Work Item History

View the complete revision history of a work item, showing what changed, when, and by whom.

Usage

Ask user for the work item ID, then retrieve the revision history.

Step 1: Get Revisions

az devops invoke \
  --area wit \
  --resource revisions \
  --route-parameters project={PROJECT} id={ID} \
  --api-version 7.1 \
  -o json

Note: The project parameter should match your configured project. You can check it with az devops configure --list.

Response Format

The API returns an array of revisions, each containing:

• rev - Revision number (1 is the original creation)
• fields.System.ChangedDate - When the change was made
• fields.System.ChangedBy - Who made the change
• All field values as they were at that revision

Step 2: Display History

Present the revision history in a clear format:

Suggested Output Format

Work Item #{ID} - Revision History
==================================

Revision #3 | 2024-01-15 14:30:00 | Changed by: Jane Smith
  - State: Active -> Resolved
  - AssignedTo: John Doe -> Jane Smith

Revision #2 | 2024-01-14 10:15:00 | Changed by: John Doe
  - Priority: 2 -> 1
  - Tags: (none) -> urgent,production

Revision #1 | 2024-01-13 09:00:00 | Created by: John Doe
  - Title: Fix login button
  - Type: Bug
  - State: New
  - Priority: 2

Comparing Revisions

To identify what changed between revisions, compare the field values across consecutive revisions. Key fields to track:

Field	Description
System.State	Work item state transitions
System.AssignedTo	Assignment changes
System.Title	Title edits
System.Description	Description updates
System.Tags	Tag additions/removals
System.IterationPath	Sprint/iteration changes
System.AreaPath	Area path changes
Microsoft.VSTS.Common.Priority	Priority changes
Microsoft.VSTS.Common.Severity	Severity changes (bugs)
Microsoft.VSTS.Scheduling.StoryPoints	Story point adjustments

Getting a Specific Revision

To view the work item as it was at a specific revision:

az devops invoke \
  --area wit \
  --resource revisions \
  --route-parameters project={PROJECT} id={ID} revisionNumber={REV} \
  --api-version 7.1 \
  -o json

Getting Current Revision Number

To find the current (latest) revision number, use the standard show command:

az boards work-item show --id {ID} --fields "System.Rev" -o json

The rev field in the response indicates the current revision number.

Common Use Cases

View Recent Changes

Show only the last N revisions by examining the returned array.

Track State Transitions

Filter changes to focus on System.State field changes to see the workflow history.

Find Who Made a Specific Change

Look through revisions to identify when and who changed a particular field.

Audit Trail

Use revision history for compliance or debugging to understand how an item evolved.

Notes

• Revision 1 is always the creation event
• Each revision captures the complete state of the work item at that point
• Comments are not included in revisions - use the comments command for discussion history
• Large work items with many revisions may return a significant amount of data