Azure App Onboard

MicrosoftOfficialCreated by Microsoft

Skill
Workflow
Cloud and DevOps
MIT
Low risk
Has scripts

From the author

End-to-end orchestrator: from a business idea, app idea, or existing app to running Azure deployment with cost estimates and pre-deploy approval. Analyzes your app, auto-detects the right Azure services, scaffolds infrastructure code, and deploys — tailored to your app, not a template. Handles moving existing apps to Azure without rewriting or with minimal changes. WHEN: bring your app to Azure, plan my app, cost to run, is my code ready to deploy, deploy my app to the cloud, deploy all my services, what Azure services do I need, plan my Azure deployment, deploy my new app to Azure, one-click deploy, I have an app and want it on Azure, migrate my app to Azure, help me get started, build an app, no code yet, starter project. DO NOT USE FOR: use azd for deployment(use azure-deploy), optimizing existing costs (use cost-optimization), code readiness checks only (use azure-app-onboard-prereq).

— the description by Microsoft

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://autogineer.com/agent-skills/microsoft/azure-app-onboard/download

Unzip 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.md at 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 read deploy/PHASE.md, read .copilot-azure/sessions/{id}/deploy-checklist.md first, then deploy/PHASE.md. ⛔ NEVER invoke {"skill": "azure-deploy"} — that is a DIFFERENT skill for a DIFFERENT workflow.

⛔ Post-scaffold transition (MANDATORY): Immediately after scaffold-manifest.json is 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. Confirm context.json has completedPhases: [...,"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

references/pipeline-rules.md

Pipeline Rules — Reference

Cross-cutting rules enforced across all workflow steps. Referenced from SKILL.md ## Pipeline Rules.

Approval gates

⛔ Two separate approval gates are required — never merge them.

Scaffold gate (Step 6): "✅ Ready to proceed with scaffolding? (Yes / Edit plan / Cancel)" — approves IaC generation only. ⛔ When the plan includes PostgreSQL/MySQL, add Private access as a selectable choice — see approval-gates.md for the exact variant.
Deploy gate (Step 8): "🚀 Ready to deploy? (Yes / Run manually / Edit plan / Cancel)" — approves resource provisioning.

The scaffold gate does NOT grant deploy permission. After scaffold completes, you MUST present the deploy gate as a SEPARATE response. Never go from scaffold approval directly to az group create or az deployment.

⛔ BOTH gates MUST show Subscription (name + ID), Resource Group, and Region as standalone lines above the service table — users must see WHERE resources will be created before approving.

⛔ NEVER create, write, or modify infrastructure files before the user explicitly says "Yes" to the scaffold gate. No exceptions — not for simple apps, trivial plans, free-tier deployments, or single-component repos.

⛔ Modifying existing IaC files (not AppOnboard-generated) requires explicit user approval. Present: "I need to modify {file}: {change description}. Approve? (Yes / Edit / Cancel)". This applies to repos with existing Bicep/Terraform where AppOnboard adjusts SKUs, regions, or settings.

Each gate is the LAST content in its response — do NOT continue past a gate in the same turn.

❌ BAD: Writes Bicep without approval · scaffolds and deploys in same response · skips deploy gate after scaffold approval ✅ GOOD: Shows plan → user says Yes → scaffold → show validation summary → deploy gate → user says Yes → deploy

Phase lifecycle

Update context.json at phase boundaries — combine completedPhases update with currentPhase for the next phase in a single write. Write the phase artifact before marking complete. The orchestrator SKILL.md specifies exact write points (after prereq, after scaffold, after deploy).

currentPhase must NEVER appear in completedPhases — if invariant violated, halt and report.

context.json is NOT write-once — each phase boundary MUST update it on completion:

Write intent after Step 2
components after Step 3
azure.resourceGroup after Step 7 (also written to deploy-result.json.resourceGroupName)
Push to completedPhases at phase boundaries
Update statusSummary at every phase exit — 1-line description. Templates:
- prereq: "{N} components, stack: {detectedStack}, health: {overallHealth}"
- prepare: "{N} services, ~${monthlyUsd}/mo, region: {region}" (if quotaValidation.checkedRegions >1, append fallback reason: "region: westus2 (eastus quota full)")
- scaffold: "{N} files, self-review: {VERIFIED|FLAGGED count}"
- deploy: "{healthStatus}, RG: {resourceGroupName}"
- cancel: "Paused at {phase} — {reason}"

Session artifacts

Session file writes: New-Item -ItemType Directory for directories, create tool for file content. Create session directory via New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path ".copilot-azure/sessions/{uuid}" -Force, then create tool for all JSON/md content. Never use Out-File, Set-Content, or shell commands for file content.

Phase transition rule

⛔ Before executing the FIRST command of any new phase, re-read that phase's PHASE.md. After prereq → read prepare/PHASE.md. After prepare → scaffold/PHASE.md. After scaffold gate → deploy/PHASE.md. This applies at EVERY transition.

Post-compaction recovery

⛔ After ANY compaction, re-read current phase PHASE.md + this file. Check scaffold-manifest.json and completedPhases exist if mid-scaffold/deploy.

Begin responses with: "Started session at .copilot-azure/sessions/{uuid}/" or "Resuming session from [date] — {statusSummary}".

⛔ Session immutability: NEVER write to any session folder other than the active session (the one .copilot-azure/sessions/active-session.json points to). Old sessions are read-only — no updates, no backfills, no status changes.

Session TTL: 7 days. Non-active sessions where context.json.lastModifiedUtc is >7 days ago are deleted on next invocation. The active session is never pruned.

fastTrackEligible

Set by prereq: (1) auto-approves readiness gate, (2) simplifies prepare Step 3 alternatives. Does NOT skip phases, reads, gates, self-review, validation, or preflight.

Deploy as-is

⛔ Do NOT refactor or upgrade working application code. Deploy what works. Fixing broken code IS allowed (build errors, missing deps) through the approval gate. Upgrade suggestions → prepare-plan.json.postDeployRecommendations[]. Infrastructure changes = allowed; code rewrites = forbidden; Azure compatibility changes (TLS, SSL, port) and fixes the user approves at the scaffold gate (approval-gates.md) = allowed when detected by prereq AND approved. Never prompt for passwords — auto-generate into Key Vault.

Known Platform Bugs

See pipeline-rules-runtime.md § Known Platform Bugs for the full bug table and workarounds.

No top-level skill invocation

⛔ NEVER call external skills (azure-validate, azure-deploy, azure-prepare, etc.) during the AppOnboard pipeline. Only azure-app-onboard-prereq and azure-app-onboard orchestrator are allowed. Use direct CLI commands for validation and deployment.

Structured sub-agent delegation

⛔ Use ONLY subagent-*.md templates — no ad-hoc prompts. Pass template content verbatim. Destructive commands (az deployment, az webapp deploy, az acr build) execute in main thread only.

Security baseline

See iac-generation-rules.md § Security Patterns and bicep-patterns-security.md. Flag AllowAzureServices firewall rule as a security warning.

azure.yaml prohibition

⛔ NEVER generate azure.yaml. NEVER use azd up/azd provision/azd deploy. AppOnboard deploys via az deployment sub create (Bicep) or terraform apply (Terraform). Repos with existing azure.yaml → route per azd-template-routing.md.

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

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-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

2026-11-09

Also distributed in

microsoft/azure-skills

AutoGineer is not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft or Microsoft.

Download ZIP

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

From the author

AutoGineer summary

What it does

When to use it

Advantages

Usage examples

Install

Documentation by Microsoft

Azure App Onboard

Quick Reference

When to Use This Skill

When NOT to Use

Pipeline Rules

Workflow

Error Handling

Files

references/pipeline-rules.md

Pipeline Rules — Reference

Approval gates

Phase lifecycle

Session artifacts

Phase transition rule

Post-compaction recovery

fastTrackEligible

Deploy as-is

Known Platform Bugs

No top-level skill invocation

Structured sub-agent delegation

Security baseline

azure.yaml prohibition

Requirements and compatibility

Security

Attribution and licence

Related skills

Shipping And Launch

Quantized Export

Deployment Pipeline Design

Gitops Workflow

Spark Environment Setup

Cloud Infrastructure Deployment Engineer

Download ZIP