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Expert knowledge for Azure Policy development including troubleshooting, best practices, decision making, architecture & design patterns, security, configuration, integrations & coding patterns, and deployment.
Passed 7 of 21 test cases with the skill, and 14 of 21 without it.
and 4 more in the full report
7 fixed6 passed either way10 still failing1 broke
Tokens, turns and time describe resource use, not a dollar price.
This benchmark measured an earlier version of the skill.
One of 7 test cases the skill fixed. Same model, same prompt, with and without the skill.
We need to align our Azure tenant governance with the CIS Azure Foundations Benchmark version 2.0.0. Provide the official documentation reference URL for CIS Azure 2.0.0 policy mappings.
| Checked | Without skill | With skill |
|---|---|---|
| Includes the URL https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/governance/policy/samples/cis-azure-2-0-0 for CIS Azure 2.0.0 mappings | Passed | Passed |
| Recommends assigning the CIS initiative at management group or subscription scope | Missed | Passed |
The instructions your model reads when the skill loads.
This skill provides expert guidance for Azure Policy. Covers troubleshooting, best practices, decision making, architecture & design patterns, security, configuration, integrations & coding patterns, and deployment. It combines local quick-reference content with remote documentation fetching capabilities.
IMPORTANT for Agent: Use the Category Index below to locate relevant sections. For categories with line ranges (e.g.,
L35-L120), useread_filewith the specified lines. For categories with file links (e.g.,[security.md](security.md)), useread_fileon the linked reference file
IMPORTANT for Agent: If
metadata.generated_atis more than 3 months old, suggest the user pull the latest version from the repository. Ifmcp_microsoftdocstools are not available, suggest the user install it: Installation Guide
This skill requires network access to fetch documentation content:
mcp_microsoftdocs:microsoft_docs_fetch with query string from=learn-agent-skill. Returns Markdown.fetch_webpage with query string from=learn-agent-skill&accept=text/markdown. Returns Markdown.| Category | Lines | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Troubleshooting | L36-L44 | Diagnosing and fixing Azure Policy non-compliance and common errors, plus troubleshooting Azure Machine Configuration deployments and Linux/Windows guest configuration agents. |
| Best Practices | L45-L52 | Best practices for safely testing and deploying Azure Policy and Machine/Guest Configuration, including PSDSC behavior changes, impact evaluation, and safe rollout strategies. |
| Decision Making | L53-L60 | Guidance on planning migrations from DSC/Automanage to Machine Configuration/Azure Policy and choosing recommended policy definitions for managing and securing VMs. |
| Architecture & Design Patterns | L61-L65 | Designing Azure Policy-as-Code workflows, integrating with CI/CD, GitOps, and approvals, and structuring policy repos, environments, and automation for scalable governance. |
| Security | L66-L170 | Using Azure Policy for security/compliance: deploying security baselines, mapping to standards (CIS, NIST, ISO, PCI, FedRAMP, etc.), and enforcing regulatory and MFA requirements. |
| Configuration | L171-L210 | Designing, assigning, and managing Azure Policy and Machine Configuration: JSON structures, effects, guest config packages, compliance data, remediation, tags, identities, and exemptions. |
| Integrations & Coding Patterns | L211-L240 | Patterns for writing reusable Azure Policy definitions (operators, fields, effects, tags, initiatives) and integrating/automating them via Terraform, Kubernetes/Gatekeeper, VS Code, Event Grid, and Resource Graph |
| Deployment | L241-L251 | How to deploy and assign Machine Configuration packages via ARM/Bicep/Terraform/REST, publish them to storage, export policy for policy-as-code, and enforce Azure Policy in DevOps pipelines |
| Topic | URL |
|---|---|
| Troubleshoot Azure Machine Configuration deployments | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/governance/machine-configuration/overview/04-operations-troubleshooting |
| Troubleshoot Azure machine configuration Linux agent problems | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/governance/machine-configuration/whats-new/agent/linux |
| Diagnose and resolve Azure machine configuration Windows agent issues | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/governance/machine-configuration/whats-new/agent/windows |
| Diagnose causes of Azure Policy non-compliance | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/governance/policy/how-to/determine-non-compliance |
| Troubleshoot common Azure Policy errors and SDK issues | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/governance/policy/troubleshoot/general |
| Topic | URL |
|---|---|
| Test Machine Configuration packages with GuestConfiguration tools | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/governance/machine-configuration/how-to/develop-custom-package/3-test-package |
test cases passed, vs 14 / 21 without
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