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Guide for creating high-quality MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers that enable LLMs to interact with external services through well-designed tools.
Passed 23 of 24 test cases with the skill, and 11 of 24 without it.
and 18 more in the full report
13 fixed11 passed either way1 still failing0 broke
Tokens, turns and time describe resource use, not a dollar price.
One of 12 test cases the skill fixed. Same model, same prompt, with and without the skill.
We are assessing existing Microsoft MCP servers for browser automation testing and Microsoft Fabric data operations. Name the specific Microsoft MCP servers available for these two use cases and state whether they operate locally or remotely.
| Checked | Without skill | With skill |
|---|---|---|
| Identifies Playwright MCP as a local server for browser automation. | Passed | Passed |
| Identifies Fabric MCP as a local server for Microsoft Fabric APIs. | Missed | Passed |
The instructions your model reads when the skill loads.
Create MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers that enable LLMs to interact with external services through well-designed tools. The quality of an MCP server is measured by how well it enables LLMs to accomplish real-world tasks.
Microsoft provides extensive MCP infrastructure for Azure and Foundry services. Understanding this ecosystem helps you decide whether to build custom servers or leverage existing ones.
| Type | Transport | Use Case | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local | stdio | Desktop apps, single-user, local dev | Azure MCP Server via NPM/Docker |
| Remote | Streamable HTTP | Cloud services, multi-tenant, Agent Service | https://mcp.ai.azure.com (Foundry) |
Before building a custom server, check if Microsoft already provides one:
| Server | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Azure MCP | Local | 48+ Azure services (Storage, KeyVault, Cosmos, SQL, etc.) |
| Foundry MCP | Remote | https://mcp.ai.azure.com - Models, deployments, evals, agents |
| Fabric MCP | Local | Microsoft Fabric APIs, OneLake, item definitions |
| Playwright MCP | Local | Browser automation and testing |
| GitHub MCP | Remote | https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp |
Full ecosystem: See 🔷 Microsoft MCP Patterns for complete server catalog and patterns.
| Scenario | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Azure service integration | Use Azure MCP Server (48 services covered) |
| AI Foundry agents/evals | Use Foundry MCP remote server |
| Custom internal APIs | Build custom server (this guide) |
test cases passed, vs 11 / 24 without
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