Azure Local

From the author

Plan, deploy, operate, and troubleshoot Azure Local (formerly Azure Stack HCI): sizing and prerequisites, Arc registration, lifecycle updates, workloads (Azure Local VMs, AKS on Azure Local, images, disks, logical networks), SDN and network security, and failure triage — starting read-only and confirming before risky changes. WHEN: Azure Local, Azure Stack HCI, Arc resource bridge, custom location, Azure Local VM, Arc VM, AKS on Azure Local, AKS hybrid, SDN, Lifecycle Manager, Azure Local update, disconnected site.

— the description by Microsoft

AutoGineer summary

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

This skill provides a structured approach to managing Azure Local (formerly Azure Stack HCI) environments. It covers the full lifecycle from initial planning and prerequisites to deployment, workload management (including VMs and AKS on Azure Local), networking, security, and ongoing maintenance. The skill emphasizes safety by requiring read-only verification before executing any destructive or configuration-changing operations and provides guidance on when to escalate to specialized multi-rack procedures.

What it does

Guides users through Azure Local planning, sizing, and deployment prerequisites.
Manages lifecycle updates and cluster maintenance tasks.
Facilitates the management of workloads including Azure Local VMs and AKS on Azure Local.
Assists in configuring SDN, network security, and load balancing.
Provides troubleshooting steps for cluster failures and health issues.
Ensures safe operations by requiring confirmation before risky changes.

When to use it

When planning or deploying a standard 1-16 node hyperconverged or up to 64-node disaggregated Azure Local cluster.
When performing lifecycle updates or managing cluster health.
When managing VMs, AKS clusters, or network resources on Azure Local.
When troubleshooting connectivity, SDN, or cluster-level issues.
When you need to verify prerequisites for Arc registration or custom location setup.

Advantages

Ensures adherence to official Microsoft Learn documentation and best practices.
Promotes operational safety through a read-only-first approach.
Provides clear boundaries between standard deployments and complex multi-rack scenarios.
Centralizes guidance for both Azure control-plane and local cluster management tasks.

Usage examples

“What are the network prerequisites for deploying a new Azure Local cluster?”: The agent will provide a summary of physical and host network requirements, including links to the relevant Microsoft Learn documentation for network patterns.
“How do I check the update status of my Azure Local cluster?”: The agent will guide you through using the appropriate Azure CLI or PowerShell commands to assess and report the current update status of your cluster.
“I need to troubleshoot a VM that is not starting on my Azure Local cluster.”: The agent will initiate the troubleshooting workflow, starting with read-only checks of the VM state and cluster health before suggesting remediation steps.

Install

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

Unzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:

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

Documentation by Microsoft

Quick Reference

Property	Value
Best for	Azure Local planning, deployment, operations, workloads
MCP Tools	Generic Azure MCP tools only; no Azure Local namespace
CLI	`az graph query`, `az resource show`, Azure Local PowerShell
Related skills	azure-compute (public VMs), azure-kubernetes (public AKS)

When to Use This Skill

Use for Azure Local, Azure Stack HCI, Azure Local VMs, AKS on Azure Local, AKS hybrid, SDN, lifecycle updates, disconnected sites, or troubleshooting. Covers standard deployments (1-16 node hyperconverged, up to 64 disaggregated) and rack-aware clusters.

Do not use for cloud VM or public AKS guidance, or for multi-rack (rack scale) deployments — those use a separate control plane and procedure set. Hand off to the azure-local-multi-rack skill.

MCP Tools

Azure Local has no dedicated MCP namespace. Use generic Azure MCP tools: mcp_azure_mcp_extension_cli_generate (ARG/CLI inventory), mcp_azure_mcp_monitor (needs Log Analytics), mcp_azure_mcp_resourcehealth (partial; not local cluster health), mcp_azure_mcp_documentation (pass the user's version when known).

Scope and limitations: mcp-and-cli-tools.

Workflow

Confirm deployment scale. If the user mentions multi-rack, aggregation racks, Network Fabric Controller, Cluster Manager, or Microsoft.NetworkCloud resources, stop and use the azure-local-multi-rack skill instead.
Deploy -> plan-and-deploy
Operate/update -> operate-and-update
VMs, AKS, images, disks, networks -> workload-management
SDN, NSG, load balancer, gateway -> networking-and-security
Failures -> troubleshooting

Read the matched workflow first and use docs-map. Start read-only. Ask before updates, deletes, reimages, network changes, VM power/delete operations, or Arc bridge/custom location changes.

Error Handling

Scenario	Remediation
Scale unknown	Ask whether the deployment is standard or multi-rack before giving procedures.
Multi-rack detected	Hand off to the `azure-local-multi-rack` skill; these procedures do not apply.
Version unknown	Ask for the Azure Local version, or use latest docs.
Risky change detected	Stop and follow safety-rules.
No local access	Stay with Azure control-plane checks only.
Doc URL 404/redirect	Search Learn for the article title with the user's version.

Files

ATTRIBUTION.mdAdded by AutoGineer983 B
LICENSELicence file added by AutoGineer1.1 KiB
SKILL.md3.3 KiB
references/docs-map.md7.6 KiB
references/mcp-and-cli-tools.md3.4 KiB
references/resource-types.md2.5 KiB
references/safety-rules.md2.1 KiB
workflows/networking-and-security/networking-and-security.md3.5 KiB
workflows/operate-and-update/operate-and-update.md3.6 KiB
workflows/plan-and-deploy/plan-and-deploy.md4.3 KiB
workflows/troubleshooting/troubleshooting.md3.7 KiB
workflows/workload-management/workload-management.md3.4 KiB

references/mcp-and-cli-tools.md

MCP and CLI Tools for Azure Local

Prefer Azure MCP tools for Azure control-plane discovery where they support the Azure Local resource type, then use generated Azure CLI/PowerShell commands when a documented operation requires command execution. Azure MCP does not currently expose a dedicated Azure Local tool namespace; treat support as partial through generic Azure, Azure Resource Graph, documentation, monitor/resource health, and Bicep schema surfaces.

MCP tools

Tool	Use
`mcp_azure_mcp_subscription_list`	Discover subscription scope.
`mcp_azure_mcp_group_list`	Discover resource groups.
`mcp_azure_mcp_extension_cli_generate`	Generate Azure CLI or Azure Resource Graph commands for Azure Local/Arc inventory and operations.
`mcp_azure_mcp_monitor`	Query logs/metrics when Azure Monitor or Log Analytics is configured.
`mcp_azure_mcp_resourcehealth`	Check resource health where supported.
`mcp_azure_mcp_documentation`	Retrieve current Microsoft Learn content.
`mcp_azure_mcp_bicepschema`	Inspect ARM/Bicep schemas for Azure Local resource types such as `Microsoft.AzureStackHCI/clusters` when authoring templates.

Do not assume public Azure service-specific MCP tools are interchangeable with Azure Local. For example, public Azure VM and AKS tools may not cover Arc VMs or AKS on Azure Local; confirm the resource provider/type and use ARG, generated CLI, or documented PowerShell when the dedicated MCP tool does not match.

Azure CLI patterns

Use Azure CLI for Azure control-plane operations:

az account show
az group list -o table
az graph query -q "Resources | where type =~ 'microsoft.azurestackhci/clusters' | project name, resourceGroup, location" -o table
az resource show --ids <resource-id>
az monitor activity-log list --resource-id <resource-id> --max-events 20

For Azure Local VM operations, use the Azure Local VM management docs to determine the required extension/CLI commands and parameters. Do not assume public Azure VM commands have identical behavior for Azure Local VMs enabled by Azure Arc.

PowerShell patterns

Use PowerShell when Microsoft Learn specifies Azure Local lifecycle, update, or local cluster commands. Confirm the command is supported for the user's Azure Local version before execution.

Common categories:

Azure Local update assessment, import, scheduling, and installation.
Local evidence collection from an Azure Local machine.
SDN management/troubleshooting when docs require local or administrative PowerShell modules.
Upgrade readiness and post-upgrade validation.

When local machine access is required

Ask the user to confirm direct administrative access to an Azure Local machine before local commands. Local access may be required for:

OS installation or simplified machine provisioning.
Local logs or evidence collection.
Update/upgrade commands that must run on a system node.
SDN certificate or infrastructure troubleshooting.
Arc resource bridge local VM state checks.

Command safety

Generate commands with read-only flags first.
Scope all commands to the subscription/resource group/resource ID.
Use --first, --query, or projection for large Azure Resource Graph queries.
Ask before update installation, resource deletion, VM power operations, network changes, or decommissioning.
Never embed secrets in commands. Use Key Vault, environment variables, or interactive authentication where documented.

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 Node.js

Security

No issues found by our static scan· No issues found

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Download ZIP

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