Azure MCP Server

What is Azure MCP Server about?

Provides a server that bridges AI agents and Azure services, exposing hundreds of Azure‑specific tools (e.g., storage, AKS, Cosmos DB, Monitor) via the MCP protocol. Agents can query, list, and manipulate Azure resources directly from prompts.

How to use Azure MCP Server?

1. Install – the recommended way is via npx:

   {
     "servers": {
       "Azure MCP Server": {
         "command": "npx",
         "args": ["-y", "@azure/mcp@latest", "server", "start"]
       }
     }
   }
   

2. Add the configuration to .vscode/mcp.json.
3. In VS Code, open GitHub Copilot, switch to Agent mode, refresh the tools list, and you’ll see Azure MCP Server tools.
4. Issue natural‑language prompts such as “List my Azure Storage containers” – the agent will invoke the appropriate tool.

Key features of Azure MCP Server

• Broad Azure coverage – AI Search, App Configuration, Container Registry, AKS, Cosmos DB, Data Explorer, Monitor, Managed Lustre, SQL, Storage, and many more.
• Tool‑specific commands – list, query, create, update, delete resources with optional JSON output.
• Best‑practice guidance – Azure SDK and Terraform best‑practice recommendations are available as tools.
• Multiple install options – npx, global npm, Docker, or manual binary; automatic update via @latest.
• Telemetry control – enabled by default, can be disabled with AZURE_MCP_COLLECT_TELEMETRY=false.
• Secure authentication – uses Azure Identity SDK and DefaultAzureCredential; supports environment‑credential files for CI/CD.

Use cases of Azure MCP Server

• Developer assistance – agents can generate code snippets that call Azure services correctly.
• Operational automation – retrieve logs, query metrics, or trigger deployments from chat interfaces.
• Self‑service portals – embed the server in custom MCP clients to let non‑technical users manage Azure resources.
• Compliance checks – run Quick Review CLI extension to scan resources for policy violations.
• Infrastructure diagramming – generate architecture diagrams via the Azure Deploy tool.

FAQ from Azure MCP Server

• What happened to the SSE transport mode? It was removed in version 0.4.0 (2025‑07‑15). Upgrade to 0.4.0 or newer; use the default HTTP streaming mode instead.
• How do I disable telemetry? Set AZURE_MCP_COLLECT_TELEMETRY=false in the environment before starting the server.
• Which installation method should I choose? npx is the simplest and always checks for the latest version. Use Docker if you need isolation; use global npm for stable offline usage.
• How are credentials handled? The server relies on Azure Identity SDK (DefaultAzureCredential). Provide credentials via environment variables, managed identities, or Azure CLI logged‑in session.
• How to keep the server up‑to‑date?
  • npx @azure/mcp@latest server start checks for updates each run.
  • With npm: npm update -g @azure/mcp.
  • Docker: pull the latest image from the Microsoft Artifact Registry.
• What is the tool limit? See the troubleshooting guide for the “128‑tool limit” issue and how to increase it.
• Can I run custom MCP clients? Yes – invoke npx -y @azure/mcp@latest server start and communicate over standard I/O.

🌟 Azure MCP Server

The Azure MCP Server implements the MCP specification to create a seamless connection between AI agents and Azure services. Azure MCP Server can be used alone or with the GitHub Copilot for Azure extension in VS Code. This project is in Public Preview and implementation may significantly change prior to our General Availability.

[!WARNING] Deprecation Notice: SSE transport mode has been removed in version 0.4.0 (2025-07-15).

SSE was deprecated in MCP 2025-03-26 due to security vulnerabilities and architectural limitations. Users must discontinue use of SSE transport mode and upgrade to version 0.4.0 or newer to maintain compatibility with current MCP clients.

✅ VS Code Install Guide (Recommended)

1. Install either the stable or Insiders release of VS Code:
   • 💫 Stable release
   • 🔮 Insiders release
2. Install the GitHub Copilot and GitHub Copilot Chat extensions
3. Install the Azure MCP Server extension

🚀 Quick Start

1. Open GitHub Copilot in VS Code and switch to Agent mode
2. Click refresh on the tools list
   • You should see the Azure MCP Server in the list of tools
3. Try a prompt that tells the agent to use the Azure MCP Server, such as List my Azure Storage containers
   • The agent should be able to use the Azure MCP Server tools to complete your query
4. Check out the documentation and review the troubleshooting guide for commonly asked questions
5. We're building this in the open. Your feedback is much appreciated, and will help us shape the future of the Azure MCP server
   • 👉 Open an issue in the public repository

✨ What can you do with the Azure MCP Server?

The Azure MCP Server supercharges your agents with Azure context. Here are some cool prompts you can try:

🔎 Azure AI Search

• "What indexes do I have in my Azure AI Search service 'mysvc'?"
• "Let's search this index for 'my search query'"

⚙️ Azure App Configuration

• "List my App Configuration stores"
• "Show my key-value pairs in App Config"

📦 Azure Container Registry (ACR)

• "List all my Azure Container Registries"
• "Show me my container registries in the 'myproject' resource group"
• "List all my Azure Container Registry repositories"

☸️ Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)

• "List my AKS clusters in my subscription"
• "Show me all my Azure Kubernetes Service clusters"

📊 Azure Cosmos DB

• "Show me all my Cosmos DB databases"
• "List containers in my Cosmos DB database"

🧮 Azure Data Explorer

• "Get Azure Data Explorer databases in cluster 'mycluster'"
• "Sample 10 rows from table 'StormEvents' in Azure Data Explorer database 'db1'"

📊 Azure Monitor

• "Query my Log Analytics workspace"

⚡ Azure Managed Lustre

• "List the Azure Managed Lustre clusters in resource group 'my-resourcegroup'"
• "How many IP Addresses I need to create a 128 TiB cluster of AMLFS 500?"

🗄️ Azure SQL Database

• "Show me details about my Azure SQL database 'mydb'"
• "List all databases in my Azure SQL server 'myserver'"
• "List all firewall rules for my Azure SQL server 'myserver'"
• "List all elastic pools in my Azure SQL server 'myserver'"
• "List Active Directory administrators for my Azure SQL server 'myserver'"

🔧 Azure Resource Management

• "List my resource groups"
• "List my Azure CDN endpoints"
• "Help me build an Azure application using Node.js"

💾 Azure Storage

• "List my Azure storage accounts"
• "Get details about my storage account 'mystorageaccount'"
• "Create a new storage account in East US with Data Lake support"
• "Show me the tables in my Storage account"
• "Get details about my Storage container"
• "Upload my file to the blob container"
• "List paths in my Data Lake file system"
• "List files and directories in my File Share"
• "Send a message to my storage queue"

🛠️ Currently Supported Tools

🔎 Azure AI Search (search engine/vector database)

• List Azure AI Search services
• List indexes and look at their schema and configuration
• Query search indexes

⚙️ Azure App Configuration

• List App Configuration stores
• Manage key-value pairs
• Handle labeled configurations
• Lock/unlock configuration settings

🛡️ Azure Best Practices

• Get secure, production-grade Azure SDK best practices for effective code generation.

🖥️ Azure CLI Extension

• Execute Azure CLI commands directly
• Support for all Azure CLI functionality

📦 Azure Container Registry (ACR)

• List Azure Container Registries and repositories in a subscription
• Filter container registries and repositories by resource group
• JSON output formatting
• Cross-platform compatibility

📊 Azure Cosmos DB (NoSQL Databases)

• List Cosmos DB accounts
• List and query databases
• Manage containers and items
• Execute SQL queries against containers

🧮 Azure Data Explorer

• List Azure Data Explorer clusters
• List databases
• List tables
• Get schema for a table
• Sample rows from a table
• Query using KQL

🐘 Azure Database for PostgreSQL - Flexible Server

• List and query databases.
• List and get schema for tables.
• List, get configuration and get parameters for servers.

🛠️ Azure Developer CLI (azd) Extension

• Execute Azure Developer CLI commands directly
• Support for template discovery, template initialization, provisioning and deployment
• Cross-platform compatibility

🚀 Azure Deploy

• Generate Azure service architecture diagrams from source code
• Create a deploy plan for provisioning and deploying the application
• Get the application service log for a specific azd environment
• Get the bicep or terraform file generation rules for an application
• Get the GitHub pipeline creation guideline for an application

🧮 Azure Foundry

• List Azure Foundry models
• Deploy foundry models
• List foundry model deployments

☁️ Azure Function App

• List Azure Function Apps

🚀 Azure Managed Grafana

• List Azure Managed Grafana

🔑 Azure Key Vault

• List, create, and import certificates
• List and create keys
• List and create secrets

☸️ Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)

• List Azure Kubernetes Service clusters

📦 Azure Load Testing

• List, create load test resources
• List, create load tests
• Get, list, (create) run and rerun, update load test runs

🏪 Azure Marketplace

• Get details about Marketplace products

📈 Azure Monitor

Log Analytics

• List Log Analytics workspaces
• Query logs using KQL
• List available tables

Health Models

• Get health of an entity

Metrics

• Query Azure Monitor metrics for resources with time series data
• List available metric definitions for resources

⚙️ Azure Native ISV Services

• List Monitored Resources in a Datadog Monitor

🛡️ Azure Quick Review CLI Extension

• Scan Azure resources for compliance related recommendations

📊 Azure Quota

• List available regions
• Check quota usage

🔴 Azure Redis Cache

• List Redis Cluster resources
• List databases in Redis Clusters
• List Redis Cache resources
• List access policies for Redis Caches

🏗️ Azure Resource Groups

• List resource groups

🎭 Azure Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

• List role assignments

🚌 Azure Service Bus

• Examine properties and runtime information about queues, topics, and subscriptions

🗄️ Azure SQL Database

• Show database details and properties
• List the details and properties of all databases
• List SQL server firewall rules

🗄️ Azure SQL Elastic Pool

• List elastic pools in SQL servers

🗄️ Azure SQL Server

• List Microsoft Entra ID administrators for SQL servers

💾 Azure Storage

• List and create Storage accounts
• Get detailed information about specific Storage accounts
• Manage blob containers and blobs
• Upload files to blob containers
• List and query Storage tables
• List paths in Data Lake file systems
• Get container properties and metadata
• List files and directories in File Shares

📋 Azure Subscription

• List Azure subscriptions

🏗️ Azure Terraform Best Practices

• Get secure, production-grade Azure Terraform best practices for effective code generation and command execution

🖥️ Azure Virtual Desktop

• List Azure Virtual Desktop host pools
• List session hosts in host pools
• List user sessions on a session host

📊 Azure Workbooks

• List workbooks in resource groups
• Create new workbooks with custom visualizations
• Update existing workbook configurations
• Get workbook details and metadata
• Delete workbooks when no longer needed

🏗️ Bicep

• Get the Bicep schema for specific Azure resource types

Agents and models can discover and learn best practices and usage guidelines for the azd MCP tool. For more information, see AZD Best Practices.

For detailed command documentation and examples, see Azure MCP Commands.

🔄️ Upgrading Existing Installs to the Latest Version

NPX

If you use the default package spec of @azure/mcp@latest, npx will look for a new version on each server start. If you use just @azure/mcp, npx will continue to use its cached version until its cache is cleared.

NPM

If you globally install the cli via npm install -g @azure/mcp it will use the installed version until you manually update it with npm update -g @azure/mcp.

Docker

There is no version update built into the docker image. To update, just pull the latest from the repo and repeat the docker installation instructions.

VS Code

Installation in VS Code should be in one of the previous forms and the update instructions are the same. If you installed the mcp server with the npx command and -y @azure/mcp@latest args, npx will check for package updates each time VS Code starts the server. Using a docker container in VS Code has the same no-update limitation described above.

⚙️ Advanced Install Scenarios (Optional)

🐋 Docker Install Steps (Optional)

Microsoft publishes an official Azure MCP Server Docker container on the Microsoft Artifact Registry.

For a step-by-step Docker installation, follow these instructions:

1. Create an .env file with environment variables that match one of the EnvironmentCredential sets. For example, a .env file using a service principal could look like:

   AZURE_TENANT_ID={YOUR_AZURE_TENANT_ID}
   AZURE_CLIENT_ID={YOUR_AZURE_CLIENT_ID}
   AZURE_CLIENT_SECRET={YOUR_AZURE_CLIENT_SECRET}
   

2. Add .vscode/mcp.json or update existing MCP configuration. Replace /full/path/to/.env with a path to your .env file.

   {
     "servers": {
       "Azure MCP Server": {
         "command": "docker",
         "args": [
           "run",
           "-i",
           "--rm",
           "--env-file",
           "/full/path/to/.env"
           "mcr.microsoft.com/azure-sdk/azure-mcp:latest",
         ]
       }
     }
   }
   

Optionally, use --env or --volume to pass authentication values.

🤖 Custom MCP Client Install Steps (Optional)

You can easily configure your MCP client to use the Azure MCP Server. Have your client run the following command and access it via standard IO.

npx -y @azure/mcp@latest server start

🔧 Manual Install Steps (Optional)

For a step-by-step installation, follow these instructions:

1. Add .vscode/mcp.json:

   {
     "servers": {
       "Azure MCP Server": {
         "command": "npx",
         "args": [
           "-y",
           "@azure/mcp@latest",
           "server",
           "start"
         ]
       }
     }
   }
   

   You can optionally set the --namespace <namespace> flag to install tools for the specified Azure product or service.

2. Add .vscode/mcp.json:

   {
     "servers": {
       "Azure Best Practices": {
         "command": "npx",
         "args": [
           "-y",
           "@azure/mcp@latest",
           "server",
           "start",
           "--namespace",
           "bestpractices" // Any of the available MCP servers can be referenced here.
         ]
       }
     }
   }
   

More end-to-end MCP client/agent guides are coming soon!

Data Collection

The software may collect information about you and your use of the software and send it to Microsoft. Microsoft may use this information to provide services and improve our products and services. You may turn off the telemetry as described in the repository. There are also some features in the software that may enable you and Microsoft to collect data from users of your applications. If you use these features, you must comply with applicable law, including providing appropriate notices to users of your applications together with a copy of Microsoft's privacy statement. You can learn more about data collection and use in the help documentation and our privacy statement. Your use of the software operates as your consent to these practices.

Telemetry Configuration

Telemetry collection is on by default.

To opt out, set the environment variable AZURE_MCP_COLLECT_TELEMETRY to false in your environment.

📝 Troubleshooting

See Troubleshooting guide for help with common issues and logging.

🔑 Authentication

The Azure MCP Server uses the Azure Identity library for .NET to authenticate to Microsoft Entra ID. For detailed information, see Authentication Fundamentals.

If you're running into any issues with authentication, visit our troubleshooting guide.

For enterprise authentication scenarios, including network restrictions, security policies, and protected resources, see Authentication Scenarios in Enterprise Environments.

🛡️ Security Note

Your credentials are always handled securely through the official Azure Identity SDK - we never store or manage tokens directly.

MCP as a phenomenon is very novel and cutting-edge. As with all new technology standards, consider doing a security review to ensure any systems that integrate with MCP servers follow all regulations and standards your system is expected to adhere to. This includes not only the Azure MCP Server, but any MCP client/agent that you choose to implement down to the model provider.

👥 Contributing

We welcome contributions to the Azure MCP Server! Whether you're fixing bugs, adding new features, or improving documentation, your contributions are welcome.

Please read our Contributing Guide for guidelines on:

• 🛠️ Setting up your development environment
• ✨ Adding new commands
• 📝 Code style and testing requirements
• 🔄 Making pull requests

🤝 Code of Conduct

This project has adopted the Microsoft Open Source Code of Conduct. For more information, see the Code of Conduct FAQ or contact open@microsoft.com with any additional questions or comments.