--- title: "Deploy to AKS: review, setup & limitations · Undominated.ai" canonical: https://undominated.ai/skills/microsoft-azure-kubernetes-app-deploy/ description: "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." --- # Deploy to AKS: review, setup & limitations · Undominated.ai > 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. [← Explore all skills](/skills/) 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. [See setup guidance ↓](#setup)[Original source ↗](https://github.com/microsoft/skills/tree/fc164ba1d7a0c10377dbcc1c9ac07253b9329fdb/.github/plugins/azure-skills/skills/azure-kubernetes/azure-kubernetes-app-deploy) SOURCE REVIEW Reviewed 2026-10-15 Evidence 5 linked sources Publisher Microsoft Licence [MIT ↗](https://github.com/microsoft/skills/blob/fc164ba1d7a0c10377dbcc1c9ac07253b9329fdb/LICENSE) Revision fc164ba1d7a0 [Read what was—and wasn’t—checked ↓](#review) “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.” [Microsoft · upstream description ↗](https://github.com/microsoft/skills/blob/fc164ba1d7a0c10377dbcc1c9ac07253b9329fdb/.github/plugins/azure-skills/skills/azure-kubernetes/azure-kubernetes-app-deploy/SKILL.md) Our analysis follows below. 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. ### A good fit for - Containerizing an existing web app and deploying it to an AKS cluster that is already running - Route Deployment Safeguards failures to the existing-cluster application workflow while leaving cluster provisioning to its separate skill. ### Weigh up before choosing - The resource was not executed, and no Azure API, CLI, or MCP tool was called. - /plugin install azure@skills installs the Azure plugin group, not this one skill file. - The plugin README warns that the plugin uses npx to download and run the Azure MCP server and that a compromised .npmrc could make that npx step execute untrusted code. This review did not install the plugin. - The plugin README says usage telemetry is collected unless AZURE_MCP_COLLECT_TELEMETRY=false. That switch was not tested. - The deploy procedure, Deployment Safeguards checklist, workload-identity note, and rollback procedure are separate files and were not fetched. - Failure handling in this file is only a pointer to references/rollback.md, so the recovery actions were not reviewed. - The file names framework knowledge packs and templates but does not include their contents. - The source review is pinned to revision fc164ba1d7a0c10377dbcc1c9ac07253b9329fdb, but the unversioned plugin install command selects the marketplace release available when installed; its code and dependencies may differ from this reviewed snapshot. 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. [Upstream setup instructions ↗](https://github.com/microsoft/skills/blob/fc164ba1d7a0c10377dbcc1c9ac07253b9329fdb/README.md) DOCUMENTED COMMAND /plugin install azure@skills Copy command ↗ Copying 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 ### Compatibility Claude Code · GitHub Copilot CLI · GitHub Copilot in VS Code ### Implementation shell ### Deploy to an existing AKS cluster after az login - Require az login and a configured kubectl against an existing cluster - Generate local container and Kubernetes files and deploy them to that cluster - Do not provision the AKS cluster from this skill - Installing the full plugin can download and execute Azure MCP/npm hook code and send usage telemetry; review local npm configuration and the telemetry setting before enabling that plugin path. ### Cost model MIT licence. No Azure call was made, and Azure prices were not checked. 04 / FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE ## The source trail. Our notes are separate from the original resource. Check upstream before adopting a new version. - [azure-kubernetes-app-deploy SKILL.md ↗](https://github.com/microsoft/skills/blob/fc164ba1d7a0c10377dbcc1c9ac07253b9329fdb/.github/plugins/azure-skills/skills/azure-kubernetes/azure-kubernetes-app-deploy/SKILL.md) Checked 2026-10-14 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 ↗](https://github.com/microsoft/skills/blob/fc164ba1d7a0c10377dbcc1c9ac07253b9329fdb/README.md) Checked 2026-10-14 https://github.com/microsoft/skills/blob/fc164ba1d7a0c10377dbcc1c9ac07253b9329fdb/README.md Supports: MIT licence heading and the azure plugin install line - [Azure plugin README ↗](https://github.com/microsoft/skills/blob/fc164ba1d7a0c10377dbcc1c9ac07253b9329fdb/.github/plugins/azure-skills/README.md) Checked 2026-10-14 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 ↗](https://github.com/microsoft/skills/blob/fc164ba1d7a0c10377dbcc1c9ac07253b9329fdb/LICENSE) Checked 2026-10-14 https://github.com/microsoft/skills/blob/fc164ba1d7a0c10377dbcc1c9ac07253b9329fdb/LICENSE Supports: MIT License, copyright Microsoft Corporation - [Pinned source sections reviewed in continuation W20 on 2026-10-15 ↗](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/microsoft/skills/fc164ba1d7a0c10377dbcc1c9ac07253b9329fdb/.github/plugins/azure-skills/skills/azure-kubernetes/azure-kubernetes-app-deploy/SKILL.md) Checked 2026-10-15 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 KEEP COMPARING ## Other approaches to consider. Related by category or shared topics. These are alternatives to inspect, not a measured quality order. [### AKS Automatic Readiness ↗ Pins Microsoft's AKS Automatic readiness skill, which assesses a cluster or local manifests without changing the cluster and writes files only after an accepted diff.](/skills/microsoft-azure-kubernetes-automatic-readiness/)[### Azure Kubernetes ↗ Pins Microsoft's AKS cluster skill, which refuses to print secrets or subscription identifiers and sends application deployment to a different skill.](/skills/microsoft-azure-kubernetes/)[### Azure Deploy ↗ Pins Microsoft's Azure deploy skill, which stops unless a separate validation skill has already marked the deployment plan validated.](/skills/microsoft-azure-deploy/) [AI Tools ↗](/tools/)[Skills ↗](/skills/)[Agents ↗](/agents/)[MCP Servers ↗](/mcp-servers/)[Workflows ↗](/workflows/) ## Continue your investigation - [Choose a toolkit](/tools/) - [Inspect execution hosts](/agents/) - [Check tool access](/mcp-servers/) - [Check project dependencies](/check-repo/)