azure-kubernetes

Decides how an Azure Kubernetes cluster should be set up before anyone creates it — the networking, the security, the machine pools, the monitoring and the cost controls, settled and written down first.

WHEN TO USE

SCOPE

USE FOR

Choose between AKS Automatic, a fully managed cluster mode, and Standard, where you configure more yourself.
Choose a pod networking and egress model before creating your cluster.
Get a pre-launch checklist covering security, identity, and observability settings.
Set up Spot node pools and autoscaling to cut compute costs.
Plan an upgrade and patching strategy for an existing Kubernetes cluster on Azure.

NOT FOR

Deploying an application to an already-existing cluster; use azure-kubernetes-app-deploy.

This is a saved copy of the skill's SKILL.md instructions. It may differ from the upstream file or the version you install.

In this document (9)

Azure Kubernetes Service

AUTHORITATIVE GUIDANCE — MANDATORY COMPLIANCE

This skill produces a recommended AKS cluster configuration based on user requirements, distinguishing Day-0 decisions (networking, API server — hard to change later) from Day-1 features (can enable post-creation). See CLI reference for commands.

Quick Reference

Property	Value
Best for	AKS cluster planning and Day-0 decisions
MCP Tools	`mcp_azure_mcp_aks`
CLI	`az aks create`, `az aks show`, `kubectl get`, `kubectl describe`
Related skills	azure-kubernetes-app-deploy (deploy an app to an existing cluster), azure-diagnostics (troubleshooting AKS), azure-validate (readiness checks), azure-kubernetes-automatic-readiness (migrate existing cluster to AKS Automatic)

When to Use This Skill

Activate this skill when user wants to:

Create a new AKS cluster
Plan AKS cluster configuration for production workloads
Design AKS networking (API server access, pod IP model, egress)
Set up AKS identity and secrets management
Configure AKS governance (Azure Policy, Deployment Safeguards)
Enable AKS observability (Container Insights, Managed Prometheus, Grafana)
Define AKS upgrade and patching strategy
Understand AKS Automatic vs Standard SKU differences
Get a Day-0 checklist for AKS cluster setup and configuration

Deploying an application to an existing cluster? This skill provisions and configures the cluster. To containerize an app and deploy it to a cluster that already exists (Dockerfile + manifests + Deployment Safeguards), use the azure-kubernetes-app-deploy sub-skill instead.

Rules

Start with the user's requirements for provisioning compute, networking, security, and other settings.
Use the azure MCP server and select mcp_azure_mcp_aks first to discover the exact AKS-specific MCP tools surfaced by the client. Choose the smallest discovered AKS tool that fits the task, and fall back to Azure CLI (az aks) only when the needed functionality is not exposed through the AKS MCP surface.
Determine if AKS Automatic or Standard SKU is more appropriate based on the user's need for control vs convenience. Default to AKS Automatic unless specific customizations are required.
Document decisions and rationale for cluster configuration choices, especially for Day-0 decisions that are hard to change later (networking, API server access).

Required Inputs (Ask only what’s needed)

If the user is unsure, use safe defaults.

AKS environment type: dev/test or production
Region(s), availability zones, preferred node VM sizes
Expected scale (node/cluster count, workload size)
Networking requirements (API server access, pod IP model, ingress/egress control)
Security and identity requirements, including image registry
Upgrade and observability preferences
Cost constraints

Workflow

1. Cluster Type

AKS Automatic (default): Best for most production workloads, provides a curated experience with pre-configured best practices for security, reliability, and performance. Use unless you have specific custom requirements for networking, autoscaling, or node pool configurations not supported by Node Auto-Provisioning (NAP).
AKS Standard: Use if you need full control over environment configuration, which requires additional overhead to set up and manage.

2. Networking (Pod IP, Egress, Ingress, Dataplane)

Pod IP Model (Key Day-0 decision):

Azure CNI Overlay (recommended): pod IPs from private overlay range, not VNet-routable, scales to large environments and good for most workloads
Azure CNI (VNet-routable): pod IPs directly from VNet (pod subnet or node subnet), use when pods must be directly addressable from VNet or on-prem
- Docs: https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/aks/azure-cni-overlay

Dataplane & Network Policy:

Azure CNI powered by Cilium (recommended): eBPF-based for high-performance packet processing, network policies, and observability

Egress:

Static Egress Gateway for stable, predictable outbound IPs
For restricted egress: UDR + Azure Firewall or NVA

Ingress:

App Routing addon with Gateway API — recommended default for HTTP/HTTPS workloads
Istio service mesh with Gateway API - for advanced traffic management, mTLS, canary releases
Application Gateway for Containers — for L7 load balancing with WAF integration

DNS:

Enable LocalDNS on all node pools for reliable, performant DNS resolution

3. Security

Use Microsoft Entra ID everywhere (control plane, Workload Identity for pods, node access). Avoid static credentials.
Azure Key Vault via Secrets Store CSI Driver for secrets
Enable Azure Policy + Deployment Safeguards
Enable Encryption at rest for etcd/API server; in-transit for node-to-node
Allow only signed, policy-approved images (Azure Policy + Ratify), prefer Azure Container Registry
Isolation: Use namespaces, network policies, scoped logging

4. Observability

Use Managed Prometheus and Container Insights with Grafana for AKS observability (logs + metrics).
Enable Diagnostic Settings to collect control plane logs and audit logs in a Log Analytics workspace for security monitoring and troubleshooting.
For other monitoring and troubleshooting tools, use features like the Agentic CLI for AKS, Application Insights, Resource Health Center, AppLens detectors, and Azure Advisors.

5. Upgrades & Patching

Configure Maintenance Windows for controlled upgrade timing
Enable auto-upgrades for control plane and node OS to stay up-to-date with security patches and Kubernetes versions
Consider LTS versions for enterprise stability (2-year support) by upgrading your AKS environment to the Premium tier
Fleet upgrades: Use AKS Fleet Manager for staged rollout across test to production environments

6. Performance

Use Ephemeral OS disks (--node-osdisk-type Ephemeral) for faster node startup
Select Azure Linux as node OS (smaller footprint, faster boot)
Enable KEDA for event-driven autoscaling beyond HPA

7. Node Pools & Compute

Dedicated system node pool: At least 2 nodes, tainted for system workloads only (CriticalAddonsOnly)
Enable Node Auto Provisioning (NAP) on all pools for cost savings and responsive scaling
Use latest generation SKUs (v5/v6) for host-level optimizations
Avoid B-series VMs — burstable SKUs cause performance/reliability issues
Use SKUs with at least 4 vCPUs for production workloads
Set topology spread constraints to distribute pods across hosts/zones per SLO

8. Reliability

Deploy across 3 Availability Zones (--zones 1 2 3)
Use Standard tier for zone-redundant control plane + 99.95% SLA for API server availability
Enable Microsoft Defender for Containers for runtime protection
Configure PodDisruptionBudgets for all production workloads
Use topology spread constraints to ensure pod distribution across failure domains

9. Cost Controls

Use Spot node pools for batch/interruptible workloads (up to 90% savings)
Stop/Start dev/test clusters: az aks stop/start
Consider Reserved Instances or Savings Plans for steady-state workloads

Deep-dive scenarios — load only the relevant reference file:

Scenario	Trigger Keywords	Reference
Pod Rightsizing	over-provisioned pods, CPU requests, memory requests, rightsize workloads	azure-aks-rightsizing.md
VPA Setup	vertical pod autoscaler, VPA recommendations, VPA enable	azure-aks-vpa.md
Cluster Autoscaler	idle nodes, CAS off, enable autoscaler, scale-down profile, node utilization	azure-aks-autoscaler.md
Spot Node Pools	Spot VMs, Spot nodes, batch workloads, cheaper nodes	azure-aks-spot.md

Disambiguation: If a prompt matches multiple rows (e.g., "cheaper nodes" could suggest both Spot and autoscaler), prefer the most specific match. If ambiguous, ask the user to clarify their intent before loading a reference file.

Guardrails / Safety

Do not request or output secrets (tokens, keys).
Do not ask the user to paste subscription IDs. Discover subscription and resource scope via MCP tools (e.g., list subscriptions, list resource groups) or az account show / az account list so the agent can resolve context without exposing identifiers.
If requirements are ambiguous for day-0 critical decisions, ask the user clarifying questions. For day-1 enabled features, propose 2–3 safe options with tradeoffs and choose a conservative default.
Do not promise zero downtime; advise workload safeguards (PDBs, probes, replicas) and staged upgrades along with best practices for reliability and performance.

MCP Tools

Tool	Purpose	Key Parameters
`mcp_azure_mcp_aks`	AKS MCP entry point used to discover the exact AKS-specific tools exposed by the client	Discover the callable AKS tool first, then use that tool's parameters

Error Handling

Error / Symptom	Likely Cause	Remediation
MCP tool call fails or times out	Invalid credentials, subscription, or AKS context	Verify `az login`, confirm the active subscription context with `az account show`, and check the target resource group without echoing subscription identifiers back to the user
Quota exceeded	Regional vCPU or resource limits	Request quota increase or select different region/VM SKU
Networking conflict (IP exhaustion)	Pod subnet too small for overlay/CNI	Re-plan IP ranges; may require cluster recreation (Day-0)
Workload Identity not working	Missing OIDC issuer or federated credential	Enable `--enable-oidc-issuer --enable-workload-identity`, configure federated identity

Account or credentials required

1 FOR YOU

01
Have an Azure subscription ready
You need an active Azure subscription with permission to create resource groups and AKS clusters, and to be signed in via az login (or have the Azure MCP server connected) so the skill can discover subscriptions, regions, and existing resources.

Listed as free: Connected services may require an account or charge fees.

This skill ships inside the Azure Skills Plugin. Listed package contents include hooks and an MCP server. Installed components and skill versions may vary by AI tool.

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Install checklist

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npx skills add microsoft/azure-skills --skill "azure-kubernetes" --full-depth

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What's inside

Files included with this skill.

View on GitHub

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