Official agent skill

Aspire

Orchestrates Aspire distributed applications using the Aspire CLI for running, debugging, and managing distributed apps.

OfficialMITAuto-check passedDevOps & Cloud

Install Aspire

skills CLI

$ npx skills add microsoft/aspire.dev --skill aspire -a claude-code

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

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install microsoft/aspire.dev aspire --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/microsoft/aspire.dev.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/aspire .claude/skills/aspire && 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/

Paste into Claude Code

Install the "aspire" agent skill from https://github.com/microsoft/aspire.dev/tree/main/.agents/skills/aspire into .claude/skills/aspire/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "aspire", 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

$skill-installer install https://github.com/microsoft/aspire.dev/tree/main/.agents/skills/aspire

Type 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.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add microsoft/aspire.dev --skill aspire -a codex

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install microsoft/aspire.dev aspire --agent codex

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/microsoft/aspire.dev.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/aspire .agents/skills/aspire && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.

Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/

Paste into Codex

Install the "aspire" agent skill from https://github.com/microsoft/aspire.dev/tree/main/.agents/skills/aspire into .agents/skills/aspire/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "aspire", 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.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add microsoft/aspire.dev --skill aspire -a cursor

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install microsoft/aspire.dev aspire --agent cursor

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/microsoft/aspire.dev.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/aspire .cursor/skills/aspire && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.

Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/

Paste into Cursor

Install the "aspire" agent skill from https://github.com/microsoft/aspire.dev/tree/main/.agents/skills/aspire into .cursor/skills/aspire/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "aspire", 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

$ gemini skills install https://github.com/microsoft/aspire.dev.git --path .agents/skills/aspire

--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add microsoft/aspire.dev --skill aspire -a gemini-cli

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install microsoft/aspire.dev aspire --agent gemini-cli

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/microsoft/aspire.dev.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/aspire .gemini/skills/aspire && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.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/

Paste into Gemini CLI

Install the "aspire" agent skill from https://github.com/microsoft/aspire.dev/tree/main/.agents/skills/aspire into .gemini/skills/aspire/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "aspire", 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.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install microsoft/aspire.dev aspire

Installs 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).

skills CLI

$ npx skills add microsoft/aspire.dev --skill aspire -a github-copilot

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/microsoft/aspire.dev.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/aspire .github/skills/aspire && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.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/

Paste into GitHub Copilot

Install the "aspire" agent skill from https://github.com/microsoft/aspire.dev/tree/main/.agents/skills/aspire into .github/skills/aspire/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "aspire", 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.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add microsoft/aspire.dev --skill aspire -a opencode

OpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install microsoft/aspire.dev aspire --agent opencode

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/microsoft/aspire.dev.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/aspire .opencode/skills/aspire && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.

OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into OpenCode

Install the "aspire" agent skill from https://github.com/microsoft/aspire.dev/tree/main/.agents/skills/aspire into .opencode/skills/aspire/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "aspire", 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.

Facts

Skill name: aspire
GitHub stars: 196
Used in: 4 other repos
Token cost: ~1.1k tokens
SKILL.md length: 461 words
Files: 1
Skills in repo: 8
Repo updated: Oct 7, 2026
First seen: Oct 7, 2026
Licence: MIT

At a glance

Orchestrates Aspire distributed applications using the Aspire CLI for running, debugging, and managing distributed apps.

Works in 4 steps: aspire describe — check resource status → aspire otel logs — view structured logs → aspire logs — view console output → …
Start aspire app
SKILL.md covers CLI command reference, Key workflows, Important rules and Playwright CLI
Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md

What it does

Aspire is an agent skill from microsoft/aspire.dev, published by the product's own GitHub organization. Orchestrates Aspire distributed applications using the Aspire CLI for running, debugging, and managing distributed apps. USE FOR: aspire start, aspire stop, start aspire app, aspire describe, list aspire integrations, debug aspire issues, view aspire logs, add aspire resource, aspire dashboard, update aspire apphost. DO NOT USE FOR: non-Aspire .NET apps (use dotnet CLI), container-only deployments (use docker/podman), Azure deployment after local testing (use azure-deploy skill). INVOKES: Aspire CLI commands…

Its SKILL.md is about 1.1k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.

It sits in DevOps & Cloud, covering Deployment and Debugging. It works with Microsoft Azure, OpenTelemetry, .NET and Playwright. The repository describes itself as: The official website for all things aspire.dev. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

Start aspire app
Aspire describe
List aspire integrations
Debug aspire issues

Example prompts

“Use the aspire skill to orchestrate Aspire distributed applications using the Aspire CLI for running, debugging, and managing distributed apps”
“/aspire”

Requirements

Docker

Workflow steps

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

aspire describe — check resource status
aspire otel logs — view structured logs
aspire logs — view console output
aspire otel traces — view distributed traces

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit a097c7e. 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
No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md (its code samples are bash).
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

Aspire loads about 1.1k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 177 tokens; SKILL.md has 461 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it: ~177
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches: ~1.1k

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 microsoft/aspire.dev at commit a097c7e, republished under its MIT licence (© microsoft). 461 words, ~1,138 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/aspire/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).

name: aspire
description: Orchestrates Aspire distributed applications using the Aspire CLI for running, debugging, and managing distributed apps. USE FOR: aspire start, aspire stop, start aspire app, aspire describe, list aspire integrations, debug aspire issues, view aspire logs, add aspire resource, aspire dashboard, update aspire apphost. DO NOT USE FOR: non-Aspire .NET apps (use dotnet CLI), container-only deployments (use docker/podman), Azure deployment after local testing (use azure-deploy skill). INVOKES: Aspire CLI commands (aspire start, aspire describe, aspire otel logs, aspire docs search, aspire add), bash. FOR SINGLE OPERATIONS: Use Aspire CLI commands directly for quick resource status or doc lookups.

Aspire Skill

This repository uses Aspire to orchestrate its distributed application. Resources are defined in the AppHost project (apphost.cs or apphost.mts).

CLI command reference

Task	Command
Start the app	`aspire start`
Start isolated (worktrees)	`aspire start --isolated`
Restart the app	`aspire start` (stops previous automatically)
Wait for resource healthy	`aspire wait <resource>`
Stop the app	`aspire stop`
List resources	`aspire describe` or `aspire resources`
Run resource command	`aspire resource <resource> <command>`
Start/stop/restart resource	`aspire resource `<resource>` start
View console logs	`aspire logs [resource]`
View structured logs	`aspire otel logs [resource]`
View traces	`aspire otel traces [resource]`
Logs for a trace	`aspire otel logs --trace-id <id>`
Add an integration	`aspire add`
List running AppHosts	`aspire ps`
Update AppHost packages	`aspire update`
Search docs	`aspire docs search <query>`
Get doc page	`aspire docs get <slug>`
List doc pages	`aspire docs list`
Environment diagnostics	`aspire doctor`
List resource MCP tools	`aspire mcp tools`
Call resource MCP tool	`aspire mcp call <resource> <tool> --input <json>`

Most commands support --format Json for machine-readable output. Use --apphost <path> to target a specific AppHost.

Key workflows

Running in agent environments

Use aspire start to run the AppHost in the background. When working in a git worktree, use --isolated to avoid port conflicts and to prevent sharing user secrets or other local state with other running instances:

bash

aspire start --isolated

Use aspire wait <resource> to block until a resource is healthy before interacting with it:

bash

aspire start --isolated
aspire wait myapi

Relaunching is safe — aspire start automatically stops any previous instance. Re-run aspire start whenever changes are made to the AppHost project.

Debugging issues

Before making code changes, inspect the app state:

aspire describe — check resource status
aspire otel logs <resource> — view structured logs
aspire logs <resource> — view console output
aspire otel traces <resource> — view distributed traces

Show full SKILL.md (167 more words)Show less

Adding integrations

Use aspire docs search to find integration documentation, then aspire docs get to read the full guide. Use aspire add to add the integration package to the AppHost.

After adding an integration, restart the app with aspire start for the new resource to take effect.

Using resource MCP tools

Some resources expose MCP tools (e.g. WithPostgresMcp() adds SQL query tools). Discover and call them via CLI:

bash

aspire mcp tools                                              # list available tools
aspire mcp tools --format Json                                # includes input schemas
aspire mcp call <resource> <tool> --input '{"key":"value"}'   # invoke a tool

Important rules

Always start the app first (aspire start) before making changes to verify the starting state.
To restart, just run aspire start again — it automatically stops the previous instance. NEVER use aspire stop then aspire run. NEVER use aspire run at all.
Use --isolated when working in a worktree.
Avoid persistent containers early in development to prevent state management issues.
Never install the Aspire workload — it is obsolete.
Prefer aspire.dev and learn.microsoft.com/microsoft/aspire for official documentation.

Playwright CLI

If configured, use Playwright CLI for functional testing of resources. Get endpoints via aspire describe. Run playwright-cli --help for available commands.

Files

Just SKILL.md in .agents/skills/aspire of microsoft/aspire.dev.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit a097c7e

Used in 4 other repositories

We found 7 copies of this SKILL.md (exact, near-identical or edited) in other folders, from 4 other GitHub owners. This page covers the copy in microsoft/aspire.dev, which our catalogue first saw on October 7, 2026.

Compare with similar skills

Aspire 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.

Aspire compared with similar skills
Skill	Stars	Used in	Tokens	Auto-check	Licence	Repo updated
Aspire this skillmicrosoft/aspire.dev	196	4 repos	~1.1k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	today
Aspire MonitoringCommunityToolkit/Aspire	629	—	~3.5k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	today
Deploying To Azuremicrosoft-foundry/foundry-agent-webapp	127	—	~2.2k	Automated safety check: Warn	MIT	5 mo ago
Azure App Onboard Prereqmicrosoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure	255	—	~2.5k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	today
.NET Crash Dump Collectiondotnet/skills	5.6k	2 repos	~1.1k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	today
Medusa Cloud Local Buildmedusajs/medusa-agent-skills	225	—	~1k	Automated safety check: Notes	None	2 days ago

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Questions about Aspire

What does Aspire do?

Orchestrates Aspire distributed applications using the Aspire CLI for running, debugging, and managing distributed apps. dev, published by the product's own GitHub organization. Orchestrates Aspire distributed applications using the Aspire CLI for running, debugging, and managing distributed apps.

When should I use Aspire?

Aspire fits situations like: start aspire app; aspire describe; list aspire integrations; debug aspire issues.

How do I install Aspire in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add microsoft/aspire.dev --skill aspire -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (.agents/skills/aspire in microsoft/aspire.dev) into .claude/skills/aspire in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Aspire in Codex?

Run `npx skills add microsoft/aspire.dev --skill aspire -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (.agents/skills/aspire in microsoft/aspire.dev) into .agents/skills/aspire in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Aspire 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 microsoft/aspire.dev --skill aspire -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/aspire, .gemini/skills/aspire, .github/skills/aspire and .opencode/skills/aspire in your project.

What does Aspire need to run?

SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Aspire is instructions for the agent only. Our summary lists: Docker.

Does Aspire 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 Aspire 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 Aspire use?

Aspire is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Aspire use?

About 1.1k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 4.6k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to Aspire?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Aspire: Aspire Monitoring (CommunityToolkit/Aspire, 629 stars), Deploying To Azure (microsoft-foundry/foundry-agent-webapp, 127 stars), Azure App Onboard Prereq (microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure, 255 stars) and .NET Crash Dump Collection (dotnet/skills, 5.6k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Aspire?

microsoft (a GitHub organization, an official publisher) maintains it in microsoft/aspire.dev, which has 196 GitHub stars. The repository holds 8 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 7, 2026.

Source: microsoft/aspire.dev on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.

Install Aspire

Facts

At a glance

What it does

When your agent uses it

Example prompts

Requirements

Workflow steps

What it can do on your machine

Tool permissions

Runs code

Network

Credentials

Context cost

Safety

SKILL.md

Aspire Skill

CLI command reference

Key workflows

Running in agent environments

Debugging issues

Adding integrations

Using resource MCP tools

Important rules

Playwright CLI

Files

Used in 4 other repositories

Compare with similar skills

Similar skills

More from microsoft/aspire.dev

Related

Questions about Aspire