Azure Container Registry CLI

From the author

Manage Azure Container Registry via the az acr CLI including registries, images, cloud builds, ACR Tasks, authentication, tokens, geo-replication, and networking. Use when working with ACR, az acr commands, pushing/importing/purging container images in Azure, or when the user mentions Azure Container Registry.

— the description by AClerbois

AutoGineer summary

Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author

The azure-container-registry-cli skill provides a comprehensive interface for interacting with Azure Container Registry (ACR) via the Azure CLI. It covers the full lifecycle of container registries, including creation, authentication, image management, cloud-based builds, and automated tasks. The skill emphasizes server-side operations like importing images and cloud builds to reduce local dependencies and improve efficiency in CI/CD pipelines.

What it does

Create and manage Azure Container Registry instances and configurations.
Authenticate local environments or services against registries.
Execute cloud-based container image builds without requiring a local daemon.
Automate image workflows using ACR Tasks with git, base-image, or timer triggers.
Perform server-side image operations such as importing and purging.
Manage registry security through RBAC roles, repository-scoped tokens, and network rules.

When to use it

When you need to build, push, or import container images directly within Azure.
When setting up automated image rebuilds or multi-step tasks.
When configuring registry access for CI/CD systems or Azure compute services.
When managing registry lifecycle, geo-replication, or network security settings.
When diagnosing connectivity or quota issues with a registry.

Advantages

Reduces local resource usage by offloading builds and image transfers to the cloud.
Integrates natively with Azure identity and access management systems.
Supports complex automation workflows through ACR Tasks.
Provides server-side tools for efficient image maintenance and cleanup.

Usage examples

“How do I build an image in the cloud using my current directory?”: The agent will provide the az acr build command, specifying the registry and image name to trigger a cloud-based build.
“How can I grant a service principal pull access to my registry?”: The agent will explain how to use az role assignment create with the AcrPull role scoped to the registry ID.
“Show me how to list all tags for a specific repository.”: The agent will provide the az acr repository show-tags command to display tags for the requested repository.
“How do I set up a nightly rebuild task for my application?”: The agent will guide you through creating an ACR task and adding a timer trigger using az acr task timer add.

Install

Download the skill as a ZIP:
https://mp-staging.autogineer.com/agent-skills/github/azure-container-registry-cli/download

Unzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:

mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip azure-container-registry-cli.zip -d .agents/skills

Documentation by AClerbois

Manage Azure Container Registry (ACR) resources using the az acr command group of the Azure CLI.

CLI: az acr ships with core Azure CLI — no extension required (the acrtransfer extension is only needed for export/import pipelines).

Prerequisites

# Install Azure CLI
brew install azure-cli  # macOS
curl -sL https://aka.ms/InstallAzureCLIDeb | sudo bash  # Linux
winget install Microsoft.AzureCLI  # Windows

# Sign in and select subscription
az login
az account set --subscription {subscription-id}

Quick Start

# Create a registry (SKU: Basic | Standard | Premium)
az acr create --resource-group {rg} --name {registry} --sku Standard

# Authenticate Docker/Podman against the registry
az acr login --name {registry}

# Build and push in the cloud — no local Docker needed
az acr build --registry {registry} --image app:v1 .

# Copy an image from another registry without pull/push
az acr import --name {registry} --source mcr.microsoft.com/hello-world:latest

# List repositories and tags
az acr repository list --name {registry} --output table
az acr repository show-tags --name {registry} --repository app --orderby time_desc

# Diagnose registry connectivity and configuration
az acr check-health --name {registry} --yes

Key Principles

Prefer az acr build / ACR Tasks over local docker build + docker push: builds run in Azure, work without a local daemon, and integrate with triggers.
Prefer az acr import to move images between registries: it is server-side, faster, and requires no local storage.
Never enable the admin user for production — use Microsoft Entra identities (RBAC roles AcrPull/AcrPush, or Container Registry Repository Reader/Writer on ABAC-enabled registries), repository-scoped tokens, or managed identities.
Premium-only features: geo-replication, private endpoints, retention policies, connected registries, agent pools. (Repository-scoped tokens work in all tiers; zone redundancy is automatic in all tiers in supported regions.)

CLI Structure

az acr
├── create / delete / list / show / update   # Registry lifecycle
├── login                  # Docker credential helper (or --expose-token)
├── check-health / check-name / show-usage   # Diagnostics & quota
├── build                  # Cloud image build (quick task)
├── run                    # Run a command / multi-step task once
├── task                   # ACR Tasks (triggers, timers, logs, runs)
├── agentpool              # Dedicated task agent pools (Premium)
├── import                 # Server-side image copy into the registry
├── repository             # List/show/delete/untag repos & tags, lock images
├── manifest               # Manifest metadata, delete, OCI referrers
├── credential             # Admin user credentials (avoid in production)
├── token / scope-map      # Repository-scoped tokens (Premium)
├── replication            # Geo-replication (Premium)
├── network-rule           # IP network rules
├── private-endpoint-connection  # Private Link approvals
├── config                 # content-trust, retention, soft-delete, ...
├── cache / credential-set # Artifact cache (pull-through cache) rules
├── webhook                # Push/delete event webhooks
├── connected-registry     # On-premises / IoT connected registries
└── export-pipeline / import-pipeline / pipeline-run  # acrtransfer extension

Reference Files

Read the relevant reference file based on the user's task. Each file contains complete command syntax and examples for its domain.

File	When to read	Covers
`references/auth-and-security.md`	Login failures, permissions, CI/CD or AKS pull access	`az acr login` (incl. `--expose-token`), Entra RBAC roles, service principals, managed identities, `--attach-acr` for AKS, repository-scoped tokens & scope maps, admin user, content trust
`references/build-and-tasks.md`	Building images in Azure, automation, CI triggers	`az acr build`, `az acr run`, multi-step task YAML, `az acr task` (git/base-image/timer triggers, logs, runs), agent pools
`references/images-and-artifacts.md`	Managing repos, tags, cleanup, storage costs	`az acr import`, repository & manifest commands, untag vs delete, purge (`acr purge`), image locking, retention policy, soft delete, artifact cache, `show-usage`
`references/networking-and-geo.md`	Multi-region, private access, edge scenarios	Geo-replication, zone redundancy, private endpoints, network rules, dedicated data endpoints, connected registries, registry transfer pipelines

Files

ATTRIBUTION.mdAdded by AutoGineer891 B
LICENSELicence file added by AutoGineer1.0 KiB
SKILL.md5.0 KiB
references/auth-and-security.md7.5 KiB
references/build-and-tasks.md6.0 KiB
references/images-and-artifacts.md6.4 KiB
references/networking-and-geo.md6.8 KiB

LICENSE

MIT License

Copyright GitHub, Inc.

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
SOFTWARE.

Requirements and compatibility

Written for: GitHub Copilot

Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta

“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.

Needs: Needs network access, Needs a command-line tool

Security

What our scanner noticed· Low risk

Instructions that use the network

A static scan is not a guarantee. Skills are third-party content: review a skill before you let an agent use it.

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Download ZIP

The ZIP holds the skill’s files, its licence files and an ATTRIBUTION.md. Download azure-container-registry-cli.zip