Finetuning
MicrosoftOfficialCreated by Microsoft
- Skill
- Tool integration
- Data and AI
- MIT
- Low risk
- Has scripts
AutoGineer summary
Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author
This skill provides the necessary procedures and tools for fine-tuning AI models on Microsoft Foundry. It supports three primary training methodologies: Supervised Fine-Tuning (SFT), Direct Preference Optimization (DPO), and Reinforcement Fine-Tuning (RFT). The skill encompasses the entire lifecycle, including dataset preparation, training job submission, monitoring, model evaluation, and deployment. It also includes specific guidance for agentic RFT, where models are trained to utilize external tools, and provides scripts for data validation, grader calibration, and resource management.
What it does
- Supports SFT, DPO, and RFT training methodologies.
- Provides data validation scripts for SFT, DPO, and RFT formats.
- Facilitates training job submission and monitoring on Microsoft Foundry.
- Enables calibration of RFT graders and pass thresholds.
- Offers tools for model evaluation and deployment via ARM REST API.
- Includes utilities for synthetic data generation and dataset quality scoring.
When to use it
- When you need to adapt a base model to specific tasks or domains.
- When preparing or validating training datasets for SFT, DPO, or RFT.
- When training models for agentic scenarios involving tool calling.
- When you need to evaluate and deploy a fine-tuned model.
- When troubleshooting training jobs or diagnosing poor model performance.
Advantages
- Standardized workflows for different training types.
- Includes built-in validation to prevent common data formatting errors.
- Supports complex agentic RFT training with tool integration.
- Provides robust scripts for monitoring and evaluating training progress.
- Offers clear guidance on grader design and hyperparameter tuning.
Usage examples
- “How do I validate my SFT dataset before training?”
- The agent will instruct you to use the python scripts/validate/validate_sft.py script on your data.jsonl file to ensure it meets the required format.
- “Submit an SFT training job using gpt-4.1-mini.”
- The agent will provide the command using scripts/submit_training.py with the appropriate flags for model, training file, validation file, and type.
- “How can I calibrate my RFT grader?”
- The agent will guide you to use scripts/calibrate_grader.py to find the optimal pass_threshold, aiming for a 25-50% failure rate on the base model.
- “Deploy my fine-tuned model after training.”
- The agent will provide the command to use scripts/deploy_model.py, specifying the model-id and a deployment name.
Install
Download the skill as a ZIP:
https://mp-staging.autogineer.com/agent-skills/microsoft/finetuning/downloadUnzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:
mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip finetuning.zip -d .agents/skills
Documentation by Microsoft
Fine-Tuning on Microsoft Foundry
Fine-tune models using SFT (supervised), DPO (preference), or RFT (reinforcement with graders). Covers dataset prep, training, deployment, and evaluation.
When to Use
Use this sub-skill when the user asks about:
Fine-tuning a model (SFT, DPO, or RFT)
Preparing, validating, or formatting training data
Submitting, monitoring, or diagnosing training jobs
Calibrating graders or pass thresholds for RFT
Deploying or evaluating a fine-tuned model
Choosing between training types (SFT vs DPO vs RFT)
Distillation, synthetic data generation, or dataset quality scoring
Large file uploads for training data
Cleaning up fine-tuning resources (files, deployments)
Do NOT use for: General model deployment without fine-tuning (use deploy-model), agent creation (use agents), prompt optimization without training (use prompt-optimizer).
Workflows
| Stage | Guide |
|---|---|
| Quick start | workflows/quickstart.md |
| Full pipeline | workflows/full-pipeline.md |
| Create data | workflows/dataset-creation.md |
| Iterate | workflows/iterative-training.md |
| Diagnose | workflows/diagnose-poor-results.md |
References
| Topic | File |
|---|---|
| SFT vs DPO vs RFT | references/training-types.md |
| Hyperparameters | references/hyperparameters.md |
| Data formats | references/dataset-formats.md |
| Grader design (RFT) | references/grader-design.md |
| Reward hacking | references/reward-hacking.md |
| Agentic RFT (tools) | references/agentic-rft.md |
| Deployment | references/deployment.md |
| Training curves | references/training-curves.md |
| Evaluation | references/evaluation.md |
| Vision fine-tuning | references/vision-fine-tuning.md |
| Large file uploads | references/large-file-uploads.md |
| Platform gotchas | references/platform-gotchas.md |
Scripts
| Script | Purpose |
|---|---|
scripts/submit_training.py | Submit SFT/DPO/RFT jobs |
scripts/monitor_training.py | Poll job until completion |
scripts/calibrate_grader.py | Find optimal RFT pass_threshold |
scripts/check_training.py | Analyze curves, list checkpoints |
scripts/deploy_model.py | Deploy via ARM REST API |
scripts/evaluate_model.py | LLM judge evaluation |
scripts/convert_dataset.py | Convert between SFT/DPO/RFT formats |
scripts/generate_distillation_data.py | Generate synthetic training data |
scripts/score_dataset.py | Quality scoring on training data |
scripts/cleanup.py | Delete old files and deployments |
scripts/validate/ | Data validators (SFT, DPO, RFT) + stats |
Rules
Always baseline first — evaluate the base model before fine-tuning
Validate data before submitting — run
scripts/validate/validate_sft.pyCalibrate RFT graders — target 25-50% failure rate on the base model
Evaluate checkpoints — don't blindly deploy the final one
Measure token cost alongside accuracy when comparing models
Quick Reference
| Task | Command |
|---|---|
| Validate SFT data | python scripts/validate/validate_sft.py data.jsonl |
| Submit SFT job | python scripts/submit_training.py --model gpt-4.1-mini --training-file train.jsonl --validation-file val.jsonl --type sft |
| Monitor job | python scripts/monitor_training.py --job-id ftjob-xxx |
| Analyze curves | python scripts/check_training.py --job-id ftjob-xxx |
| Deploy model | python scripts/deploy_model.py --model-id ft:gpt-4.1-mini:... --name my-eval |
| Evaluate model | python scripts/evaluate_model.py --deployment-name my-eval --test-file test.jsonl |
Error Handling
| Error | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| "API version not supported" | Older openai SDK on /v1/ endpoint | Upgrade to openai>=1.0 |
| "does not support fine-tuning with Standard TrainingType" | OSS model needs globalStandard | Use --use-rest flag or script auto-falls back |
| Job stuck in post-training eval | Under-provisioned tool endpoint (RFT) | Scale to S2+, enable Always On |
| "DeploymentNotReady" after ARM succeeds | ARM/data-plane race condition | Delete and recreate deployment, wait 5 min |
| Content safety block at deployment | PII-dense training data | Remove problematic document types |
Files
- ATTRIBUTION.mdAdded by AutoGineer998 B
- LICENSELicence file added by AutoGineer1.1 KiB
- SKILL.md5.4 KiB
- references/agentic-rft.md3.2 KiB
- references/dataset-formats.md3.7 KiB
- references/deployment.md3.4 KiB
- references/evaluation.md5.8 KiB
- references/grader-design.md3.4 KiB
- references/hyperparameters.md3.2 KiB
- references/large-file-uploads.md927 B
- references/platform-gotchas.md2.0 KiB
- references/reward-hacking.md2.9 KiB
- references/training-curves.md4.1 KiB
- references/training-types.md3.1 KiB
- references/vision-fine-tuning.md4.1 KiB
- scripts/calibrate_grader.pyScript9.3 KiB
- scripts/check_training.pyScript7.8 KiB
- scripts/cleanup.pyScript9.5 KiB
- scripts/common.pyScript7.6 KiB
- scripts/convert_dataset.pyScript10.7 KiB
- scripts/deploy_model.pyScript9.4 KiB
- scripts/evaluate_model.pyScript11.4 KiB
- scripts/generate_distillation_data.pyScript10.1 KiB
- scripts/monitor_training.pyScript5.7 KiB
- scripts/score_dataset.pyScript7.7 KiB
- scripts/submit_training.pyScript10.8 KiB
- scripts/validate/__init__.pyScript305 B
- scripts/validate/data_stats.pyScript6.2 KiB
- scripts/validate/validate_dpo.pyScript3.7 KiB
- scripts/validate/validate_rft.pyScript8.6 KiB
- scripts/validate/validate_sft.pyScript4.5 KiB
- workflows/dataset-creation.md3.1 KiB
- workflows/diagnose-poor-results.md2.3 KiB
- workflows/full-pipeline.md3.1 KiB
- workflows/iterative-training.md3.1 KiB
- workflows/quickstart.md4.5 KiB
scripts/score_dataset.py
# /// script
# dependencies = [
# "openai>=1.0",
# "azure-identity",
# ]
# ///
"""
score_dataset.py — Assess training data quality using an LLM judge.
Scores each example on correctness and relevance, optionally filters
out low-quality examples.
Usage:
# Score all examples
python score_dataset.py --input training.jsonl --output scored.jsonl
# Score and filter (keep only score >= 7)
python score_dataset.py --input training.jsonl --output filtered.jsonl --min-score 7
# Custom scoring dimensions
python score_dataset.py --input training.jsonl --output scored.jsonl \
--dimensions "correctness,clarity,completeness"
"""
import json
import os
import re
import sys
try:
sys.stdout.reconfigure(encoding="utf-8")
sys.stderr.reconfigure(encoding="utf-8")
except (AttributeError, OSError):
pass # Stream not reconfigurable (older Python or non-tty); default encoding is fine
import time
from concurrent.futures import ThreadPoolExecutor, as_completed
sys.path.insert(0, os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)))
from common import HelpOnErrorParser, get_clients, _clamp_score
QUALITY_PROMPT = """You are a data quality assessor for machine learning training data.
## Task
Evaluate this training example for quality.
## User input (what the model receives)
{user_content}
## Assistant output (what the model should learn to produce)
{assistant_content}
## Scoring dimensions
{dimensions_text}
Rate each dimension on a scale of 1-10.
Return ONLY a JSON object with dimension names as keys and integer scores as values.
Example: {example_json}"""
DEFAULT_DIMENSIONS = {
"correctness": "Is the assistant's output factually/functionally correct?",
"relevance": "Does the output directly address the user's request?",
"quality": "Is the output well-written, well-formatted, and professional?",
}
def score_example(client, model, user_content, assistant_content, dimensions):
"""Score a single training example."""
dims_text = "\n".join(f"**{k}** (1-10): {v}" for k, v in dimensions.items())
example = {k: 8 for k in dimensions}
prompt = QUALITY_PROMPT.format(
user_content=user_content[:2000],
assistant_content=assistant_content[:2000],
dimensions_text=dims_text,
example_json=json.dumps(example),
)
for attempt in range(3):
try:
resp = client.chat.completions.create(
model=model,
messages=[{"role": "user", "content": prompt}],
temperature=0.0,
max_completion_tokens=200,
)
text = (resp.choices[0].message.content or "").strip()
match = re.search(r'\{[^}]+\}', text)
if match:
scores = json.loads(match.group())
return {k: _clamp_score(scores.get(k)) for k in dimensions}
except Exception:
if attempt < 2:
time.sleep(2)
return {k: 0 for k in dimensions}
def main():
parser = HelpOnErrorParser(description="Score training data quality with LLM judge")
parser.add_argument("--base-url", default=os.environ.get("OPENAI_BASE_URL"),
help="Project /v1/ URL (preferred)")
parser.add_argument("--endpoint", default=os.environ.get("AZURE_OPENAI_ENDPOINT"),
help="Azure OpenAI endpoint (fallback)")
parser.add_argument("--project-endpoint", default=os.environ.get("AZURE_AI_PROJECT_ENDPOINT"),
help="Azure AI project endpoint (Foundry SDK)")
parser.add_argument("--api-key", default=os.environ.get("AZURE_OPENAI_API_KEY"))
parser.add_argument("--model", default="gpt-4o", help="Judge model")
parser.add_argument("--input", required=True, help="Input JSONL file")
parser.add_argument("--output", required=True, help="Output JSONL file (with scores)")
parser.add_argument("--min-score", type=float, default=None,
help="Minimum average score to keep (filters below this)")
parser.add_argument("--dimensions", default=None,
help="Comma-separated dimension names (default: correctness,relevance,quality)")
parser.add_argument("--concurrency", type=int, default=4, help="Parallel scoring workers")
parser.add_argument("--strip-metadata", action="store_true",
help="Remove _quality_scores and _avg_quality from output (safe for training input)")
args = parser.parse_args()
client, method = get_clients(
base_url=args.base_url, azure_endpoint=args.endpoint,
project_endpoint=args.project_endpoint, api_key=args.api_key
)
# Parse dimensions
if args.dimensions:
dim_names = [d.strip() for d in args.dimensions.split(",")]
dimensions = {d: f"Rate the {d} of the output" for d in dim_names}
else:
dimensions = DEFAULT_DIMENSIONS
# Load data
examples = []
with open(args.input, encoding="utf-8") as f:
for i, line in enumerate(f):
if not line.strip():
continue
try:
ex = json.loads(line)
except json.JSONDecodeError as e:
print(f"⚠️ Skipping malformed JSON on line {i+1}: {e}")
continue
msgs = ex.get("messages", [])
user = next((m["content"] for m in msgs if m["role"] == "user"), "")
asst = next((m["content"] for m in msgs if m["role"] == "assistant"), "")
examples.append({"data": ex, "user": user, "assistant": asst})
print(f"Loaded {len(examples)} examples. Scoring with {args.model}...")
# Score in parallel
def score_one(idx):
ex = examples[idx]
scores = score_example(client, args.model, ex["user"], ex["assistant"], dimensions)
return idx, scores
with ThreadPoolExecutor(max_workers=args.concurrency) as pool:
futures = {pool.submit(score_one, i): i for i in range(len(examples))}
done = 0
for future in as_completed(futures):
idx, scores = future.result()
examples[idx]["scores"] = scores
done += 1
if done % 25 == 0:
print(f" Scored {done}/{len(examples)}")
# Calculate stats
all_avgs = []
for ex in examples:
scores = ex.get("scores", {})
if scores and any(v > 0 for v in scores.values()):
avg = sum(scores.values()) / len(scores)
ex["avg_score"] = avg
all_avgs.append(avg)
if all_avgs:
print(f"\nQuality Distribution:")
print(f" Mean: {sum(all_avgs)/len(all_avgs):.1f}")
print(f" Min: {min(all_avgs):.1f}")
print(f" Max: {max(all_avgs):.1f}")
sorted_avgs = sorted(all_avgs)
n_avgs = len(sorted_avgs)
if n_avgs % 2 == 1:
median = sorted_avgs[n_avgs // 2]
else:
median = (sorted_avgs[n_avgs // 2 - 1] + sorted_avgs[n_avgs // 2]) / 2
print(f" Median: {median:.1f}")
# Filter and write
kept = 0
filtered = 0
with open(args.output, "w", encoding="utf-8") as f:
for ex in examples:
if not args.strip_metadata:
ex["data"]["_quality_scores"] = ex.get("scores", {})
ex["data"]["_avg_quality"] = ex.get("avg_score", 0)
if args.min_score and ex.get("avg_score", 0) < args.min_score:
filtered += 1
continue
f.write(json.dumps(ex["data"], ensure_ascii=False) + "\n")
kept += 1
print(f"\nKept: {kept}, Filtered: {filtered}")
if args.min_score:
print(f"(min_score threshold: {args.min_score})")
if args.strip_metadata:
print("(metadata stripped — output is safe for training input)")
print(f"Output: {args.output}")
if __name__ == "__main__":
main()
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· Low risk
- 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/microsoft-foundry/finetuning · 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 finetuning.zip