Azure Resource Manager MCP server - Frequently Asked Questions

May 11, 2026 · View on GitHub

This FAQ provides answers to common questions about the Azure Resource Manager MCP server, including its features, usage, troubleshooting, and governance. If you have a question that is not answered here, please open an issue to ask or suggest improvements to this FAQ!

What is the difference between Azure Resource Manager MCP server and Azure MCP Server?

The Azure ecosystem includes two MCP servers with complementary roles:

Azure MCP Server

  • Local MCP server that runs on the client machine.
  • Provides a gateway to broader Azure tools and services.

Azure Resource Manager MCP server

  • Remote MCP server that runs in the cloud.
  • Provides direct access to Azure Resource Manager (ARM) APIs and operations.

Azure MCP will be integrating a number of the ARM MCP tools into their experience as well so you can get both capabilities in one. Pick and choose which tools best fit your agentic development needs!

Setup & Requirements

What are the minimum requirements to use the Azure Resource Manager MCP server?

To use the Azure Resource Manager MCP server, you need:

  1. VS Code installed on your client machine.
  2. A valid Azure Account with access to at least one Azure tenant and subscription.
  3. Internet connectivity to reach the cloud-hosted Azure Resource Manager MCP server.
  4. An MCP-compatible AI agent or chat interface in VS Code (such as GitHub Copilot Chat).

Do I need special permissions or roles in Azure to use the server?

The Azure Resource Manager MCP server operates on behalf of the signed-in user in VS Code, so your Azure role and permissions on that account will determine what the MCP server can query or manage on your behalf.

Can I use this with multiple Azure tenants?

Currently you can only query one tenant at a time, there is no way to specify the particular tenant per the logged in user. The logged in account will default to the default tenant for that account. To work around this we suggest adding an account with subscription write access to the desired tenant and switching to that account in VS Code when you want to run queries against that tenant.

This is a known limitation with VSCode, if you would like to support it please up-vote this issue: https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/issues/283453 Or submit a new one to the vscode repository.

Client Integration

Which clients are supported?

The Azure Resource Manager MCP server currently works with GitHub Copilot Chat in VS Code and GitHub Copilot CLI. We are working to expand usage to other clients in the future. Please open a discussion if you have a specific client you'd like to see supported!

Reliability & Availability

What happens if the remote server is unavailable?

If the Azure Resource Manager MCP server becomes temporarily unavailable:

  1. Tool calling operations will fail with an error indicating connectivity or service unavailability.
  2. You will receive an error message in your AI chat or client interface.

We are still in preview so there are no guarantees around uptime or availability, but we will work to resolve any issues as quickly as possible. Please open an issue if you encounter any availability problems.

Can I use this offline or in disconnected scenarios?

No, the Azure Resource Manager MCP server requires internet connectivity because it is a cloud-hosted remote service. All tool calling operations must connect to the remote server to access Azure APIs.

Security & Data Handling

What data does the remote server log or retain?

The Azure Resource Manager MCP server captures operational data for tracking tool calls, diagnostics, support, and security. No input or output data from your tool calls are collected or stored by the server.

Can I restrict which resources an agent can query or deploy?

The Azure Resource Manager MCP server respects Azure's authorization layer—if your account lacks permissions to query or deploy a resource, the server will deny the operation.

You can explicitly block any deployment from the Azure Resource Manager MCP server by applying an Azure Policy that denies deployments from that service, see the README Governance for more details.