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://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
scaffold/references/iac-generation-rules.md
IaC Generation Rules — Steps 5–8
Rules for generating infrastructure code, Dockerfiles, security verification, and telemetry wiring.
Step 5 — Generate IaC
For each service in services[]:
Sub-agent delegation: Use subagent-iac-gen.md template verbatim. Include full
prepare-plan.json,ScaffoldManifestinterface, and compute-target patterns. Self-review (Step 9) remains mandatory after sub-agent returns.
PostgreSQL wiring: Include firewall rule + extension allow-list (see subagent-iac-gen.md Step 6 if PostgreSQL in plan). ⛔ PostgreSQL config resources (e.g.,
require_secure_transport) must usesource: 'user-override'—'system-default'is read-only and ARM rejects it. ⛔ Do NOT createdatabases/postgreschild resource — it exists by default and ARM rejects duplicate creation. BuildKit Dockerfiles: GenerateDockerfile.azurefor ACR compatibility — see code-deployment-container-apps.md § BuildKit.
Env var completeness: Read
.env.example(or.env.sample,config.example) + config/settings files (PydanticSettings,@t3-oss/env-nextjs, Djangosettings.py) for each component to enumerate required env vars before generating IaC. Every env var with a placeholder value (notlocalhost) should map to either: (1) a Bicep parameter, (2) a KV secret reference, or (3) a hardcoded value derived from other resources (e.g., database connection string from the DB module output). ⛔ Container Apps: KVsecretRefentries must be gated behindisPlaceholder— Phase 1 =secrets: [], Phase 2 activates KV refs. See bicep-container-apps.md. Flag unmapped vars in selfReview as ⚠️ WARN. Missing vars cause container crash loops at deploy time.
⛔ Set
targetScope = 'subscription'inmain.bicep. Subscription-scope Bicep creates the resource group in IaC with all 5 AppOnboard tags (includingcreated-at). Do NOT use default resource-group scope — it requires imperativeaz group createwhich consistently misses tags. If the user lacks subscription-level permissions, the deploy phase handles fallback to RG-scope automatically.
⛔ Native module deploy strategy. If
prepare-plan.json.deployStrategyexists, read bicep-app-service.md § Native Module Deploy Strategy and apply the startup command + app settings to the App Service Bicep. ThedeployStrategy.startupCommandgoes intoappCommandLine, anddeployStrategy.requiredAppSettingsgoes intoappSettings[]. When nodeployStrategyexists, do NOT setappCommandLine— let Oryx use its default startup.
Session Tags — Mandatory on ALL Resources
⛔ Include the 5 AppOnboard tags on every resource and module. See bicep-patterns.md § tags for Bicep code block or terraform-patterns.md § tags for HCL code block.
| Tag key | Value source |
|---|---|
app-onboard-skill | 'true' |
app-onboard-session-id | sessionId param |
created-at | ISO timestamp (scaffold populates, deploy may override) |
environment | naming.resourcePrefix |
deployed-by | context.json.azure.userDisplayName |
If extending existing IaC, MERGE with existing tags using union() / merge().
⛔ Do NOT generate
azure.yaml. Deploy viaaz deployment sub create. See pipeline-rules.md § azure.yaml prohibition.
Verification
⛔ API version verification: Use versions from apiVersions input map. If a type is missing from the map, use the latest GA version from reference file examples — no -preview suffix. az bicep build catches invalid versions at compile time.
⛔ Resource property verification: Training data references deprecated properties. Known traps: Microsoft.CognitiveServices/accounts/deployments uses sku (name + capacity), NOT scaleSettings (deprecated) — omit raiPolicyName; Key Vault enablePurgeProtection — omit entirely (false rejected by ARM, true blocks cleanup). Fallback: az bicep build + what-if.
Output
infra/main.bicep, main.parameters.json, modules/{service}.bicep per service.
Platform Compatibility
Line endings: Generated
.bicepfiles need LF, not CRLF — Bicep triple-quoted strings pass content literally to ARM, and\rbytes crash/bin/shin containers. The validate subagent runsmcp_bicep_format_bicep_file(orbicep-format_bicep_file) post-generation to enforce this. If the formatter is unavailable, ensure files use LF manually.Shell compatibility: Startup scripts in Bicep multiline strings MUST use
set -eu(POSIX). Do NOT useset -euo pipefail— Container Apps base images use/bin/sh(dash), not bash.Package manager pinning: When generating or modifying Dockerfiles, pin package manager versions from the project's
packageManagerfield (e.g.,[email protected]). Never use@latest— major version drift breaks builds on older Node.js base images.
Security Patterns — Apply During Generation
⛔ Apply ALL patterns from bicep-patterns-security.md during generation — managed identity, SCM/FTP auth policies, KV secrets, least-privilege RBAC.
Step 6b — Dockerfile Generation (conditional)
If prepare-plan.json.services[] has any entry with name containing "Container Apps" AND that component has no existing Dockerfile → ⛔ You MUST read dockerfile-generation.md and generate one. Skip if all Container Apps components already have Dockerfiles, or if no service targets Container Apps.
Step 7 — Secure-by-Default Verification
⛔ Read bicep-patterns-security.md (or terraform-patterns.md § Security Defaults) and verify ALL security patterns from Step 5. If deployment includes compute with MI ↔ resource RBAC, ⛔ read rbac-roles.md for GUID table. If a role is NOT in the table, check Azure built-in roles docs. Never guess GUIDs. Skip RBAC for SWA-only.
Tell the user which patterns were applied: managed identity, KV secrets, least-privilege RBAC, SCM/FTP auth policies, private endpoints.
Step 8 — Wire Telemetry
If prepare-plan.json.instrumentation.appInsightsEnabled is true, add APPLICATIONINSIGHTS_CONNECTION_STRING as a plain app setting wired from the App Insights module output. The connection string is not a secret — no KV storage needed. For Container Apps: use a plain env var (not secretRef).
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
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- Instructions that use the network
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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
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