# Azure Advisor

> Expert knowledge for Azure Advisor development including best practices, decision making, limits & quotas, security, configuration, and integrations & coding patterns. Use when tuning Advisor alerts, digests, and states, bulk-fixing savings, or querying recommendations via Resource Graph, and other Azure Advisor related development tasks. Not for Cost Management (use azure-cost-management), Azure Monitor (use azure-monitor), Azure Policy (use azure-policy), Azure Security (use azure-security).

- Skill: `microsoftdocs/azure-advisor` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add microsoftdocs/azure-advisor`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/microsoftdocs/azure-advisor/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: DevOps & Infra
- Author: microsoftdocs (https://skillmd.com/u/microsoftdocs)
- Updated: 2026-09-09
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/microsoftdocs/azure-advisor

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# Azure Advisor Skill

This skill provides expert guidance for Azure Advisor. Covers best practices, decision making, limits & quotas, security, configuration, and integrations & coding patterns. It combines local quick-reference content with remote documentation fetching capabilities.

## How to Use This Skill

> **IMPORTANT for Agent**: Use the **Category Index** below to locate relevant sections. For categories with line ranges (e.g., `L35-L120`), use `read_file` with the specified lines. For categories with file links (e.g., `[security.md](security.md)`), use `read_file` on the linked reference file

> **IMPORTANT for Agent**: If `metadata.generated_at` is more than 3 months old, suggest the user pull the latest version from the repository. If `mcp_microsoftdocs` tools are not available, suggest the user install it: [Installation Guide](https://github.com/MicrosoftDocs/mcp/blob/main/README.md)

This skill requires **network access** to fetch documentation content:
- **Preferred**: Use `mcp_microsoftdocs:microsoft_docs_fetch` with query string `from=learn-agent-skill`. Returns Markdown.
- **Fallback**: Use `fetch_webpage` with query string `from=learn-agent-skill&accept=text/markdown`. Returns Markdown.

## Category Index

| Category | Lines | Description |
|----------|-------|-------------|
| Best Practices | L34-L43 | Using Azure Advisor to assess architectures, optimize VM costs/performance, estimate savings, bulk-fix recommendations, and apply reliability best practices. |
| Decision Making | L44-L52 | Using Advisor workbooks and critical risk views to assess reliability, plan migrations, and estimate cost impact of Azure Advisor recommendations across key resources |
| Limits & Quotas | L53-L57 | Advisor feature availability, limits, and differences when running in Azure sovereign clouds (e.g., Azure Government, China), including which recommendations are supported. |
| Security | L58-L62 | Managing Azure Advisor permissions, roles, and RBAC settings so users and apps have appropriate access to Advisor recommendations and data |
| Configuration | L63-L73 | Configuring Azure Advisor alerts, digests, and recommendation states via portal, ARM/Bicep, tags, and workbooks to control how and when recommendations are delivered and viewed. |
| Integrations & Coding Patterns | L74-L77 | Querying Azure Advisor data via Resource Graph, using sample Kusto queries, and integrating Advisor MCP tools with AI/LLM clients for automated insights |

### Best Practices
| Topic | URL |
|-------|-----|
| Run Well-Architected assessments in Azure Advisor | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/advisor/advisor-assessments |
| Optimize VM and VMSS costs using Azure Advisor | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/advisor/advisor-cost-recommendations |
| Calculate and export Azure Advisor cost savings | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/advisor/advisor-how-to-calculate-total-cost-savings |
| Improve high-usage VM performance with Azure Advisor | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/advisor/advisor-how-to-performance-resize-high-usage-vm-recommendations |
| Use Quick Fix for bulk remediation of Advisor recommendations | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/advisor/advisor-quick-fix |
| Apply Azure Advisor reliability recommendations | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/advisor/advisor-reference-reliability-recommendations |

### Decision Making
| Topic | URL |
|-------|-----|
| Use Azure Advisor Critical Risks for key resources | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/advisor/advisor-critical-risks |
| Assess cost impact of Azure Advisor recommendations | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/advisor/advisor-how-to-evaluate-cost-implications-of-recommendations |
| Analyze and optimize Azure costs with the Advisor workbook | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/advisor/advisor-workbook-cost-optimization |
| Evaluate application reliability using the Advisor workbook | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/advisor/advisor-workbook-reliability |
| Use Advisor Service Retirement workbook for migration planning | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/advisor/advisor-workbook-service-retirement |

### Limits & Quotas
| Topic | URL |
|-------|-----|
| Understand Azure Advisor feature limits in sovereign clouds | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/advisor/advisor-sovereign-clouds |

### Security
| Topic | URL |
|-------|-----|
| Configure Azure Advisor roles and access control | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/advisor/permissions |

### Configuration
| Topic | URL |
|-------|-----|
| Create Azure Advisor alerts with ARM templates | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/advisor/advisor-alerts-arm |
| Define Azure Advisor alert rules using Bicep | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/advisor/advisor-alerts-bicep |
| Configure Azure Advisor alerts in the Azure portal | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/advisor/advisor-alerts-portal |
| Configure Azure Advisor recommendation state management | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/advisor/advisor-azure-state-management |
| Configure periodic Azure Advisor recommendation digests | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/advisor/advisor-recommendations-digest |
| Filter Azure Advisor recommendations by resource tags | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/advisor/advisor-tag-filtering |
| Use Azure Advisor workbook templates for insights | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/advisor/advisor-workbooks |

### Integrations & Coding Patterns
| Topic | URL |
|-------|-----|
| Integrate Azure Advisor MCP tools with AI clients | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/advisor/advisor-mcp-tools |