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

Download the skill as a ZIP:
https://mp-staging.autogineer.com/agent-skills/microsoft/azure-prepare/download

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

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.
Get approval — Present plan to user before execution
Research before generating — Load references and invoke related skills
Update plan progressively — Mark steps complete as you go
Validate before deploy — Invoke azure-validate before azure-deploy
Confirm Azure context — Use ask_user for subscription and location per Azure Context
❌ Destructive actions require ask_user — Global Rules
⛔ 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.
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.
⛔ 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.
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
STOP — Do not generate any code, infrastructure, or configuration yet
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
CONFIRM — Present the completed plan to the user and get approval
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 keywords	Invoke 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 GCP	azure-cloud-migrate
Azure Functions, function app, serverless function, timer trigger, HTTP trigger, func new	Stay 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 APIM	Stay in azure-prepare — see APIM Deployment Guide
AI gateway, AI gateway policy, AI gateway backend, AI gateway configuration	azure-aigateway
workflow, orchestration, multi-step, pipeline, fan-out/fan-in, saga, long-running process, durable, order processing	Stay 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.

#	Action	Reference
0	If the prompt matches a specialized technology with a dedicated skill, invoke that skill first	specialized-routing.md
1	Analyze Workspace — Determine mode: NEW, MODIFY, or MODERNIZE	analyze.md
2	Gather Requirements — Classification, scale, budget	requirements.md
3	Scan Codebase — Identify components, technologies, dependencies	scan.md
4	Select Recipe — Choose AZD (default), AZCLI, Bicep, or Terraform	recipe-selection.md
5	Plan Architecture — Select stack + map components to Azure services	architecture.md
6	Finalize 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
7	Present Plan — Show plan to user and ask for approval	`.azure/deployment-plan.md`
8	Destructive actions require `ask_user`	Global 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.

#	Action	Reference
1	Research Components — Load service references + invoke related skills	research.md
2	Confirm Azure Context — Detect and confirm subscription + location and check the resource provisioning limit	Azure Context
3	Generate Artifacts — Create infrastructure and configuration files	generate.md
4	Harden Security — Apply security best practices	security.md
5	Functional Verification — Verify the app works (UI + backend), locally if possible	functional-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

Artifact	Location
Plan	`.azure/deployment-plan.md`
Infrastructure	`./infra/`
AZD Config	`azure.yaml` (AZD only)
Dockerfiles	`src/<component>/Dockerfile`

SDK Quick References

Azure Developer CLI: azd
Azure Identity: Python | .NET | TypeScript | Java
App Configuration: Python | TypeScript | Java

⛔ 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/services/sql-database/bicep.md

SQL Database - Bicep Patterns

⛔ CRITICAL — SQL Server Bicep MUST use Entra-only authentication. NEVER include administratorLogin or administratorLoginPassword anywhere in a Bicep file — not even inside a conditional (condition ? { ... } : { administratorLoginPassword: ... }) branch. If either property name appears anywhere in the file, the deployment will be rejected. Always use the pattern below.

Basic Setup (Entra-Only Authentication)

Required approach — Uses Microsoft Entra ID authentication only. Required for subscriptions with Entra-only policies; SQL admin authentication is disabled by policy in those environments.

param principalId string
param principalName string
@allowed(['User', 'Group', 'Application'])
param principalType string = 'User'

resource sqlServer 'Microsoft.Sql/servers@2022-05-01-preview' = {
  name: '${resourcePrefix}-sql-${uniqueHash}'
  location: location
  properties: {
    administrators: {
      administratorType: 'ActiveDirectory'
      principalType: principalType
      login: principalName
      sid: principalId
      tenantId: subscription().tenantId
      azureADOnlyAuthentication: true
    }
    minimalTlsVersion: '1.2'
  }
}

resource sqlDatabase 'Microsoft.Sql/servers/databases@2022-05-01-preview' = {
  parent: sqlServer
  name: 'appdb'
  location: location
  sku: {
    name: 'Basic'
    tier: 'Basic'
  }
  properties: {
    collation: 'SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS'
    maxSizeBytes: 2147483648  // 2 GB
  }
}

resource sqlFirewallAzure 'Microsoft.Sql/servers/firewallRules@2022-05-01-preview' = {
  parent: sqlServer
  name: 'AllowAzureServices'
  properties: {
    startIpAddress: '0.0.0.0'
    endIpAddress: '0.0.0.0'
  }
}

Set Entra admin parameters:

Get current user info:

az ad signed-in-user show --query "{id:id, name:displayName}" -o json

⚠️ Warning: If deploying from CI/CD with a service principal, set principalType to 'Application'. The default 'User' only works for interactive (human) deployments. Mismatched principalType causes UnmatchedPrincipalType errors during provisioning.

Set as azd environment variables:

PRINCIPAL_INFO=$(az ad signed-in-user show --query "{id:id, name:displayName}" -o json)
azd env set AZURE_PRINCIPAL_ID $(echo $PRINCIPAL_INFO | jq -r '.id')
azd env set AZURE_PRINCIPAL_NAME $(echo $PRINCIPAL_INFO | jq -r '.name')

💡 Tip: Set these variables immediately after azd init to avoid deployment failures. The Bicep principalId and principalName parameters will automatically use these environment variables.

⚠️ MANDATORY: Connection String with Entra Auth Parameter

CRITICAL: When outputting SQL connection strings in Bicep (e.g., in App Service connectionStrings or as outputs), ALWAYS include an Authentication parameter. Use Authentication=Active Directory Default for general scenarios or Authentication=Active Directory Managed Identity when a user-assigned managed identity with a specific User Id is required. A bare Server=tcp:...;Database=...; connection string without this parameter will not authenticate via Entra ID and the app will fail to connect.

Correct pattern in Bicep (Active Directory Default):

connectionStrings: [
  {
    name: 'DefaultConnection'
    connectionString: 'Server=tcp:${sqlServer.properties.fullyQualifiedDomainName},1433;Database=${sqlDatabase.name};Authentication=Active Directory Default;Encrypt=True;TrustServerCertificate=False;'
    type: 'SQLAzure'
  }
]

With user-assigned managed identity:

connectionStrings: [
  {
    name: 'DefaultConnection'
    connectionString: 'Server=tcp:${sqlServer.properties.fullyQualifiedDomainName},1433;Database=${sqlDatabase.name};Authentication=Active Directory Managed Identity;User Id=${uamiClientId};Encrypt=True;TrustServerCertificate=False;'
    type: 'SQLAzure'
  }
]

❌ DO NOT generate connection strings without an Authentication=Active Directory Default or Authentication=Active Directory Managed Identity parameter. ❌ DO NOT use manual AccessToken assignment or DefaultAzureCredential().GetToken() in application code as an alternative to the connection string parameter.

Serverless Configuration

resource sqlDatabase 'Microsoft.Sql/servers/databases@2022-05-01-preview' = {
  parent: sqlServer
  name: 'appdb'
  location: location
  sku: {
    name: 'GP_S_Gen5'
    tier: 'GeneralPurpose'
    family: 'Gen5'
    capacity: 2
  }
  properties: {
    autoPauseDelay: 60  // minutes
    minCapacity: json('0.5')
  }
}

Private Endpoint

resource sqlPrivateEndpoint 'Microsoft.Network/privateEndpoints@2023-05-01' = {
  name: '${sqlServer.name}-pe'
  location: location
  properties: {
    subnet: {
      id: subnet.id
    }
    privateLinkServiceConnections: [
      {
        name: '${sqlServer.name}-connection'
        properties: {
          privateLinkServiceId: sqlServer.id
          groupIds: ['sqlServer']
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

⛔ MANDATORY: SQL Data-Plane Access via postprovision Hook

CRITICAL: ARM/Bicep role assignments (SQL DB Contributor) only grant control-plane access. They do not grant the app data-plane access to the database. Without the T-SQL grant below, apps using Authentication=Active Directory Default will crash on startup with a login failure.
When you generate SQL + Managed Identity infrastructure you MUST also:
Add a postprovision hook to azure.yaml that runs the SQL grant script
Copy the pre-built scripts from scripts/grant-sql-access.sh and scripts/grant-sql-access.ps1 to scripts/ in the user's project root

azure.yaml hooks section (add or merge):

hooks:
  postprovision:
    posix:
      shell: sh
      run: ./scripts/grant-sql-access.sh
    windows:
      shell: pwsh
      run: ./scripts/grant-sql-access.ps1

Copy the pre-built scripts — Read scripts/grant-sql-access.sh and scripts/grant-sql-access.ps1 and write them verbatim to the project's scripts/ folder. Do not regenerate them from scratch.

Key behaviours of the scripts:

Requires modern go-sqlcmd on PATH and uses ActiveDirectoryDefault authentication
Loads azd env get-values safely (no eval)
Accepts app resource names of 2-60 ASCII letters, digits or hyphens, starting and ending with a letter or digit; rejects other values before executing SQL
Escapes SQL literals and identifiers separately, disables sqlcmd variable substitution, and fails on environment-loading or SQL errors
Grants db_datareader + db_datawriter by default (idempotent)
Set SQL_GRANT_DDLADMIN=true in the azd env to also grant db_ddladmin (needed for EF Core migrations)
SERVICE_WEB_NAME takes priority over SERVICE_API_NAME when resolving the app identity

💡 Make executable: chmod +x scripts/*.sh

💡 If the app also uses EF Core migrations, combine this with the migration hook — see the azure-deploy skill's references/recipes/azd/sql-managed-identity.md.

Legacy SQL Authentication (⛔ DO NOT USE - EVER)

❌ PROHIBITED — NEVER generate administratorLogin or administratorLoginPassword properties. This applies unconditionally: do NOT include them in direct assignments, conditional expressions, ternary branches, parameter defaults, or any other construct. The text of these property names must not appear anywhere in a generated .bicep file. SQL admin authentication is disabled in all subscriptions with Entra-only policies and violates Azure security best practices. Always use the Entra-only authentication pattern at the top of this file.
❌ DO NOT generate conditional patterns like:
properties: useEntraAuth ? {
  administrators: {
    azureADOnlyAuthentication: true
    // ...
  }
} : {
  administratorLogin: sqlAdminLogin          // ❌ PROHIBITED
  administratorLoginPassword: sqlAdminPassword  // ❌ PROHIBITED
}
Use only the unconditional Entra-only pattern. No fallback. No toggle. No conditional.

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

2026-11-08

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-prepare.zip

From the author

AutoGineer summary

What it does

When to use it

Advantages

Usage examples

Install

Documentation by Microsoft

Azure Prepare

Triggers

Rules

❌ PLAN-FIRST WORKFLOW — MANDATORY

❌ STEP 0: Specialized Technology Check — MANDATORY FIRST ACTION

Check 1: Prompt keywords

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

Phase 2: Execution (Only After Plan Approval)

Outputs

SDK Quick References

Next

Files

references/services/sql-database/bicep.md

SQL Database - Bicep Patterns

Basic Setup (Entra-Only Authentication)

⚠️ MANDATORY: Connection String with Entra Auth Parameter

Serverless Configuration

Private Endpoint

⛔ MANDATORY: SQL Data-Plane Access via postprovision Hook

Legacy SQL Authentication (⛔ DO NOT USE - EVER)

Requirements and compatibility

Security

Attribution and licence

Related skills

Modal

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Hybrid Cloud Networking

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