Azure App Onboard
MicrosoftOfficialCreated by Microsoft
- Skill
- Workflow
- Cloud and DevOps
- MIT
- Low risk
- Has scripts
AutoGineer summary
Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author
Azure App Onboard is a comprehensive workflow agent designed to take a business idea or an existing codebase and transition it to a running Azure deployment. It automates the entire lifecycle from initial discovery and architecture planning to infrastructure scaffolding and final deployment. The skill is built to be intelligent and tailored, analyzing the specific requirements of your application rather than relying on generic templates. It includes built-in approval gates for both the architecture plan and the final deployment, ensuring you maintain control over costs and resource configuration throughout the process.
What it does
- Analyzes your application code or business idea to determine the optimal Azure service stack.
- Generates custom infrastructure-as-code (IaC) files tailored to your specific application needs.
- Provides detailed cost estimates for the proposed Azure infrastructure before deployment.
- Executes the deployment of resources directly to your Azure subscription.
- Handles the migration of existing applications to Azure with minimal code changes.
- Provides a structured, step-by-step onboarding experience for developers of all experience levels.
When to use it
- When you have an application and want to deploy it to Azure but are unsure which services to use.
- When you need to migrate an existing application to the cloud without a complete rewrite.
- When you require a cost estimate for your infrastructure before committing to a deployment.
- When you need guided, end-to-end assistance for setting up a new Azure project.
- When you want to verify if your current codebase is ready for a cloud deployment.
Advantages
- Eliminates guesswork by auto-detecting the right Azure services for your specific stack.
- Reduces manual effort by automating the scaffolding of infrastructure-as-code.
- Ensures transparency with mandatory approval gates for architecture and deployment.
- Provides cost visibility early in the planning phase.
- Supports a wide range of scenarios from greenfield projects to existing app migrations.
Usage examples
- “I have a Python web app and want to deploy it to Azure. Can you help me get started?”
- The agent will initiate the discovery phase, scan your codebase, propose an architecture, and guide you through the deployment process.
- “I need to move my existing application to Azure, but I'm not sure what services I need. Can you plan this for me?”
- The agent will analyze your app's requirements, suggest the appropriate Azure services, and provide a cost estimate for your approval.
Install
Download the skill as a ZIP:
https://mp-staging.autogineer.com/agent-skills/microsoft/azure-app-onboard/downloadUnzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:
mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip azure-app-onboard.zip -d .agents/skills
Documentation by Microsoft
Azure App Onboard
⛔ Every repo goes through the full pipeline (Steps 1–10). No exceptions. Do not skip steps, refuse, or short-circuit based on what you recognize. Follow the Workflow table below sequentially — read each step's references before acting.
Quick Reference
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Best for | Developers who know what to build but not which Azure services to use |
| Inputs | Business idea or existing codebase, budget/scale preferences (optional) |
| Outputs | Architecture plan, cost estimate, IaC files, deployed Azure resources |
| Phases | Discover → Architect → Scaffold → Deploy (self-contained, no external skill calls) |
When to Use This Skill
Deploy existing code without knowing which Azure services to use
Check if your existing code is ready to deploy to Azure
Move an existing app to Azure without rewriting or with minimal changes
Get cost estimates before committing to infrastructure
Understand architecture decisions and rejected alternatives
Get answers to Azure architecture or service selection questions (e.g., "What database should I use?")
Get guided Azure onboarding without prior experience
When NOT to Use
| Scenario | Use Instead |
|---|---|
Run azd up or execute an existing deployment | azure-deploy |
| Optimize existing Azure spend | cost-optimization from the optional azure-cost plugin |
| Generate Bicep/Terraform for a known architecture | azure-prepare |
| Validate infrastructure or run preflight checks | azure-validate |
| Troubleshoot a running Azure deployment | azure-diagnostics |
| Deploy to or manage AKS/Kubernetes directly | azure-kubernetes |
| Look up or list existing Azure resources | azure-resource-lookup |
If cost-optimization is unavailable, explain that it is provided by the
optional azure-cost plugin and direct the user to their client's supported
plugin installation flow; do not imply the handoff completed.
Pipeline Rules
⛔ You MUST read
references/pipeline-rules.mdat the start of every AppOnboard session. It contains approval gates, phase lifecycle, session artifacts, deploy-as-is, and security baseline rules.
Workflow
⛔ Deploy recovery: After deploy gate approval OR before any
az deployment/az webapp deploy/az acr build— if you haven't readdeploy/PHASE.md, read.copilot-azure/sessions/{id}/deploy-checklist.mdfirst, thendeploy/PHASE.md. ⛔ NEVER invoke{"skill": "azure-deploy"}— that is a DIFFERENT skill for a DIFFERENT workflow.
⛔ Post-scaffold transition (MANDATORY): Immediately after
scaffold-manifest.jsonis written, YOUR NEXT ACTION MUST be Step 8 (Deploy Approval Gate) — NOT a summary report, NOT a "here are the generated files" message, NOT a completion signal. Confirmcontext.jsonhascompletedPhases: [...,"scaffold"]+currentPhase: "deploy"(update it yourself if the scaffold subagent didn't). Re-read approval-gates.md § Deploy Gate if evicted from context (scaffold reference loading is heavy), then present the exact prompt: "🚀 Ready to deploy? (Yes / Run manually / Edit plan / Cancel)". This gate is the LAST content in your response — wait for the user's reply.
| # | Step | Action | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Session check + Azure login | Create/resume session, verify Azure CLI auth, resolve subscription + user identity | ⛔ You MUST read session-protocol.md |
| 2 | Scope triage | Check azd markers, triage question. Empty workspace or code-only (no infra) → Step 3 directly. | ⛔ Read intent-gathering.md § Scope Triage |
| 3 | Prereq scan | ⛔ Skip if completedPhases includes "prereq". Otherwise: invoke {"skill": "azure-app-onboard-prereq"}. Write prereq-output.json, update context.json. Halt if: overallHealth: "blocked" OR routeToSkill set. | |
| 4 | Gather intent | Present prereq results, confirm stack + Azure services, ask remaining questions. | ⛔ Read intent-gathering.md § After Prereq Returns |
| 5 | Plan architecture | Write prepare-plan.json. | ⛔ You MUST read prepare/PHASE.md |
| 6 | Scaffold approval gate | Display plan for user approval BEFORE generating any files. | ⛔ Read approval-gates.md § Scaffold Gate |
| 7 | Scaffold | Generate IaC, self-review. Write scaffold-manifest.json. Update context.json. | ⛔ You MUST read scaffold/PHASE.md |
| 8 | Deploy approval gate | Display validation summary. ⛔ After approval: FIRST read deploy-checklist.md → deploy/PHASE.md. NEVER {"skill": "azure-deploy"}. | ⛔ Read approval-gates.md § Deploy Gate |
| 9 | Deploy | Execute IaC, health-check. Write deploy-result.json. | ⛔ You MUST read deploy/PHASE.md |
| 10 | Handoff | Surface deployment identity, cleanup commands, next steps. | ⛔ You MUST read handoff-protocol.md |
Error Handling
| Error | Remediation |
|---|---|
| Phase fails | Halt, report phase + error. User decides: retry, skip, abort. |
| MCP server unavailable | Skip affected checks, add disclaimer to costEstimate.assumptions[] and every approval gate. |
| Missing RBAC | Report required role + az role assignment command. |
Shared references: MCP tools (cross-phase tool parameters) | IaC resources (Azure resource docs for troubleshooting)
Files
- ATTRIBUTION.mdAdded by AutoGineer983 B
- LICENSELicence file added by AutoGineer1.1 KiB
- SKILL.md6.6 KiB
- deploy/PHASE.md7.5 KiB
- deploy/references/approval-gate-template.md2.9 KiB
- deploy/references/blocked-patterns.md5.7 KiB
- deploy/references/code-deployment-appservice.md4.6 KiB
- deploy/references/code-deployment-container-apps.md8.4 KiB
- deploy/references/code-deployment-swa.md5.7 KiB
- deploy/references/database-post-deploy.md4.5 KiB
- deploy/references/deploy-checklist-template.md10.1 KiB
- deploy/references/deploy-safety.md4.5 KiB
- deploy/references/deploy-schemas.tsScript3.5 KiB
- deploy/references/error-classification.md3.6 KiB
- deploy/references/health-check-patterns.md5.5 KiB
- deploy/references/mcp-tools.md5.5 KiB
- deploy/references/portal-links.md3.1 KiB
- deploy/references/preflight-checks.md4.4 KiB
- deploy/references/subagent-preflight.md5.1 KiB
- prepare/PHASE.md6.4 KiB
- prepare/references/deploy-strategy.md6.8 KiB
- prepare/references/mcp-tools.md5.6 KiB
- prepare/references/naming-patterns.md4.6 KiB
- prepare/references/prepare-schemas.tsScript7.0 KiB
- prepare/references/pricing-guide-services.md8.4 KiB
- prepare/references/pricing-guide.md4.0 KiB
- prepare/references/service-mapping.md8.5 KiB
- prepare/references/sku-matrix.md3.2 KiB
- prepare/references/sku-quota-validation.md9.0 KiB
- prepare/references/subagent-pricing.md2.5 KiB
- prepare/references/subagent-quota.md3.5 KiB
- prepare/references/validation-rubric.md2.3 KiB
- references/approval-gates.md8.4 KiB
- references/azd-template-routing.md4.7 KiB
- references/handoff-protocol.md7.8 KiB
- references/iac-resources.md2.6 KiB
- references/intent-gathering.md2.2 KiB
- references/mcp-tool-reference.md3.7 KiB
- references/pipeline-rules-runtime.md3.5 KiB
- references/pipeline-rules.md6.3 KiB
- references/session-protocol.md8.0 KiB
- references/session-schemas.tsScript5.2 KiB
- references/subscription-resolution.md2.1 KiB
- scaffold/PHASE.md14.2 KiB
- scaffold/references/bicep-app-service.md5.4 KiB
- scaffold/references/bicep-container-apps.md9.3 KiB
- scaffold/references/bicep-patterns-data.md4.0 KiB
- scaffold/references/bicep-patterns-security.md7.8 KiB
- scaffold/references/bicep-patterns.md6.8 KiB
- scaffold/references/bicep-swa.md757 B
- scaffold/references/cicd-pipelines.md325 B
- scaffold/references/dockerfile-generation.md4.1 KiB
- scaffold/references/env-var-secrets.md4.1 KiB
- scaffold/references/error-handling.md1.5 KiB
- scaffold/references/iac-generation-rules.md6.6 KiB
- scaffold/references/mcp-tools.md7.0 KiB
- scaffold/references/rbac-roles.md3.8 KiB
- scaffold/references/scaffold-healing-rules.md3.3 KiB
- scaffold/references/scaffold-schemas.tsScript3.5 KiB
- scaffold/references/self-healing.md2.3 KiB
- scaffold/references/self-review-checklist.md9.0 KiB
- scaffold/references/self-review-procedure.md2.3 KiB
- scaffold/references/subagent-iac-gen.md9.5 KiB
- scaffold/references/subagent-review.md3.5 KiB
- scaffold/references/subagent-validate.md7.2 KiB
- scaffold/references/terraform-patterns.md6.9 KiB
- scaffold/references/validation-and-manifest.md5.1 KiB
- scaffold/references/waf-checklist.md2.3 KiB
- scaffold/scripts/scaffold-conformance.ps1Script12.8 KiB
- scaffold/scripts/scaffold-conformance.shScript13.8 KiB
prepare/references/pricing-guide-services.md
App Onboard Prepare — Per-Service Pricing Patterns
Filter strings, meter names, and formulas per Azure service. For methodology and troubleshooting, see pricing-guide.md.
Container Apps
No armSkuName. Filter: serviceName eq 'Azure Container Apps' and armRegionName eq '{region}' and priceType eq 'Consumption' and isPrimaryMeterRegion eq true
Key meters: Standard vCPU Active Usage (1 Second), Standard Memory Active Usage (1 GiB Second), Standard Requests (1M).
Monthly (Consumption, 1 vCPU, 2 GiB, 8h active/day):
(vCPU_active_rate × 3600 × 8 × 30) + (memory_active_rate × 2 × 3600 × 8 × 30)
Free grant: 180K vCPU-sec + 360K GiB-sec + 2M requests/sub/month. Scale-to-zero = $0 idle. When min_replicas >= 1: add idle cost from idle meters.
Container Registry (ACR)
Empty armSkuName — ⛔ do NOT filter by sku (returns []). Filter: serviceName eq 'Container Registry' and armRegionName eq '{region}' and priceType eq 'Consumption', then match meterName.
| Tier | meterName | unitOfMeasure | Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | Basic Registry Unit | 1/Day | retailPrice × 30 (~$5) |
| Standard | Standard Registry Unit | 1/Day | retailPrice × 30 (~$20) |
| Premium | Premium Registry Unit | 1/Day | retailPrice × 30 (~$50) |
⛔ 1/Day → × 30, NOT × 730. The other ACR meters (Task vCPU Duration = 1 Second build compute, Data Stored = 1 GB/Month) are usage-based — exclude from the fixed monthly unless the app builds heavily. ACR Basic fixed cost ≈ $5/mo.
App Service
MCP call: pricing_get --service "Azure App Service" --region "{region}"
Meter-to-SKU mapping:
| SKU | meterName | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| F1 | F1 App | Free ($0 price) |
| B1 | B1 | |
| B2 | B2 | |
| S1 | S1 App | |
| P1v3 | P1 v3 App | Linux/Windows have different productName |
Gotcha: armSkuName empty for Basic/Standard. Match on meterName.
Monthly: retailPrice × 730
Azure SQL Database
DTU model — no armSkuName. Filter by productName + meterName.
| SKU | productName contains | meterName (unit: 1/Day) |
|---|---|---|
| Basic (5 DTU) | SQL Database Single Basic | B DTU |
| S0 (10 DTU) | SQL Database Single Standard | S0 DTUs |
| S1 (20 DTU) | SQL Database Single Standard | S1 DTUs |
Monthly (DTU): retailPrice × 30
vCore model: productName filters — Serverless: 'SQL Database General Purpose - Serverless - Compute Gen5'. Hyperscale: 'SQL Database Single/Elastic Pool Hyperscale'. Monthly: retailPrice × 730.
Cosmos DB
Filter: serviceName eq 'Azure Cosmos DB' and armRegionName eq '{region}' and priceType eq 'Consumption' and isPrimaryMeterRegion eq true
| Model | Match on | Monthly formula |
|---|---|---|
| Provisioned | meterName eq '100 RU/s', productName eq 'Azure Cosmos DB' | (targetRU / 100) × retailPrice × 730 |
| Autoscale | productName eq 'Azure Cosmos DB autoscale', meterName starts with AP | varies |
| Serverless | productName eq 'Azure Cosmos DB serverless', meterName eq '1M RUs' | retailPrice × estimatedMillionsOfRU |
⚠️ Provisioned 100 RU/s gotcha: The
isPrimaryMeterRegion eq trueentry hasretailPrice: 0(free-tier placeholder). The real price (~$0.008/hr in eastus) hasisPrimaryMeterRegion: false. DropisPrimaryMeterRegionfrom the filter or match onretailPrice > 0.
Storage: meterName eq 'Data Stored' with productName eq 'Azure Cosmos DB' (1 GB/Month). Note: this meter has isPrimaryMeterRegion: false — drop that filter or query without it.
Free tier: 1,000 RU/s + 25 GB per account (one per subscription).
Storage
No armSkuName. Filter by meterName + productName.
Filter (Hot LRS Blob):
serviceName eq 'Storage' and armRegionName eq '{region}' and meterName eq 'Hot LRS Data Stored' and productName eq 'Blob Storage'Meter-to-SKU mapping:
| SKU matrix tier | meterName | productName |
|---|---|---|
| Standard_LRS | Hot LRS Data Stored | Blob Storage or General Block Blob v2 |
| Standard_GRS | Hot GRS Data Stored | Blob Storage or General Block Blob v2 |
| Premium_LRS | Premium LRS Data Stored | Premium Block Blob |
Monthly: retailPrice × estimatedGB
Key Vault
Filter:
serviceName eq 'Key Vault' and armRegionName eq '{region}' and priceType eq 'Consumption'Key meters:
| Tier | meterName | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | Operations | 10K |
Monthly (Standard): retailPrice × (estimatedOps / 10000). Negligible for typical AppOnboard apps.
Service Bus
Filter:
serviceName eq 'Service Bus' and armRegionName eq '{region}'⚠️ Do NOT add
isPrimaryMeterRegion eq true— all Service Bus meters haveisPrimaryMeterRegion: false. Adding that filter returns zero useful results.
Key meters:
| Tier | meterName | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | Basic Messaging Operations | 1M | Usage-based only |
| Standard | Standard Base Unit | 1/Hour | Base cost (always-on) |
| Standard | Standard Messaging Operations | 1M | Tiered: first 13M free |
| Premium | Premium Messaging Unit | 1/Hour | Per messaging unit |
Monthly (Standard): baseUnitRate × 730 + operations beyond free tier. Standard tiered: first 13M free.
Gotcha: Standard Base Unit has two entries — hourly and monthly. Use hourly × 730.
Redis Cache
armSkuName IS populated — pricing_get --sku works.
MCP call: pricing_get --service "Redis Cache" --sku "{armSkuName}" --region "{region}"
armSkuName pattern: Azure_Redis_Cache_{Tier}_{Size}_Cache (e.g., Azure_Redis_Cache_Basic_C0_Cache, Azure_Redis_Cache_Standard_C1_Cache). Query the MCP tool for exact pricing.
Gotcha: Basic tier entries have isPrimaryMeterRegion: false. The standard filter strips them out. Query by armSkuName directly or omit isPrimaryMeterRegion and match on productName eq 'Azure Redis Cache Basic'.
Monthly: retailPrice × 730
Azure Database for PostgreSQL Flexible Server
armSkuName IS populated — pricing_get --sku works. ⛔ skuName is CASE-SENSITIVE: B1MS works, B1ms returns 0 results.
MCP call: pricing_get --service "Azure Database for PostgreSQL" --sku "{armSkuName}" --region "{region}"
armSkuName values: ⛔ Case-sensitive. Small Burstable uses short names (B1MS, B2S); larger Burstable + GP/MO use Standard_ prefix.
| SKU | armSkuName |
|---|---|
| Burstable B1ms | B1MS |
| Burstable B2s | B2S |
| Burstable B2ms | Standard_B2ms |
| General Purpose D2ds_v5 | Standard_D2ds_v5 |
Storage: Query separately — meterName eq 'Storage Data Stored' and productName containing Flexible Server Storage. Unit: 1 GiB/Month. Default 32 GiB included at ~$0.115/GiB/mo.
Monthly (compute): retailPrice × 730
Monthly (storage): storageRate × storageSizeGB
Total: compute + storage (e.g., B1ms + 32 GiB ≈ $12.41 + $3.68 = ~$16.09)
Functions
Consumption plan: Not in API. Free: 1M executions + 400K GB-seconds/month.
Flex/Premium — filter: serviceName eq 'Functions' and armRegionName eq '{region}' and priceType eq 'Consumption' and isPrimaryMeterRegion eq true
Flex:
On Demand Execution Time(1 GB Second),On Demand Total Executions(10),Always Ready BaselinePremium:
Premium vCPU Duration(1 Hour),Premium Memory Duration(1 GiB Hour). Monthly:vCPU_rate × 730 + memory_rate × GiB × 730
Static Web Apps
Not in the Retail Prices API. Fixed pricing — query azure.microsoft.com/pricing/details/app-service/static:
Free tier: 100 GB bandwidth, 2 custom domains
Standard tier: Flat monthly per app, unlimited bandwidth, 5 custom domains
Log Analytics / Application Insights
Filter:
serviceName eq 'Azure Monitor' and armRegionName eq '{region}' and priceType eq 'Consumption' and isPrimaryMeterRegion eq trueKey meters:
Platform Logs Data Processed(unit: 1 GB)Log Analytics ingestion — match
meterNamecontainingData Ingestion
Free grant: First 5 GB/month of Log Analytics data ingestion.
Monthly: retailPrice × estimatedGB (subtract 5 GB free grant).
Requirements and compatibility
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 an MCP server, Needs Node.js
Security
What our scanner noticed· Low risk
- Instructions that use the network
- Scripts that your agent may run
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Attribution and licence
- Created by
- Microsoft
- Publisher
- Microsoft (Official)
- Source
- microsoft/skills · .github/plugins/azure-skills/skills/azure-app-onboard · commit 0696600
- Licence
- MIT License (redistribution allowed)
- LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from .github/plugins/azure-skills/LICENSE)
- ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
- Synced
- Also distributed in
- microsoft/azure-skills
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Download ZIP
The ZIP holds the skill’s files, its licence files and an ATTRIBUTION.md. Download azure-app-onboard.zip