Azure Resource Lookup
List, find, and discover Azure resources of any type across subscriptions and resource groups. Use Azure Resource Graph (ARG) for fast, cross-cutting queries when dedicated MCP tools don't cover the resource type.
When to Use This Skill
Use this skill when the user wants to:
- List resources of any type (VMs, web apps, storage accounts, container apps, databases, etc.)
- Show resources in a specific subscription or resource group
- Query resources across multiple subscriptions or resource types
- Find orphaned resources (unattached disks, unused NICs, idle IPs)
- Discover resources missing required tags or configurations
- Get a resource inventory spanning multiple types
- Find resources in a specific state (unhealthy, failed provisioning, stopped)
- Answer "what resources do I have?" or "show me my Azure resources"
- List web apps, websites, or App Services
⚠️ Warning: App Service / Web Apps have no dedicated MCP list command. Prompts like "list websites", "list web apps", or "list app services" must route through this skill to use Azure Resource Graph.
💡 Tip: For single-resource-type queries, first check if a dedicated MCP tool can handle it (see routing table below). If none exists, use Azure Resource Graph.
Quick Reference
| Property |
Value |
| Query Language |
KQL (Kusto Query Language subset) |
| CLI Command |
az graph query -q "<KQL>" -o table |
| Extension |
az extension add --name resource-graph |
| MCP Tool |
extension_cli_generate with intent for az graph query |
| Best For |
Cross-subscription queries, orphaned resources, tag audits |
MCP Tools
| Tool |
Purpose |
When to Use |
extension_cli_generate |
Generate az graph query commands |
Primary tool — generate ARG queries from user intent |
mcp_azure_mcp_subscription_list |
List available subscriptions |
Discover subscription scope before querying |
mcp_azure_mcp_group_list |
List resource groups |
Narrow query scope |
Workflow
Step 1: Check for a Dedicated MCP Tool
For single-resource-type queries, check if a dedicated MCP tool can handle it:
| Resource Type |
MCP Tool |
Coverage |
| Virtual Machines |
compute |
✅ Full — list, details, sizes |
| Storage Accounts |
storage |
✅ Full — accounts, blobs, tables |
| Cosmos DB |
cosmos |
✅ Full — accounts, databases, queries |
| Key Vault |
keyvault |
⚠️ Partial — secrets/keys only, no vault listing |
| SQL Databases |
sql |
⚠️ Partial — requires resource group name |
| Container Registries |
acr |
✅ Full — list registries |
| Kubernetes (AKS) |
aks |
✅ Full — clusters, node pools |
| App Service / Web Apps |
appservice |
❌ No list command — use ARG |
| Container Apps |
— |
❌ No MCP tool — use ARG |
| Event Hubs |
eventhubs |
✅ Full — namespaces, hubs |
| Service Bus |
servicebus |
✅ Full — queues, topics |
If a dedicated tool is available with full coverage, use it. Otherwise proceed to Step 2.
Step 2: Generate the ARG Query
Use extension_cli_generate to build the az graph query command:
mcp_azure_mcp_extension_cli_generate
intent: "query Azure Resource Graph to <user's request>"
cli-type: "az"
See Azure Resource Graph Query Patterns for common KQL patterns.
Step 3: Execute and Format Results
Run the generated command. Use --query (JMESPath) to shape output:
az graph query -q "<KQL>" --query "data[].{name:name, type:type, rg:resourceGroup}" -o table
Use --first N to limit results. Use --subscriptions to scope.
Error Handling
| Error |
Cause |
Fix |
resource-graph extension not found |
Extension not installed |
az extension add --name resource-graph |
AuthorizationFailed |
No read access to subscription |
Check RBAC — need Reader role |
BadRequest on query |
Invalid KQL syntax |
Verify table/column names; use =~ for case-insensitive type matching |
| Empty results |
No matching resources or wrong scope |
Check --subscriptions flag; verify resource type spelling |
Constraints
- ✅ Always use
=~ for case-insensitive type matching (types are lowercase)
- ✅ Always scope queries with
--subscriptions or --first for large tenants
- ✅ Prefer dedicated MCP tools for single-resource-type queries
- ❌ Never use ARG for real-time monitoring (data has slight delay)
- ❌ Never attempt mutations through ARG (read-only)
1---
2name: azure-resource-lookup
3description: "List, find, and show Azure resources across subscriptions or resource groups. Handles prompts like \"list the websites in my subscription\", \"list my web apps\", \"show my app services\", \"list virtual machines\", \"list my VMs\", \"show storage accounts\", \"find container apps\", and \"what resources do I have\". USE FOR: list websites, list web apps, list app services, show websites in subscription, resource inventory, find resources by tag, tag analysis, orphaned resource discovery (not for cost analysis), unattached disks, count resources by type, cross-subscription lookup, and Azure Resource Graph queries. DO NOT USE FOR: deploying/changing resources (use azure-deploy), cost optimization (use azure-cost), or non-Azure clouds."
4license: MIT
5metadata:
6 author: Microsoft
7 version: "1.2.1"
8---
9
10# Azure Resource Lookup
11
12List, find, and discover Azure resources of any type across subscriptions and resource groups. Use Azure Resource Graph (ARG) for fast, cross-cutting queries when dedicated MCP tools don't cover the resource type.
13
14## When to Use This Skill
15
16Use this skill when the user wants to:
17- **List resources** of any type (VMs, web apps, storage accounts, container apps, databases, etc.)
18- **Show resources** in a specific subscription or resource group
19- Query resources **across multiple subscriptions** or resource types
20- Find **orphaned resources** (unattached disks, unused NICs, idle IPs)
21- Discover resources **missing required tags** or configurations
22- Get a **resource inventory** spanning multiple types
23- Find resources in a **specific state** (unhealthy, failed provisioning, stopped)
24- Answer "**what resources do I have?**" or "**show me my Azure resources**"
25- **List web apps, websites, or App Services**
26
27> ⚠️ **Warning:** App Service / Web Apps have no dedicated MCP `list` command. Prompts like "list websites", "list web apps", or "list app services" **must** route through this skill to use Azure Resource Graph.
28
29> 💡 **Tip:** For single-resource-type queries, first check if a dedicated MCP tool can handle it (see routing table below). If none exists, use Azure Resource Graph.
30
31## Quick Reference
32
33| Property | Value |
34|----------|-------|
35| **Query Language** | KQL (Kusto Query Language subset) |
36| **CLI Command** | `az graph query -q "<KQL>" -o table` |
37| **Extension** | `az extension add --name resource-graph` |
38| **MCP Tool** | `extension_cli_generate` with intent for `az graph query` |
39| **Best For** | Cross-subscription queries, orphaned resources, tag audits |
40
41## MCP Tools
42
43| Tool | Purpose | When to Use |
44|------|---------|-------------|
45| `extension_cli_generate` | Generate `az graph query` commands | Primary tool — generate ARG queries from user intent |
46| `mcp_azure_mcp_subscription_list` | List available subscriptions | Discover subscription scope before querying |
47| `mcp_azure_mcp_group_list` | List resource groups | Narrow query scope |
48
49## Workflow
50
51### Step 1: Check for a Dedicated MCP Tool
52
53For single-resource-type queries, check if a dedicated MCP tool can handle it:
54
55| Resource Type | MCP Tool | Coverage |
56|---|---|---|
57| Virtual Machines | `compute` | ✅ Full — list, details, sizes |
58| Storage Accounts | `storage` | ✅ Full — accounts, blobs, tables |
59| Cosmos DB | `cosmos` | ✅ Full — accounts, databases, queries |
60| Key Vault | `keyvault` | ⚠️ Partial — secrets/keys only, no vault listing |
61| SQL Databases | `sql` | ⚠️ Partial — requires resource group name |
62| Container Registries | `acr` | ✅ Full — list registries |
63| Kubernetes (AKS) | `aks` | ✅ Full — clusters, node pools |
64| App Service / Web Apps | `appservice` | ❌ No list command — use ARG |
65| Container Apps | — | ❌ No MCP tool — use ARG |
66| Event Hubs | `eventhubs` | ✅ Full — namespaces, hubs |
67| Service Bus | `servicebus` | ✅ Full — queues, topics |
68
69If a dedicated tool is available with full coverage, use it. Otherwise proceed to Step 2.
70
71### Step 2: Generate the ARG Query
72
73Use `extension_cli_generate` to build the `az graph query` command:
74
75```yaml
76mcp_azure_mcp_extension_cli_generate
77 intent: "query Azure Resource Graph to <user's request>"
78 cli-type: "az"
79```
80
81See [Azure Resource Graph Query Patterns](references/azure-resource-graph.md) for common KQL patterns.
82
83### Step 3: Execute and Format Results
84
85Run the generated command. Use `--query` (JMESPath) to shape output:
86
87```bash
88az graph query -q "<KQL>" --query "data[].{name:name, type:type, rg:resourceGroup}" -o table
89```
90
91Use `--first N` to limit results. Use `--subscriptions` to scope.
92
93## Error Handling
94
95| Error | Cause | Fix |
96|-------|-------|-----|
97| `resource-graph extension not found` | Extension not installed | `az extension add --name resource-graph` |
98| `AuthorizationFailed` | No read access to subscription | Check RBAC — need Reader role |
99| `BadRequest` on query | Invalid KQL syntax | Verify table/column names; use `=~` for case-insensitive type matching |
100| Empty results | No matching resources or wrong scope | Check `--subscriptions` flag; verify resource type spelling |
101
102## Constraints
103
104- ✅ **Always** use `=~` for case-insensitive type matching (types are lowercase)
105- ✅ **Always** scope queries with `--subscriptions` or `--first` for large tenants
106- ✅ **Prefer** dedicated MCP tools for single-resource-type queries
107- ❌ **Never** use ARG for real-time monitoring (data has slight delay)
108- ❌ **Never** attempt mutations through ARG (read-only)
gabrielmoreira