discover-azure-skills — Claude Code skill: what it does, install
Finds matching Azure skills in the official repository and provides installation commands for your task. Run it before working with Microsoft Cloud services.
npx skills add microsoft/skills --skill discover-azure-skills -a claude-codeWhat discover-azure-skills does
The skill queries the microsoft/azure-skills repository on GitHub to find plugins that match an Azure task. When an agent lacks tools for a specific cloud workflow, this skill searches the catalog instead of leaving the model without cloud capabilities.
Discovery follows a multi-step process. First, the agent lists directories in .github/plugins via GitHub Contents API. Next, it inspects each skill's SKILL.md to evaluate match relevance against user requirements. It also inspects plugin.json to verify the actual plugin identifier, because folder names can differ from package names. Once the match is confirmed, the skill outputs setup instructions for Claude Code or Copilot CLI.
This workflow depends directly on public network access to api.github.com and raw.githubusercontent.com. Unauthenticated GitHub API rate limits will break discovery if queried repeatedly.
What it helps with
- Find official agent skills for Microsoft Azure cloud tasks
- Locate the right plugin package before provisioning cloud resources
- Obtain direct installation commands for Claude Code and Copilot CLI
- Verify skill capabilities using remote
SKILL.mddocumentation
Example prompts for the agent
- Find Azure skills to deploy apps to Azure Container Apps
- Check if there is an Azure plugin for managing Azure SQL databases
- Recommend skills for uploading assets to Azure Blob Storage
How to install discover-azure-skills
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add microsoft/skills --skill discover-azure-skills -a claude-code2Manually: put the files in place
~/.claude/skills/discover-azure-skills/SKILL.mdCopy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/discover-azure-skills/
Manually: put the files in place
.agents/skills/discover-azure-skills/SKILL.mdFor all projects use ~/.agents/skills/
Manually: put the files in place
.cursor/skills/discover-azure-skills/SKILL.mdCursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/
1GitHub CLI
gh skill install microsoft/skills discover-azure-skills2Manually: put the files in place
.github/skills/discover-azure-skills/SKILL.mdPlatform CLI
gemini skills install https://github.com/microsoft/skills --path .github/plugins/azure-skills/skills/discover-azure-skillsManually: put the files in place
.devin/skills/discover-azure-skills/SKILL.mdThe legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works
Claude.ai
Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills
Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to install skills in Claude Code: five ways
Questions about discover-azure-skills
How to install discover-azure-skills in Claude Code?
Run npx skills add microsoft/skills --skill discover-azure-skills -a claude-code in your terminal.
What does discover-azure-skills do?
It inspects the microsoft/azure-skills catalog on GitHub, matches skills against your cloud task, and shares setup commands for supported agents.
Why does the skill inspect plugin.json files?
A plugin folder name inside the repository does not always match the plugin name. Reading plugin.json ensures the generated install command uses the correct identifier.
Source text
SKILL.md · MIT
---
name: discover-azure-skills
description: "Searches the Azure skills catalog and recommends installable agent skills by matching an Azure task to skill metadata and plugin installation guidance. WHEN: before starting any task that involves an Azure or Microsoft-cloud service, product, or data source, when no currently loaded skill or tool already covers it."
license: MIT
metadata:
author: Microsoft
version: "1.0.1"
---
Follow these steps to discover the available azure skill matching the given task description.
1. List plugins
List Azure plugin directories from the GitHub Contents API: https://api.github.com/repos/microsoft/azure-skills/contents/.github/plugins?ref=main
In the result, each entry whose `type` is `dir` is a plugin directory. Skills are organized by plugins.
2. List skills
For each plugin, list their skills from the GitHub Contents API: https://api.github.com/repos/microsoft/azure-skills/contents/.github/plugins/{plugin-dirname}/skills?ref=main
In the result, each entry whose `type` is `dir` is a skill directory. Each skill has a SKILL.md file that explains what this skill should be used for.
3. Discover relevant skills
Eliminate the skills that obviously aren't relevant by their names. Then for each remaining skill, read their description from the API: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/microsoft/azure-skills/main/.github/plugins/{plugin-dirname}/skills/{skill-name}/SKILL.md
Use the descriptions to further eliminate skills that aren't relevant.
4. Discover the plugin name of the relevant skills
For each relevant skill, discover their plugin name by reading the `plugin.json` from the GitHub Contents API: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/microsoft/azure-skills/main/.github/plugins/{plugin-dirname}/.plugin/plugin.json
This is important because a plugin's name may be different from its directory name. The installation commands depend on the plugin's name.
5. Report the matched skills
Report the matched skills and offer instructions to install them. Skills can be installed by installing their plugin. Read the installation instructions matching the agent client to offer the installation instructions.
- [Copilot CLI](./references/install/copilot-cli.md)
- [Claude Code](./references/install/claude-code.md)
- [Other](./references/install/other.md)
© Microsoft · MIT · microsoft/skills
