Agent skill · research science · github
microsoft-code-reference
Look up Microsoft API references, find working code samples, and verify SDK code is correct. Use when working with Azure SDKs, .NET libraries, or Microsoft APIs—to find the right method, check parameters, get working examples, or troubleshoot errors. Catches hallucinated methods, wrong signatures, and deprecated patterns by querying official docs.
Why this skill is useful
Provides specific commands and workflows for verifying Microsoft API usage and finding working code samples that the AI wouldn't reliably generate on its own.
What it needs
About 2k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2026-08-07. 37,534 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
Microsoft Code Reference Tools Need Tool Example ------ ------ --------- API method/class lookup microsoftdocssearch "BlobClient UploadAsync Azure.Storage.Blobs" Working code sample microsoftcodesamplesearch query: "upload blob managed identity", language: "python" Full API reference microsoftdocsfetch Fetch URL from microsoftdocssearch (for overloads, full signatures) Finding Code Samples Use microsoftcodesamplesearch to get official, working examples: When to use: Before writing code—find a working pattern to follow After errors—compare your code against a known-good sample Unsure of initialization/setup—samples show complete context API Lookups Fetch full page when method has multiple overloads or you need complete parameter details. Error Troubleshooting Use microsoftcodesamplesearch to find working code samples and compare with your implementation. For specific errors, use microsoftdocssearch and microsoftdocsfetch: Error Type Query ------------ ------- Method not found "[ClassName] methods [Namespace]" Type not found "[TypeName] NuGet package namespace" Wrong signature "[ClassName] [MethodName] overloads" → fetch full page Deprecated warning "[OldType] migration v12" Auth failure "DefaultAzureCredential troubleshooting" 403 Forbidden "[ServiceName] RBAC permissions" When to Verify Always verify when: Method name seems "too convenient" (UploadFile vs actual Upload) Mixing SDK versions (v11 CloudBlobClient vs v12 BlobServiceClient) Package name doesn't follow conventions (Azure. for .NET, azure- for Python) Using an API for the first time Validation Workflow Before generating code using Microsoft SDKs, verify it's correct: 1. Confirm method or package exists — microsoftdocssearch(query: "[ClassName] [MethodName] [Namespace]") 2. Fetch full details (for overloads/complex params) — microsoftdocsfetch(url: "...") 3. Find working sample — microsoftcodesamplesearch(query: "[task]", language: "[lang]") For simple lookups, step 1 alone may suffice. …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills github/microsoft-code-reference