Existing VS Code Marketplace publisher cannot generate PAT because Azure DevOps requires Azure subscription

Jash Thakkar 0 Reputation points
2026-08-02T19:13:30.5033333+00:00

I own an existing Visual Studio Marketplace publisher.

Publisher:

JashT14

Extension:

Symtrace for VS Code

The extension is already published (v0.2.0), and I am attempting to publish an update (v0.3.0).

Environment:

  • vsce 3.9.2
  • Windows
  • Personal Microsoft account (Outlook)

The extension packages successfully:

vsce package

and

vsce publish

correctly prompts:

Personal Access Token for publisher 'JashT14':

However, I cannot generate a PAT.

Problem:

  1. Marketplace publisher page contains no Security/PAT section.
  2. Azure DevOps asks me to create an organization.
  3. Creating an organization requires linking an Azure subscription.
  4. I do not have an Azure subscription.
  5. Therefore I cannot generate the PAT required by vsce.

I have confirmed:

  • I am the Owner of the publisher.
  • I am signed into the same Microsoft account everywhere.
  • Marketplace recognizes my publisher.
  • Azure Portal works.
  • Azure DevOps has no organization.
  • vsce version is 3.9.2.

The official VS Code publishing documentation still requires a PAT, but I cannot obtain one because the Azure DevOps onboarding now blocks organization creation without an Azure subscription.

Questions:

  1. How can an existing Marketplace publisher generate a PAT without creating an Azure subscription?
  2. Is there a supported Entra ID publishing flow for individual publishers?
  3. Is this a known regression affecting existing Marketplace publishers?
Developer technologies | Visual Studio | Extensions
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  1. Leon Tran (WICLOUD CORPORATION) 2,150 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-08-03T01:34:59.6733333+00:00

    Hi @Jash Thakkar ,

    Thank you for sharing the details. I understand that your extension is already published, but the new Azure DevOps requirement is preventing you from generating the PAT needed to publish an update. Please see the answers to your three questions below:

    1. How can an existing Marketplace publisher generate a PAT without creating an Azure subscription?

    A PAT must be created through an Azure DevOps organization. Creating a new organization currently requires an active Azure subscription. Alternatively, you can ask to be added to an existing Azure DevOps organization with Basic access and create the PAT there, if its policies allow it

    2. Is there a supported Entra ID publishing flow for individual publisher?

    Microsoft documents Entra ID publishing through workload identity federation and managed identities. However, this flow still requires Azure and Azure DevOps resources, so it is not a subscription-free option for individual publishers.

    3. Is this a known regression affecting existing Marketplace publishers?

    I could not find an official announcement confirming this as a regression. It appears to be related to the current Azure DevOps organization creation requirement rather than an issue with your publisher or vsce.

    I hope this helps! If my answer was helpful so far, you can follow this guidance to provide some feedback. This also help others find the solution easier. 

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