Fulcrum Repository Activity

An Azure DevOps extension that adds a Repo Activity hub to the Repos section. It shows every repository that has received commits to its default branch since a user-selected date, and provides bulk actions on the results.

Features

Scan Scope Configuration

Click Configure to open the scope panel and define exactly which projects and repositories are included in each scan. Without a saved configuration the extension scans all repositories in the project name you type; with one saved it targets only the projects and repositories you have selected.

The panel loads every project in your Azure DevOps organization. For each enabled project you can choose:

• All repositories (default) — every repository in the project is scanned.
• Select specific repositories — pick individual repositories from a searchable list. Useful when a project contains hundreds of repositories and you only care about a subset.
  • Type in the filter box to narrow the list by name.
  • Select all / Deselect all apply to whatever is currently visible in the filter.
  • The X / Y selected counter updates in real time.

Configuration is persisted in the ADO extension data service and survives page refreshes. Clear Configuration (bottom-left of the panel) reverts to manual project-entry mode at any time.

Repository Scanner

Enter a project name and a since date (defaults to the last 14 days), then click Scan Repositories. When a scope configuration is saved, the project field is replaced by a badge showing the number of configured projects and the scan runs across all of them automatically.

Results are displayed in a sortable table as soon as the scan completes. A live progress counter (Scanning repositories… X / Y) is shown while the scan is running so the page never looks frozen. When more than one project is scanned a Project column appears automatically. Sortable columns: Project (multi-project mode only), Repository, Default Branch, Commits, Open PRs, Last Commit.

Bulk Actions (operate on selected rows)

Check individual rows or use the header checkbox to select all. The Actions menu activates as soon as at least one row is selected.

Typing a branch name and pressing Enter is equivalent to clicking Create Branch. If the branch already exists in some of the selected repositories the extension lists the conflicts and asks for confirmation before proceeding with the remaining repos.

Status Column

The rightmost column shows per-row status icons after a bulk action:

Local Development

Prerequisites

node >= 18
npm >= 9

Install dependencies once:

npm install

Run with Mock Data (F5 in VS Code)

The project ships with a local mock that replaces the Azure DevOps SDK and API with realistic stub data, so you can develop without a live organization.

Press F5 in VS Code (or run npm run dev in a terminal). The extension opens automatically at http://localhost:3000/hub/hub.html.

The mock includes:

• 3 projects (MyProject, AnotherProject, DevOps) returned by the Configure panel
• 9 repositories across MyProject, 7 with recent commits
• Pre-existing branches per repo (useful for testing the Create Branch conflict-detection path — try creating a branch named develop)
• In-memory extension data storage so configuration saves and loads correctly during a dev session

To start the dev server manually:

npm run dev          # kills any process on port 3000, then starts webpack-dev-server with mock data
npm start            # equivalent, without the port-kill step

Build

npm run build        # production build → dist/
npm run build:dev    # development build with source maps → dist/
npm run watch        # development build, rebuild on file change

Publishing to the Marketplace

Prerequisites

1. Visual Studio Marketplace publisher account

Create a publisher at https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/manage. The publisher ID in vss-extension.json is currently my-publisher — replace it with the ID you register and it must match exactly.

2. Personal Access Token (PAT)

In Azure DevOps, create a PAT with the following scope:

• Organization: All accessible organizations
• Scope: Marketplace → Publish

Copy the token; you will pass it to tfx at publish time.

3. tfx-cli is already included as a dev dependency (npm run package and npm run publish use it via npx).

Publish as Private (organization-only)

A private extension is only visible to organizations you explicitly share it with. This is the default ("public": false in vss-extension.json).

Step 1 — Build and package

npm run package

This runs npm run build followed by tfx extension create, producing a .vsix file in the packages/ folder (e.g. packages/my-publisher.fulcrum-repo-activity-1.0.0.vsix).

Step 2 — Publish

npx tfx extension publish \
  --manifest-globs vss-extension.json \
  --token <your-PAT>

Or using the npm script (builds and publishes in one step — you will be prompted for the PAT interactively):

npm run publish

Step 3 — Share with your organization

After publishing, the extension is visible only to you. Share it with your Azure DevOps organization from the Marketplace publisher portal, or via CLI:

npx tfx extension share \
  --publisher my-publisher \
  --extension-id fulcrum-repo-activity \
  --share-with my-org \
  --token <your-PAT>

Step 4 — Install in the organization

In the target Azure DevOps organization, go to Organization Settings → Extensions → Shared and click Install next to the extension.

Publish as Public (available to everyone)

Public extensions are visible on the Marketplace to any Azure DevOps user. Ensure the extension is production-ready before making it public.

Step 1 — Set public: true

Edit vss-extension.json:

"public": true,

Step 2 — Verify the publisher is verified

Microsoft requires a verified publisher for public extensions. Submit your publisher for verification at https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/manage/publishers. Verification is a manual review process that can take a few days.

Step 3 — Package and publish

npm run package
npx tfx extension publish \
  --manifest-globs vss-extension.json \
  --token <your-PAT>

The extension will appear on the public Marketplace after passing Microsoft's automated content scan (usually within minutes for updates, longer for a first-time public publish).

Updating an Existing Extension

Increment the version field in vss-extension.json (semver), then publish again:

npm run publish

tfx will update the existing listing in place. Installed instances in all organizations will be updated automatically by Azure DevOps.

Scopes

The extension declares the vso.code scope, which grants read access to repositories, branches, and projects. No additional write scope is needed for scanning; the Lock Branches and Create Branch features use the same scope because branch locking and ref creation are permitted under vso.code for users who already have the appropriate repository permissions. If your organization enforces stricter scope policies, add vso.code_manage to the scopes array in vss-extension.json.

Project Structure

src/
  hub/
    hub.tsx       # Main React component — all UI and API logic
    hub.scss      # Component styles (CSS custom properties for ADO theming)
    hub.html      # Entry HTML page
  mocks/
    sdk.ts        # Mock Azure DevOps Extension SDK (includes getService / data store)
    api.ts        # Mock getClient() — routes to git or core mock based on client class
    git-client.ts # Stub data: repos, commits, branches, PRs, lock state
    core-client.ts # Stub data: ADO projects list for the Configure panel
scripts/
  dev-start.js   # Kills port 3000, then starts webpack-dev-server
vss-extension.json  # Extension manifest
webpack.config.js   # Webpack 5 config; --env mock enables stub aliases

Tech Stack