Azure Deploy
microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure
Execute Azure deployments for ALREADY-PREPARED applications that have existing .azure/deployment-plan.md and infrastructure files.
WORKFLOW SKILL — Execute Azure deployments (azd up, azd deploy, terraform apply) for already-prepared apps with built-in error recovery.
$ npx skills add jonathan-vella/apex --skill apex-azure-deploy -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install jonathan-vella/apex apex-azure-deploy --agent claude-codeProject scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/jonathan-vella/apex.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/.github/skills/apex-azure-deploy .claude/skills/apex-azure-deploy && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.
Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/
Install the "apex-azure-deploy" agent skill from https://github.com/jonathan-vella/apex/tree/main/.github/skills/apex-azure-deploy into .claude/skills/apex-azure-deploy/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "apex-azure-deploy", then confirm the skill loads.Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$skill-installer install https://github.com/jonathan-vella/apex/tree/main/.github/skills/apex-azure-deployType this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.
$ npx skills add jonathan-vella/apex --skill apex-azure-deploy -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install jonathan-vella/apex apex-azure-deploy --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/jonathan-vella/apex.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/.github/skills/apex-azure-deploy .agents/skills/apex-azure-deploy && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "apex-azure-deploy" agent skill from https://github.com/jonathan-vella/apex/tree/main/.github/skills/apex-azure-deploy into .agents/skills/apex-azure-deploy/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "apex-azure-deploy", then confirm the skill loads.Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add jonathan-vella/apex --skill apex-azure-deploy -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install jonathan-vella/apex apex-azure-deploy --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/jonathan-vella/apex.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/.github/skills/apex-azure-deploy .cursor/skills/apex-azure-deploy && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.
Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/
Install the "apex-azure-deploy" agent skill from https://github.com/jonathan-vella/apex/tree/main/.github/skills/apex-azure-deploy into .cursor/skills/apex-azure-deploy/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "apex-azure-deploy", then confirm the skill loads.Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gemini skills install https://github.com/jonathan-vella/apex.git --path .github/skills/apex-azure-deploy--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.
$ npx skills add jonathan-vella/apex --skill apex-azure-deploy -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install jonathan-vella/apex apex-azure-deploy --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/jonathan-vella/apex.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/.github/skills/apex-azure-deploy .gemini/skills/apex-azure-deploy && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.
Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "apex-azure-deploy" agent skill from https://github.com/jonathan-vella/apex/tree/main/.github/skills/apex-azure-deploy into .gemini/skills/apex-azure-deploy/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "apex-azure-deploy", then confirm the skill loads.Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gh skill install jonathan-vella/apex apex-azure-deployInstalls for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ npx skills add jonathan-vella/apex --skill apex-azure-deploy -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/jonathan-vella/apex.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/.github/skills/apex-azure-deploy .github/skills/apex-azure-deploy && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.
GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "apex-azure-deploy" agent skill from https://github.com/jonathan-vella/apex/tree/main/.github/skills/apex-azure-deploy into .github/skills/apex-azure-deploy/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "apex-azure-deploy", then confirm the skill loads.GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add jonathan-vella/apex --skill apex-azure-deploy -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install jonathan-vella/apex apex-azure-deploy --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/jonathan-vella/apex.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/.github/skills/apex-azure-deploy .opencode/skills/apex-azure-deploy && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.
OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "apex-azure-deploy" agent skill from https://github.com/jonathan-vella/apex/tree/main/.github/skills/apex-azure-deploy into .opencode/skills/apex-azure-deploy/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "apex-azure-deploy", then confirm the skill loads.OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
apex-azure-deployWORKFLOW SKILL — Execute Azure deployments (azd up, azd deploy, terraform apply) for already-prepared apps with built-in error recovery.
Apex Azure Deploy is an agent skill from jonathan-vella/apex. WORKFLOW SKILL — Execute Azure deployments (azd up, azd deploy, terraform apply) for already-prepared apps with built-in error recovery. WHEN: 'run azd up', 'run azd deploy', 'push to production', 'go live', 'bicep deploy', 'terraform apply', 'publish to Azure'. DO NOT USE FOR: creating new apps (apex-azure-prepare), pre-deploy checks (apex-azure-validate).
Its SKILL.md is about 2.3k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 46 other files, including scripts and reference files (for example `references/global-rules.md`, `references/live-role-verification.md` and `references/pre-deploy-checklist.md`).
It sits in DevOps & Cloud, covering Infrastructure as code and Deployment. It works with Microsoft Azure, Terraform, Bicep and Azure API Management. The repository describes itself as: APEX turns Azure platform engineering requirements into verified, deploy-ready IaC — powered by GitHub Copilot agents, real-time pricing, and built-in compliance. The licence is MIT.
5 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit b8e5908. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Ships 1 file in scripts/, which the agent can run.
Shell commands in SKILL.md call:
azterraformFrom the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Links to these hosts (documentation or services it may open):
learn.microsoft.comFrom URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.
Apex Azure Deploy loads about 2.3k tokens when it runs, and up to ~23k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 95 tokens; SKILL.md has 604 words of instructions outside code blocks.
Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.
The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.
Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); the scripts in this folder are not scanned.
The full file from jonathan-vella/apex at commit b8e5908, republished under its MIT licence (© jonathan-vella). 604 words, ~2,348 tokens.
.claude/skills/apex-azure-deploy/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 42 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.Resolve workflow identity and requested action before the generic prerequisite chain, per
apex-azure-validate.
For APEX, route Bicep to 07b-Bicep Deploy and Terraform to 07t-Terraform Deploy, then stop this generic
pipeline. Do not create a generic plan or use generic auto-prepare/checklist/recipe recovery for APEX.
Missing APEX artifacts return to their owning step; a generic validation proof cannot replace the APEX handoff or L3.
For validation-only, route to validation and stop; preview-only must stop before apply.
All remaining plan/proof requirements, rules, steps, and recipes here apply to generic application deployment only.
If workflow identity or deployment intent is ambiguous, ask before continuing.
Authoritative guidance — supersedes prior training. Workflow: apex-azure-prepare → apex-azure-validate → apex-azure-deploy. Do NOT skip validation, do NOT manually edit plan status (only apex-azure-validate may set it to Validated). If infra/{iac}/{project}/.azure/plan.md is missing → ask before invoking apex-azure-prepare. If status is not Validated → invoke apex-azure-validate first.
Activate this skill when user wants to:
azd up, azd deploy, or az deployment on a prepared projectScope: deployments only. For app/infra creation use apex-azure-prepare. APIM/AI gateway infra changes: see APIM docs.
infra/{iac}/{project}/.azure/plan.md must exist with status Validatedask_user — global-rulesazd up, azd deploy, terraform apply, and az deployment commands. These commands are run through this skill's error recovery and verification pipeline.| # | Action | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Prepare Gate — Check if infra/{iac}/{project}/.azure/plan.md exists. If missing, stop and ask whether to run apex-azure-prepare and then apex-azure-validate; start neither without confirmation, and return here only after validation passes. | — |
| 1 | Check Plan — Read infra/{iac}/{project}/.azure/plan.md, verify status = Validated AND Validation Proof section is populated. If status is not Validated, invoke apex-azure-validate first. | infra/{iac}/{project}/.azure/plan.md |
| 2 | Pre-Deploy Checklist — MUST complete ALL steps | Pre-Deploy Checklist |
| 3 | Load Recipe — Based on recipe.type in infra/{iac}/{project}/.azure/plan.md | recipes/README.md |
| 4 | Execute Deploy — Follow recipe steps | Recipe README |
| 5 | Post-Deploy — Configure SQL managed identity and apply EF migrations if applicable | Post-Deployment |
| 6 | Handle Errors — See recipe's errors.md | — |
| 7 | Verify Success — Confirm deployment completed and endpoints are accessible | Verification |
| 8 | Live Role Check — Read-only comparison of provisioned role assignments with app requirements; report gaps to the IaC owner | Live role verification |
⛔ VALIDATION PROOF CHECK
When checking the plan, verify the Validation Proof section (Section 7) contains actual validation results with commands run and timestamps. If this section is empty, validation was bypassed — invoke apex-azure-validate skill first.
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
mcp_azure-mcp_subscription_list | List available subscriptions |
mcp_azure-mcp_group_list | List resource groups in subscription |
mcp_azure-mcp_azd | Execute AZD commands |
Validated — Only the apex-azure-validate skill can set this after running actual checks. Manually updating causes deployment failures.Validated before deploying — If status is not Validated,
invoke apex-azure-validate first. Do NOT proceed.apex-azure-prepare → apex-azure-validate → apex-azure-deploy.
Skipping validation causes failures.Load these on demand — do NOT read all at once:
| Reference | When to Load |
|---|---|
../apex-entra-app-registration/references/auth-best-practices.md | Auth Best Practices |
references/global-rules.md | Global Rules |
references/live-role-verification.md | Live Role Verification |
references/pre-deploy-checklist.md | Pre Deploy Checklist |
references/region-availability.md | Region Availability |
references/troubleshooting.md | Troubleshooting |
© jonathan-vella, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file
SKILL.md and 42 other files (scripts, references) in .github/skills/apex-azure-deploy of jonathan-vella/apex.
Open the folder on GitHubat commit b8e5908
Apex Azure Deploy next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.
| Skill | Stars | Used in | Tokens | Auto-check | Licence | Repo updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apex Azure Deploy this skilljonathan-vella/apex | 217 | — | ~2.3k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Azure Deploymicrosoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure | 255 | 1 repos | ~1.6k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| APIOps Deployment for Azure APIMthomast1906/github-copilot-agent-skills | 202 | — | ~3.6k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Azure Preparemicrosoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure | 255 | 1 repos | ~3.2k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Azure Validatemicrosoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure | 255 | 1 repos | ~880 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Azure Architecture Autopilotgithub/awesome-copilot | 40k | 1 repos | ~1.9k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT |
microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure
Execute Azure deployments for ALREADY-PREPARED applications that have existing .azure/deployment-plan.md and infrastructure files.
thomast1906/github-copilot-agent-skills
Supplies Bicep and Terraform templates, CI/CD pipeline patterns and phased promotion plans for deploying Azure API Management with APIOps workflows.
microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure
Prepare azd-based Azure projects for deployment: generates azure.yaml, infrastructure (Bicep/Terraform), and Dockerfiles for the Azure Developer CLI (azd) workflow.
microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure
Pre-deployment validation for Azure readiness. An agent skill from microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure.
github/awesome-copilot
Designs Azure infrastructure from a natural-language description, or diagrams an existing resource group, then refines the design through conversation and deploys it with Bicep.
timothywarner-org/claude-code
A skill your agent uses when authoring, reviewing, or refactoring Azure Bicep code.
jonathan-vella/apex
WORKFLOW SKILL — Debug Azure production issues: Container Apps, Functions, App Service, AKS, VMs and messaging, with KQL log analysis.
jonathan-vella/apex
ANALYSIS SKILL — Azure Policy discovery: effective assignments (incl.
jonathan-vella/apex
UTILITY SKILL — Two-mode context-window management. An agent skill from jonathan-vella/apex.
jonathan-vella/apex
UTILITY SKILL — Python diagram generation for Azure architectures, WAF/cost/compliance charts, ERDs, swimlanes, timelines, and wireframes.
jonathan-vella/apex
WORKFLOW SKILL — Manual-only discovery and import of existing Azure resources into Terraform management.
jonathan-vella/apex
ANALYSIS SKILL — Manual-only audit of Anthropic Claude Opus 5.5 / Sonnet 5.5 and OpenAI GPT-6 / GPT-5.6 prompting guidance and APEX conventions.
Categories
WORKFLOW SKILL — Execute Azure deployments (azd up, azd deploy, terraform apply) for already-prepared apps with built-in error recovery. Apex Azure Deploy is an agent skill from jonathan-vella/apex. WORKFLOW SKILL — Execute Azure deployments (azd up, azd deploy, terraform apply) for already-prepared apps with built-in error recovery.
Apex Azure Deploy fits situations like: : creating new apps (apex-azure-prepare); pre-deploy checks (apex-azure-validate).
Run `npx skills add jonathan-vella/apex --skill apex-azure-deploy -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (.github/skills/apex-azure-deploy in jonathan-vella/apex) into .claude/skills/apex-azure-deploy in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
Run `npx skills add jonathan-vella/apex --skill apex-azure-deploy -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (.github/skills/apex-azure-deploy in jonathan-vella/apex) into .agents/skills/apex-azure-deploy in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add jonathan-vella/apex --skill apex-azure-deploy -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/apex-azure-deploy, .gemini/skills/apex-azure-deploy, .github/skills/apex-azure-deploy and .opencode/skills/apex-azure-deploy in your project.
Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Apex Azure Deploy needs the command-line tools its instructions call (az and terraform).
SKILL.md names 1 domain. As links in the text: learn.microsoft.com. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.
Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. The check reads SKILL.md only: the scripts in the folder are not scanned, so read them before running anything.
Apex Azure Deploy is published under the MIT licence (declared in SKILL.md). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.
About 2.3k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 9.4k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full. Its references folder adds about 21k tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Apex Azure Deploy: Azure Deploy (microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure, 255 stars), APIOps Deployment for Azure APIM (thomast1906/github-copilot-agent-skills, 202 stars), Azure Prepare (microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure, 255 stars) and Azure Validate (microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure, 255 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
jonathan-vella (a GitHub user) maintains it in jonathan-vella/apex, which has 217 GitHub stars. The repository holds 39 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 10, 2026.
Source: jonathan-vella/apex on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.