How to use the Microsoft Azure Expert agent skill

What is an agent skill and what does the Azure skill do?

An agent skill is a folder containing a SKILL.md file with instructions that an AI agent loads when a task matches it. This skill is a single file, SKILL.md, and it contains guidance only: it does not run commands or connect to Azure itself.

When the skill is active, the agent prefers Bicep or ARM templates for infrastructure, uses managed identities instead of stored passwords, recommends Key Vault for secrets, favors private networking and sets up resource groups and tags sensibly. It also suggests specific az CLI commands for tasks such as creating AKS clusters, configuring App Service deployment slots and setting up alerts.

• Infrastructure as code with Azure Resource Manager or Bicep
• Managed identities, Entra ID and role-based access control
• Key Vault references for secrets
• Compute choices: App Service, AKS, Functions or Container Apps
• Monitoring with Azure Monitor and Log Analytics
• Cost tagging and budgets

How do you install the Azure skill?

Download the ZIP file from this page and unzip it. You can install the skill in one of two places. For a personal setup that applies to all your projects, unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/. For a single project, unzip it into that project's .claude/skills/ folder.

If you use the Claude apps, you can instead upload the skill under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.

• Personal: ~/.claude/skills/
• Per project: .claude/skills/ inside your project folder
• Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills

How do you trigger the skill with natural requests?

You do not need a special command. Ask about Azure in plain language, mentioning infrastructure, a service or a task, and the agent will apply the skill where it fits. Naming the service (AKS, App Service, Key Vault) and your goal (secure, cheap, reproducible, production) gives the most useful answers.

The skill's guidance focuses on architecture and on choosing between options, so questions about design, security review or the right az CLI command tend to match well.

• Name the workload: a web app, a containerized service, an event-driven function.
• State your constraints: production, budget, existing network, team ownership.
• Ask for commands or templates when you want something you can review and run.

What example requests work well?

These prompts match the skill's areas of guidance. The answers will follow its principles, but you should still verify details against current Azure documentation.

• Plan a production AKS cluster for a containerized API. Use Azure CNI and show the az aks create command.
• How should my App Service app read database passwords? Show me a Key Vault reference setup.
• Set up a zero-downtime release for my web app using deployment slots.
• Review my Azure resource group and tagging scheme for cost tracking.
• Design a hub-spoke network for three workloads with a central firewall.
• Create a metric alert for high CPU using the az monitor command.

What do you need before you use it?

To run the commands the skill suggests, you need the Azure CLI (az) installed. You also need an Azure subscription and RBAC permissions that allow you to act on the resources in question. The skill does not check either of these for you.

The skill's own requirements are: it runs no scripts and uses no network access, according to its listing.

• Azure CLI (az), only if you want to run the suggested commands
• An Azure subscription with appropriate RBAC permissions
• No scripts run by the skill itself
• No network access by the skill itself

What safety points should you know?

The skill gives advice and sample commands. Running them against a live subscription can create costs or change security settings, so review every command before you run it, ideally in a test subscription or resource group first.

The skill itself recommends scoping roles narrowly. It warns against assigning Owner or Contributor at the subscription level to application service principals, and against plain-text secrets in App Settings. Follow the same rules when you adapt its suggestions.

• Review commands before running them against live resources.
• Test in a non-production subscription or resource group first.
• Expect possible costs when you create resources.
• Check that role assignments are scoped to specific resource groups.

What tips help you get better results?

Ask for a design first, then ask for the commands for each piece. Keep infrastructure in Bicep files and ask the agent to split networking, compute and monitoring into modules. If you need limits or prices, check current Azure documentation, because the skill does not contain them.

• Ask for a design review before asking for commands.
• Request Bicep modules for networking, compute and monitoring.
• Verify service limits and pricing against current Azure documentation.
• Remember the skill targets Azure only, not AWS or Google Cloud.