azure-app-onboard Skill for Claude Code: Take an App From Idea to Azure Deployment

Takes a business idea or an existing app to a running Azure deployment: picks services, estimates cost, scaffolds code and deploys after you approve.

Installs: 160.6K; on skills.sh
Stars: 1.6K; on GitHub
Files: 11; besides SKILL.md
Updated: Oct 2026; last repo commit

azure-app-onboard makes your assistant run a 10-step pipeline: sign in to Azure, triage the scope, scan the app for readiness, gather your intent, plan the architecture, scaffold infrastructure code, then deploy and hand off. It stops for your approval at two gates, one before it generates any files and one before it deploys.

The SKILL.md says every repo goes through the full pipeline, with no skipped steps. It keeps session files under .copilot-azure/sessions/, calls the azure-app-onboard-prereq skill for the readiness scan, and reads nested prepare, scaffold and deploy skills. It spends money and changes your Azure account, so use a subscription you chose. The skill is large: 68 files.

Good for

Developers who have an app but do not know which Azure services to use
Teams moving an existing app to Azure with few code changes
Anyone who wants a cost estimate before committing to infrastructure

Install azure-app-onboard

Claude Code

Copy this prompt.

Install the azure-app-onboard skill in Claude Code. Run this command:

/plugin install azure@claude-plugins-official

Then check that it loaded and tell me how to use it.

2
Paste it into Claude Code. It shows the change and asks before running it.

Requires Azure account, Node.js 18+, Azure CLI signed in (az login).

This installs the whole Azure plugin, which includes azure-app-onboard and azure-app-onboard-prereq, the skill it calls first. Sign in to azd with azd auth login if you plan to deploy. Update with /plugin update azure@claude-plugins-official.

From the project README. Source.

What's in the skill

When it loads

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).

Sections in SKILL.md

Quick Reference
When to Use This Skill
When NOT to Use
Pipeline Rules
Workflow
Error Handling

Key facts

Author: Microsoft
Repo: microsoft/azure-skills
Installs on skills.sh: 160,609 (Nov 2, 2026)
GitHub stars (whole repo): 1,609 (Nov 2, 2026)
License: MIT
Last repo commit: Oct 30, 2026
Files in the skill folder: 68 files: SKILL.md, 16 in deploy/, 13 in prepare/, 11 in references/, 27 in scaffold/
skills.sh audits: Gen Agent Trust Hub pass, Socket warn, Snyk pass
Needs: Azure account, Node.js 18+, Azure CLI signed in (az login); azd signed in for deployment
Calls: azure-app-onboard-prereq (readiness scan), included in the Azure plugin
Not for: Running azd up on an existing setup (use azure-deploy)

What it includes

Creates or resumes a session, verifies Azure CLI sign-in, resolves subscription
Runs code · 1. Session check + Azure login
Checks azd markers and asks a triage question
2. Scope triage
Calls azure-app-onboard-prereq and halts if the app is blocked
Read · 3. Prereq scan
Confirms stack and Azure services, then asks remaining questions
4. Gather intent
Writes prepare-plan.json with services and cost estimate
Write · 5. Plan architecture
Shows the plan and waits for your approval before generating files
6. Scaffold approval gate
Generates infrastructure code and a scaffold manifest
Write · 7. Scaffold
Shows a validation summary; you answer Yes, Run manually, Edit plan or Cancel
8. Deploy approval gate
Runs the infrastructure code and a health check, writes deploy-result.json
Runs code · 9. Deploy
Reports the deployment identity, cleanup commands and next steps
10. Handoff

From the official docs

Permissions

High risk

The skill can create and deploy billed Azure resources from your account. Use a test subscription and approve each gate only after reading it.

What it can do

Read your data
Create and change things
Delete things
Read-only mode

Watch out for

It deploys real, billed resources to your Azure account
It deploys only after the deploy gate, but approval makes real changes. Use a test subscription and read the plan and cost estimate first. github.com
It writes session files and infrastructure code
It creates files under .copilot-azure/sessions/ and generates infrastructure code in your project after the scaffold gate. Work on a branch. github.com
Missing Azure roles surface as az role commands
On missing RBAC it reports the required role and the az role assignment command. Review before you run it or grant access. github.com
The plugin install adds hooks and an MCP server
The azure plugin registers hooks that run hooks/scripts/track-telemetry.sh at session start and after tool use, and starts the Azure MCP server with npx -y @azure/mcp@latest. Read the script before you install. github.com
A bundled shell script and subagents run during scaffold
The folder includes scaffold/scripts/scaffold-conformance.sh. Read it if you need to review what runs. github.com

Technical details

Talks to	Azure through the az CLI and the Azure MCP server. The plugin's hooks run a bundled telemetry script (track-telemetry.sh)
Scopes	Your Azure subscription and resource groups Your app code and generated infrastructure files

Questions

What does azure-app-onboard do?

It takes an idea or an existing app through a 10-step flow to a running Azure deployment. It picks services, estimates cost, scaffolds infrastructure code and deploys after you approve.

How do I install azure-app-onboard?

Use the install box at the top of this page. It installs the whole Azure plugin, because azure-app-onboard calls azure-app-onboard-prereq, which sits in the same plugin.

What do I need before using it?

An Azure account, Node.js 18 or later, and the Azure CLI signed in with az login. Sign in to the Azure Developer CLI (azd) too if you plan to deploy.

azure-app-onboard or azure-deploy?

Use azure-deploy to run azd up or execute an existing deployment. azure-app-onboard is the planning-to-deploy flow for apps that are not set up yet. For readiness checks only, the description names azure-app-onboard-prereq.

Will it deploy without asking?

No. It has a scaffold gate before it generates files and a deploy gate before it deploys, and it waits for your reply at each.

Is the azure-app-onboard skill safe to install?

Treat it as a tool that changes your cloud account. It can create billed Azure resources and write infrastructure files into your project, and the plugin it ships in adds hooks and an MCP server started with npx. Use a test subscription, work on a branch and read each gate.

Information

updated Nov 2, 2026

Repository: microsoft/azure-skills
Folder: skills/azure-app-onboard

microsoft/azure-skills skills.sh

Sources

Docs, issue trackers and discussions this page is built from.

Show all 6

microsoft/azure-skills README · github.com
azure-app-onboard SKILL.md · github.com
azure-app-onboard-prereq in the Azure plugin · github.com
azure-app-onboard on skills.sh · skills.sh
azure plugin hooks (claude-hooks.json) · github.com
azure plugin .mcp.json · github.com