Azure DevOps Pipelines Troubleshooting – Ranorex

Use this section to troubleshoot common issues when creating or running a YAML pipeline for Ranorex Studio tests.

If Azure DevOps doesn’t show the expected repository, check the following:

Run git remote -v locally and confirm that origin points to the correct Azure DevOps repository URL.
Run git branch -vv and confirm that your local branch tracks origin/main or the intended branch.
In the Azure Pipelines wizard, confirm that the breadcrumb shows the same organization and project that contains your repository.
Ask a Project Administrator to grant you Read permission for the repository. Go to Project Settings > Repositories > Security.
On the first pipeline run, Azure DevOps may require you to authorize resources. If you skipped this step or don’t have permission, the wizard may not show the repository. Ask a Project Administrator to run the pipeline once and authorize the required resources.
Confirm that your code is available on the default branch selected by the wizard. To use another branch, select Existing Azure Pipelines YAML file, and then browse to the correct branch and file path.

If the pipeline starts but the agent doesn’t pick up the job, check the following:

Make sure the pool name in the YAML file matches the Azure Pipelines agent pool.
Make sure the agent name in the YAML file matches the configured agent, if the YAML targets a specific agent.
Verify that the agent is online.
Verify that the agent is in the Listening for Jobs state.

Ranorex Studio tests require an interactive desktop session.

If the pipeline fails because no UI session is available, check the following:

Make sure the agent runs in interactive mode.
Make sure the desktop session is unlocked.
If you connect to the agent machine through Remote Desktop, use tscon before disconnecting so the desktop session remains available.

If the pipeline can’t find MSBuild, install Visual Studio Build Tools on the agent machine.

Make sure the installation includes the required .NET desktop build workload for your Ranorex Studio solution.

Security Considerations

Follow these recommendations when you configure Azure DevOps pipelines for UI testing:

Avoid storing credentials in plain text.
If auto-logon is required, restrict the agent machine to test data only.
Limit access to the agent machine.
Use dedicated agent machines for UI testing.
Keep UI testing agents separate from build servers.
Use YAML pipelines with minimal permissions and explicit repository authorization.