Google Agent Skills
google/skillsGoogle's official collection of about 180 skills for Google Cloud, Gemini APIs, Analytics, Data Manager, sign-in and other Google products.
Recommended
Broad access Depth 3/5
App Insights Instrumentation (Azure Skills) skill
Microsoft reference skill for adding Azure Application Insights telemetry to ASP.NET Core, Node.js, Python and Container Apps apps.
Our verdict Recommended with caveats
Accurate reference material, but it explicitly defers real changes to azure-prepare, so it works best as a companion rather than a standalone install.
What the appinsights-instrumentation skill does
This skill is a guide, not an automation: its own SKILL.md says that when a user wants App Insights added to an app, the agent should invoke azure-prepare, and that this skill supplies the reference material. The agent first works out the language, framework and hosting target and must ask where the app is hosted. For ASP.NET Core on App Service it points to an auto-instrumentation guide. Otherwise it walks through manual instrumentation: create a Log Analytics workspace and an Application Insights resource (via an existing Bicep template or the Azure CLI commands in scripts/appinsights.ps1), read the connection string, and set it as an app setting or environment variable on App Service, Container Apps or Functions. Separate reference files cover ASP.NET Core, Node.js, Python and Container Apps, and four condensed Azure Monitor OpenTelemetry SDK notes (Python, TypeScript and Java exporters). The folder also carries an explicit LICENSE.txt. It is about 3.8 KB of instructions with 12 files in total.
Good for
- Learning the right App Insights setup for ASP.NET Core, Node.js, Python or Container Apps
- Agents that need OpenTelemetry-based Azure Monitor snippets
Not for
- Hands-on changes to a project (use azure-prepare, which this skill defers to)
- Non-Azure observability stacks
Depth 3/5
3.8 KB SKILL.md with nine reference files and one CLI script; no evals.
Dependencies and costs
- Azure account or subscription
- Azure CLI signed in with az login
- Azure MCP Server (installed with the plugin; needs Node.js 18+ for npx)
- An Application Insights and Log Analytics workspace (created by the CLI commands in the skill)
- Telemetry: The skill is about adding telemetry to your own app: it sets an Application Insights connection string so your app sends traces and metrics to Azure Monitor. The Azure MCP Server that the plugin installs also has telemetry, which the repo README says to disable with AZURE_MCP_COLLECT_TELEMETRY=false.
Security review
Review before installingGuidance for adding Azure Application Insights telemetry to your own app, with one script that creates monitoring resources through the Azure CLI. The telemetry it describes is data your app sends to your Application Insights resource, not usage data sent by the skill.
Worth knowing
- Relies on a CLI or package we could not reviewRelies on the Azure CLI signed in to your subscription..github/plugins/azure-skills/skills/appinsights-instrumentation/scripts/appinsights.ps1:3
- Installs packages or toolsRuns 'az extension add -n application-insights'; reference docs also tell you to add SDK packages such as azure-monitor-opentelemetry via pip, npm and dotnet..github/plugins/azure-skills/skills/appinsights-instrumentation/scripts/appinsights.ps1:3
What we checked
The skill folder (13 files) on Oct 29, 2026. Not a full review: 1 of 13 files were not downloaded (large repository; we reviewed the skill folders); it relies on code outside the repository: Azure CLI (az) and the az extensions it installs on demand; not part of the files we have; SDK packages named in the reference docs (azure-monitor-opentelemetry, @azure/monitor-opentelemetry, Azure.Monitor.OpenTelemetry.AspNetCore); examples/appinsights.bicep was not downloaded.
NVIDIA SkillSpector static scan: 1 pattern hits (Data Exfiltration 1). The single SkillSpector hit is a 'Collect context' heading in SKILL.md, a request to learn your language and hosting setup. The one script only creates Azure monitoring resources with az.
A review, not a certification. Skills change after we check them — read the files before installing.
License
MIT (declared in the SKILL.md frontmatter); the repo is a mirror synced from microsoft/GitHub-Copilot-for-Azure and has no top-level LICENSE file in our copy. Commercial use allowed under MIT.
Can it run unattended?
Not really. Reference and guidance for interactive questions; no loop, state or verification steps.
Alternatives
Cloudflare Skills
cloudflare/skillsCloudflare's official 19-skill pack for building on Workers, Durable Objects, the Agents SDK, Cloudflare One and more, with an optional bundled MCP server.
Recommended
Check first Depth 4/5
Chrome DevTools MCP
ChromeDevTools/chrome-devtools-mcpGoogle's Chrome DevTools MCP server and CLI, plus seven skills for debugging performance, memory leaks, cookies and accessibility in a live Chrome.
With caveats
Check first Depth 3/5
FAQ
What does the appinsights-instrumentation skill do?
It teaches an agent how to instrument ASP.NET Core, Node.js, Python and Container Apps apps with Azure Application Insights, including creating the resource and setting the connection string. For actual project changes it hands off to azure-prepare.
Does this skill modify my code?
Its SKILL.md says it provides guidance and reference material, and that requests to add App Insights to an app should go to azure-prepare, which orchestrates the changes.
How do I install appinsights-instrumentation?
Install Microsoft's Azure plugin (/plugin install azure@claude-plugins-official in Claude Code, or the Codex marketplace for microsoft/azure-skills). The skill itself has no separate installer.
Which languages does it cover?
ASP.NET Core (with an auto-instrumentation path on App Service), Node.js, Python, and Azure Container Apps, plus OpenTelemetry exporter notes for Python, TypeScript and Java.
Sources: GitHub repository; install counts from skills.sh via Best Skills (CC BY 4.0). Review based on the published SKILL.md.