This skill translates natural-language DevOps requests into Alibaba Cloud Yunxiao API calls. It supports three invocation channels: Alibaba Cloud CLI (aliyun devops), MCP Server, and mcporter CLI. It covers 8 Yunxiao products (~388 CLI commands, ~165 MCP tools).
1. Overview
- Core flow: Intent classification → Ambiguity resolution → Product mapping → Reference reading → Tool execution → Result verification
- Scope: CI/CD, code management, project collaboration, sprints/work items, artifacts, testing, application delivery
For the full product and tool catalog (MCP tools and CLI commands by product), see references/tool-catalog.md.
2. Prerequisites
[MUST] Execution order is mandatory. Steps in this section form a sequential decision tree. You MUST execute them in the numbered order below. Do NOT check Node.js, MCP, or mcporter availability until the CLI path (Steps 1–4) has been fully attempted and failed. Do NOT run any checks in parallel across subsections 2.1 and 2.2.
Token Security Rules (applies to ALL channels):
- NEVER ask users to paste plaintext tokens in conversation or command line
- NEVER read/print token values using
echoor similar commands- ONLY verify token existence via check (see steps below for channel-specific env var names)
- If token is not configured, STOP and guide user to Yunxiao Personal Access Token. Required scopes: Organization Management (R/W), Project Collaboration (R/W), Code Management (R/W), Pipeline (R/W), Packages (R/W), Application Delivery (R/W), Test Management (R/W).
2.1 CLI Channel Setup (Primary — MUST complete first)
The Alibaba Cloud CLI (
aliyun devops) is the primary invocation channel. MCP Server and mcporter are fallbacks only. Full configuration guide: references/aliyun-cli-setup.md.
Step 1: CLI availability check
aliyun devops --help >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo "cli ready" || echo "cli not available"
- Available → Go to Step 3
- Not available → Go to Step 2 (attempt installation)
Step 2: [MUST] Attempt CLI installation
[MUST] If CLI is not found in Step 1, you MUST attempt installation before considering any fallback channel. Skipping this step is prohibited. Full installation guide: references/aliyun-cli-install.md.
-
Detect OS and install:
- macOS (Homebrew available):
brew install aliyun-cli - macOS / Linux (no Homebrew):
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://aliyuncli.alicdn.com/install.sh)" - Windows (PowerShell): Guide user to download and run the PowerShell install script. See references/aliyun-cli-install.md.
- macOS (Homebrew available):
-
Verify installation and re-check:
aliyun version aliyun devops --help >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo "cli ready" || echo "cli not available"- Available → Go to Step 3
- Still not available → Go to Section 2.2 Fallback
Step 3: Authentication and site type detection
Cloud DevOps (Yunxiao) uses Personal Access Token for authentication, not AK/SK profiles.
3a. Check token:
[ -n "$ALIBABA_CLOUD_YUNXIAO_ACCESS_TOKEN" ] && echo "token configured" || echo "token missing"
If token is missing, guide user to configure based on their site type:
Central site (default) — token + organization ID:
export ALIBABA_CLOUD_YUNXIAO_ACCESS_TOKEN=<your-personal-access-token>
export ALIBABA_CLOUD_YUNXIAO_ORGANIZATION_ID=<your-organization-id>
Region site — token + region API base URL:
export ALIBABA_CLOUD_YUNXIAO_ACCESS_TOKEN=<your-personal-access-token>
export ALIBABA_CLOUD_YUNXIAO_API_BASE_URL=<your-region-api-base-url>
[MUST] Never ask the user for an API base URL on the central site — it defaults to
openapi-rdc.aliyuncs.com(for both the CLI and the MCP Server). The base URL is a region-site-only setting.
Recommend adding these to the user's shell profile (~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, etc.) for persistence.
3b. Detect site type:
After token is confirmed, detect the site type:
[ -n "$ALIBABA_CLOUD_YUNXIAO_API_BASE_URL" ] && echo "region site" || echo "central site (default)"
[ -n "$ALIBABA_CLOUD_YUNXIAO_ORGANIZATION_ID" ] && echo "org id configured" || echo "org id missing"
ALIBABA_CLOUD_YUNXIAO_API_BASE_URLset → Region site: subsequent CLI calls do NOT use--organization-id; the API base URL is read from the environment variable automatically- Not set → Central site (default): subsequent CLI calls use
--organization-id; if the org id is missing, guide user to setALIBABA_CLOUD_YUNXIAO_ORGANIZATION_ID(it can be looked up viaaliyun devops base-get-user-by-token)
[MUST] Remember the detected site type. All subsequent CLI calls in this session must use the corresponding parameter pattern. CLI parameters use kebab-case (e.g.,
--organization-id), not camelCase (--organizationId).
Step 4: [MUST] Disable the interactive plugin-install prompt
The devops commands live in the aliyun-cli-devops plugin, which is not bundled with a fresh CLI install. The first aliyun devops <business-command> therefore prompts Do you want to install it? [Y/n]: and blocks until the command times out. Run this once per session, before any business command:
aliyun configure set --auto-plugin-install true
Skipping this step wastes the whole timeout budget of your first business call.
CLI ready — If Steps 1–4 all pass, CLI channel is ready. Skip Section 2.2 entirely and proceed to Section 3.
2.2 Fallback Channel Setup (ONLY when CLI is unavailable)
[GATE] You may ONLY enter this section if both conditions are true:
- Step 1 (CLI check) returned "cli not available"
- Step 2 (CLI installation attempt) was executed and failed
If you have not attempted Step 2, go back and execute it now. Do NOT proceed here.
2.2.1 Node.js/Docker Runtime Check
This skill invokes alibabacloud-devops-mcp-server@0.3.38 via npx or docker. Verify:
node --version # Node.js 18+ recommended
npx --version
Recommended: Pre-install dependencies (avoid runtime downloads)
npm install -g alibabacloud-devops-mcp-server@0.3.38 mcporter@0.11.1 --registry=https://registry.npmmirror.com
2.2.2 Yunxiao Personal Access Token (for MCP/mcporter)
MCP/mcporter uses YUNXIAO_ACCESS_TOKEN (different from CLI's ALIBABA_CLOUD_YUNXIAO_ACCESS_TOKEN):
[ -n "$YUNXIAO_ACCESS_TOKEN" ] && echo "token configured" || echo "token missing"
If missing, guide user to obtain a token and inject as env var (see Token Security Rules at the top of Section 2).
2.2.3 MCP Server Setup
See references/mcp-setup.md for three connection modes (Stdio / Docker / SSE). Recommended — Stdio:
{
"mcpServers": {
"yunxiao": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "alibabacloud-devops-mcp-server@0.3.38"],
"env": {
"YUNXIAO_ACCESS_TOKEN": "<YOUR_TOKEN>"
}
}
}
}
Central site needs the token only —
YUNXIAO_API_BASE_URLdefaults tohttps://openapi-rdc.aliyuncs.com. Add it toenvonly for a region site.
3. Authorization Failure Handling
[MUST] When any tool call returns an authentication/authorization error:
- Consult references/token-scopes.md for the required token scope
- Guide user to add the scope in Yunxiao console under "Personal Access Token"
- Pause execution, wait for user confirmation before proceeding
Common error codes:
| Error | Action |
|---|---|
| 401 Authentication failed | Check if token is valid/expired; prompt re-generation |
| 403 Insufficient permissions | Check token scopes (see token-scopes.md and references/ram-policies.md) |
| 404 Resource not found | Use search_* / list_* to verify resource IDs |
| 400 Parameter error | Check field schema against MCP Schema |
| 500 Server error | Retry up to 3 times with backoff |
4. Parameter Confirmation
IMPORTANT — Before executing any tool call, all user-defined parameters (organizationId, projectId, repositoryId, pipelineId, branch names, work item subject, sprint dates, app/env names, etc.) must be confirmed with the user. Never call based on defaults or guesses.
Common required parameters by product:
| Product | Universal required | Typical scenario parameters |
|---|---|---|
| All | organizationId |
- |
| Codeup | repositoryId |
sourceBranch / targetBranch / filePath |
| Flow | pipelineId |
branch / runId / jobId |
| Projex | projectId |
workitemTypeId / sprintId / subject |
| Testhub | projectId |
testcaseId / testPlanId |
| AppStack | appName |
envName / changeOrderId |
5. Core Execution Flow
User request → [Step 1] Intent classification → [Step 2] Ambiguity handling → [Step 3] Product mapping
→ [Step 4] Read product references → [Step 5] Execute tool calls → Return results
Step 1: Intent Classification
Core principle: Identify the core verb, not the noun.
| Action | Typical verbs | Tool prefix |
|---|---|---|
| Create | create, add, initialize, set up | create_* |
| Query | view, get, list, search, find | get_* / list_* / search_* |
| Update | update, modify, change, edit | update_* |
| Delete | delete, remove, clean up | delete_* (requires confirmation) |
| Trigger | run, execute, trigger, start, deploy | create_pipeline_run / execute_* |
| Configure | configure, set up, bind, associate | update_* / create_* |
Decision tree and examples: references/intent-classification.md.
Step 2: Ambiguity Handling
Core principle: If the instruction is vague or involves multi-product keywords, never guess — ask.
| Ambiguity type | Detection condition | Strategy |
|---|---|---|
| Product | Multi-product keywords present | Ask which product |
| Action | Action unclear | Ask for operation type |
| Object | Missing identifiers | Ask for resource name or ID |
| Parameter | Missing key parameters | Ask for missing values |
| Scope | Org/project not specified | Ask for org/project |
Step 3: Product Mapping
Full mapping: references/product-mapping.md.
| Keywords | Product | MCP toolset | CLI prefix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pipeline, build, deploy, CI/CD | Flow | pipeline-management | flow- |
| Code, repo, branch, commit, MR, review | Codeup | code-management | codeup- |
| Artifact, package, Maven, NPM, Docker image | Packages | packages-management | packages- |
| Requirement, work item, sprint, bug, task | Projex | project-management | projex- |
| Test case, test plan, test report | Testhub | test-management | test-hub- |
| Application, orchestration, change order, release | AppStack | application-delivery | app-stack- |
| Organization, member, department, role | - | organization-management | base- |
| Current user info | - | base | base- |
Ambiguity decision points:
- "CI/CD full flow" → Build-only → Flow; app lifecycle → AppStack; both → ask
- "Repository" → Code repo → Codeup; artifact repo → Packages; unclear → ask
Step 4: Read Product References
After determining the target product, must consult the Yunxiao documentation index at references/product-reference.md.
Step 5: Execute Tool Calls
Three invocation channels (functionally equivalent):
| Method | Scenario | Prerequisites |
|---|---|---|
Alibaba Cloud CLI (aliyun devops) |
Shell environment available | aliyun installed with token configured |
| Platform-native MCP | IDE/platform with MCP Server | use_mcp_tool available |
| Terminal CLI (mcporter) | Pure terminal, no MCP Server | Node.js 18+ installed |
Channel selection: Choose based on availability — CLI configured → CLI; MCP integrated → MCP; Shell + Node.js only → mcporter.
Region Site Routing (mandatory): When the user specifies a Yunxiao instance address or token differing from current MCP config:
- MUST prompt user to update MCP Server config (
YUNXIAO_API_BASE_URL/YUNXIAO_ACCESS_TOKEN) - MUST NOT bypass MCP Server via mcporter — mcporter is only for when MCP Server is absent
- URL with Region keywords (e.g.,
cn-shanghai) → Region edition;openapi-rdc.aliyuncs.comor unspecified → Central (default, no base URL config needed)
Method A: Alibaba Cloud CLI
aliyun devops <command> --<param1> <value1> \
--user-agent "AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills/alibabacloud-devops/${SESSION_ID}"
All
aliyun devopscommands must include--user-agentwith the session-scoped UA value (see Section 7: Observability). When using environment variables for authentication, no additional auth parameters are needed. When using command-line parameters, append--yunxiao-access-tokenand--organization-id(central) or--api-base-url(region) to each command.
For command discovery by product prefix, use scripts/discover-commands.sh or see references/tool-catalog.md.
Method B: Platform-native MCP
use_mcp_tool(
server_name: "yunxiao",
tool_name: "<tool>",
arguments: { "<key>": "<value>" }
)
Method C: mcporter CLI
npx -y mcporter@0.11.1 call --no-coerce --stdio "npx -y alibabacloud-devops-mcp-server@0.3.38" <tool_name> [key:"value" ...]
MUST always use
--no-coerceto prevent auto type conversion of string enums.
Parameter rules: Use key:"value" format, space-separated. Do not pass JSON strings. Omit parameters for no-argument tools. Use scripts/mcporter-call.sh for convenience.
Get available tools:
npx -y mcporter@0.11.1 list --stdio "npx -y alibabacloud-devops-mcp-server@0.3.38" --schema
[MUST] Tool selection must be based on dynamic discovery: Select from registered tool list, never fabricate tool names. Use
mcporter listor references/tool-catalog.md.
[MUST] Never fabricate results: All tool calls must be actually executed with real return values.
Pre-execution checklist (mandatory):
- Obtain
organizationIdviaaliyun devops base-get-user-by-token(MCP:get_current_organization_info) - [Mandatory] Verify target resource exists via
list_*/search_*/get_*— even if ID is provided - All required parameters confirmed with user (Section 4)
- Delete operations require confirmation
- [Mandatory] Dynamic schema validation before first call to any unfamiliar tool:
- Method B: Check platform tool registry
- Method C:
npx -y mcporter@0.11.1 list --stdio "npx -y alibabacloud-devops-mcp-server@0.3.38" --schema 2>&1 | grep -A 30 'function <tool_name>' - If schema returns a different tool name, use the schema's version
- For Testhub: call
test-hub-get-testcase-field-config(MCP:get_testcase_field_config) first — it reports which fields are required (assignedTois) and yields the per-library option IDs thatcustomFieldValuesmust carry (e.g.{"tc.priority": "<P1 option id>"}; sending the label"P1"fails with400 字段【优先级】所填值无效).testStepsmust carry acontent[]array — a payload using onlystepContent/expectedResult(which is the read-back shape) fails with500 unknown exception. See references/common-scenarios.md Scenario 6. - For Projex: call
projex-list-workitem-types(MCP:list_work_item_types) first — never use hardcoded type IDs
Full tool catalog: references/tool-catalog.md. Scenario examples: references/common-scenarios.md.
6. Success Verification
[RECOMMENDED] After
create_*/update_*, call the correspondingget_*to verify when budget permits. If API returned success with a resource ID, creation can be considered successful even without read-back.Known API limitations: Some fields may differ between write and read-back — see references/verification-method.md.
| Operation | Verification command (CLI / MCP) | Check |
|---|---|---|
| Create pipeline | flow-get-pipeline (MCP: get_pipeline) |
pipelineId + name match |
| Run pipeline | flow-get-latest-pipeline-run (MCP: get_latest_pipeline_run) |
status != FAIL |
| Create branch | codeup-get-branch (MCP: get_branch) |
Branch appears |
| Create MR | codeup-get-change-request (MCP: get_change_request) |
state = OPENED |
| Create work item | projex-get-workitem (MCP: get_work_item) |
subject + workItemTypeId correct |
| Create sprint | projex-get-sprint (MCP: get_sprint) |
Date range matches |
More: references/verification-method.md.
7. Observability
User-Agent Declaration (Mandatory)
[MUST] Every
aliyun devopsbusiness command must carry the--user-agentflag for attribution and tracing. The UA value follows a fixed template that includes a per-session identifier.
UA Template:
--user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills/alibabacloud-devops/{session-id}
Session-ID Generation Rule:
| Item | Rule |
|---|---|
| Format | 32-character lowercase hexadecimal string, e.g., f47ac10b58cc4372a5670e02b2c3d479 |
| Lifecycle | Generate once at the start of each skill invocation session; reuse the same value across all channels (CLI, MCP, mcporter) within that session |
| Consistency | The same {session-id} must be used for CLI --user-agent, MCP request metadata, and mcporter calls within one session |
| Generation method | python3 -c "import uuid; print(uuid.uuid4().hex)" or uuidgen | tr -d '-' | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]' |
Usage — append to every aliyun devops command:
SESSION_ID=$(python3 -c "import uuid; print(uuid.uuid4().hex)")
aliyun devops <command> --<param1> <value1> \
--user-agent "AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills/alibabacloud-devops/${SESSION_ID}"
Important: The
--user-agentflag is applied directly on each business command. Do NOT configure UA through any global mode-setting command — always pass it inline per invocation.
8. Best Practices
- Read before write:
get_*beforeupdate_*/delete_*to confirm current state - Pagination: List APIs paginate by default; pass
page/perPagefor large lists - YAML first: Pipeline creation goes through
flow-create-pipeline --name --content(YAML is mandatory). Before composing the YAML, collect the three organization-specific values that are always rejected if guessed — the repository'shttpUrlToRepo(neverwebUrl), the Codeup service connectionuuid(query with the lowercase filter--service-connection-type codeup;Codeupreproducibly returns an empty list, which is not proof the connection is missing), and arunsOn.groupharvested from an existing pipeline (no API lists build clusters, andpublic/<region>often does not exist). The Codeup credential is a nestedcertificateobject, not a bareserviceConnectionkey, and a build-only pipeline must omitArtifactUpload. MCP'screate_pipeline_from_descriptionbuilds its YAML internally and cannot be corrected — on anyyaml校验失败/服务连接[...]不存在error, stop retrying it and switch to the CLI path. Verified template and preflight steps: references/common-scenarios.md Scenario 1. - Smart search:
flow-list-pipelineswith timestamp parameters —--execute-start-time/--execute-end-time/--create-start-time/--create-end-timetake millisecond epoch values (13 digits, e.g.$(($(date +%s) * 1000))). Passing seconds (10 digits) is not rejected by the API; it silently filters against 1970 and returns misleading results, so always multiply by 1000 and sanity-check the digit count. (MCP providessmart_list_pipelinessupporting natural-language time ranges.) - Read-only first: When uncertain, use
list_*/search_*/get_* - Fail fast: Two consecutive same-parameter failures → change approach. Report: methods tried, errors, root cause, next steps
- Budget discipline: Plan critical path first; debugging ≤3 steps; near limit (≤2 remaining) → stop and report
- Clean up: Delete experimental resources after use
9. Scenario Quick Reference
Full examples: references/common-scenarios.md.
| Scenario | Product | Key CLI commands | Key MCP tools |
|---|---|---|---|
| Create Java build pipeline | Flow | codeup-get-repository (clone URL) → flow-list-service-connections --service-connection-type codeup (uuid; lowercase value, Codeup returns []) → flow-get-pipeline (harvest runsOn) → flow-create-pipeline → flow-list-pipelines |
get_repository → list_service_connections → get_pipeline → create_pipeline_from_description (falls back to CLI on YAML validation failure) |
| Create MR with review comment | Codeup | codeup-get-repository → codeup-create-change-request → codeup-list-change-request-patch-sets → codeup-create-change-request-comment |
get_repository → create_change_request → list_change_request_patch_sets → create_change_request_comment |
| Create sprint and add requirement | Projex | projex-search-projects → projex-create-sprint → projex-create-workitem |
search_projects → create_sprint → create_work_item |
| Run pipeline and view logs | Flow | flow-get-pipeline → flow-create-pipeline-run (branch goes in --params '{"branchModeBranchs":"<branch>"}'; there is no --branch flag) → flow-get-pipeline-run --pipeline-run-id → flow-get-pipeline-job-run-log --job-id <stages[].stageInfo.jobs[].id> |
get_pipeline → create_pipeline_run → get_pipeline_run → get_pipeline_job_run_log |
| Batch query artifacts | Packages | packages-list-repositories → packages-list-artifacts |
list_package_repositories → list_artifacts |
| Create test cases | Testhub | test-hub-get-testcase-field-config (required fields + option IDs) → test-hub-list-directories → test-hub-create-testcase → test-hub-search-testcases |
get_testcase_field_config → list_testcase_directories → create_testcase → search_testcases |
| Application release workflow | AppStack | app-stack-list-all-release-workflows → app-stack-execute-change-request-release-stage |
list_app_release_workflows → execute_app_release_stage |
10. Reference Index
| Reference file | Content |
|---|---|
| references/aliyun-cli-install.md | Alibaba Cloud CLI installation guide (macOS/Linux/Windows) |
| references/mcp-setup.md | MCP Server connection modes and environment variables |
| references/intent-classification.md | Intent classification decision tree |
| references/product-mapping.md | Keyword → product mapping table |
| references/product-reference.md | Yunxiao documentation index and key concepts |
| references/tool-catalog.md | ~165 MCP tools grouped catalog |
| references/token-scopes.md | Token authorization scopes and troubleshooting |
| references/common-scenarios.md | End-to-end workflow examples |
| references/verification-method.md | Success verification and read-back methods |
| references/acceptance-criteria.md | Tool call correctness acceptance criteria |
| references/ram-policies.md | Yunxiao permission model vs. standard Alibaba Cloud RAM |