated safety check: NotesMIT
Operate Pi Dispatchedgehero/pi-dispatch179—~7.8kAutomated safety check: NotesMIT
Tirith PoliciesStackGuardian/tirith170—~1.8kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0

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Works with

Categories

Questions about Azure Pipelines Validator

What does Azure Pipelines Validator do?

Validate, lint, audit, or review azure-pipelines.yml — syntax, security, best practices. Azure Pipelines Validator is an agent skill from akin-ozer/cc-devops-skills.yml — syntax, security, best practices.

When should I use Azure Pipelines Validator?

Azure Pipelines Validator fits situations like: devOps & Cloud work in your project.

How do I install Azure Pipelines Validator in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add akin-ozer/cc-devops-skills --skill azure-pipelines-validator -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (devops-skills-plugin/skills/azure-pipelines-validator in akin-ozer/cc-devops-skills) into .claude/skills/azure-pipelines-validator in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Azure Pipelines Validator in Codex?

Run `npx skills add akin-ozer/cc-devops-skills --skill azure-pipelines-validator -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (devops-skills-plugin/skills/azure-pipelines-validator in akin-ozer/cc-devops-skills) into .agents/skills/azure-pipelines-validator in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Azure Pipelines Validator in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add akin-ozer/cc-devops-skills --skill azure-pipelines-validator -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/azure-pipelines-validator, .gemini/skills/azure-pipelines-validator, .github/skills/azure-pipelines-validator and .opencode/skills/azure-pipelines-validator in your project.

What does Azure Pipelines Validator need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Azure Pipelines Validator needs Python and a shell for the scripts in its folder and the command-line tools its instructions call (bash and git). Our summary lists: Python 3; A Bash shell.

Does Azure Pipelines Validator access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Its commands use git, which can reach the network depending on how they are called. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Azure Pipelines Validator safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. The check reads SKILL.md only: the scripts in the folder are not scanned, so read them before running anything.

What licence does Azure Pipelines Validator use?

Azure Pipelines Validator is published under the Apache-2.0 licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Azure Pipelines Validator use?

About 1.5k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 6.2k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to Azure Pipelines Validator?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Azure Pipelines Validator: Azure Pipelines Log Downloader (ansible/ansible, 71k stars), ONNX Runtime CI Management (microsoft/onnxruntime, 22k stars), Megalinter Check (nvuillam/npm-groovy-lint, 248 stars) and Operate Pi Dispatch (edgehero/pi-dispatch, 179 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Azure Pipelines Validator?

akin-ozer (a GitHub user) maintains it in akin-ozer/cc-devops-skills, which has 320 GitHub stars. The repository holds 30 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on July 26, 2026.

Source: akin-ozer/cc-devops-skills on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.