| name | microsoft-code-reference |
| description | Look up Microsoft API references, find working code samples, and verify SDK code is correct. USE FOR: Azure SDK method verification, .NET/Python package lookups, code sample discovery, error troubleshooting, catching hallucinated methods and deprecated patterns. DO NOT USE FOR: conceptual documentation (use microsoft-docs), skill creation (use microsoft-skill-creator), Bicep/Terraform module lookups (use azure-bicep-patterns or terraform-patterns). |
| compatibility | Works with Microsoft Learn MCP Server (https://learn.microsoft.com/api/mcp). Can also use the mslearn CLI as a fallback. |
| license | MIT |
| metadata | {"author":"microsoftdocs","version":"1.0","category":"code-verification"} |
Microsoft Code Reference
Verify SDK code against official Microsoft documentation. Catches hallucinated
methods, wrong signatures, and deprecated patterns by querying live docs.
Tools
| Need | Tool | Example |
|---|
| API method/class lookup | microsoft_docs_search | "BlobClient UploadAsync Azure.Storage.Blobs" |
| Working code sample | microsoft_code_sample_search | query: "upload blob managed identity", language: "python" |
| Full API reference | microsoft_docs_fetch | Fetch URL from microsoft_docs_search (for overloads, full signatures) |
Finding Code Samples
Use microsoft_code_sample_search to get official, working examples:
microsoft_code_sample_search(query: "upload file to blob storage", language: "csharp")
microsoft_code_sample_search(query: "authenticate with managed identity", language: "python")
microsoft_code_sample_search(query: "send message service bus", language: "javascript")
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
# Verify method exists (include namespace for precision)
"BlobClient UploadAsync Azure.Storage.Blobs"
"GraphServiceClient Users Microsoft.Graph"
# Find class/interface
"DefaultAzureCredential class Azure.Identity"
# Find correct package
"Azure Blob Storage NuGet package"
"azure-storage-blob pip package"
Fetch full page when method has multiple overloads or you need complete parameter details.
Error Troubleshooting
Use microsoft_code_sample_search to find working code samples and compare
with your implementation. For specific errors, use microsoft_docs_search
and microsoft_docs_fetch:
| Error Type | Query |
|---|
| Method not found | "[ClassName] methods [Namespace]" |
| Type not found | "[TypeName] NuGet package namespace" |
| Wrong signature | "[ClassName] [MethodName] overloads" → fetch |
| 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:
- Confirm method or package exists —
microsoft_docs_search(query: "[ClassName] [MethodName] [Namespace]")
- Fetch full details (for overloads/complex params) —
microsoft_docs_fetch(url: "...")
- Find working sample —
microsoft_code_sample_search(query: "[task]", language: "[lang]")
For simple lookups, step 1 alone may suffice. For complex API usage, complete all three steps.
CLI Alternative
If the Learn MCP server is not available, use the mslearn CLI via Bash instead:
npx @microsoft/learn-cli search "BlobClient UploadAsync Azure.Storage.Blobs"
npm install -g @microsoft/learn-cli
mslearn search "BlobClient UploadAsync Azure.Storage.Blobs"
| MCP Tool | CLI Command |
|---|
microsoft_docs_search(query: "...") | mslearn search "..." |
microsoft_code_sample_search(query: "...", language: "...") | mslearn code-search "..." --language ... |
microsoft_docs_fetch(url: "...") | mslearn fetch "..." |
Pass --json to search or code-search to get raw JSON output for further processing.
