appinsights-instrumentation▌
microsoft/azure-skills · updated Apr 8, 2026
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Guidance and reference material for instrumenting webapps with Azure Application Insights.
- ›Covers SDK setup, telemetry patterns, and configuration for ASP.NET Core and Node.js applications hosted in Azure
- ›Distinguishes between this skill (reference and guidance) and azure-prepare (actual implementation); invoke azure-prepare when the user wants to add instrumentation to their project
- ›Provides auto-instrumentation guidance for C# ASP.NET Core apps in Azure App Service, plus manual ins
AppInsights Instrumentation Guide
This skill provides guidance and reference material for instrumenting webapps with Azure Application Insights.
⛔ ADDING COMPONENTS?
If the user wants to add App Insights to their app, invoke azure-prepare instead. This skill provides reference material—azure-prepare orchestrates the actual changes.
When to Use This Skill
- User asks how to instrument (guidance, patterns, examples)
- User needs SDK setup instructions
- azure-prepare invokes this skill during research phase
- User wants to understand App Insights concepts
When to Use azure-prepare Instead
- User says "add telemetry to my app"
- User says "add App Insights"
- User wants to modify their project
- Any request to change/add components
Prerequisites
The app in the workspace must be one of these kinds
- An ASP.NET Core app hosted in Azure
- A Node.js app hosted in Azure
Guidelines
Collect context information
Find out the (programming language, application framework, hosting) tuple of the application the user is trying to add telemetry support in. This determines how the application can be instrumented. Read the source code to make an educated guess. Confirm with the user on anything you don't know. You must always ask the user where the application is hosted (e.g. on a personal computer, in an Azure App Service as code, in an Azure App Service as container, in an Azure Container App, etc.).
Prefer auto-instrument if possible
If the app is a C# ASP.NET Core app hosted in Azure App Service, use AUTO guide to help user auto-instrument the app.
Manually instrument
Manually instrument the app by creating the AppInsights resource and update the app's code.
Create AppInsights resource
Use one of the following options that fits the environment.
- Add AppInsights to existing Bicep template. See examples/appinsights.bicep for what to add. This is the best option if there are existing Bicep template files in the workspace.
- Use Azure CLI. See scripts/appinsights.ps1 for what Azure CLI command to execute to create the App Insights resource.
No matter which option you choose, recommend the user to create the App Insights resource in a meaningful resource group that makes managing resources easier. A good candidate will be the same resource group that contains the resources for the hosted app in Azure.
Modify application code
- If the app is an ASP.NET Core app, see ASPNETCORE guide for how to modify the C# code.
- If the app is a Node.js app, see NODEJS guide for how to modify the JavaScript/TypeScript code.
- If the app is a Python app, see PYTHON guide for how to modify the Python code.
SDK Quick References
- OpenTelemetry Distro: Python | TypeScript
- OpenTelemetry Exporter: Python | Java
How to use appinsights-instrumentation on Cursor
AI-first code editor with Composer
Prerequisites
Before installing skills in Cursor, ensure your development environment meets these requirements:
- ›Cursor installed and configured on your development machine
- ›Node.js version 16.0+ with npm package manager (verify with
node --version) - ›Active project directory or workspace where you want to add appinsights-instrumentation
Execute installation command
Execute the skills CLI command in your project's root directory to begin installation:
The skills CLI fetches appinsights-instrumentation from GitHub repository microsoft/azure-skills and configures it for Cursor.
Select Cursor when prompted
The CLI will show a list of available agents. Use arrow keys to navigate and space to select Cursor:
Verify installation
Confirm successful installation by checking the skill directory location:
Reload or restart Cursor to activate appinsights-instrumentation. Access the skill through slash commands (e.g., /appinsights-instrumentation) or your agent's skill management interface.
Security & Verification Notice
We perform automated surface-level scans (Gen AI Scanner, Socket, Snyk) during installation. These checks detect common vulnerabilities but do not guarantee complete security. Always review skill source code and verify the publisher's reputation before production use.
Skills execute code in your development environment. Always verify the publisher's identity, review recent commits, and test in isolated environments before production deployment.
List & Monetize Your Skill
Submit your Claude Code skill and start earning
Use Cases▌
User Story & Requirements Generation
Create detailed user stories, acceptance criteria, and feature specs
Example
Generate user stories for 'password reset feature' with acceptance criteria, edge cases, and test scenarios
Reduce spec writing time by 50%, ensure comprehensive coverage
Competitive Analysis
Research competitors, compare features, identify gaps
Example
Analyze 5 competitor products, create feature comparison matrix, suggest differentiation opportunities
Complete competitive research in 2 hours instead of 2 days
Roadmap Prioritization
Evaluate features using frameworks (RICE, ICE, Kano) and create prioritized backlogs
Example
Score 20 feature ideas using RICE framework, generate prioritized roadmap with rationale
Make data-driven prioritization decisions faster
Stakeholder Communication
Draft PRDs, status updates, and stakeholder presentations
Example
Create executive summary of Q3 roadmap, monthly progress report, feature launch announcement
Save 3-5 hours/week on communication overhead
Implementation Guide▌
Prerequisites
- ›Claude Desktop or compatible AI client
- ›Access to product documentation and roadmap tools (Jira, Notion, etc.)
- ›Understanding of product management frameworks (RICE, Jobs-to-be-Done, etc.)
- ›Stakeholder contact information and communication channels
Time Estimate
30-60 minutes to see productivity improvements
Installation Steps
- 1.Install product management skill
- 2.Start with user story generation for known feature
- 3.Progress to competitive analysis: research 2-3 competitors
- 4.Use for roadmap prioritization: apply RICE/ICE scoring
- 5.Draft stakeholder communications and refine based on feedback
- 6.Build template library for recurring PM tasks
- 7.Share effective prompts with product team
Common Pitfalls
- ⚠Not validating competitive research—verify facts before sharing
- ⚠Accepting user stories without involving engineering team
- ⚠Over-relying on frameworks without qualitative judgment
- ⚠Not customizing outputs to company culture and communication style
- ⚠Skipping stakeholder validation of generated requirements
Best Practices▌
✓ Do
- +Validate research and competitive analysis with real data
- +Collaborate with engineering when generating technical requirements
- +Customize frameworks and templates to your company context
- +Use skill for first drafts, refine with stakeholder input
- +Document successful prompt patterns for PM tasks
- +Combine AI efficiency with human judgment and intuition
✗ Don't
- −Don't publish competitive analysis without fact-checking
- −Don't finalize user stories without engineering review
- −Don't make prioritization decisions solely on AI scoring
- −Don't skip customer validation of generated requirements
- −Don't ignore company-specific context and culture
💡 Pro Tips
- ★Provide context: company goals, constraints, customer feedback
- ★Ask for alternatives: 'Show 3 ways to prioritize this roadmap'
- ★Request stakeholder-specific formatting: 'Executive summary vs. engineering spec'
- ★Use skill for 70% generation + 30% customization to company needs
When to Use This▌
✓ Use When
Use for user story writing, competitive research, roadmap prioritization, stakeholder communication, and PRD drafting. Best for reducing repetitive documentation and research work.
✗ Avoid When
Avoid for strategic product vision (requires deep customer empathy), pricing decisions (needs market and financial expertise), or when face-to-face customer discovery is more valuable than speed.
Learning Path▌
- 1Basic: user stories, feature specs, status updates
- 2Intermediate: competitive analysis, prioritization frameworks, PRDs
- 3Advanced: product strategy, go-to-market planning, OKR setting
- 4Expert: product vision, market positioning, business model innovation
Discussion
Product Hunt–style comments (not star reviews)- No comments yet — start the thread.
Ratings
4.8★★★★★41 reviews- ★★★★★Kwame White· Dec 24, 2024
appinsights-instrumentation reduced setup friction for our internal harness; good balance of opinion and flexibility.
- ★★★★★Ira Chawla· Dec 20, 2024
appinsights-instrumentation has been reliable in day-to-day use. Documentation quality is above average for community skills.
- ★★★★★Ganesh Mohane· Dec 16, 2024
Solid pick for teams standardizing on skills: appinsights-instrumentation is focused, and the summary matches what you get after install.
- ★★★★★Ira Bhatia· Dec 8, 2024
Useful defaults in appinsights-instrumentation — fewer surprises than typical one-off scripts, and it plays nicely with `npx skills` flows.
- ★★★★★Kwame Perez· Nov 15, 2024
I recommend appinsights-instrumentation for anyone iterating fast on agent tooling; clear intent and a small, reviewable surface area.
- ★★★★★Aanya Farah· Nov 11, 2024
appinsights-instrumentation fits our agent workflows well — practical, well scoped, and easy to wire into existing repos.
- ★★★★★Sakshi Patil· Nov 7, 2024
We added appinsights-instrumentation from the explainx registry; install was straightforward and the SKILL.md answered most questions upfront.
- ★★★★★Hana Zhang· Nov 3, 2024
Keeps context tight: appinsights-instrumentation is the kind of skill you can hand to a new teammate without a long onboarding doc.
- ★★★★★Chaitanya Patil· Oct 26, 2024
appinsights-instrumentation fits our agent workflows well — practical, well scoped, and easy to wire into existing repos.
- ★★★★★Soo Singh· Oct 22, 2024
appinsights-instrumentation is among the better-maintained entries we tried; worth keeping pinned for repeat workflows.
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