Azure
Microsoft Azure MCP and Skills integration for cloud resource management, deployments, and Azure services. Manage your Azure infrastructure, monitor applications, and deploy resources directly from Claude Code.
- Type
- Plugin
- Repository
- microsoft/skills
- GitHub stars
- 3.1k
- License
- MIT
- Repo last updated
- Sep 24, 2026
- Version
- 1.2.72
- Author
- Microsoft
What Azure is
Azure is a plugin published in the microsoft/skills repository on GitHub, which has about 3.1k stars. The repository describes itself as: “Skills, MCP servers, Custom Agents, Agents.md for SDKs to ground Coding Agents”
A plugin is a package that bundles skills, slash commands, subagents, hooks, and MCP connectors so they install together. Plugins are plain files with a manifest at .claude-plugin/plugin.json, and they work in both Claude Code and Claude Cowork.
Installing Azure adds everything it ships in one step. Connectors inside a plugin still need to be connected separately, and hooks and subagents only run in Cowork and Claude Code, not in regular chat.
How to install Azure
Claude Code
- Add the repository as a plugin marketplace: claude plugin marketplace add microsoft/skills
- Install the plugin: claude plugin install azure@<marketplace-name>, using the marketplace name from the repository's .claude-plugin/marketplace.json.
- Restart the session if the new skills or commands don't appear straight away.
Claude Cowork
- Open Customize → Plugins and choose Add marketplace.
- Enter microsoft/skills (the owner/repo shorthand works for GitHub).
- Find Azure in the list, click Install, then connect any connectors it needs from its Connectors tab.
New to extending Cowork? Our plugins guide and Customize guide explain how skills, plugins, and connectors fit together.
Inside the source file
An excerpt from .github/plugins/azure-skills/.claude-plugin/plugin.json, shared under the repository's MIT license. Read the full file on GitHub.
Microsoft Azure is Microsoft's cloud computing platform. This plugin connects GitHub Copilot CLI or Claude Code to your Azure account, letting you manage resources, deploy applications, and monitor services directly from your development environment.
Security
> [!WARNING] > The azure plugin uses npx to download and run the Azure MCP Server, inheriting the local environment's .npmrc configuration. Install this plugin only on trusted devices. A compromised .npmrc configuration could cause npx to download and execute malicious code, potentially resulting in remote code execution.
Setup
1. Create an Azure Account
Sign up at azure.microsoft.com or use your existing Azure account.
2. Install Node.js and NPM
The Azure MCP Server runs as an NPM package. Ensure you have Node.js 18 or later installed:
- Download from nodejs.org
- Or use a version manager like nvm
3. Authenticate to Azure
The Azure MCP Server uses the Azure Identity SDK for authentication. You can authenticate using any of these methods:
Option A: Azure CLI (Recommended)
- Install Azure CLI
- Run az login to authenticate
- The MCP server will automatically use your CLI credentials
Option B: Environment Variables
Set Azure service principal credentials:
Bash/Zsh:
export AZURE_TENANT_ID="your-tenant-id"
export AZURE_CLIENT_ID="your-client-id"
export AZURE_CLIENT_SECRET="your-client-secret"PowerShell:
$env:AZURE_TENANT_ID = "your-tenant-id"
$env:AZURE_CLIENT_ID = "your-client-id"
$env:AZURE_CLIENT_SECRET = "your-client-secret"Option C: Managed Identity
When running on Azure resources (VMs, Container Apps, etc.), the server automatically uses managed identity.
For more authentication options, see the Azure Identity documentation.
4. Install the Plugins
# Add the repo as a plugin marketplace
/plugin marketplace add microsoft/azure-skills
# Pull in the Azure plugin
/plugin install azure@azure-skillsAvailable Tools
The Azure MCP Server provides tools for 40+ Azure services:
AI & Machine Learning
- Microsoft Foundry (AI models, deployments, knowledge indexes)
- Azure AI Search (search and vector database)
- Azure AI Services Speech (speech-to-text, text-to-speech)
Compute & Containers
- Azure App Service, Container Apps, Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
- Azure Functions, Virtual Desktop
Storage & Databases
- Azure Storage (Blob, File Sync)
- Azure SQL Database, Cosmos DB
- Azure Database for MySQL & PostgreSQL
Security & Networking
- Azure Key Vault (secrets, keys, certificates)
- Azure RBAC (access control)
- Azure Confidential Ledger
DevOps & Management
- Resource Groups, Subscriptions
- Azure Monitor (logging, metrics)
- Azure CLI command generation
- Bicep templates
Messaging & Communication
- Azure Communication Services (SMS, email)
- Azure Service Bus, Event Grid
For the complete list of 40+ services, see the official documentation.
Example Usage
Ask GitHub Copilot CLI or Claude Code to:
- "List my Azure storage accounts"
- "Show me all containers in my Cosmos DB database"
- "List all secrets in my key vault 'my-vault'"
- "Deploy a web app to Azure App Service"
- "Query my Log Analytics workspace"
- "Deploy a best-practices Azure Kubernetes Service cluster"
- "Send an SMS message to +1234567890 using Azure Communication Services"
- "Generate an Azure CLI command to create a storage account"
For more examples, visit the Azure MCP documentation.
Documentation
For more information, visit:
- Azure Documentation
- Azure CLI Reference
- Azure REST API Reference
Troubleshooting
Authentication Issues
- Run az login to authenticate with Azure CLI
- Verify you have appropriate Azure RBAC permissions
- Check that your credentials are not expired
- See the Authentication guide
Server Issues
- Ensure Node.js 18 or later is installed
- Verify NPM can download packages from npmjs.com
Before you install
- Read the whole file first. Skills, commands, and subagents are instructions Claude will follow, so make sure they match what you want.
- Check which tools, scripts, or MCP servers it uses. Local servers and scripts run with your permissions.
- Try it in a test project or a copy of your files before pointing it at real work.
- Pin the version you tested, and review changes before updating.
- Watch for instructions that fetch web content or run shell commands; those are where prompt injection risks start. See our prompt injection guide.
FAQ
What is Azure?
Azure is a plugin for Claude Code and Claude Cowork from the microsoft/skills repository on GitHub. Microsoft Azure MCP and Skills integration for cloud resource management, deployments, and Azure services. Manage your Azure infrastructure, monitor applications, and deploy resources directly from Claude Code.
How do I install Azure in Claude Code?
Add the repository as a plugin marketplace: claude plugin marketplace add microsoft/skills Install the plugin: claude plugin install azure@<marketplace-name>, using the marketplace name from the repository's .claude-plugin/marketplace.json. Restart the session if the new skills or commands don't appear straight away.
Can I use Azure in Claude Cowork?
Open Customize → Plugins and choose Add marketplace. Enter microsoft/skills (the owner/repo shorthand works for GitHub). Find Azure in the list, click Install, then connect any connectors it needs from its Connectors tab.
Is Azure safe to install?
It is a third-party community resource, not reviewed by Anthropic or this site. Read the source file first, check which tools and connectors it uses, and install only from sources you trust.
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