About azure-devtest-labs
A guidance skill for Azure DevTest Labs, aimed at agents assisting with setup, operations, security, and deployment. It combines local reference material with network-fetched documentation.
Key features
- 01Troubleshooting VM and environment issues
- 02Architecture and deployment guidance
- 03Security and access configuration
- 04VM and lab configuration
- 05Automation and integration patterns
Use cases
- 01Diagnosing VM deployment or connectivity failures
- 02Planning enterprise-scale lab environments
- 03Configuring access, secrets, and VM security
- 04Automating lab resources and deployments
MCP support
The skill can fetch documentation through mcp_microsoftdocs:microsoft_docs_fetch, with fetch_webpage as a fallback.
Install
Copy the command and run it in a terminal.
npx skills add https:/ / github.com/ microsoftdocs/ agent-skills --skill azure-devtest-labsAfter installing, type/azure-devtest-labsin Claude Code to confirm it loaded.
Details
From the project READMEAzure DevTest Labs Skill
This skill provides expert guidance for Azure DevTest Labs. 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), 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:
- Preferred: Use
mcp_microsoftdocs:microsoft_docs_fetchwith query stringfrom=learn-agent-skill. Returns Markdown. - Fallback: Use
fetch_webpagewith query stringfrom=learn-agent-skill&accept=text/markdown. Returns Markdown.
Category Index
| Category | Lines | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Troubleshooting | L37-L44 | Diagnosing and fixing DevTest Labs VM and environment creation/deployment issues, artifact application failures, connectivity problems, and handling Defender for Cloud security alerts. |
| Best Practices | L45-L49 | Guidance on organizing and collaborating on DevTest Labs infrastructure as code across teams, including branching, environments, and distributed resource development workflows |
| Decision Making | L50-L58 | Guidance on planning PoCs and enterprise-scale deployments, choosing images and Gen1 vs Gen2 VMs, and setting governance for organization-wide DevTest Labs use. |
| Architecture & Design Patterns | L59-L63 | Enterprise-scale DevTest Labs architectures: hub-spoke design, network/security layout, governance, cost management, and best practices for large org lab deployments. |
| Limits & Quotas | L64-L68 | Managing DevTest Labs limits and quotas, viewing current usage, and requesting or configuring quota increases for labs, VMs, and related resources. |
| Security | L69-L86 | Securing DevTest Labs: identities, RBAC and granular policy permissions, secrets/Key Vault, disk/storage encryption, secure VM access (RDP Gateway, Bastion, browser), Trusted Launch, and security alerts. |
| Configuration | L87-L108 | Configuring DevTest Labs environments and VMs: images, networks, policies, costs, tags, ARM templates, artifacts, activity logs, alerts, IPs, and resource groups. |
| Integrations & Coding Patterns | L109-L128 | Automating DevTest Labs with ARM, PowerShell, CLI, Functions, and Automation: creating/importing VMs, managing images/VHDs, environments, users, VM start/stop, and cross-lab usage reporting. |
| Deployment | L129-L135 | Guides for deploying and migrating DevTest Labs: ARM templates, CI/CD and Azure Pipelines integration, region moves, and handling Azure Basic Load Balancer retirement. |
Troubleshooting
| Topic | URL |
|---|---|
| Fix DevTest Labs VM connectivity by redeploying | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devtest-labs/devtest-lab-redeploy-vm |
| Troubleshoot DevTest Labs artifact application failures | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devtest-labs/devtest-lab-troubleshoot-apply-artifacts |
| Troubleshoot DevTest Labs VM deployment failures | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devtest-labs/troubleshoot-vm-deployment-failures |
| Troubleshoot DevTest Labs VM and environment creation failures | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devtest-labs/troubleshoot-vm-environment-creation-failures |
Best Practices
| Topic | URL |
|---|---|
| Set up distributed DevTest Labs resource development | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devtest-labs/best-practices-distributive-collaborative-development-environment |
Decision Making
| Topic | URL |
|---|---|
| Plan and execute a DevTest Labs proof of concept | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devtest-labs/deliver-proof-concept |
| Choose between custom images and formulas in DevTest Labs | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devtest-labs/devtest-lab-comparing-vm-base-image-types |
| Choose and use Gen1 vs Gen2 VMs in DevTest Labs | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devtest-labs/devtest-lab-gen2-vm |
| Govern Azure DevTest Labs resources across an organization | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devtest-labs/devtest-lab-guidance-governance-resources |
| Plan DevTest Labs deployment at enterprise scale | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devtest-labs/devtest-lab-guidance-scale |
Architecture & Design Patterns
| Topic | URL |
|---|---|
| Enterprise reference architecture for Azure DevTest Labs | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devtest-labs/devtest-lab-reference-architecture |
Limits & Quotas
| Topic | URL |
|---|---|
| View and increase Azure DevTest Labs quotas and limits | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devtest-labs/devtest-lab-scale-lab |
Security
Configuration
Integrations & Coding Patterns
Deployment
| Topic | URL |
|---|---|
| Integrate DevTest Labs with enterprise CI/CD pipelines | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devtest-labs/devtest-lab-dev-ops |
| Handle Azure Basic Load Balancer retirement in DevTest Labs | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devtest-labs/devtest-lab-standard-load-balancer |
| Deploy DevTest Labs resources with ARM templates | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devtest-labs/devtest-lab-use-arm-and-powershell-for-lab-resources |
| Move Azure DevTest Labs to another region | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devtest-labs/how-to-move-labs |