name: azure-resource-lookup
description: "List, find, and show Azure resources across subscriptions or resource groups. Handles prompts like "list websites", "list virtual machines", "list my VMs", "show storage accounts", "find container apps", and "what resources do I have". USE FOR: resource inventory, find resources by tag, tag analysis, orphaned resource discovery (not for cost analysis), unattached disks, count resources by type, cross-subscription lookup, and Azure Resource Graph queries. DO NOT USE FOR: deploying/changing resources (use azure-deploy), cost optimization (use azure-cost), or non-Azure clouds."
license: MIT
metadata:
author: Microsoft
version: "1.0.1"

Azure Resource Lookup

List, find, and discover Azure resources of any type across subscriptions and resource groups. Use Azure Resource Graph (ARG) for fast, cross-cutting queries when dedicated MCP tools don't cover the resource type.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when the user wants to:

• List resources of any type (VMs, web apps, storage accounts, container apps, databases, etc.)
• Show resources in a specific subscription or resource group
• Query resources across multiple subscriptions or resource types
• Find orphaned resources (unattached disks, unused NICs, idle IPs)
• Discover resources missing required tags or configurations
• Get a resource inventory spanning multiple types
• Find resources in a specific state (unhealthy, failed provisioning, stopped)
• Answer "what resources do I have?" or "show me my Azure resources"

💡 Tip: For single-resource-type queries, first check if a dedicated MCP tool can handle it (see routing table below). If none exists, use Azure Resource Graph.

Quick Reference

MCP Tools

Workflow

Step 1: Check for a Dedicated MCP Tool

For single-resource-type queries, check if a dedicated MCP tool can handle it:

If a dedicated tool is available with full coverage, use it. Otherwise proceed to Step 2.

Step 2: Generate the ARG Query

Use extension_cli_generate to build the az graph query command:

mcp_azure_mcp_extension_cli_generate
  intent: "query Azure Resource Graph to <user's request>"
  cli-type: "az"

See Azure Resource Graph Query Patterns for common KQL patterns.

Step 3: Execute and Format Results

Run the generated command. Use --query (JMESPath) to shape output:

az graph query -q "<KQL>" --query "data[].{name:name, type:type, rg:resourceGroup}" -o table

Use --first N to limit results. Use --subscriptions to scope.

Error Handling

Constraints

• ✅ Always use =~ for case-insensitive type matching (types are lowercase)
• ✅ Always scope queries with --subscriptions or --first for large tenants
• ✅ Prefer dedicated MCP tools for single-resource-type queries
• ❌ Never use ARG for real-time monitoring (data has slight delay)
• ❌ Never attempt mutations through ARG (read-only)