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

workflows/operate-and-update/operate-and-update.md

Operate and Update Azure Local

Use this workflow for Azure Local inventory, health, monitoring, lifecycle management, updates, and update troubleshooting.

Intake

Identify:

Azure Local version/release and support window.
Subscription, resource group, Azure Local instance, and custom location.
Connectivity model, including limited connectivity or disconnected operation.
Monitoring configuration, Log Analytics workspace, Azure Monitor/Insights status, Defender/Policy onboarding, and alerting requirements.
Update target: assessment only, import/discover, schedule, install, troubleshoot, or post-update validation.

Operation flow

Start read-only - Inventory Azure Local, Arc, resource bridge, custom location, and workload resources with resource-types.
Check health - Review Azure resource status, Arc machine connectivity, Azure Local instance status, extension status, and recent activity logs.
Check monitoring - Verify Azure Monitor/Log Analytics or Insights configuration before querying logs.
Assess lifecycle - Compare current release to the Azure Local release information and support window. Fetch current release notes through docs-map.
Plan updates - Use the Azure Local update docs for prerequisites, phases, supported interfaces, expected reboots, maintenance windows, and workload impact.
Apply updates only after confirmation - Installing updates may reboot hosts or affect workloads. Ask for explicit confirmation before scheduling or installing.
Validate after changes - Confirm update state, cluster health, Arc connectivity, resource bridge health, workload health, and monitoring alerts.

Supported update guidance

Azure Local updates are orchestrated as a solution update for the OS, agents/services, and solution extension content. Use documented Azure Local update paths:

Need	Use
Learn update model and cadence	Azure Local update overview
Understand phases	Update phases docs
Command-line update	Azure Local PowerShell update docs
Portal update	Azure Update Manager for Azure Local docs
Limited connectivity	Import/discover updates offline docs
Failure investigation	Update troubleshooting docs

Avoid unsupported update paths

Do not recommend out-of-band updates for Azure Local components. Avoid unsupported interfaces such as manual Cluster-Aware Updating, Windows Admin Center update flows, SConfig, or update panes for individual Arc machines unless Microsoft Learn explicitly documents the scenario for the user's version.

Monitoring and inventory patterns

Use Azure control-plane discovery first:

Resources
| where type =~ 'microsoft.azurestackhci/clusters'
| project name, resourceGroup, location, properties

Then expand to associated Arc resource bridge, custom locations, Arc machines, workload resources, extensions, and activity logs. See resource-types.

Handoff

For workload creation or VM/AKS operations, use Workload Management.
For SDN, NSG, private endpoint, or security posture changes, use Networking and Security.
For failures, use Troubleshooting.

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

A static scan is not a guarantee. Skills are third-party content: review a skill before you let an agent use it.

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Download ZIP

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