microsoft-foundry Skill for Claude Code: Build and Run Foundry AI Agents

Guides Claude through building, deploying, testing, evaluating and fine-tuning AI agents and models on Microsoft Foundry.

Installs: 585.7K; on skills.sh
Stars: 1.6K; on GitHub
Files: 60+; besides SKILL.md
Updated: Oct 2026; last repo commit

microsoft-foundry is a large skill with sub-skills for each job: create hosted, prompt, managed harness and voice agents, deploy, invoke, schedule routines, observe and evaluate, trace, troubleshoot, optimise, fine-tune, deploy models, manage quota and RBAC, and set up projects or VNet isolation. The agent must read the matching sub-skill before it acts.

The first thing it does is run a dependency check script that installs anything missing. It then uses azd and the Foundry MCP tools against your Azure account. Expect real resources and cost.

Good for

Developers building AI agents on Microsoft Foundry
Teams who evaluate and tune agents before production
Platform engineers setting up Foundry projects, quotas and RBAC

Install microsoft-foundry

Claude Code

Copy this prompt.

Install the microsoft-foundry 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 Azure plugin, which includes microsoft-foundry with the other Azure skills and the Azure MCP server. 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

Build, deploy, evaluate, optimize, fine-tune, and manage Microsoft Foundry agents, models, and resources end to end. USE FOR: foundry, azd ai agent, azd provision/deploy, hosted agent scaffold/develop/run/deploy/troubleshoot, prompt agent, managed harness agent, Copilot harness, voice agent, create/update/invoke/evaluate agent, add tool to agent, agent insights, batch/continuous eval, continuous monitoring, agent CI/CD, optimize/improve prompt, optimize agent instructions, Agent Optimizer, dataset curation from traces, deploy model, model fine-tuning (SFT/DPO/RFT), Foundry project, RBAC, role assignment, permissions, quota, capacity, region, deployment failure, AI Services, create Foundry resource, knowledge index, customize deployment, onboard, availability, training-data, grader, distillation, large file upload. DO NOT USE FOR: Azure Functions, App Service, general Azure deploy (use azure-deploy), general Azure prep (use azure-prepare).

Sections in SKILL.md

Pre-Execution Requirements
Dependency Check and Setup
Workflow Guidance
Foundry MCP
azd
Sub-Skills
Infrastructure Lifecycle
Agent Development Lifecycle
Agent: .foundry Workspace Standard
Agent: Setup References
Agent: Common Project Context Resolution
Step 1: Discover Agent Roots and azd Context
Step 2: Resolve Environment and Deployment Context
Step 3: Select Metadata Overlay and Resolve Environment
Step 4: Resolve eval.yaml Local Evaluation Intent
Step 5: Resolve Common Configuration

Key facts

Author: Microsoft
Repo: microsoft/azure-skills
Installs on skills.sh: 585,685 (Nov 2, 2026)
GitHub stars: 1,609 (Nov 2, 2026)
License: MIT
Last repo commit: Oct 30, 2026
Files next to SKILL.md: 169 files
skills.sh audits: Gen Agent Trust Hub pass, Socket warn, Snyk pass
Needs: Azure account and Azure CLI signed in (az login); Node.js 18+; azd signed in for deployment
Bundled: 169 files: sub-skill guides, tool references and a dependency check script

What it includes

Runs scripts/check-and-setup-dependencies.sh (or .ps1) first; installs only missing tools
Runs code · Dependency check
Scaffolds and runs hosted, prompt, managed harness and voice agents
Runs code · create
Deploys agents with azd, smoke-tests them, sends them messages
Runs code · deploy and invoke
Evaluate quality, query traces, pull recommendations
Network · observe, trace and insights
Reads hosted agent logs and diagnoses failures
Network · troubleshoot
Makes Python hosted agents optimisation-ready and runs optimizer jobs
Runs code · agent-optimizer
Deploys models with presets or custom capacity; SFT, DPO and RFT tuning
Runs code · models/deploy-model and finetuning
Creates projects and resources, checks quota, manages roles and identities
Runs code · project, resource, quota and rbac
CI/CD pipelines for agents, and scheduled or event-driven routines
Runs code · cicd and routine

From the official docs

Permissions

High risk

What it can do

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

Watch out for

It runs an install script, then deploys billed Azure resources
Read the dependency script before you let it run, and use a test subscription for first runs. github.com
It can change roles, quotas and network settings
The rbac, quota and private-network sub-skills change access and capacity. Approve each command. github.com
Agent traces can contain user data
Evaluation and trace tools read App Insights data. Check what your traces hold first. github.com
skills.sh shows a Socket warning for this skill
Read the SKILL.md before you install if you must pass a security review. skills.sh

Technical details

Talks to	Azure and Foundry through azd, az, the Foundry MCP and App Insights queries
Scopes	Your Azure subscription: Foundry projects, models, agents and role assignments Your agent code and eval datasets

Questions

What does microsoft-foundry do?

It guides the agent through the full life of a Foundry agent: create, deploy, invoke, evaluate, trace, optimise and tune, plus models, quota and RBAC.

How do I install microsoft-foundry?

Use the install box at the top. It ships in the Azure plugin, which also adds the Azure MCP server and Foundry MCP.

Does it install software on my machine?

Yes, as its first step. The SKILL.md says to run a dependency check script that installs only the missing dependencies and does not reinstall ones you have.

What do I need before using it?

An Azure account, Node.js 18+, the Azure CLI signed in with az login and azd signed in for deployment.

Is it only for Claude Code?

The Azure README lists Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Codex, Gemini CLI and others for the plugin that contains this skill.

Is it safe?

It runs an install script, azd deployments and Azure commands, and it can create billed resources and assign roles. Test in a throwaway subscription. Skills.sh audits: Gen Agent Trust Hub pass, Socket warn, Snyk pass.

Information

updated Nov 2, 2026

Repository: microsoft/azure-skills
Folder: skills/microsoft-foundry

microsoft/azure-skills skills.sh

Sources

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

Show all 3

Azure Skills README · github.com
microsoft-foundry SKILL.md · github.com
microsoft-foundry on skills.sh · skills.sh