Azure DevOps PAT scopes for DevOps

  • Release version: Washingtondc
  • Updated August 1, 2024
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Azure DevOps PAT Scopes for DevOps IT Service Management

    This guide outlines the required scope access levels necessary for using a personal access token (PAT) to access Azure DevOps during setup for ServiceNow integration. Proper configuration of these access levels ensures seamless functionality between Azure DevOps and ServiceNow without needing manual webhook and service connection setup by Azure DevOps administrators.

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    Key Features

    • Scope Access Levels: Defined permissions based on capabilities configured in Azure DevOps.
    • Project Administrators Privilege: The PAT owner must be part of the Project Administrators group for project onboarding and the Project Collection Administrators group for organization onboarding.
    • Capability Impact: Specific access levels required for different features such as Boards, Repos, Build and Release Pipelines, Test Management, Service Connections, and Packaging.

    Key Outcomes

    By ensuring the correct scope access levels are set, customers can:

    • Discover boards and receive work items through configured webhooks.
    • Access repositories, branches, commits, and tags effectively.
    • Manage build and release pipelines, including the ability to pause/resume them as necessary.
    • Automatically create service connections to facilitate ServiceNow tasks.
    • Receive test results from pipeline executions.

    Additionally, to maintain functionality without duplication, ensure that tools created with custom-defined access levels are properly configured with full access levels from the outset.

    Scope access levels are required when using a personal access token (PAT) to access Azure DevOps during setup.

    Scope access level settings are based on the capability you have configured. Set the corresponding access level for seamless functionality. For information on creating a PAT, see Personal access token (PAT).

    Important:
    With the access level permissions specified in the following table in Azure DevOps, and the ServiceNow DevOps extension, you can connect to Azure DevOps from ServiceNow. Your Azure DevOps admin does not have to manually configure webhooks and service connections in Azure DevOps.
    Important:
    • When onboarding a Project, the Project Administrators privilege requires the owner of the PAT to be a member of the project's Project Administrators group.
    • When onboarding an Organization, the Project Administrators privilege requires the owner of the PAT to be a member of the organization's Project Collection Administrators group.
    Table 1. Scope access level settings per capability and their impact
    Capability Scope Access level Impact
    Boards Work item Read Required to discover the boards and receive the work items either through import/polling or real time with a configured webhook.
    Repos Code Read Required to discover repositories and receive branches, commits, and tags either through import/polling or real time with a configured webhook.
    Build pipelines Build Read & Execute
    • Read: Required to discover the build pipelines and receive pipeline execution details like stages, artifacts, test results, code security results, etc., either through import/polling or real time with a configured webhook.
    • Execute: Required to pause/resume the pipelines based on the change control step.
    Release pipelines and gates Release Read, write and execute
    • Read: Required to discover the release pipelines and receive pipeline execution details like stages, artifacts, test results, code security results, etc, either through import/polling or real time with a configured webhook.
    • Write and Execute: Required to pause/resume the pipelines based on change control step.
    Test build and release pipelines Test management Read Required to receive test results for pipeline execution.
    Service Connections Service connection Read, query, and manage Required to create Service connection automatically which is used to configure ServiceNow tasks like change acceleration, artifact and package registration, etc.
    Packaging Packaging Read Required to discover the artifact repositories and receive the feeds and packages either through import/polling or real-time with a configured webhook.
    Note:
    You must have the Update build information permission on your pipeline for all pipeline features to work seamlessly. Contact your ADO Project Administrator if you don't have this permission.

    Limitation of Azure DevOps

    If you create an Azure tool with custom defined access level, and you reconfigure such a tool because of change in your Integration user credentials, then the existing service hooks for release created and release deployment are not updated. Instead, two new service hooks are created with new configuration details. To avoid the duplication of these service hooks, you must create the tool with full access level.