Azure Key Vault Skill

This skill provides expert guidance for Azure Key Vault. Covers troubleshooting, best practices, decision making, architecture & design patterns, limits & quotas, security, configuration, integrations & coding patterns, and deployment. 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

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 | |----------|-------|-------------| | Troubleshooting | L37-L46 | Diagnosing and fixing Key Vault errors: REST/API error codes, Private Link and access policy issues, Azure Policy enforcement, and Managed HSM external key management problems. | | Best Practices | L47-L53 | Best practices for securing Key Vault keys, handling Managed HSM disaster recovery, and generating/importing BYOK HSM keys for compliant, resilient key management. | | Decision Making | L54-L64 | Guidance on planning and migrating key workloads, choosing RBAC vs access policies, using and retiring Managed HSM external keys, SLA/responsibility tradeoffs, and capacity/scaling decisions. | | Architecture & Design Patterns | L65-L70 | Architecture and workflows for using external key stores with Managed HSM, including key lifecycle management, integration patterns, and operational considerations. | | Limits & Quotas | L71-L82 | Limits, quotas, and behaviors for Key Vault and Managed HSM (certificates, secrets, throttling, logging latency, IP firewall/network rules, soft-delete/recovery, and capacity constraints). | | Security | L83-L113 | Securing Key Vault and Managed HSM: auth (RBAC/ABAC, access policies), networking/firewalls/private endpoints, Zero Trust, soft delete, HSM/BYOK key handling, and security best practices. | | Configuration | L114-L138 | Configuring Key Vault and Managed HSM: auth requests, policies, logging/monitoring, alerts, key types/algorithms, BYOK, key/secret rotation, secure release, replication, and soft-delete. | | Integrations & Coding Patterns | L139-L169 | Patterns for integrating Key Vault with apps and services (Event Grid, Logic Apps, Private Link, Databricks, DigiCert) and using keys/secrets from .NET, Node.js, Python, JavaScript, and Managed HSM. | | Deployment | L170-L173 | How to deploy and provision Azure Key Vault and Managed HSM (vaults, keys, secrets) using ARM templates, Bicep, Terraform, Azure CLI, and PowerShell |

Troubleshooting

| Topic | URL | |-------|-----| | Resolve common Azure Key Vault error codes | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/general/common-error-codes | | Diagnose and fix Azure Key Vault Private Link configuration issues | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/general/private-link-diagnostics | | Interpret Azure Key Vault REST API error codes | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/general/rest-error-codes | | Troubleshoot Azure Policy enforcement on Key Vault | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/general/troubleshoot-azure-policy-for-key-vault | | Troubleshoot Azure Key Vault access policy failures | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/general/troubleshooting-access-issues | | Troubleshoot Managed HSM external key management issues | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/managed-hsm/external-key-management-troubleshooting |

Best Practices

| Topic | URL | |-------|-----| | Apply security best practices for Azure Key Vault keys | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/keys/secure-keys | | Execute disaster recovery for Azure Managed HSM disruptions | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/managed-hsm/disaster-recovery-guide | | Generate and import BYOK HSM keys into Azure Managed HSM | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/managed-hsm/hsm-protected-keys-byok |

Decision Making

| Topic | URL | |-------|-----| | Plan and execute migration of cryptographic key workloads | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/general/migrate-key-workloads | | Migrate Azure Key Vault from access policies to RBAC | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/general/rbac-migration | | Answer common questions on Managed HSM external keys | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/managed-hsm/external-key-management-faq | | Migrate workloads off Managed HSM external keys | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/managed-hsm/external-key-management-migration | | Decide when to use Managed HSM external key management | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/managed-hsm/external-key-management-overview | | Evaluate SLA and responsibilities for Managed HSM external keys | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/managed-hsm/external-key-management-shared-responsibility | | Plan capacity and scaling for Azure Managed HSM | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/managed-hsm/scaling-guidance |

Architecture & Design Patterns

| Topic | URL | |-------|-----| | Understand Managed HSM external key management architecture | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/managed-hsm/external-key-management-architecture | | Manage external key lifecycle in Managed HSM | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/managed-hsm/external-key-management-key-lifecycle |

Limits & Quotas

| Topic | URL | |-------|-----| | Understand Azure Key Vault certificate limits and behaviors | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/certificates/faq | | Configure and interpret Azure Key Vault logging latency | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/general/logging | | Understand and manage Azure Key Vault throttling limits | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/general/overview-throttling | | Review Azure Key Vault and Managed HSM service limits | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/general/service-limits | | Configure Managed HSM IP firewall and network security | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/managed-hsm/configure-network-security | | Review Azure Managed HSM service limits and quotas | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/managed-hsm/service-limits | | Use soft-delete and recovery for Managed HSM resources | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/managed-hsm/soft-delete-overview | | Understand Azure Key Vault secret size limits | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/secrets/about-secrets |

Security

| Topic | URL | |-------|-----| | Apply security best practices to Key Vault certificates | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/certificates/secure-certificates | | Allow Azure Key Vault access from clients behind firewalls | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/general/access-behind-firewall | | Prepare for Azure Key Vault RBAC default and API retirement | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/general/access-control-default | | Configure Azure Key Vault access policies with CLI | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/general/assign-access-policy | | Configure authentication to Azure Key Vault with Entra ID | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/general/authentication | | Add Azure ABAC conditions for Key Vault via CLI | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/general/howto-abac-conditions-cli | | Add Azure ABAC conditions for Key Vault via PowerShell | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/general/howto-abac-conditions-powershell | | Configure network security options for Azure Key Vault | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/general/network-security | | Restrict Azure Key Vault access with VNet service endpoints | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/general/overview-vnet-service-endpoints | | Configure Azure Key Vault ABAC actions and attributes | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/general/rbac-abac | | Choose Azure RBAC vs access policies for Key Vault | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/general/rbac-access-policy | | Configure Azure RBAC access for Azure Key Vault | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/general/rbac-guide | | Apply Zero Trust security practices to Azure Key Vault | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/general/secure-key-vault | | Configure and use Azure Key Vault soft-delete safely | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/general/soft-delete-overview | | Generate and transfer HSM-protected keys to Key Vault | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/keys/hsm-protected-keys | | Implement BYOK HSM key transfer for Azure Key Vault | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/keys/hsm-protected-keys-byok | | Configure access control for Azure Key Vault Managed HSM | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/managed-hsm/access-control | | Configure ARM access for Managed HSM key management | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/managed-hsm/authorize-azure-resource-manager | | Perform full and selective backup/restore for Azure Managed HSM | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/managed-hsm/backup-restore | | Use Managed HSM built-in local RBAC roles | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/managed-hsm/built-in-roles | | Configure networking and mTLS for Managed HSM external keys | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/managed-hsm/external-key-management-networking | | Implement secure access control for Azure Managed HSM | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/managed-hsm/how-to-secure-access | | Configure network security and firewall for Managed HSM | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/managed-hsm/network-security | | Configure Managed HSM private endpoints with Private Link | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/managed-hsm/private-link | | Manage data plane RBAC roles for Azure Managed HSM | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/managed-hsm/role-management | | Apply security best practices to Managed HSM deployments | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/managed-hsm/secure-managed-hsm | | Apply security best practices for Key Vault secrets | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/secrets/secure-secrets |

Configuration

| Topic | URL | |-------|-----| | Configure health and throttling alerts for Azure Key Vault | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/general/alert | | Formulate authenticated JSON requests to Azure Key Vault | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/general/authentication-requests-and-responses | | Apply Azure Policy to govern Azure Key Vault | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/general/azure-policy | | Enable and configure Azure Key Vault diagnostic logging | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/general/howto-logging | | Configure monitoring for Azure Key Vault with Azure Monitor | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/general/monitor-key-vault | | Reference monitoring metrics and logs for Azure Key Vault | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/general/monitor-key-vault-reference | | Use Azure Key Vault key types and algorithms | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/keys/about-keys-details | | Follow BYOK specification for importing HSM keys to Key Vault | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/keys/byok-specification | | Configure automatic cryptographic key rotation in Azure Key Vault | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/keys/how-to-configure-key-rotation | | Author secure key release policies in Key Vault | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/keys/policy-grammar | | Configure key types and algorithms in Managed HSM | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/managed-hsm/about-keys-details | | Configure health and performance alerts for Managed HSM | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/managed-hsm/configure-alerts | | Configure logging and monitoring for Managed HSM external keys | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/managed-hsm/external-key-management-logging-monitoring | | Configure automated key rotation in Azure Managed HSM | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/managed-hsm/key-rotation | | Configure logging and audit events for Azure Managed HSM | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/managed-hsm/logging | | Configure multi-region replication for Azure Managed HSM | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/managed-hsm/multi-region-replication | | Author secure key release policies for Managed HSM | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/managed-hsm/policy-grammar | | Configure soft-delete and purge protection for Managed HSM | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/managed-hsm/recovery | | Configure Azure Key Vault to store multiline secrets | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/secrets/multiline-secrets | | Automate single-credential secret rotation in Key Vault | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/secrets/tutorial-rotation | | Configure dual-credential secret rotation in Key Vault | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/secrets/tutorial-rotation-dual |

Integrations & Coding Patterns

| Topic | URL | |-------|-----| | Integrate Azure Key Vault with DigiCert CA | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/certificates/how-to-integrate-certificate-authority | | Trigger Logic Apps from Key Vault events via Event Grid | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/general/event-grid-logicapps | | Integrate Azure Key Vault events with Azure Event Grid | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/general/event-grid-overview | | Handle Azure Key Vault notifications with Event Grid and Automation | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/general/event-grid-tutorial | | Access Blob Storage via Databricks using Key Vault secrets | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/general/integrate-databricks-blob-storage | | Integrate Azure Key Vault with Azure Private Link | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/general/private-link-service | | Use Node.js on VMs to read secrets from Key Vault | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/general/tutorial-javascript-virtual-machine | | Connect ASP.NET Core web apps to Azure Key Vault | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/general/tutorial-net-create-vault-azure-web-app | | Integrate .NET VM apps with Azure Key Vault secrets | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/general/tutorial-net-virtual-machine | | Access Azure Key Vault from Python on virtual machines | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/general/tutorial-python-virtual-machine | | Back up, delete, and restore keys in JavaScript | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/keys/javascript-developer-guide-backup-delete-restore-key | | Create and rotate Key Vault keys in JavaScript | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/keys/javascript-developer-guide-create-update-rotate-key | | Enable or disable Key Vault keys in JavaScript | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/keys/javascript-developer-guide-enable-disable-key | | Encrypt and decrypt with Key Vault keys in JavaScript | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/keys/javascript-developer-guide-encrypt-decrypt-key | | Retrieve Azure Key Vault keys in JavaScript | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/keys/javascript-developer-guide-get-key | | Import keys into Azure Key Vault with JavaScript | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/keys/javascript-developer-guide-import-key | | List Azure Key Vault keys using JavaScript | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/keys/javascript-developer-guide-list-key-version | | Sign and verify with Key Vault keys in JavaScript | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/keys/javascript-developer-guide-sign-verify-key | | Implement EKM Proxy API for Managed HSM external keys | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/managed-hsm/external-key-management-proxy-api-reference | | Create external keys with Managed HSM using Azure CLI | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/managed-hsm/external-key-management-quickstart-cli | | Create external keys with Managed HSM in Azure portal | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/managed-hsm/external-key-management-quickstart-portal | | Back up and restore Key Vault secrets in JavaScript | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/secrets/javascript-developer-guide-backup-secrets | | Delete and purge Key Vault secrets with JavaScript | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/secrets/javascript-developer-guide-delete-secret | | Enable or disable Key Vault secrets using JavaScript | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/secrets/javascript-developer-guide-enable-disable-secret | | Retrieve Azure Key Vault secrets with JavaScript | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/secrets/javascript-developer-guide-get-secret | | Use Azure Key Vault secrets from JavaScript applications | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/secrets/javascript-developer-guide-get-started | | Create, update, and rotate Key Vault secrets with JavaScript | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/secrets/javascript-developer-guide-set-update-rotate-secret |

Deployment

| Topic | URL | |-------|-----| | Provision Key Vault and key using Terraform | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/keys/quick-create-terraform |