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Copy parent tags to new children in Azure DevOps

  • Azure DevOps
  • Automation
  • Parent & Child
  • Copy fields
  • Tags
Copy parent tags to new children flow overview
Overview of the automation flow that copies parent tags to new children.

When a child is created, add tags from its parent in Azure DevOps.

Existing tags on the child work item remain unchanged. While areas and iterations are already inherited by boards, this automation allows you to add other fields if necessary.

Prerequisite: Install Automations App on your Azure DevOps organization

Install from Marketplace Complete organization setup

Create an automation from the Copy parent tags to new children template, or start from scratch
Go to Project → Automations → Create automation from template Copy parent tags to new children or Start from scratch.
Trigger

Trigger — Work Item Created

This step triggers the automation when a new work item is created in the project. It listens for any type of work item without filtering.

Configured in this template

  • Work item types: all (no filter)

You can customize

  • Filter specific work item types if needed.
  • Adjust the project scope if necessary.
Copy parent tags to new children trigger
Trigger setup for detecting new work item creation.
Condition

Condition — Work item fields

This condition checks if the new work item has a parent. If no parent exists, the automation stops here.

Configured in this template

  • Check: This work item
  • Require: All of Items
  • Field conditions: (none)
  • Match logic: All conditions must match (AND)
  • Related work item conditions: parent: at least one exists

You can customize

  • Add specific field conditions to further refine when this automation should run.
  • Change match logic to OR if any condition should trigger the action.
Copy parent tags to new children condition 1
Condition setup to ensure the work item has a parent.
Action

Action — Copy Fields

This action copies the tags from the parent work item to the newly created child work item. Existing tags on the child are merged with the parent's tags.

Configured in this template

  • Work on: This work item
  • Copy from: Parent of trigger
  • Fields to copy: Tags

You can customize

  • Add additional fields to copy if needed.
  • Change the source to another related work item if applicable.
Copy parent tags to new children action 1
Action setup for copying tags from parent to child.

Full automation

Copy parent tags to new children full automation
Full view of the automation flow for copying parent tags to new children.

Common questions

How do I copy parent tags to new children in Azure DevOps?
When a child is created, add tags from its parent in Azure DevOps. Use the Copy parent tags to new children template in Documentero Automations: open Templates, pick this flow, fill the required fields, and enable it.
What fields are required to enable this automation?
Ensure you specify any additional fields you want to copy before enabling the automation.
Can I change the work item types this automation applies to?
Yes, you can customize the trigger to filter specific work item types.
How can I test this automation?
Create a test work item with a parent and observe if the tags are copied to the child work item.
What happens if the child already has tags?
Existing tags on the child work item are retained and merged with the parent's tags.

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Automate Azure DevOps workflows with triggers, actions, conditions, and scheduled rules.

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