azure-app-onboard-prereq
microsoft/azure-skills
Assess whether your source code is ready to deploy to Azure before infrastructure work.
What is azure-app-onboard-prereq?
Evaluates your repository for build health, app completeness, dependencies, and Azure deployment feasibility. Use this to identify what your app needs before deploying — frameworks, dependencies, configuration, and blockers — without running install or build commands.
- Detects project components and stack (Node.js, Python, .NET, Go, etc.)
- Evaluates build health, dependencies, and configuration statically
- Checks app completeness and identifies missing required files
- Validates framework and dependency compatibility with Azure
- Identifies deployment blockers and unsupported patterns
- Produces per-component verdicts (PASS/WARN/FAIL) with remediation guidance
How to install azure-app-onboard-prereq
npx skills add https://github.com/microsoft/azure-skills --skill azure-app-onboard-prereq- Azure CLI (`az`) installed and authenticated
- Git repository with source code
- Access to `.copilot-azure/` directory for session state
How to use azure-app-onboard-prereq
- 1.Run the skill to scan your repository for project files and stack detection
- 2.Review the per-component evaluation results (build, completeness, deployability)
- 3.Check the verdicts (PASS/WARN/FAIL) and any identified blockers
- 4.Address any FAIL verdicts or recommended fixes if needed
- 5.Proceed to infrastructure planning once readiness gate is satisfied
Use cases
- Check if your app is ready to deploy to Azure before planning infrastructure
- Identify what dependencies or configuration changes are needed before deployment
- Scan a monorepo to evaluate multiple components for Azure readiness
- Validate that your framework and stack are supported on Azure
- Detect missing Dockerfile, configuration files, or other deployment requirements
- Developers preparing apps for Azure deployment
- DevOps engineers evaluating code readiness before infrastructure planning
- Teams migrating existing applications to Azure
- Anyone using the azure-app-onboard orchestrator workflow
azure-app-onboard-prereq FAQ
No. The prereq phase is read-only and static-only. It never runs install, build, or test commands on your code.
The skill detects cloud SDK dependencies and may redirect you to azure-cloud-migrate to help swap them for Azure equivalents before continuing.
You can use it standalone for code readiness checks, or it can be called by azure-app-onboard as Step 3 of the full pipeline.
The skill follows the zero-code-path protocol to help you scaffold a new app from scratch.
The skill produces a readiness gate with per-component verdicts and identifies any blockers. PASS verdicts mean you're ready; WARN or FAIL require remediation.
Full instructions (SKILL.md)
Source of truth, from microsoft/azure-skills.
name: azure-app-onboard-prereq description: "Assess whether source code is ready to deploy to Azure — the check BEFORE infrastructure work. Evaluates build health, app completeness, dependencies and local services, stack compatibility, and deployment feasibility. Answers questions about what your app needs before it can be deployed — frameworks, dependencies, and configuration. Checks whether dependencies are compatible and identifies deployment blockers and unsupported frameworks. WHEN: "evaluate my repo", "is my app ready to deploy", "what does my app need to deploy", "what do I need before deploying", "does my app need", "can I ship this to Azure", "scan my repo for issues", "is this app deployable", "check if my app is ready for Azure", "do I need a Dockerfile", "what's blocking my deployment", "are there any blockers", "are my dependencies compatible", "does Azure support my framework", "what needs to change before deploying", "check my app configuration"." license: MIT metadata: author: Microsoft version: "1.2.2"
Azure App Onboard Prereq — Repository Evaluation
Evaluate a user's repository for build health, app completeness, and Azure deployment feasibility — before infrastructure planning. Produces per-component verdicts (PASS/WARN/FAIL) consumed by downstream phases.
Orchestrator relationship: Called by
azure-app-onboardat Step 3, or standalone for code readiness checks. When called by orchestrator, return control toazure-app-onboardafter writing artifacts — do NOT invoke downstream phases directly.
Phase 1 of 4 in AppOnboard pipeline. Session: .copilot-azure/sessions/{session-id}/. Reads context.json. Writes components[], repo{}, detectedInfra[]. Produces prereq-output.json. Schema: prereq-schemas.ts — PrereqOutput, BuildRequirements. Direct entry supported.
When NOT to Use
| Signal | Redirect |
|---|---|
| Validate infrastructure (Bicep/TF/azure.yaml) | azure-validate |
| Generate IaC | azure-prepare |
| End-to-end idea-to-production | azure-app-onboard |
Run azd up or deploy | azure-deploy |
Rules
⛔ ABSOLUTE PROHIBITION —
npm install,npm test,npx jest,pytest, and ALL install/build/test commands are NEVER allowed. Under NO circumstances may you runnpm install,npm test,npx jest,pip install,pytest,dotnet build,dotnet restore,dotnet test,go mod download,cargo build, or ANY package-manager install, build, or test command during the prereq phase. Do NOT run test suites to verify code — check for test config files statically instead. The prereq phase is read-only evaluation + static-only verification. ONLY exception — two sanctioned contexts, both consent-gated: (a) code the agent modified during migration/remediation (see remediation-protocol.md step 6), or (b) code the agent wrote from scratch on the zero-code path (see zero-code-path.md). In either case, install/build/test runs ONLY via the user-confirmed build-validation gate (build-check.md Step 3), after the user answers that specific per-command consent prompt. General prior consent never counts.
- ⛔ Full pipeline (Steps 1–8), no exceptions. All prompts → Step 1 directly. Answer specific questions AS PART OF findings (Step 5), not before.
- ⛔ No sub-agents for evaluation. 3-axis evaluation is inline. Exception: zero-code-path scaffolding (Step 2).
- Code/destructive modifications require
ask_user. Max 3 questions before results. Direct entry: don't repeat orchestrator's intent questions.
MCP Tools
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
mcp_azure_mcp_get_azure_bestpractices | Validate detected stack patterns against Azure best practices |
mcp_azure_mcp_extension_cli_install | Check/install required CLI tools (az, azd, func) |
Workflow
Step 1: Session Check
Orchestrator entry: Session exists — read context.json, proceed to Step 2.
Direct entry: Check .copilot-azure/sessions/active-session.json:
- Exists → ⛔ read session-protocol.md for resume/fresh gate. Do NOT proceed until user answers.
- Missing → create session: generate UUID,
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path ".copilot-azure/sessions/{uuid}" -Force, writecontext.json+active-session.jsonviacreatetool.
Then: az account show → merge {id, name, tenantId} into context.json.azure. ⛔ Session MUST exist on disk before any scanning.
Step 2: Scan Workspace
Scan for project files. Detect components, repo{}, detectedInfra[], detectedServices[]. Classify Terraform providers. Check CLI availability. Stack detection conflicts: user explicit statement wins (write to context.json, mark scan as override); scan-only → confirm with user; multiple stacks → show all and ask (see component-mapping.md); no code → zero-code-path.md.
If no project files, no Dockerfile, AND no index.html → ⛔ read zero-code-path.md.
⛔ Cloud SDK early gate. Grep for
aws-sdk|@aws-sdk|boto3|google-cloud|@google-cloud|firebase. If functional deps found → read cloud-sdk-migration.md, thenask_user: "Redirect to Azure Cloud Migrate" (setrouteToSkill: "azure-cloud-migrate") · "Continue evaluation anyway" (finish readiness eval + SDK→Azure mapping, then STOP at Step 8 — no plan until the deps are swapped) · "Cancel".
Step 3: Per-Component Evaluation
| Sub-step | Action | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | Build check | ⛔ You MUST read build-check.md |
| 3.2 | Completeness check | ⛔ You MUST read completeness-check.md |
| 3.3 | Deployability check | ⛔ You MUST read deployability-check.md |
| 3.3a | Component mapping (conditional) | Read component-mapping.md ONLY IF >1 project manifest found (monorepo) |
Populate buildRequirements per component after evaluation. Verdict propagation, tier rules, and f1Viable aggregation are in readiness-gate.md and the individual check references.
Step 4: Write Artifacts + Readiness Gate
⛔ Verify context.json exists on disk. Read readiness-gate.md (verdicts, tiers, batch-then-approve, fast-track) then prereq-artifacts.md (write procedures, schemas).
Step 5: Present Findings
Per readiness-gate.md § Present Findings — show verdicts grouped by severity before proceeding.
Step 6: Remediation (conditional)
⛔ You MUST read remediation-protocol.md IF any ❌ FAIL verdict, 🔧 Recommended Fix, or ⚠️ WARN with fixPhase: "prereq" exists. Contains remediation loop, static verification, re-eval mandate, post-remediation artifact updates, and the build-validation consent gate. If all verdicts are ✅ PASS or ⚠️ WARN without fixPhase: "prereq", skip to Step 7.
Step 7: Write Final State
completedPhases already has "prereq" + currentPhase: null (from Step 4). Then:
⛔ Write
lastScanCommit. Rungit rev-parse HEADand store the full 40-character SHA ascontext.json.repo.lastScanCommit. Required — staleness guard in Step 1 compares to HEAD on resume to detect changes.
Step 8: Route
⛔ Mandatory — do NOT skip this step.
Routing fields: All routing writes
routeToSkillandrouteReasontocontext.json.
Post-remediation context: If Step 6 ran, lead the routing prompt with: "Remediation complete — {N} issues fixed, your app is now {overallHealth}."
⛔ Evaluate rows top to bottom — first match wins.
| # | Condition | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | routeToSkill set (any entry) | ask_user: "Redirect to {routeToSkill}" / "Not now". ⛔ Pipeline stops — do NOT proceed to architecture planning. |
| 2 | cloudSdkFindings[] non-empty (user chose "Continue evaluation anyway") | Present the cloud-SDK → Azure swap mapping as 🔶 blockers, then ask_user with this exact prompt: "🔶 Cloud SDK migration required — these dependencies must be swapped before this app can deploy to Azure. (Redirect to azure-cloud-migrate / Stop — swap manually and re-run)" — Redirect sets routeToSkill: "azure-cloud-migrate", Stop halts. ⛔ Pipeline stops — do NOT proceed to architecture planning, and do NOT offer a "continue to prepare" option; the app can't deploy until the deps are swapped. |
| 3 | Orchestrator + no routeToSkill | Tell the user: "✅ Your app has been evaluated and is ready — let's plan your Azure deployment." Then invoke azure-app-onboard. ⛔ Do NOT stop, do NOT wait for user input, do NOT narrate internal handoffs. The user already consented to the full pipeline at scope triage. |
| 4 | Direct + ready/readyWithCaveats + no Azure infra | ask_user: "Deploy to Azure (full pipeline)" → invoke azure-app-onboard / "Not now" |
| 5 | Direct + ready/readyWithCaveats + existing Azure infra | ask_user: "Start fresh" → invoke azure-app-onboard / "Use existing infra" → invoke azure-prepare / "Not now" |
| 6 | Direct + blocked | Report blocker summary + "Fix and re-run." |
Severity tiers (🛑🔶❌🔧⚠️✅) are defined in readiness-gate.md.
Outputs
| Artifact | Location | Consumer |
|---|---|---|
| Session context | context.json → components[], repo{}, detectedInfra[], detectedServices[] | All downstream phases |
| Prereq output | prereq-output.json | prepare phase (via azure-app-onboard) |
| Readiness report | .copilot-azure/sessions/{uuid}/readiness-report.md | User (offline reference) |
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