bbvch · martinkoenig-bbv · Mar 27, 2026 · Mar 10, 2026 · Mar 10, 2026 · Mar 18, 2026
diff --git a/blog/2026-03-27-ado-pr-commit-after-merge/images/conventionalcommits.png b/blog/2026-03-27-ado-pr-commit-after-merge/images/conventionalcommits.png
diff --git a/blog/2026-03-27-ado-pr-commit-after-merge/images/disablePrefixInADO.png b/blog/2026-03-27-ado-pr-commit-after-merge/images/disablePrefixInADO.png
diff --git a/blog/2026-03-27-ado-pr-commit-after-merge/images/featureRequest.png b/blog/2026-03-27-ado-pr-commit-after-merge/images/featureRequest.png
diff --git a/blog/2026-03-27-ado-pr-commit-after-merge/images/manual.png b/blog/2026-03-27-ado-pr-commit-after-merge/images/manual.png
diff --git a/blog/2026-03-27-ado-pr-commit-after-merge/index.mdx b/blog/2026-03-27-ado-pr-commit-after-merge/index.mdx
@@ -0,0 +1,107 @@
+---
+title: "Merged PR 42: fix(Azure DevOps): Merge PR without prefix in commit message"
+description: "Azure DevOps has recently added a new feature that allows you to remove the PR ID from the commit message after merging a pull request."
+authors: [shpendkelmendi]
+tags: [Azure DevOps, Conventional Commits, SemVer, Git, Pull Requests, DevOps]
+image: ./images/conventionalcommits.png
+---
+
+import CenteredImage from '@site/src/components/Image';
+
+<head>
+  <link rel="canonical" href="https://shpend-kelmendi.ch/2026/03/06/ado-pr-commit-after-merge" />
+</head>
+
+I use Azure DevOps across many customer projects. I really like it. 
+One thing I didn't like is the message added to the beginning of the commit when you closed and merged your PR.
+You can see it above in the image or in my title. Not so nice to read, right? I agree.
+
+## Why is this important? 
+
+I like to have a clean commit history.  
+I like simple git graphs.  
+And I want to automate chores like deciding whether a new version is a patch, minor, or major increment.  
+That's why I like to use conventional commits which, enable semantic versioning (SemVer). 
+
+Conventional commit is a simple and lightweight convention for your commit messages.
+Here are some examples of conventional commit types and their impact on versioning:
+
+| Type          | Example                                                                | Meaning                           | Version Impact                              |
+|---------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|---------------------------------------------|
+| **feat**      | `feat: login as guest with one-time passcode`                          | New feature                       | **Minor** → `1.0.0 → 1.1.0`                 |
+| **fix**       | `fix: correct device registration validation logic`                    | Bug fix                           | **Patch** → `1.0.0 → 1.0.1`                 |
+| **chore**     | `chore: update minor version`                                          | Maintenance / small changes       | **Patch** or **ignored** (config dependent) |
+| **perf**      | `perf: import up to 10 projects`                                       | Performance improvement           | **Patch** or **ignored** (config dependent) |
+| **refactor!** | `refactor!: remove deprecated import endpoint`                         | Breaking change indicated with `!`| **Major** → `1.0.0 → 2.0.0`                 |
+
+
+> If you need support writing conventional commits, try out [commitizen](https://commitizen-tools.github.io/commitizen/).
+
+The "Merged PR NUMBER" prefix added by Azure DevOps after merging a PR is not helpful. 
+So how can we fix this? Let's check our options.
+
+## Options for conventional commits
+
+I know three options when you want to use conventional commits with Azure DevOps.
+
+### Manually
+
+You can change the commit message by:
+
+1. Click on the **complete** button in your PR.
+2. Click "**Customize merge commit message**".
+3. Replace the commit message.
+
+<CenteredImage 
+  src={require("./images/manual.png").default}
+  width={500}
+  caption="Manually change the commit message when merging a PR in Azure DevOps"
+/>
+
+But this is not a reliable way in a team. That's why this solution didn't work for our team, and we would not recommend it.
+
+### Workaround: Custom Script 
+
+That's why we searched for alternatives. If you just want the commit history to be created correctly, 
+John Reilly describes an alternative approach in his [blog post](https://johnnyreilly.com/azure-devops-pull-requests-conventional-commits), using the Azure DevOps API, Node.js, and TypeScript. 
+He wrote a tool that uses the autocomplete feature to override the commit message before merging the PR.  
+So basically, what you have seen in the previous chapter by doing it manually.
+
+### Disable prefix in Azure DevOps Settings (New)
+
+This problem was seen and reported in [October 2018](https://developercommunity.visualstudio.com/t/Change-default-title-for-pull-request-co/365716#T-ND11055201):
+
+<CenteredImage 
+  src={require("./images/featureRequest.png").default}
+  width={500}
+  caption="Feature request to disable or change the default commit message when merging a PR in Azure DevOps, created in 2018"
+/>
+
+After endless complaints and a long waiting time, this [feature](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/release-notes/2026/sprint-270-update#new-repository-setting-for-pull-request-id-in-commit-messages) has been implemented and released (5. March). 
+You can disable the prefix message by:
+
+* Go to Project Settings
+* Select Repos → Repositories
+* Select a Repository
+* Disable "Include PR ID in the completion commit message title by default."
+
+If you don't see this, you need to wait a few more weeks until this feature is available for you, too.
+
+<CenteredImage 
+  src={require("./images/disablePrefixInADO.png").default}
+  caption="Disable the prefix in Azure DevOps settings to have clean commit messages after merging a PR"
+  imageSource='https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/release-notes/2026/sprint-270-update#new-repository-setting-for-pull-request-id-in-commit-messages'
+/>
+
+## Conclusion
+
+Based on the feedback it's not only me, struggling with this design decision. So thanks to the team who took the time to realise this. 
+The feature is limited by disabling it per project or repository. You can not set this globally for all repositories in an organization.
+
+## Further Reading
+
+* [Conventional Commits](https://www.conventionalcommits.org)
+* [Change default title for pull request commits to not include PR id - Developer Community](https://developercommunity.visualstudio.com/t/Change-default-title-for-pull-request-co/365716#T-ND11055201)
+* [New Feature to disable PR ID in commit messages - Microsoft Learn](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/release-notes/2026/sprint-270-update#new-repository-setting-for-pull-request-id-in-commit-messages)
+* [Blog post by John Reilly: Azure DevOps Pull Requests and Conventional Commits](https://johnnyreilly.com/azure-devops-pull-requests-conventional-commits)
+* [Commitizen](https://commitizen-tools.github.io/commitizen/)