azure-kubernetes

The saved excerpt is a snapshot from when this skill was listed. The external source remains the complete and most current version.

---
name: azure-kubernetes
license: MIT
metadata:
  author: Microsoft
  version: "1.2.2"
description: "Plan, create, and configure production-ready Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) clusters. Covers Day-0 checklist, SKU selection (Automatic vs Standard), networking options (private API server, Azure CNI Overlay, egress configuration), security, and operations (autoscaling, upgrade strategy, cost analysis). WHEN: create AKS environment, provision AKS, enable AKS observability, design AKS networking, choose AKS SKU, secure AKS, optimize AKS, AKS spot nodes, AKS cluster-autoscaler, rightsize AKS pod, pod rightsizing, over-provisioned AKS pod, pod resource requests and limits, Vertical Pod Autoscaler, VPA recommendations."
---

# Azure Kubernetes Service

> **AUTHORITATIVE GUIDANCE — MANDATORY COMPLIANCE**
>
> This skill produces a **recommended AKS cluster configuration** based on user requirements, distinguishing **Day-0 decisions** (networking, API server — hard to change later) from **Day-1 features** (can enable post-creation). See [CLI reference](./references/cli-reference.md) for commands.

## Quick Reference
| Property | Value |
|----------|-------|
| Best for | AKS cluster planning and Day-0 decisions |
| MCP Tools | `mcp_azure_mcp_aks` |
| CLI | `az aks create`, `az aks show`, `kubectl get`, `kubectl describe` |
| Related skills | azure-kubernetes-app-deploy (deploy an app to an existing cluster), azure-diagnostics (troubleshooting AKS), azure-validate (readiness checks), azure-kubernetes-automatic-readiness (migrate existing cluster to AKS Automatic) |

## When to Use This Skill
Activate this skill when user wants to:
- Create a new AKS cluster
- Plan AKS cluster configuration for production workloads
- Design AKS networking (API server access, pod IP model, egress)
- Set up AKS identity and secrets management
- Configure AKS governance (Azure Policy, Deployment Safeguards)
- Enable AKS observability (Container Insights, Managed Prometheus, Grafana)
- Define AKS upgrade and patching strategy
- Understand AKS Automatic vs Standard SKU differences
- Get a Day-0 checklist for AKS cluster setup and configuration

> **Deploying an application to an existing cluster?** This skill provisions and
> configures the *cluster*. To containerize an app and deploy it to a cluster
> that already exists (Dockerfile + manifests + Deployment Safeguards), use the
> `azure-kubernetes-app-deploy` sub-skill instead.

## Rules
1. Start with the user's requirements for provisioning compute, networking, security, and other settings.
2. Use the `azure` MCP server and select `mcp_azure_mcp_aks` first to discover the exact AKS-specific MCP tools surfaced by the client. Choose the smallest discovered AKS tool that fits the task, and fall back to Azure CLI (`az aks`) only when the needed functionality is not exposed through the AKS MCP surface.
3. Determine if AKS Automatic or Standard SKU is more appropriate based on the user's need for control vs convenience. Default to AKS Automatic unless specific customizations are required.
4. Document decisions and rationale for cluster configuration choices, especially for Day-0 decisions that are hard to change later (networking, API server access).


## Required Inputs (Ask only what’s needed)
If the user is unsure, use safe defaults.
- AKS environment type: dev/test or production
- Region(s), availability zones, preferred node VM sizes
- Expected scale (node/cluster count, workload size)
- Networking requirements (API server access, pod IP model, ingress/egress control)
- Security and identity requirements, including image registry
- Upgrade and observability preferences
- Cost constraints

## Workflow

### 1. Cluster Type
- **AKS Automatic** (default): Best for most production workloads, provides a curated experience with pre-configured best practices for security, reliability, and performance. Use unless you have specific custom requirements for networking, autoscaling, or node pool configurations not suppo