Azure MCP Server
Access key Azure services including Storage, Cosmos DB, and Azure CLI. Manage cloud resources through AI.
- Maintained by
- Microsoft
- Hosting
- Runs locally on your machine
- Authentication
- None beyond local access
- Last checked
Moved from Azure/azure-mcp (archived Aug 2025) to microsoft/mcp; authenticates via your Azure login.
How to connect the Azure MCP server
Pick your AI client and paste the snippet. New to this? Our guide to how MCP clients and servers fit together explains what each piece does.
Claude Code
claude mcp add --transport stdio azure \
-- npx -y @azure/mcp@latest server startClaude Desktop
{
"mcpServers": {
"azure": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@azure/mcp@latest",
"server",
"start"
]
}
}
}Fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop after saving.
Full Claude Desktop setup guide →Cursor
{
"mcpServers": {
"azure": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@azure/mcp@latest",
"server",
"start"
]
}
}
}VS Code
{
"servers": {
"azure": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@azure/mcp@latest",
"server",
"start"
]
}
}
}Frequently asked questions
What is the Azure MCP server?
It is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server — a small piece of software that gives AI assistants like Claude a secure, governed connection to Azure. Access key Azure services including Storage, Cosmos DB, and Azure CLI. Manage cloud resources through AI.
Is there an official Azure MCP server?
Yes. The Azure MCP server is an official integration, maintained by the vendor or the Model Context Protocol project, which makes it the safest default for business use. It is maintained by Microsoft.
Is the Azure MCP server hosted, or do I run it myself?
It runs locally. Your AI client starts it on your own machine with npx, and it talks to the client over standard input and output rather than the network.
Do I need an API key for the Azure MCP server?
No. It runs on your machine with your own permissions, so there is no key to create.
What can an AI assistant actually do with Azure?
Through this server an assistant can work with storage, cosmos db, cli, resources — reading from and acting on Azure directly instead of you copy-pasting between windows. What you allow it to do is controlled by the permissions you grant.
How do I set this up for my business?
The setup section above has copy-paste config for Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor and VS Code. Once it is running against real systems, the question becomes what catches it when it acts wrongly, which is what Crox's Safety Diagnostic looks at.
New to MCP? Start with our plain-English guide to the Model Context Protocol or see how to connect AI to your business tools without writing code .
Already running this in production?
An agent with a live connection to your tools is a model that can act. Crox looks at what catches it when it acts wrongly: the layers around it, who can stop it, and where a near miss gets reported. Two days, one team, one model.