Can you install a standalone TFS client that doesn't need Visual Studio?

Is it possible to get a standalone TFS client on a server that does NOT have Visual Studio installed? We'd like a way to "reach into" a TFS project from a server, without having to install Visual Studio?

Possible? I've seen Team Explorer, but will that work without Visual Studio?


Team Explorer 2008 will allow you to connect to TFS, but it will install a Visual Studio shell.

Team Explorer Everywhere has Web access. Martin Woodward wrote a great article about it.


Download the TFS power tools. The "Windows Shell Extension" component allows one to perform most operations with TFS via Windows Explorer. Note that the Power Tools installer states that Visual Studio 2010 (or Visual Studio Team Explorer 2010) is a prerequisite for the following features:

  • Command-line interface
  • Visual Studio Integration
  • Check-in Policy Pack
  • Process Editor
  • Windows Shell Extension
  • PowerShell Cmdlets