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title Usage
description Use Azure Quick Review — to analyze Azure resources and identify whether they comply with Azure's best practices and recommendations.
weight 3

Authorization

Azure Quick Review (azqr) requires the following permissions:

  • Reader over Subscription or Management Group scope (required for all scans)

Authentication

Azure Quick Review (azqr) requires the following permissions:

  • Reader over Subscription or Management Group scope

Credential Chain Configuration

Azure Quick Review (azqr) uses the Azure SDK's DefaultAzureCredential which automatically selects the most appropriate credential based on your environment. By default, it tries credentials in order: environment variables, workload identity, managed identity, Azure CLI, and Azure Developer CLI.

You can customize this behavior by setting the AZURE_TOKEN_CREDENTIALS environment variable:

  • dev - Prioritize Azure CLI (az) or Azure Developer CLI (azd) credentials (recommended for local development)
  • prod - Prioritize environment variables, workload identity, or managed identity (recommended for CI/CD and production)

Service Principal Authentication

Set the following environment variables:

Powershell:

$env:AZURE_CLIENT_ID = '<service-principal-client-id>'
$env:AZURE_CLIENT_SECRET = '<service-principal-client-secret>'
$env:AZURE_TENANT_ID = '<tenant-id>'

Bash:

export AZURE_CLIENT_ID='<service-principal-client-id>'
export AZURE_CLIENT_SECRET='<service-principal-client-secret>'
export AZURE_TENANT_ID='<tenant-id>'

Authenticate with a Managed Identity

Set the following environment variables:

Powershell:

$env:AZURE_CLIENT_ID = '<managed-identity-client-id>'
$env:AZURE_TENANT_ID = '<tenant-id>'

Bash:

export AZURE_CLIENT_ID='<managed-identity-client-id>'
export AZURE_TENANT_ID='<tenant-id>'

Authenticate with Azure CLI

Authenticate to Azure:

az login

Cloud Configuration

Azure Quick Review (azqr) supports scanning resources in different Azure cloud environments. You can configure the target cloud using environment variables.

Predefined Cloud Environments

Set the AZURE_CLOUD environment variable to specify the Azure cloud environment:

Azure Public Cloud (default):

Powershell:

$env:AZURE_CLOUD = 'AzurePublic'

Bash:

export AZURE_CLOUD='AzurePublic'

Azure US Government Cloud:

Powershell:

$env:AZURE_CLOUD = 'AzureGovernment'

Bash:

export AZURE_CLOUD='AzureGovernment'

Azure China Cloud:

Powershell:

$env:AZURE_CLOUD = 'AzureChina'

Bash:

export AZURE_CLOUD='AzureChina'

Supported values for AZURE_CLOUD:

  • AzurePublic, public, or empty (default)
  • AzureGovernment, AzureUSGovernment, or usgovernment
  • AzureChina or china

Custom Cloud Configuration

For custom or sovereign cloud environments, you can specify custom endpoints that will override the predefined cloud settings:

Powershell:

$env:AZURE_AUTHORITY_HOST = 'https://login.microsoftonline.custom/'
$env:AZURE_RESOURCE_MANAGER_ENDPOINT = 'https://management.custom.azure.com'
$env:AZURE_RESOURCE_MANAGER_AUDIENCE = 'https://management.core.custom.azure.com/'

Bash:

export AZURE_AUTHORITY_HOST='https://login.microsoftonline.custom/'
export AZURE_RESOURCE_MANAGER_ENDPOINT='https://management.custom.azure.com'
export AZURE_RESOURCE_MANAGER_AUDIENCE='https://management.core.custom.azure.com/'

Environment Variables:

  • AZURE_AUTHORITY_HOST: Custom Active Directory authority host (e.g., https://login.microsoftonline.us/)
  • AZURE_RESOURCE_MANAGER_ENDPOINT: Custom ARM endpoint (e.g., https://management.usgovcloudapi.net)
  • AZURE_RESOURCE_MANAGER_AUDIENCE: Custom ARM token audience (optional, e.g., https://management.core.usgovcloudapi.net/)

Note: When custom endpoints are provided (both AZURE_AUTHORITY_HOST and AZURE_RESOURCE_MANAGER_ENDPOINT), they take priority over the AZURE_CLOUD setting.

Scan Azure Resources with default settings

  • Scan All Resources

    azqr scan

  • Scan a Management Group

    azqr scan --management-group-id <management_group_id>

  • Scan a Subscription

    azqr scan --subscription-id <subscription_id>

  • Scan a Resource Group

    azqr scan --subscription-id <subscription_id> --resource-group <resource_group_name>

  • Scan Multiple Subscriptions

    azqr scan --subscription-id <sub_id_1> --subscription-id <sub_id_2>

  • Scan Multiple Resource Groups

    azqr scan --subscription-id <sub_id> --resource-group <rg_1> --resource-group <rg_2>

Advanced Filtering

You can configure Azure Quick Review to include or exclude specific subscriptions or resource groups and also exclude services or recommendations. To do so, create a yaml file with the following format:

azqr:
  include:
    subscriptions:
      - <subscription_id> # format: <subscription_id>
    resourceGroups:
      - <resource_group_resource_id> # format: /subscriptions/<subscription_id>/resourceGroups/<resource_group_name>
    resourceTypes:
      - <resource type abbreviation> # format: Abbreviation of the resource type. For example: "vm" for "Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines"
  exclude:
    subscriptions:
      - <subscription_id> # format: <subscription_id>
    resourceGroups:
      - <resource_group_resource_id> # format: /subscriptions/<subscription_id>/resourceGroups/<resource_group_name>
    services:
      - <service_resource_id> # format: /subscriptions/<subscription_id>/resourceGroups/<resource_group_name>/providers/<service_provider>/<service_name>
    recommendations:
      - <recommendation_id> # format: <recommendation_id>

Then run the scan with the --filters flag:

./azqr scan --filters <path_to_yaml_file>

Check the rules to get the recommendation ids.

Check the overview to get the resource type abbreviations.

Controlling Scan Stages

Azure Quick Review allows you to control which scan stages are executed. By default, diagnostics, advisor, and defender stages are enabled.

Available Stages

  • advisor: Azure Advisor recommendations
  • defender: Microsoft Defender for Cloud status
  • defender-recommendations: Microsoft Defender for Cloud recommendations
  • arc: Azure Arc-enabled SQL Server instances
  • policy: Azure Policy compliance states
  • cost: Cost analysis for the last 3 months
  • diagnostics: Diagnostic settings scan

Stage Control Examples

# Enable specific stages (replaces defaults)
azqr scan --stages cost,policy

# Disable specific stages (keeps other defaults)
azqr scan --stages -diagnostics

# Enable all stages
azqr scan --stages advisor,defender,defender-recommendations,arc,policy,cost,diagnostics

Note: Use stage names with the - prefix to disable specific stages (e.g., -diagnostics).

Internal Plugins

Azure Quick Review includes specialized internal plugins for advanced analytics. Plugins can be run as standalone commands or integrated with full scans.

Running Plugins as Standalone Commands

For fast, focused analysis, run plugins as top-level commands:

# Run OpenAI throttling analysis
azqr openai-throttling

# Run carbon emissions analysis
azqr carbon-emissions

# Run zone mapping analysis
azqr zone-mapping

# With specific subscription
azqr zone-mapping --subscription-id <sub-id>

Integrating Plugins with Full Scans

Run plugins alongside standard scanning:

# Single plugin with scan
azqr scan --plugin openai-throttling

# Multiple plugins with scan
azqr scan --plugin openai-throttling --plugin carbon-emissions --plugin zone-mapping

# With other options
azqr scan --subscription-id <sub-id> --plugin zone-mapping

Listing Available Plugins

View all registered plugins:

azqr plugins list

View All Recommendations

You can list all available recommendations in markdown or JSON format:

# List recommendations as markdown table
azqr rules

# List recommendations as JSON
azqr rules --json

File Outputs

Currently Azure Quick Review supports 3 types of file outputs: xlsx (default), csv, json

xlsx

xlsx is the default output format.

Check the overview to get the more information.

csv

By default azqr will create an xlsx document, However if you need to export to csv you can use the following flag: --csv

Example:

azqr scan --csv

- json

By default azqr will create an xlsx document, However if you need to export to json you can use the following flag: --json

Example:

azqr scan --json

The scan will generate a single consolidated json file:

<file-name>.json

Changing the Output File Name

You can change the output file name by using the --output-name or -o flag:

Powershell:

$timestamp = Get-Date -Format 'yyyyMMddHHmmss'
azqr scan --output-name "azqr_action_plan_$timestamp"

Bash:

timestamp=$(date '+%Y%m%d%H%M%S')
azqr scan --output-name "azqr_action_plan_$timestamp"

By default, the output file name is azqr_action_plan_YYYY_MM_DD_THHMMSS.

Output to STDOUT

You can output JSON results directly to stdout:

# Output JSON to stdout
azqr scan --json --stdout

Masking Subscription IDs

By default, Azure Quick Review masks subscription IDs in reports for security. You can control this behavior:

# Disable masking (show full subscription IDs)
azqr scan --mask=false

# Enable masking explicitly (default)
azqr scan --mask=true

Interactive Dashboard (show command)

You can explore your scan results with a lightweight embedded web UI using the show command. The dashboard supports both Excel and JSON report formats.

Usage

  1. Generate a report (Excel or JSON):
# Excel format (default)
azqr scan --subscription-id <subscription_id> --output-name report

# JSON format
azqr scan --subscription-id <subscription_id> --output-name report --json
  1. Launch the dashboard:
# With Excel file
azqr show --file report.xlsx --open

# With JSON file
azqr show --file report.json --open

# On custom port
azqr show --file report.xlsx --port 3000

Copilot (AI Assistant)

Azure Quick Review includes an interactive AI assistant powered by GitHub Copilot. This command starts a conversational TUI session that connects to GitHub Copilot and exposes azqr tools for natural language interaction.

Prerequisites

  1. GitHub CLI installed
  2. Authenticated: gh auth login
  3. Active GitHub Copilot subscription

Starting the Assistant

# Start interactive AI assistant
azqr copilot

# Use a specific model (default: claude-sonnet-4.5)
azqr copilot --model claude-sonnet-4.5

# Resume a previous session
azqr copilot --resume <session-id>

Available Tools

The assistant can invoke the following azqr tools:

  • scan – Run Azure resource compliance scans
  • get-recommendations-catalog – View the azqr recommendations catalog
  • get-supported-services – List supported Azure services

It also has access to the Microsoft Learn MCP server for fetching official Azure documentation.

MCP Server (Model Context Protocol)

Azure Quick Review includes a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables AI assistants and tools to interact with azqr functionality. The MCP server can run in two modes:

stdio Mode (Default)

The stdio mode is designed for integration with tools like VS Code and AI assistants that communicate via standard input/output:

# Start MCP server in stdio mode
azqr mcp

This mode is typically used when azqr is configured as an MCP server in your IDE or AI assistant configuration.

HTTP/SSE Mode

The HTTP/SSE (Server-Sent Events) mode allows the MCP server to be accessed over HTTP, enabling remote access and web-based integrations:

# Start MCP server in HTTP mode on default port (:8080)
azqr mcp --mode http

# Start MCP server on a custom port
azqr mcp --mode http --addr :3000

# Start with specific host and port
azqr mcp --mode http --addr localhost:9090

Debugging and Troubleshooting

Debug Mode

Azure Quick Review supports a global --debug flag for troubleshooting. This flag is available for all commands:

# Enable debug logging for scan
azqr scan --debug

# Enable debug logging for plugins
azqr zone-mapping --debug
azqr openai-throttling --debug

# Combine with other flags
azqr scan --subscription-id <sub-id> --debug --stages cost

Full Diagnostic Output

For comprehensive troubleshooting, combine environment variables with the debug flag:

# Enable full debugging output
export AZURE_SDK_GO_LOGGING=all
azqr scan --debug

Common Issues

If you encounter any issue while using Azure Quick Review (azqr):

  1. Enable debug mode with --debug flag
  2. Set AZURE_SDK_GO_LOGGING=all environment variable
  3. Run the command and capture the output
  4. Share the console output by filing a new issue

Help

You can get help for azqr commands by running:

azqr --help