Azure cloud migrate skill: move AWS, GCP and Heroku workloads to Azure

Source: microsoft/azure-skills · Maintainer: Microsoft · License: MIT · Checked: 27 October 2026

What is the Azure cloud migrate skill?

The Azure cloud migrate skill guides a coding agent through moving an existing app from AWS, Google Cloud, Heroku or Kubernetes to Azure: first an assessment report that maps every source service to an Azure equivalent, then converted code and configuration in a separate folder, then a hand-off for deployment. It is for teams that want an agent to do the mechanical part of a cross-cloud move while they review each step.

Its description reads: "Assess and migrate cross-cloud workloads to Azure with reports and code conversion." The SKILL.md puts its scope in one line: "This skill handles assessment and code migration of existing cloud workloads to Azure."

The skill ships in microsoft/azure-skills, the Azure Skills Plugin, where the README lists it under "Optimize architecture and cost". The frontmatter lists version 1.3.2 and author Microsoft.

As of 27 October 2026, its skills.sh page listed about 515,800 installs (snapshot, 27 October 2026).

What does it do?

The SKILL.md is about 4.4 KB. Around 30 reference files hold the scenario guides, assessment templates and per-language rules.

Eight migration scenarios:

For a source that isn't listed, the agent is told to use the Azure MCP Server's documentation and best practices tools.

Phases in order. The first two rules tell the agent to follow the phases in sequence without skipping any, and to "Generate assessment before any code migration." The steps:

1. Create the output folder, named after the workspace root with -azure added.
2. Assess: analyze the source, map services and write a report using the scenario's assessment guide.
3. Migrate: convert code and configuration with the scenario's migration guide.
4. Ask: "Migration complete. Test locally or deploy to Azure?"
5. Hand off to azure-prepare for infrastructure, testing and deployment.

Progress goes in a migration-status.md table in the output folder.

Detailed mappings. The Lambda guide maps services (S3 to Blob Storage, DynamoDB to Cosmos DB, SQS to Service Bus or Storage Queue, CloudWatch to Application Insights, IAM roles to managed identity and Azure RBAC) and triggers (API Gateway to app.http(), S3 events to app.storageBlob(), scheduled events to app.timer()). The Lambda assessment produces a fixed-format migration-assessment-report.md with current and target architecture diagrams and code previews. Runtime files cover JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, C#, Java and PowerShell. The Kubernetes guide maps Deployments to Container Apps, ConfigMaps to environment variables, Secrets to Key Vault references and HPA to scale rules. Microsoft's own Lambda to Azure Functions migration guide covers the same move for people doing it by hand.

Opinionated defaults. The Functions rules say to use the latest GA language runtime, prefer bindings over SDK clients, use the Flex Consumption plan for new Functions, and design for identity-based access with no API keys. The App Service rules add HTTPS only, minimum TLS 1.2, health checks and Key Vault references for secrets.

A service discovery check. One rule exists because a common Kubernetes habit breaks on Azure Container Apps: "Kubernetes DNS names (e.g., http://order-service:3001) do not resolve in Container Apps." During assessment the agent scans for hardcoded hostnames and ports and flags them for environment-variable URLs.

How do you install the Azure cloud migrate skill?

The repo README documents several routes. The full plugin fits best, because the skill calls Azure MCP tools and hands off to azure-prepare, which the plugin also includes.

Claude Code: the Azure Skills Plugin. Run inside Claude Code:

/plugin install azure@claude-plugins-official

Or run /plugin and search for "azure". Update later with /plugin update azure@claude-plugins-official. See Claude Code plugins.

GitHub Copilot CLI:

/plugin marketplace add microsoft/azure-skills
/plugin install azure@azure-skills

Codex, Cursor and Gemini CLI. For Codex, the README says to run codex plugin marketplace add microsoft/azure-skills, then install azure from /plugins. For Cursor, use the Cursor Marketplace or Settings, then Plugins. For Gemini CLI, run gemini extensions install https://github.com/microsoft/azure-skills. See Codex skills and Cursor skills.

Skill only. The command on skills.sh copies just this folder:

npx skills add https://github.com/microsoft/azure-skills --skill azure-cloud-migrate

If you go this route, add azure-prepare the same way so the hand-off works.

Prerequisites, per the README: an Azure account or subscription, Node.js 18 or later on your PATH for npx, the Azure CLI signed in with az login, and the Azure Developer CLI signed in with azd auth login if you plan to use deployment workflows.

How do you use it?

Open the source project as your workspace and name the source and target. The skill is model-invoked; its trigger list includes "migrate Lambda to Functions", "AWS to Azure", "migrate Heroku" and "Fargate to ACA."

Example prompts (suggestions, not quotes from the repo):

• Assess this repo of AWS Lambda functions for a move to Azure Functions. Don't convert anything yet.
• Migrate this Heroku app to Azure App Service. Start with the assessment report.
• We run these services on EKS. Plan a move to Azure Container Apps and flag any hardcoded service hostnames.
• Convert our Cloud Run service to Container Apps and show me what changes in the deployment config.
• The assessment looks right. Go ahead with the code migration, then ask me before deploying.

Expect it to stop after the assessment so you can review the report, and to ask before choosing a subscription, choosing a region or deploying anything.

Tips and limits

From the repo, Microsoft Learn and skills.sh, not from testing:

• Your source stays put. Output goes to the -azure folder, and the destructive action policy forbids deleting files, overwriting code, deploying to production, changing existing Azure resources or removing AWS resources without your confirmation.
• The output folder is described two ways. The SKILL.md and Lambda assessment use <workspace-root-basename>-azure/; the App Service rules say <source-folder>-azure/. If your app sits in a subfolder, check where files land.
• Code moves, data doesn't. The scenarios convert code, configuration and deployment setup. Moving data from DynamoDB, S3 or a database is not a step in the workflow, though the Heroku and Elastic Beanstalk guides point to Azure Database Migration Service for databases.
• The plan choice is yours. The App Service rules require the agent to ask before choosing a plan tier, and recommend Premium v3 or Standard for production.
• Security audits. On skills.sh, Gen Agent Trust Hub rated the skill Pass (Safe), Socket Pass and Snyk Pass (low risk, no issues detected), all on 15 September 2026. Gen Agent Trust Hub noted that the skill ships only Markdown, with no scripts.
• Telemetry. The README says to set AZURE_MCP_COLLECT_TELEMETRY=false to turn off Azure MCP telemetry.

The MIT License lets you copy and change the skill as long as you keep Microsoft's copyright and license notices.

Save it in your Kipt library

An edited copy is useful when your company has migration rules of its own, such as a mandatory region, naming scheme or landing zone. In Kipt, open Skills and paste the skill's GitHub folder link into the import box; Kipt keeps the reference files with the SKILL.md, and for a repo with many skills it shows a list so you can take azure-prepare too. You can also drop the folder or a .zip. Skills in your private GitHub repo install into Claude Code or Codex with one command:

npx skills add https://github.com/<you>/<repo>.git --all -g

Kipt is not affiliated with Microsoft, AWS or Google.

Similar skills

• Azure prepare skill: the skill this one hands off to for infrastructure and deployment files.
• Azure validate skill: preflight checks before the migrated app is deployed.
• Azure deploy skill: runs the azd or Terraform deployment.
• Deprecation and migration skill: a general skill for planned migrations and removals inside a codebase.
• Claude Code for code migrations: a guide to framework upgrades, language ports and large refactors with Claude Code.