CLOUD OPERATIONS / Microsoft
Deploy to AKS
Pins Microsoft's skill for deploying an existing web app to a running AKS cluster, which requires az login and refuses to provision the cluster.
“Use when deploying an existing web application or API to an already-running Azure Kubernetes Service cluster. Detects the framework, generates a Dockerfile and Kubernetes manifests, validates against AKS Deployment Safeguards, and deploys with verification. WHEN: deploy app to AKS, deploy to existing AKS cluster, containerize app for Kubernetes, generate K8s manifests for Azure, set up CI/CD for AKS, my AKS deployment is failing safeguard checks, I have a Django/Express/Spring Boot app to run on AKS. DO NOT USE FOR: creating or provisioning an AKS cluster (use azure-kubernetes), assessing migration to AKS Automatic (use azure-kubernetes-automatic-readiness), or deploying to non-AKS targets like Web Apps, Container Apps, or Functions.”
01 / THE REASONING
Why this made the selection.
- The workflow line requires an existing AKS cluster, az login, and a configured kubectl before deployment.
- The file refuses cluster provisioning and non-AKS targets, and it names the other skills that own those jobs.
02 / THE REVIEW RECORD
What we actually inspected.
Source review has boundaries.
A clear record is more useful than a “safe” badge.
Material inspected
- .github/plugins/azure-skills/skills/azure-kubernetes/azure-kubernetes-app-deploy/SKILL.md
- .github/plugins/azure-skills/README.md
- README.md
- LICENSE
Our findings
- The description says not to use this skill to create or provision an AKS cluster, not to assess AKS Automatic migration, and not to deploy to Web Apps, Container Apps, or Functions.
- The workflow requires an existing AKS cluster, az login, and kubectl, then says to follow phases/quick-deploy.md.
- On failure it points to references/rollback.md instead of describing the recovery commands in this file.
- It says the skill detects the framework, generates a Dockerfile and Kubernetes manifests, validates them against AKS Deployment Safeguards, and then deploys.
Not established by this review
- The resource was not executed and its tools were not called.
- az login, kubectl, and any deploy command were not run.
- phases/quick-deploy.md, safeguards.md, and rollback.md were not fetched.
- Not executed: it was not installed or run.
The review applies to the material and revision named here. A newer upstream release can change its behavior.
03 / PUT IT TO WORK
Add a skill to your workflow.
DOCUMENTED COMMAND
/plugin install azure@skillsCopying does not execute this command. It may retrieve a newer version than the reviewed source.
- The repository README tells Copilot CLI to add the microsoft/skills marketplace and then run /plugin install azure@skills.
- That command installs the Azure plugin group named in the README table, not this skill file by itself.
- The azure-skills plugin README instead prints /plugin marketplace add microsoft/azure-skills and /plugin install azure@azure-skills. This review did not resolve that second marketplace name.
Before you start
- Node.js 22 or later, which the plugin README requires for the Azure MCP server
- Azure authentication by Azure CLI login, service-principal environment variables, or managed identity, as the plugin README lists
- A host that can run the Copilot CLI plugin slash command
04 / FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The source trail.
Our notes are separate from the original resource.
Check upstream before adopting a new version.
https://github.com/microsoft/skills/blob/fc164ba1d7a0c10377dbcc1c9ac07253b9329fdb/.github/plugins/azure-skills/skills/azure-kubernetes/azure-kubernetes-app-deploy/SKILL.md
Supports: az login requirement and refusal to provision a cluster
- Repository README ↗Checked
https://github.com/microsoft/skills/blob/fc164ba1d7a0c10377dbcc1c9ac07253b9329fdb/README.md
Supports: MIT licence heading and the azure plugin install line
- Azure plugin README ↗Checked
https://github.com/microsoft/skills/blob/fc164ba1d7a0c10377dbcc1c9ac07253b9329fdb/.github/plugins/azure-skills/README.md
Supports: Azure authentication options, Node.js 22, and a different plugin install line
- Repository LICENSE ↗Checked
https://github.com/microsoft/skills/blob/fc164ba1d7a0c10377dbcc1c9ac07253b9329fdb/LICENSE
Supports: MIT License, copyright Microsoft Corporation
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/microsoft/skills/fc164ba1d7a0c10377dbcc1c9ac07253b9329fdb/.github/plugins/azure-skills/skills/azure-kubernetes/azure-kubernetes-app-deploy/SKILL.md
Supports: upstreamDescription, bestFor, review.notTested