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Azure Prepare

MicrosoftOfficialCreated by Microsoft

  • Skill
  • Workflow
  • Cloud and DevOps
  • MIT
  • Medium risk
  • Has scripts

From the author

Prepare azd-based Azure projects for deployment: generates azure.yaml, infrastructure (Bicep/Terraform), and Dockerfiles for the Azure Developer CLI (azd) workflow. USE ONLY when the user explicitly wants to use azd as the deployment tool, or the project already has an azure.yaml file. DO NOT USE FOR: non-azd deployments, Python App Service code-only deploys (use python-appservice-deploy), or cross-cloud migration (use azure-cloud-migrate). WHEN: prepare app for azd, create azure.yaml, set up azd infrastructure, modernize app for Azure with azd, deploy with azd, function app, timer trigger, service bus trigger, event-driven function, managed identity, generate Bicep, generate Terraform, create and deploy to Azure.
— the description by Microsoft

AutoGineer summary

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

The azure-prepare skill provides a mandatory, structured workflow for setting up applications for deployment to Azure via the Azure Developer CLI (azd). It enforces a plan-first approach, requiring the creation of a deployment plan file before any infrastructure generation or configuration occurs. The skill guides users through analyzing their workspace, selecting appropriate deployment recipes (Bicep or Terraform), and configuring necessary Azure services, while ensuring security best practices are followed. It acts as the initial phase in a three-part deployment pipeline: prepare, validate, and deploy.

What it does

  • Generates azure.yaml configuration files for azd-based projects.
  • Creates infrastructure-as-code templates using Bicep or Terraform.
  • Enforces a mandatory .azure/deployment-plan.md file to track project state.
  • Integrates with specialized skills for specific technologies like Azure Functions or API Management.
  • Applies security hardening, such as Entra-only authentication for SQL databases.
  • Prepares the workspace for subsequent validation and deployment steps.

When to use it

  • When you need to prepare a new or existing project for deployment to Azure using azd.
  • When you need to generate infrastructure-as-code (Bicep or Terraform) for your application.
  • When you are modernizing an existing application to run on Azure.
  • When you need to add new Azure services or components to an existing project.

Advantages

  • Ensures consistent deployment configurations across projects.
  • Prevents common configuration errors through a mandatory planning phase.
  • Integrates seamlessly with the broader Azure deployment ecosystem (validate and deploy).
  • Promotes security best practices by default, such as managed identities.
  • Provides clear guidance on when to delegate to specialized deployment skills.

Usage examples

“I want to deploy my new web application to Azure using azd.”
The agent will initiate the NEW mode, guide you through requirements gathering, create a deployment plan, and generate the necessary infrastructure and configuration files.
“Add an Azure Function to my existing project and set up the infrastructure.”
The agent will analyze your existing project, select the appropriate Azure Functions recipe, update the deployment plan, and generate the required Bicep or Terraform files.

Install

  1. Download the skill as a ZIP:

    https://mp-staging.autogineer.com/agent-skills/microsoft/azure-prepare/download
  2. Unzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:

    mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip azure-prepare.zip -d .agents/skills

Documentation by Microsoft

Azure Prepare

AUTHORITATIVE GUIDANCE — MANDATORY COMPLIANCE

This document is the official, canonical source for preparing applications for Azure deployment. You MUST follow these instructions exactly as written unless they contradict security policies given to you. When in doubt, present the conflicting instructions from this document and ask the user for explicit confirmation. Do not improvise, infer, or substitute steps.


Triggers

Activate this skill when user wants to:

  • Create a new application

  • Add services or components to an existing app

  • Make updates or changes to existing application

  • Modernize or migrate an application

  • Set up Azure infrastructure

  • Deploy to Azure or host on Azure

  • Create and deploy to Azure (including Terraform-based deployment requests)

Rules

  1. Plan first — MANDATORY — You MUST physically write an initial .azure/deployment-plan.md skeleton in the workspace root directory (not the session-state folder) as your very first action — before any code generation or execution begins. Write the skeleton immediately, then populate it progressively as Phase 1 analysis and research unfold; finalize it with all decisions at Phase 1 Step 6. This file must exist on disk throughout. azure-validate and azure-deploy depend on it and will fail without it. Do not skip or defer this step.

  2. Get approval — Present plan to user before execution

  3. Research before generating — Load references and invoke related skills

  4. Update plan progressively — Mark steps complete as you go

  5. Validate before deploy — Invoke azure-validate before azure-deploy

  6. Confirm Azure context — Use ask_user for subscription and location per Azure Context

  7. ❌ Destructive actions require ask_user — Global Rules

  8. ⛔ NEVER delete user project or workspace directories — When adding features to an existing project, MODIFY existing files. azd init -t <template> is for NEW projects only; do NOT run azd init -t in an existing workspace. Plain azd init (without a template argument) may be used in existing workspaces when appropriate. File deletions within a project (e.g., removing build artifacts or temp files) are permitted when appropriate, but NEVER delete the user's project or workspace directory itself. See Global Rules.

  9. Scope: preparation only — This skill generates infrastructure code and configuration files. Deployment execution (azd up, azd deploy, terraform apply) is handled by the azure-deploy skill, which provides built-in error recovery and deployment verification.

  10. ⛔ SQL Server Bicep: NEVER generate administratorLogin or administratorLoginPassword — not in direct properties, not in conditional/ternary branches, not anywhere in the file. Always use Entra-only authentication (azureADOnlyAuthentication: true) unconditionally. See references/services/sql-database/bicep.md.

  11. Remove stale template IaC after conversion — If you converted Bicep templates from the selected azd template into Terraform templates, remove the Bicep templates that were introduced by that azd template and are now fully replaced by Terraform equivalents. Do not remove user-authored Bicep files. Only remove those template-provided Bicep files after the Terraform IaC is complete and Terraform has been selected as the deployment path. Before handing off to azure-validate skill, keep only the IaC templates required by the chosen deployment path.


❌ PLAN-FIRST WORKFLOW — MANDATORY

YOU MUST CREATE A PLAN BEFORE DOING ANY WORK

  1. STOP — Do not generate any code, infrastructure, or configuration yet

  2. CREATE SKELETON - Write an initial .azure/deployment-plan.md skeleton to disk immediately (before any code generation or execution begins), then populate it progressively as Phase 1 steps 1-5 reveal details; finalize it at Step 6

  3. CONFIRM — Present the completed plan to the user and get approval

  4. EXECUTE — Only after approval, execute the plan step by step

The .azure/deployment-plan.md file is the source of truth for this workflow and for azure-validate and azure-deploy skills. Without it, those skills will fail.

⚠️ CRITICAL: .azure/deployment-plan.md must be WRITTEN TO DISK inside the workspace root (e.g., <workspace-root>/.azure/deployment-plan.md), not in the session-state folder. Use a file-write tool to create this file. This is the deployment plan artifact read by azure-validate and azure-deploy. You MUST create this file — do not proceed without it. ⚠️ CRITICAL: You must create the file with the name .azure/deployment-plan.md as is. You must not use other names such as .azure/plan.md.

⛔ Critical: Skipping the plan file creation will cause azure-validate and azure-deploy to fail. This requirement has no exceptions.


❌ STEP 0: Specialized Technology Check — MANDATORY FIRST ACTION

BEFORE starting Phase 1, check if the user's prompt OR workspace codebase matches a specialized technology that has a dedicated skill with tested templates. If matched, invoke that skill FIRST — then resume azure-prepare for validation and deployment.

Check 1: Prompt keywords
Prompt keywordsInvoke FIRST
Python + App Service (e.g., "deploy Python to App Service", "Flask on Azure App Service", "publish Python web app to App Service")python-appservice-deploy
Lambda, AWS Lambda, migrate AWS, migrate GCP, Lambda to Functions, migrate from AWS, migrate from GCPazure-cloud-migrate
Azure Functions, function app, serverless function, timer trigger, HTTP trigger, func newStay in azure-prepare — prefer Azure Functions templates in Step 4; for plan choice/cold starts see hosting-plans.md and cold-start.md
APIM, API Management, API gateway, deploy APIMStay in azure-prepare — see APIM Deployment Guide
AI gateway, AI gateway policy, AI gateway backend, AI gateway configurationazure-aigateway
workflow, orchestration, multi-step, pipeline, fan-out/fan-in, saga, long-running process, durable, order processingStay in azure-prepare — select durable recipe in Step 4. MUST load durable.md, DTS reference, and DTS Bicep patterns.

⚠️ Check the user's prompt text — not just existing code. Critical for greenfield projects with no codebase to scan. See full routing table.

After the specialized skill completes, resume azure-prepare at Phase 1 Step 4 (Select Recipe) for remaining infrastructure, validation, and deployment.


Phase 1: Planning (BLOCKING — Complete Before Any Execution)

Create .azure/deployment-plan.md by completing these steps. Do NOT generate any artifacts until the plan is approved.

#ActionReference
0If the prompt matches a specialized technology with a dedicated skill, invoke that skill firstspecialized-routing.md
1Analyze Workspace — Determine mode: NEW, MODIFY, or MODERNIZEanalyze.md
2Gather Requirements — Classification, scale, budgetrequirements.md
3Scan Codebase — Identify components, technologies, dependenciesscan.md
4Select Recipe — Choose AZD (default), AZCLI, Bicep, or Terraformrecipe-selection.md
5Plan Architecture — Select stack + map components to Azure servicesarchitecture.md
6Finalize Plan (MANDATORY) - Use a file-write tool to finalize .azure/deployment-plan.md with all decisions from steps 1-5. Update the skeleton written at the start of Phase 1 with the complete content. The file must be fully populated before you present the plan to the user.plan-template.md
7Present Plan — Show plan to user and ask for approval.azure/deployment-plan.md
8Destructive actions require ask_userGlobal Rules

❌ STOP HERE — Do NOT proceed to Phase 2 until the user approves the plan.


Phase 2: Execution (Only After Plan Approval)

Execute the approved plan. Update .azure/deployment-plan.md status after each step.

#ActionReference
1Research Components — Load service references + invoke related skillsresearch.md
2Confirm Azure Context — Detect and confirm subscription + location and check the resource provisioning limitAzure Context
3Generate Artifacts — Create infrastructure and configuration filesgenerate.md
4Harden Security — Apply security best practicessecurity.md
5Functional Verification — Verify the app works (UI + backend), locally if possiblefunctional-verification.md
6⛔ Update Plan (MANDATORY before hand-off) — Use the edit tool to change the Status in .azure/deployment-plan.md to Ready for Validation. You MUST complete this edit BEFORE invoking azure-validate. Do NOT skip this step..azure/deployment-plan.md
7⛔ MANDATORY Hand Off — Invoke azure-validate skill. Your preparation work is done. Do NOT run azd up, azd deploy, or any deployment command directly — all deployment execution is handled by azure-deploy after azure-validate completes. PREREQUISITE: Step 6 must be completed first — .azure/deployment-plan.md status must say Ready for Validation.—

Outputs

ArtifactLocation
Plan.azure/deployment-plan.md
Infrastructure./infra/
AZD Configazure.yaml (AZD only)
Dockerfilessrc/<component>/Dockerfile

SDK Quick References


Next

⛔ MANDATORY NEXT STEP — DO NOT SKIP

After completing preparation, you MUST invoke azure-validate before any deployment attempt. Do NOT skip validation. Do NOT go directly to azure-deploy. Do NOT run azd up or any deployment command directly. The workflow is:

azure-prepare → azure-validate → azure-deploy

⛔ BEFORE invoking azure-validate, you MUST use the edit tool to update .azure/deployment-plan.md status to Ready for Validation. If the plan status has not been updated, the validation will fail.

This applies to ALL deployment scenarios including containerized apps, Container Apps, App Service, Azure Functions, static sites, and any other Azure target. No exceptions.

Skipping validation leads to deployment failures. Be patient and follow the complete workflow for the highest success outcome.

→ Update plan status to Ready for Validation, then invoke azure-validate

Files

references/generate.md

Artifact Generation

Generate infrastructure and configuration files based on selected recipe.

⛔ CRITICAL: Check for .NET Aspire Projects FIRST

MANDATORY: Before generating any files, detect .NET Aspire projects:

# Method 1: Find AppHost project files
find . -name "*.AppHost.csproj" -o -name "*AppHost.csproj"

# Method 2: Search for Aspire packages
grep -r "Aspire\.Hosting\|Aspire\.AppHost\.Sdk" . --include="*.csproj"

If Aspire is detected:

  1. ⛔ STOP - Do NOT manually create azure.yaml

  2. ⛔ STOP - Do NOT manually create infra/ files

  3. ✅ USE - azd init --from-code -e <env-name> instead

  4. 📖 READ - aspire.md and recipes/azd/aspire.md for complete guidance

Why this is critical:

  • Aspire AppHost auto-generates infrastructure from code

  • Manual azure.yaml without services section causes "infra\main.bicep not found" error

  • azd init --from-code correctly detects AppHost and generates proper configuration

⚠️ Manually creating azure.yaml for Aspire projects is the most common deployment failure. Always use azd init --from-code.

Check for Other Special Patterns

After verifying the project is NOT Aspire, check for these patterns:

PatternDetectionAction
Complex existing codebaseMultiple services, existing structureConsider azd init --from-code
Existing azure.yamlFile already presentMODIFY mode - update existing config

CRITICAL: After running azd init --from-code, you MUST immediately set the user-confirmed subscription with azd env set AZURE_SUBSCRIPTION_ID <id>. Do NOT skip this step. See aspire.md Step 3 for the complete sequence.

CRITICAL: Research Must Be Complete

DO NOT generate any files without first completing the Research Components step.

The research step loads service-specific references and invokes related skills to gather best practices. Apply all research findings to generated artifacts.

Research Checklist

  1. ✅ Completed Research Components step

  2. ✅ Loaded all relevant services/*.md references

  3. ✅ Invoked related skills for specialized guidance

  4. ✅ Documented findings in .azure/deployment-plan.md

Generation Order

OrderArtifactNotes
1Application config (azure.yaml)AZD only—defines services and hosting
2Application code scaffoldingEntry points, health endpoints, config
3DockerfilesIf containerized
4Infrastructure (Bicep/Terraform)IaC templates in ./infra/
5CI/CD pipelinesIf requested

Recipe-Specific Generation

Load the appropriate recipe for detailed generation steps:

Common Standards

File Structure
project-root/
├── .azure/
│   └── deployment-plan.md
├── infra/
│   ├── main.bicep (or main.tf)
│   └── modules/
├── src/
│   └── <component>/
│       └── Dockerfile
└── azure.yaml (AZD only)
Directory Creation

⚠️ Warning: The create tool fails with Parent directory does not exist when intermediate directories are missing. Always create the full directory tree before writing files.

Before creating nested files (e.g., src/frontend/src/App.jsx), create all parent directories first:

mkdir -p src/frontend/src src/api
  • Use absolute paths in mkdir -p when the working directory may differ from the project root

  • Create directories for all components in a single command before writing any files

  • Do not rely on the create tool to create parent directories — it will not

Security Requirements
  • No hardcoded secrets

  • Use Key Vault for sensitive values

  • Managed Identity for service auth

  • HTTPS only, TLS 1.2+

  • SQL Server Bicep MUST use Entra-only auth — omit administratorLogin and administratorLoginPassword entirely, including from conditional/ternary branches (see services/sql-database/bicep.md). These property names must not appear anywhere in a generated .bicep file.

  • SQL + Managed Identity: MUST add postprovision hook — ARM role assignments only grant control-plane access; you MUST also generate scripts/grant-sql-access.sh + .ps1 and add a postprovision hook in azure.yaml to run T-SQL grants. See services/sql-database/bicep.md.

  • App Service Bicep: MUST include azd-service-name tag — Every App Service Microsoft.Web/sites resource MUST have tags: union(tags, { 'azd-service-name': serviceName }). Without this tag, azd deploy cannot locate the resource. See services/app-service/bicep.md.

Runtime Configuration

Apply language-specific production settings for containerized apps:

RuntimeReference
Node.js/Expressruntimes/nodejs.md

After Generation

  1. Update .azure/deployment-plan.md with generated file list

  2. Run validation checks

  3. Proceed to azure-validate skill

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 Python

Security

What our scanner noticed· Medium risk

  • Instructions that use the network
  • Downloads piped into a shell
  • Scripts that your agent may run

This skill includes scripts that your agent may run. Read them before you use it.

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

Attribution and licence

Created by
Microsoft
Publisher
Microsoft (Official)
Source
microsoft/skills · .github/plugins/azure-skills/skills/azure-prepare · 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

AutoGineer is not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft.

Download ZIP

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