jonathan-vella Azure AI Gateway
Configure Azure API Management (APIM) as an AI Gateway for governing AI models, MCP tools, and agents.
To deploy APIM, use the azure-prepare skill. See APIM deployment guide.
When to Use This Skill
| Category | Triggers |
|---|---|
| Model Governance | "semantic caching", "token limits", "load balance AI", "track token usage" |
| Tool Governance | "rate limit MCP", "protect my tools", "configure my tool", "convert API to MCP" |
| Agent Governance | "content safety", "jailbreak detection", "filter harmful content" |
| Configuration | "add Azure OpenAI backend", "configure my model", "add AI Foundry model" |
| Testing | "test AI gateway", "call OpenAI through gateway" |
Quick Reference
| Policy | Purpose | Details |
|---|---|---|
azure-openai-token-limit |
Cost control | Model Policies |
azure-openai-semantic-cache-lookup/store |
60-80% cost savings | Model Policies |
azure-openai-emit-token-metric |
Observability | Model Policies |
llm-content-safety |
Safety & compliance | Agent Policies |
rate-limit-by-key |
MCP/tool protection | Tool Policies |
Get Gateway Details
# Get gateway URL
az apim show --name <apim-name> --resource-group <rg> --query "gatewayUrl" -o tsv
# List backends (AI models)
az apim backend list --service-name <apim-name> --resource-group <rg> \
--query "[].{id:name, url:url}" -o table
# Get subscription key
az apim subscription keys list \
--service-name <apim-name> --resource-group <rg> --subscription-id <sub-id>
Test AI Endpoint
GATEWAY_URL=$(az apim show --name <apim-name> --resource-group <rg> --query "gatewayUrl" -o tsv)
curl -X POST "${GATEWAY_URL}/openai/deployments/<deployment>/chat/completions?api-version=2024-02-01" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Ocp-Apim-Subscription-Key: <key>" \
-d '{"messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Hello"}], "max_tokens": 100}'
Common Tasks
Add AI Backend
See references/patterns.md for full steps.
# Discover AI resources
az cognitiveservices account list --query "[?kind=='OpenAI']" -o table
# Create backend
az apim backend create --service-name <apim> --resource-group <rg> \
--backend-id openai-backend --protocol http --url "https://<aoai>.openai.azure.com/openai"
# Grant access (managed identity)
az role assignment create --assignee <apim-principal-id> \
--role "Cognitive Services User" --scope <aoai-resource-id>
Apply AI Governance Policy
Recommended policy order in <inbound>:
- Authentication - Managed identity to backend
- Semantic Cache Lookup - Check cache before calling AI
- Token Limits - Cost control
- Content Safety - Filter harmful content
- Backend Selection - Load balancing
- Metrics - Token usage tracking
See references/policies.md for complete example.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| Token limit 429 | Increase tokens-per-minute or add load balancing |
| No cache hits | Lower score-threshold to 0.7 |
| Content false positives | Increase category thresholds (5-6) |
| Backend auth 401 | Grant APIM "Cognitive Services User" role |
See references/troubleshooting.md for details.
References
- Detailed Policies - Full policy examples
- Configuration Patterns - Step-by-step patterns
- Troubleshooting - Common issues
- AI-Gateway Samples
- GenAI Gateway Docs
SDK Quick References
- Content Safety: Python | TypeScript
- API Management: Python | .NET
Reference Index
Load these on demand — do NOT read all at once:
| Reference | When to Load |
|---|---|
references/auth-best-practices.md |
Auth Best Practices |
references/patterns.md |
Patterns |
references/policies.md |
Policies |
references/troubleshooting.md |
Troubleshooting |