Manage Azure development tools with azd tool

The Azure Developer CLI (azd) includes a built-in azd tool command group for discovering, installing, upgrading, and checking the status of common tools used to build and ship Azure applications. It wraps the underlying package managers on each platform (such as winget, brew, apt, npm, and the VS Code code CLI) behind a consistent set of subcommands, and supports both interactive use and automation.

Common use cases for azd tool include:

• Installing all recommended Azure development tools on a new machine with a single command.
• Standardizing the development environment across a team or set of CI agents.
• Auditing which Azure tools (and which versions) are installed on a given machine.
• Checking for and applying updates to installed tools.
• Scripting tool setup in pipelines using non-interactive flags and JSON output.

Built-in tools

The built-in registry includes the following tools. Use the category and priority columns to determine which tools apply to a given workflow.

Id	Name	Category	Priority	Typical install strategy
az-cli	Azure CLI	cli	Recommended	winget / brew / apt
github-copilot-cli	GitHub Copilot CLI	cli	Recommended	winget / brew / npm
vscode-azure-tools	Azure Tools (VS Code)	extension	Recommended	code CLI
vscode-bicep	Bicep (VS Code)	extension	Recommended	code CLI
vscode-github-copilot	GitHub Copilot (VS Code)	extension	Optional	code CLI
azure-mcp-server	Azure MCP Server	server	Optional	npm
azd-ai-extensions	azd AI Extensions	library	Optional	azd extension

The exact install strategy depends on the operating system and the package managers available on the machine.

Note

VS Code extensions require the code CLI to be available on the PATH. If code isn't available, the tools show as not installed and you can't install them through azd tool.

Commands overview

The azd tool command group includes the following subcommands.

Command	Description
azd tool	Starts an interactive flow that shows installed and available tools and prompts for tools to install in one step.
azd tool list	Lists all registered tools, including install status, version, category, and priority.
azd tool show <id>	Shows detailed information for a specific tool, including per-platform install strategies and the project website.
azd tool check	Checks installed tools for available updates.
azd tool install [ids...]	Installs one or more tools by id.
azd tool upgrade [ids...]	Upgrades one or more installed tools.

All commands support --output json for machine-readable output suitable for scripts and pipelines.

Common flags

The following flags are available on install and upgrade:

• --all: Installs or upgrades every eligible tool. For install, this command includes all recommended tools. For upgrade, this command includes all installed tools that have updates available.
• --dry-run: Previews the actions azd would take without making any changes.

The following options control prompting behavior:

• --no-prompt: Suppresses interactive prompts. Useful in scripts.
• AZD_NON_INTERACTIVE=true: Environment variable equivalent to --no-prompt.
• AZD_SKIP_FIRST_RUN=true: Disables the first-run tool-check prompt.

Sample use case: bootstrap a development machine

To set up the complete set of recommended Azure development tools on a new machine, run the following command:

azd tool install --all

This command installs every tool marked as recommended in the registry by using the appropriate package manager for the current platform. To preview the install actions without making changes, add --dry-run:

azd tool install --all --dry-run

To keep installed tools current, run the following commands:

azd tool check
azd tool upgrade --all

List installed and available tools

Run azd tool list to display every registered tool, its install status, and its installed version:

$ azd tool list

  Id                     Name                      Category    Priority      Status          Version
  ─────────────────────  ────────────────────────  ──────────  ────────────  ──────────────  ────────
  az-cli                 Azure CLI                 cli         recommended   Installed       2.67.0
  github-copilot-cli     GitHub Copilot CLI        cli         recommended   Not Installed
  vscode-azure-tools     Azure Tools (VS Code)     extension   recommended   Installed       0.9.0
  vscode-bicep           Bicep (VS Code)           extension   recommended   Installed       0.30.0
  vscode-github-copilot  GitHub Copilot (VS Code)  extension   optional      Not Installed
  azure-mcp-server       Azure MCP Server          server      optional      Not Installed
  azd-ai-extensions      azd AI Extensions         library     optional      Not Installed

To return the same data as JSON for scripting, run:

azd tool list --output json

Show details for a tool

Run azd tool show <id> to inspect a specific tool, including the install strategies that apply to each supported platform and the project website:

azd tool show az-cli

Install one or more tools

Pass one or more tool id values to install specific tools:

azd tool install az-cli vscode-bicep

To install every recommended tool, use --all:

azd tool install --all

To preview the install commands without running them, add --dry-run:

azd tool install az-cli --dry-run

Running azd tool with no subcommand starts an interactive flow that displays installed tools, allows selection of additional tools, and installs them in a single step.

Check for updates

Run azd tool check to scan installed tools for available updates:

azd tool check

azd also runs a periodic background update check and surfaces non-intrusive notifications when newer versions of registered tools are available.

Upgrade tools

Upgrade specific tools by passing their id values:

azd tool upgrade az-cli github-copilot-cli

Upgrade everything that has an available update:

azd tool upgrade --all

Preview the upgrade plan without applying it:

azd tool upgrade --all --dry-run

First-run experience

The first time a workflow command such as azd init, azd up, or azd deploy runs, azd performs a one-time tool check and prompts to review or install recommended tools.

Use any of the following options to skip or disable the first-run prompt:

• Pass --no-prompt on the workflow command.
• Set the environment variable AZD_SKIP_FIRST_RUN=true.
• Run in a detected CI environment. azd automatically bypasses the prompt when CI, TF_BUILD, or GITHUB_ACTIONS is set.

CI and non-interactive scenarios

The azd tool command group supports pipelines and scripts through the following options:

• Use positional id arguments with install and upgrade to avoid interactive selection.
• Add --no-prompt or set AZD_NON_INTERACTIVE=true to suppress prompts.
• Use --output json to capture structured results for downstream steps.
• Rely on CI auto-detection, which suppresses the first-run prompt and background update notifications.

The following example installs the Azure CLI and the Bicep extension in a pipeline step:

azd tool install az-cli vscode-bicep --no-prompt --output json

Related content

• What is the Azure Developer CLI?
• Install or update the Azure Developer CLI
• Azure Developer CLI commands overview
• Manage Azure Developer CLI configuration
• Work with Azure Developer CLI extensions