Skills azure-cost-optimization

💰

azure-cost-optimization

Name: azure-cost-optimization
Author: microsoft

Low Risk ⚙️ External commands📁 Filesystem access🌐 Network access

Optimize Azure Costs and Reduce Cloud Spending

This skill analyzes Azure subscriptions to identify wasted spending and provides actionable recommendations to reduce cloud costs. It queries actual usage data, finds orphaned resources, and suggests rightsizing opportunities.

Supports: Claude Codex Code(CC)

📊 70 Adequate

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Test it

Using "azure-cost-optimization". Analyze Azure costs and find savings

Expected outcome:

Cost Optimization Report generated with: Total Monthly Cost identified, 3 orphaned resources found ($150/month savings), 5 rightsizing opportunities identified ($400/month potential savings), Priority recommendations provided with specific VM size alternatives

Using "azure-cost-optimization". Optimize Redis spending

Expected outcome:

Redis Cost Analysis: 5 caches analyzed, 1 failed cache identified ($300/month savings), 2 Premium tiers recommended for downgrade ($350/month savings), Detailed action steps provided for each recommendation

Security Audit

Low Risk

v1 • 2/20/2026

Static analysis detected 156 potential security issues including external command execution patterns, filesystem access, and hardcoded URLs. After evaluation, all findings are false positives: backticks and PowerShell commands appear in code examples within markdown documentation (not executable code), path traversal sequences are in template examples (not actual filesystem operations), and URLs reference legitimate Azure pricing pages. This is a legitimate Azure cost optimization skill from Microsoft with no malicious intent detected.

Files scanned

762

Lines analyzed

findings

Total audits

High Risk Issues (1)

SKILL.md:37-52 SKILL.md:129-140 SKILL.md:178-186 SKILL.md:214-245 SKILL.md:343-346 references/azure-quick-review.md:7-38 references/azure-redis.md:11-51 references/azure-resource-graph.md:3-100

False Positive: Code Examples in Markdown Documentation

Static scanner detected Ruby/shell backtick execution and PowerShell invocation patterns in SKILL.md and reference files. Upon review, these are code examples within markdown documentation blocks showing how to use Azure CLI commands (e.g., `az account show`, `az monitor metrics list`). These are not executable code but instructional examples for users. No security risk exists as these are static documentation strings, not dynamic code execution. All instances are legitimate Azure CLI command demonstrations in markdown code blocks.

Medium Risk Issues (2)

references/azure-redis.md:37-41

False Positive: Template Example with Path Sequence

Static scanner detected path traversal sequences in references/azure-redis.md lines 37 and 41. Upon review, these are example file path patterns in documentation showing how to construct Azure Resource Manager paths (e.g., '/subscriptions/{subscriptionId}/resourceGroups/{resourceGroupName}'). These are template strings for API documentation, not actual filesystem operations. No path traversal vulnerability exists as the skill does not perform filesystem operations based on these patterns.

SKILL.md:184-206 SKILL.md:314

False Positive: Hardcoded Azure URLs

Static scanner detected hardcoded URLs in SKILL.md. Upon review, these are legitimate Azure service URLs for pricing information (e.g., https://azure.microsoft.com/pricing/details/container-apps/). These URLs are referenced as data sources for fetching current Azure pricing to validate cost optimization recommendations. All URLs point to official Microsoft Azure domains and are used for legitimate information retrieval, not data exfiltration.

Low Risk Issues (1)

SKILL.md:3 SKILL.md:121 SKILL.md:379 references/azure-quick-review.md:10-50 references/azure-resource-graph.md:11-93 templates/redis-detailed-cache-analysis.md:49

False Positive: Weak Cryptographic Algorithm References

Static scanner detected references to weak cryptographic algorithms in markdown files. Upon review, these are false positives caused by the scanner misinterpreting text in documentation. The skill does not implement cryptographic operations. The detected patterns are likely from template variables or configuration examples mentioning standard Azure resource properties.

Risk Factors

⚙️ External commands (135)

📁 Filesystem access (2)

references/azure-redis.md:37 references/azure-redis.md:41

🌐 Network access (7)

SKILL.md:184 SKILL.md:197 SKILL.md:203 SKILL.md:204 SKILL.md:205 SKILL.md:206 SKILL.md:314

Audited by: claude

Quality Score

Architecture

100

Maintainability

Content

Community

Security

Spec Compliance

What You Can Build

DevOps Engineer Reducing Cloud Spend

A DevOps engineer wants to reduce monthly Azure spending by identifying unused resources and rightsizing over-provisioned VMs. The skill runs a comprehensive analysis and generates a detailed cost optimization report with specific action items.

Finance Team Cost Analysis

Finance team members need visibility into Azure spending across multiple subscriptions. The skill provides actual cost data from Azure Cost Management API, breakdown by resource, and identifies cost allocation opportunities through tagging.

Cloud Architect Optimization Review

A cloud architect performs quarterly infrastructure reviews. The skill generates comprehensive reports comparing current spending against historical data, identifies trends, and recommends Reserved Instance opportunities.

Try These Prompts

Basic Cost Analysis

Use the azure-cost-optimization skill to analyze my Azure subscription and find cost savings opportunities. Focus on identifying orphaned resources and areas where I'm overspending.

Comprehensive Optimization Report

Run a full cost optimization analysis on my Azure subscription <SUBSCRIPTION_ID>. Query actual costs from the last 30 days, check VM and service utilization metrics, and generate a detailed report with prioritized recommendations including estimated savings.

Redis-Specific Cost Review

Analyze Redis and Azure Cache for Redis costs in my subscription. Find failed caches to delete, identify Premium tiers that can be downgraded, and generate a Redis cost optimization report.

Rightsizing Recommendations

Query utilization metrics for my Azure VMs over the past 14 days and recommend rightsizing opportunities. Compare current VM sizes to actual CPU and memory usage patterns.

Best Practices

Always query actual costs from Azure Cost Management API rather than estimating
Validate pricing from official Azure pricing pages and account for free tier allowances
Save cost query results for audit trail and historical comparison

Avoid

Assuming costs without querying actual data from Azure Cost Management
Ignoring free tier allowances that may explain low or zero costs
Executing destructive operations without explicit approval and testing in non-production first

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this skill delete resources?

No, this skill only analyzes costs and generates recommendations. It never deletes resources. All destructive operations require explicit user approval and should be tested in non-production environments first.

What permissions are required?

You need Cost Management Reader role, Monitoring Reader role, and Reader role on the subscription or resource groups you want to analyze.

How accurate are the savings estimates?

Savings estimates are calculated using actual cost data from Azure Cost Management API and validated against current Azure pricing pages. Actual savings may vary based on usage patterns and pricing changes.

Can this skill analyze multiple subscriptions?

Yes, you can analyze specific subscriptions by ID, subscriptions with a particular prefix, or all accessible subscriptions in your tenant.

Does this work with Azure government clouds?

The skill uses standard Azure REST APIs which should work with sovereign clouds, but pricing validation may require adjustments for government cloud pricing endpoints.

How often should I run this analysis?

Run a comprehensive analysis monthly for tracking trends, and after any significant infrastructure changes. Run targeted Redis analysis weekly if you have many cache instances.