microsoft-code-reference

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:

1. Confirm method or package exists — microsoft_docs_search(query: "[ClassName] [MethodName] [Namespace]")
2. Fetch full details (for overloads/complex params) — microsoft_docs_fetch(url: "...")
3. 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:

# Run directly (no install needed)
npx @microsoft/learn-cli search "BlobClient UploadAsync Azure.Storage.Blobs"

# Or install globally, then run
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.