Analyze Azure resource groups and generate detailed Mermaid architecture diagrams showing the relationships between individual resources. Use this skill when the user asks for a diagram of their Azure resources or help in understanding how the resources relate to each other.
---
name: azure-resource-visualizer
description: Analyze Azure resource groups and generate detailed Mermaid architecture diagrams showing the relationships between individual resources. Use this skill when the user asks for a diagram of their Azure resources or help in understanding how the resources relate to each other.
license: Complete terms in LICENSE.txt
metadata:
author: Tom Meschter (tom.meschter@microsoft.com)
---
# Azure Resource Visualizer - Architecture Diagram Generator
A user may ask for help understanding how individual resources fit together, or to create a diagram showing their relationships. Your mission is to examine Azure resource groups, understand their structure and relationships, and generate comprehensive Mermaid diagrams that clearly illustrate the architecture.
## Core Responsibilities
1. **Resource Group Discovery**: List available resource groups when not specified
2. **Deep Resource Analysis**: Examine all resources, their configurations, and interdependencies
3. **Relationship Mapping**: Identify and document all connections between resources
4. **Diagram Generation**: Create detailed, accurate Mermaid diagrams
5. **Documentation Creation**: Produce clear markdown files with embedded diagrams
## Workflow Process
### Step 1: Resource Group Selection
If the user hasn't specified a resource group:
1. Use your tools to query available resource groups. If you do not have a tool for this, use `az`.
2. Present a numbered list of resource groups with their locations
3. Ask the user to select one by number or name
4. Wait for user response before proceeding
If a resource group is specified, validate it exists and proceed.
### Step 2: Resource Discovery & Analysis
Once you have the resource group:
1. **Query all resources** in the resource group using Azure MCP tools or `az`.
2. **Analyze each resource** type and capture:
- Resource name and type
- SKU/tier information
- Location/region
- Key configuration properties
- Network settings (VNets, subnets, private endpoints)
- Identity and access (Managed Identity, RBAC)
- Dependencies and connections
3. **Map relationships** by identifying:
- **Network connections**: VNet peering, subnet assignments, NSG rules, private endpoints
- **Data flow**: Apps → Databases, Functions → Storage, API Management → Backends
- **Identity**: Managed identities connecting to resources
- **Configuration**: App Settings pointing to Key Vaults, connection strings
- **Dependencies**: Parent-child relationships, required resources
### Step 3: Diagram Construction
Create a **detailed Mermaid diagram** using the `graph TB` (top-to-bottom) or `graph LR` (left-to-right) format:
**Diagram Structure Guidelines:**
```mermaid
graph TB
%% Use subgraphs to group related resources
subgraph "Resource Group: [name]"
subgraph "Network Layer"
VNET[Virtual Network<br/>10.0.0.0/16]
SUBNET1[Subnet: web<br/>10.0.1.0/24]
SUBNET2[Subnet: data<br/>10.0.2.0/24]
NSG[Network Security Group]
end
subgraph "Compute Layer"
APP[App Service<br/>Plan: P1v2]
FUNC[Function App<br/>Runtime: .NET 8]
end
subgraph "Data Layer"
SQL[Azure SQL Database<br/>DTU: S1]
STORAGE[Storage Account<br/>Type: Standard LRS]
end
subgraph "Security & Identity"
KV[Key Vault]
MI[Managed Identity]
end
end
%% Define relationships with descriptive labels
APP -->|"HTTPS requests"| FUNC
FUNC -->|"SQL connection"| SQL
FUNC -->|"Blob/Queue access"| STORAGE
APP -->|"Uses identity"| MI
MI -->|"Access secrets"| KV
VNET --> SUBNET1
VNET --> SUBNET2
SUBNET1 --> APP
SUBNET2 --> SQL
NSG -->|"Rules applied to"| SUBNET1
```
**Key Diagram Requirements:**
- **Group by layer or purpose**: Network, Compute, Data, Security, Monitoring
- **Include details**: SKUs, tiers, important settings in node labels (use `<br/>` for line breaks)
- **Label all connections**: Describe what flows between resources (data, identity, network)
- **Use meaningful node IDs**: Abbreviations that make sense (APP, FUNC, SQL, KV)
- **Visual hierarchy**: Subgraphs for logical grouping
- **Connection types**:
- `-->` for data flow or dependencies
- `-.->` for optional/conditional connections
- `==>` for critical/primary paths
**Resource Type Examples:**
- App Service: Include plan tier (B1, S1, P1v2)
- Functions: Include runtime (.NET, Python, Node)
- Databases: Include tier (Basic, Standard, Premium)
- Storage: Include redundancy (LRS, GRS, ZRS)
- VNets: Include address space
- Subnets: Include address range
### Step 4: File Creation
Use [template-architecture.md](./assets/template-architecture.md) as a template and create a markdown file named `[resource-group-name]-architecture.md` with:
1. **Header**: Resource group name, subscription, region
2. **Summary**: Brief overview of the architecture (2-3 paragraphs)
3. **Resource Inventory**: Table listing all resources with types and key properties
4. **Architecture Diagram**: The complete Mermaid diagram
5. **Relationship Details**: Explanation of key connections and data flows
6. **Notes**: Any important observations, potential issues, or recommendations
## Operating Guidelines
### Quality Standards
- **Accuracy**: Verify all resource details before including in diagram
- **Completeness**: Don't omit resources; include everything in the resource group
- **Clarity**: Use clear, descriptive labels and logical grouping
- **Detail Level**: Include configuration details that matter for architecture understanding
- **Relationships**: Show ALL significant connections, not just obvious ones
### Tool Usage Patterns
1. **Azure MCP Search**:
- Use `intent="list resource groups"` to discover resource groups
- Use `intent="list resources in group"` with group name to get all resources
- Use `intent="get resource details"` for individual resource analysis
- Use `command` parameter when you need specific Azure operations
2. **File Creation**:
- Always create in workspace root or a `docs/` folder if it exists
- Use clear, descriptive filenames: `[rg-name]-architecture.md`
- Ensure Mermaid syntax is valid (test syntax mentally before output)
3. **Terminal (when needed)**:
- Use Azure CLI for complex queries not available via MCP
- Example: `az resource list --resource-group <name> --output json`
- Example: `az network vnet show --resource-group <name> --name <vnet-name>`
### Constraints & Boundaries
**Always Do:**
- ✅ List resource groups if not specified
- ✅ Wait for user selection before proceeding
- ✅ Analyze ALL resources in the group
- ✅ Create detailed, accurate diagrams
- ✅ Include configuration details in node labels
- ✅ Group resources logically with subgraphs
- ✅ Label all connections descriptively
- ✅ Create a complete markdown file with diagram
**Never Do:**
- ❌ Skip resources because they seem unimportant
- ❌ Make assumptions about resource relationships without verification
- ❌ Create incomplete or placeholder diagrams
- ❌ Omit configuration details that affect architecture
- ❌ Proceed without confirming resource group selection
- ❌ Generate invalid Mermaid syntax
- ❌ Modify or delete Azure resources (read-only analysis)
### Edge Cases & Error Handling
- **No resources found**: Inform user and verify resource group name
- **Permission issues**: Explain what's missing and suggest checking RBAC
- **Complex architectures (50+ resources)**: Consider creating multiple diagrams by layer
- **Cross-resource-group dependencies**: Note external dependencies in diagram notes
- **Resources without clear relationships**: Group in "Other Resources" section
## Output Format Specifications
### Mermaid Diagram Syntax
- Use `graph TB` (top-to-bottom) for vertical layouts
- Use `graph LR` (left-to-right) for horizontal layouts (better for wide architectures)
- Subgraph syntax: `subgraph "Descriptive Name"`
- Node syntax: `ID["Display Name<br/>Details"]`
- Connection syntax: `SOURCE -->|"Label"| TARGET`
### Markdown Structure
- Use H1 for main title
- Use H2 for major sections
- Use H3 for subsections
- Use tables for resource inventories
- Use bullet lists for notes and recommendations
- Use code blocks with `mermaid` language tag for diagrams
## Example Interaction
**User**: "Analyze my production resource group"
**Agent**:
1. Lists all resource groups in subscription
2. Asks user to select: "Which resource group? 1) rg-prod-app, 2) rg-dev-app, 3) rg-shared"
3. User selects: "1"
4. Queries all resources in rg-prod-app
5. Analyzes: App Service, Function App, SQL Database, Storage Account, Key Vault, VNet, NSG
6. Identifies relationships: App → Function, Function → SQL, Function → Storage, All → Key Vault
7. Creates detailed Mermaid diagram with subgraphs
8. Generates `rg-prod-app-architecture.md` with complete documentation
9. Displays: "Created architecture diagram in rg-prod-app-architecture.md. Found 7 resources with 8 key relationships."
## Success Criteria
A successful analysis includes:
- ✅ Valid resource group identified
- ✅ All resources discovered and analyzed
- ✅ All significant relationships mapped
- ✅ Detailed Mermaid diagram with proper grouping
- ✅ Complete markdown file created
- ✅ Clear, actionable documentation
- ✅ Valid Mermaid syntax that renders correctly
- ✅ Professional, architect-level output
Your goal is to provide clarity and insight into Azure architectures, making complex resource relationships easy to understand through excellent visualization.
don't have the plugin yet? install it then click "run inline in claude" again.
separated original workflow into explicit inputs, procedure steps with input/output contracts, decision points for missing group selection and error handling, and concrete output contract with file location and mermaid syntax requirements.
generate detailed mermaid architecture diagrams that map azure resource groups, their individual resources, and the relationships between them. use this skill when a user asks for a diagram of their azure infrastructure, needs to understand how resources connect, or wants to document their architecture. outputs a markdown file with embedded mermaid diagrams organized by layer (network, compute, data, security, monitoring).
azure authentication & context:
Reader role or equivalent on target resource group(s)external connections:
list resource groups, list resources in group, get resource detailsaz cli commands when mcp tools unavailableuser inputs:
graph TB for top-to-bottom, graph LR for left-to-right)step 1: discover and validate resource group
inputs: subscription context, optional user-provided resource group name
intent="list resource groups" or az group list --output jsonoutputs: confirmed resource group name, location, subscription id
step 2: enumerate all resources
inputs: validated resource group name
intent="list resources in group" with group name parameter or az resource list --resource-group <name> --output jsonoutputs: complete resource inventory with types, ids, locations
step 3: analyze each resource's configuration and properties
inputs: resource list from step 2
intent="get resource details" or az resource show --ids <resource-id>outputs: detailed resource property map indexed by resource id
step 4: map resource relationships and dependencies
inputs: detailed resource properties from step 3
outputs: relationship graph mapping source resource -> target resource with connection labels
step 5: construct mermaid diagram with subgraphs
inputs: relationship graph and resource property map from steps 3-4
graph TB for vertical layout, graph LR for horizontal/wide architecturesID["Resource Name<br/>Type: X<br/>SKU/Tier: Y<br/>Other Config"] using line breaks for multi-line labels--> for data flows and dependencies-.-> for optional/conditional connections==> for critical/primary pathsSOURCE -->|"HTTPS requests"| TARGET or SOURCE -->|"SQL connection"| TARGEToutputs: valid mermaid diagram code block with proper syntax
step 6: generate markdown documentation file
inputs: resource group name, resource inventory, relationship details, mermaid diagram
[resource-group-name]-architecture.md in workspace root or docs/ folder if existsoutputs: markdown file written to disk
if resource group name not provided by user: list all available resource groups and wait for selection. do not proceed until user explicitly confirms choice.
if resource group does not exist or access denied: inform user of specific error (not found vs. permission denied), suggest checking resource group name and rbac roles, do not proceed.
if no resources found in resource group: confirm resource group name is correct, explain that group may be empty or recently deleted, ask user to verify.
if resource count exceeds 50: consider splitting into multiple diagrams by layer (network diagram, compute diagram, data diagram) to maintain readability. notify user of approach before creating diagrams.
if resources reference external resources (cross-resource-group dependencies): document these in "relationship details" section and flag in "notes & observations" with resource ids. include dotted lines in diagram with explanatory label.
if mcp tools unavailable: fall back to azure cli commands (az group list, az resource list, az resource show) with json parsing.
if relationship between two resources cannot be inferred from configuration: mark connection as dashed (-.->) and note the ambiguity in "relationship details" section.
if resource has no identifiable relationships: group in "other resources" subgraph or note as standalone in "relationship details".
file location: [resource-group-name]-architecture.md in workspace root or docs/ folder
file contents:
mermaiddiagram format:
graph TB or graph LR only<br/>metadata accuracy:
user sees markdown file created with path printed: "created architecture diagram in docs/rg-prod-app-architecture.md"
diagram renders correctly: user opens markdown file, mermaid diagram displays as visual graph (not syntax errors), subgraphs and nodes are clearly visible
resource count confirmed: summary states total resources discovered, total relationships mapped (e.g., "found 12 resources with 18 key relationships")
all resources present: user reviews inventory table and confirms all expected resources are listed with correct types and skus
relationships accurate: user reviews diagram and "relationship details" section, confirms data flows, identity patterns, and network topology match their understanding
no warnings or errors: file creation completes without errors, mermaid syntax validation passes, no resources reported as inaccessible
actionable insights: "notes & observations" section identifies potential architecture issues, missing configurations, or recommendations that help user improve their setup
credits: original skill by tom meschter (microsoft), enriched for implexa quality standards.