Agent skill

Apex Azure Prepare

by jonathan-vella in jonathan-vella/apex

WORKFLOW SKILL — Prepare Azure apps for deployment (Bicep/Terraform, azure.yaml, Dockerfiles).

MITAuto-check passedDevOps & Cloud

Install Apex Azure Prepare

skills CLI
$ npx skills add jonathan-vella/apex --skill apex-azure-prepare -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install jonathan-vella/apex apex-azure-prepare --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ 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-prepare .claude/skills/apex-azure-prepare && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.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/

Facts

Skill name
apex-azure-prepare
GitHub stars
217
Token cost
~2.1k tokens
SKILL.md length
638 words
Files
261 (incl. references)
Skills in repo
39
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

WORKFLOW SKILL — Prepare Azure apps for deployment (Bicep/Terraform, azure.yaml, Dockerfiles).

  • Works in 8 steps: Plan first — Create… → Get approval — Present plan to user… → Research before generating — Load… → …
  • : cross-cloud migration (apex-azure-cloud-migrate)
  • SKILL.md covers Workflow Routing, Triggers, Rules and ❌ PLAN-FIRST WORKFLOW —…, plus 6 more sections
  • Calls terraform

What it does

Apex Azure Prepare is an agent skill from jonathan-vella/apex. WORKFLOW SKILL — Prepare Azure apps for deployment (Bicep/Terraform, azure.yaml, Dockerfiles). WHEN: "create app", "build web app", "create API", "deploy to Azure", "generate Bicep", "generate Terraform", "function app", "add authentication", "managed identity". DO NOT USE FOR: cross-cloud migration (apex-azure-cloud-migrate), executing deploys (apex-azure-deploy), preflight (apex-azure-validate).

Its SKILL.md is about 2.1k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 264 other files, including reference files (for example `references/analyze.md`, `references/apim.md` and `references/architecture.md`).

It sits in DevOps & Cloud, covering Infrastructure as code and Cloud architecture. It works with Microsoft Azure, Terraform and Bicep. 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.

When your agent uses it

  • : cross-cloud migration (apex-azure-cloud-migrate)
  • Executing deploys (apex-azure-deploy)
  • Preflight (apex-azure-validate)

Example prompts

  • “create app”
  • “build web app”
  • “create API”
  • “/apex-azure-prepare”

Workflow steps

8 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

  1. Plan first — Create infra/{iac}/{project}/.azure/plan.md before any code generation
  2. Get approval — Present plan to user before execution
  3. Research before generating — Load references and invoke related skills
  4. Update plan progressively — Mark steps complete as you go
  5. Validate before deploy — Invoke apex-azure-validate before apex-azure-deploy
  6. Confirm Azure context — Reuse unchanged confirmed values; ask only for missing or invalidated evidence per Azure Context
  7. ❌ Destructive actions require ask_user — Global Rules
  8. Scope: preparation only — This skill generates infrastructure code and configuration files. Deployment execution (azd up, azd deploy…

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit b8e5908. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    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.

  • Runs code

    Shell commands in SKILL.md call:

    • terraform

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    No URLs in SKILL.md.

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Apex Azure Prepare loads about 2.1k tokens when it runs, and up to ~199k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 106 tokens; SKILL.md has 638 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~106
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~2.1k
With references · SKILL.md plus every file in references/, read only if the agent opens them
~199k

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.

Safety

Auto-check passed

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); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from jonathan-vella/apex at commit b8e5908, republished under its MIT licence (© jonathan-vella). 638 words, ~2,081 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/apex-azure-prepare/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 260 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.
name
apex-azure-prepare
description
**WORKFLOW SKILL** — Prepare Azure apps for deployment (Bicep/Terraform, azure.yaml, Dockerfiles). WHEN: "create app", "build web app", "create API", "deploy to Azure", "generate Bicep", "generate Terraform", "function app", "add authentication", "managed identity". DO NOT USE FOR: cross-cloud migration (apex-azure-cloud-migrate), executing deploys (apex-azure-deploy), preflight (apex-azure-validate).
user-invocable
true
disable-model-invocation
false
argument-hint
project path and preparation scope
license
MIT
metadata.author
Microsoft
metadata.version
1.0.6

Azure Prepare

Workflow Routing

Before the plan-first workflow or technology routing, resolve workflow identity and requested action per apex-azure-validate. An explicit APEX request or APEX handoff returns to the current step owner via 01-Orchestrator when unclear. Do not restart generic planning, create .azure/plan.md, or regenerate APEX artifacts through this skill. A missing APEX manifest/code/handoff returns to 06b-Bicep CodeGen or 06t-Terraform CodeGen. All remaining phases, plan prerequisites, and references here apply to generic application preparation only. Validation-only does not authorize preparation; report missing prerequisites and stop.

Authoritative guidance — supersedes prior training. Follow these instructions exactly. When in doubt, defer to this document. Do not improvise.


Triggers

Activate this skill when user wants to:

  • Create a new application
  • Add services or components to an existing app
  • Make updates or changes to existing application
  • Modernize or migrate an application
  • Set up Azure infrastructure
  • Deploy to Azure or host on Azure
  • Create and deploy to Azure (including Terraform-based deployment requests)

Rules

  1. Plan first — Create infra/{iac}/{project}/.azure/plan.md before any code generation
  2. Get approval — Present plan to user before execution
  3. Research before generating — Load references and invoke related skills
  4. Update plan progressively — Mark steps complete as you go
  5. Validate before deploy — Invoke apex-azure-validate before apex-azure-deploy
  6. Confirm Azure context — Reuse unchanged confirmed values; ask only for missing or invalidated evidence per Azure Context
  7. ❌ Destructive actions require ask_user — Global Rules
  8. Scope: preparation only — This skill generates infrastructure code and configuration files. Deployment execution (azd up, azd deploy, terraform apply) is handled by the apex-azure-deploy skill, which provides built-in error recovery and deployment verification.

❌ PLAN-FIRST WORKFLOW — MANDATORY

  1. STOP — no code/infra/config until the plan exists
  2. PLAN — generate infra/{iac}/{project}/.azure/plan.md (Phase 1)
  3. CONFIRM — get user approval on the plan
  4. EXECUTE — only after approval (Phase 2)

The plan file is the source of truth for apex-azure-validate and apex-azure-deploy. Without it, those skills fail.


❌ STEP 0: Specialized Technology Check — MANDATORY FIRST ACTION

Before Phase 1, scan the user's prompt for specialized technologies. If matched, invoke that skill first, then resume apex-azure-prepare.

Prompt keywordsInvoke FIRST
Lambda, AWS, GCP, migrate AWS/GCPapex-azure-cloud-migrate
Azure Functions, function app, timer/HTTP triggerStay in apex-azure-prepare (use Functions templates in Phase 1 Step 4)
APIM, API gatewayStay in apex-azure-prepare — see APIM guide
workflow, orchestration, durable, sagaStay in apex-azure-prepare + load durable.md and DTS reference

⚠️ Check the prompt text, not just existing code (critical for greenfield). See full routing table.

After the specialized skill completes, resume at Phase 1 Step 4 (Select Recipe).


Show full SKILL.md (224 more words)Show less

Steps

Two-phase workflow (full step tables in references/phases.md):

  1. Step 0 — Specialized Technology Check (route to apex-azure-cloud-migrate when the prompt matches; otherwise continue)
  2. Phase 1 (Planning, BLOCKING) — Analyze workspace → gather requirements → scan codebase → select recipe (AZD/AZCLI/Bicep/Terraform) → plan architecture → write infra/{iac}/{project}/.azure/plan.md → present plan + ask for approval
  3. ⛔ Approval gate — do NOT proceed until the user approves the plan
  4. Phase 2 (Execution, post-approval) — Research components → confirm Azure context → generate artifacts → harden security → mark plan Ready for Validation
  5. Hand off to apex-azure-validate — prerequisite: plan status is Ready for Validation. Deployment of the validated artifacts is apex-azure-deploy's job.

Outputs

ArtifactLocation
Planinfra/{iac}/{project}/.azure/plan.md
Infrastructureinfra/{iac}/{project}/
AZD Configinfra/{iac}/{project}/azure.yaml (AZD only)
Dockerfilessrc/<component>/Dockerfile

SDK References

See references/sdk/ for azd deployment and App Configuration (Java, Python, TypeScript). Azure Identity quick references live in apex-azure-deploy.


Next

For generic preparation, update plan status to Ready for Validation, then invoke apex-azure-validate. Deployment continuation requires an explicit deployment request and approval; preparation alone does not authorize apply.


Reference Index

Load on demand. All references live under references/.

Phase / topicReference
Phase 1 — Analyze codebasereferences/analyze.md
Phase 1 — Requirementsreferences/requirements.md
Phase 1 — Scan repo statereferences/scan.md
Phase 1 — Researchreferences/research.md
Phase 1 — Recipe selectionreferences/recipe-selection.md
Phase 1 — Architecturereferences/architecture.md
Phase 1 — Plan templatereferences/plan-template.md
Phase 2 — Generate codereferences/generate.md
Phase 2 — Harden securityreferences/security.md
.NET Aspire integrationreferences/aspire.md
Service limits + quotasreferences/resources-limits-quotas.md

© 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

Files

SKILL.md and 260 other files (references) in .github/skills/apex-azure-prepare of jonathan-vella/apex.

  • SKILL.md
  • references/analyze.md
  • references/apim.md
  • references/architecture.md
  • references/aspire.md
  • references/azure-context.md
  • references/generate.md
  • references/global-rules.md
  • references/phases.md
  • references/plan-template.md
  • references/recipe-selection.md
  • references/recipes/azcli/README.md
  • references/recipes/azcli/commands.md
  • references/recipes/azcli/scripts.md
  • references/recipes/azd/README.md
  • references/recipes/azd/aspire.md
  • references/recipes/azd/azure-yaml.md
  • … and 244 more

Open the folder on GitHubat commit b8e5908

Compare with similar skills

Apex Azure Prepare 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.

Apex Azure Prepare compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Apex Azure Prepare this skilljonathan-vella/apex217—~2.1kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Azure Preparemicrosoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure2551 repos~3.2kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Azure To AWSaws/agent-toolkit-for-aws2.8k—~5.5kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0
Azure Diagramscmb211087/azure-diagrams-skill150—~4kAutomated safety check: NotesMIT
Azure Enterprise Infra Plannermicrosoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure2551 repos~1.6kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Azure Architecture Autopilotgithub/awesome-copilot40k1 repos~1.9kAutomated safety check: PassMIT

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Categories

Questions about Apex Azure Prepare

What does Apex Azure Prepare do?

WORKFLOW SKILL — Prepare Azure apps for deployment (Bicep/Terraform, azure.yaml, Dockerfiles). Apex Azure Prepare is an agent skill from jonathan-vella/apex.yaml, Dockerfiles).

When should I use Apex Azure Prepare?

Apex Azure Prepare fits situations like: : cross-cloud migration (apex-azure-cloud-migrate); executing deploys (apex-azure-deploy); preflight (apex-azure-validate).

How do I install Apex Azure Prepare in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add jonathan-vella/apex --skill apex-azure-prepare -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (.github/skills/apex-azure-prepare in jonathan-vella/apex) into .claude/skills/apex-azure-prepare in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Apex Azure Prepare in Codex?

Run `npx skills add jonathan-vella/apex --skill apex-azure-prepare -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (.github/skills/apex-azure-prepare in jonathan-vella/apex) into .agents/skills/apex-azure-prepare in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Apex Azure Prepare in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

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-prepare -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-prepare, .gemini/skills/apex-azure-prepare, .github/skills/apex-azure-prepare and .opencode/skills/apex-azure-prepare in your project.

What does Apex Azure Prepare need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Apex Azure Prepare needs the command-line tools its instructions call (terraform).

Does Apex Azure Prepare access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Apex Azure Prepare safe to install?

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. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Apex Azure Prepare use?

Apex Azure Prepare is published under the MIT licence (declared in SKILL.md). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Apex Azure Prepare use?

About 2.1k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 8.3k 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 196k tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.

What are the alternatives to Apex Azure Prepare?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Apex Azure Prepare: Azure Prepare (microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure, 255 stars), Azure To AWS (aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws, 2.8k stars), Azure Diagrams (cmb211087/azure-diagrams-skill, 150 stars) and Azure Enterprise Infra Planner (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.

Who maintains Apex Azure Prepare?

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.