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MicrosoftDocs/azure-network-watcher

MicrosoftDocs

azure-network-watcher

Expert knowledge for Azure Network Watcher development including troubleshooting, decision making, limits & quotas, security, configuration, and integrations & coding patterns. Use when configuring Connection Monitor, NSG/VNet flow logs, packet capture, Traffic Analytics/KQL, or Sentinel integrations, and other Azure Network Watcher related development tasks. Not for Azure Monitor (use azure-monitor), Azure Virtual Network (use azure-virtual-network), Azure Networking (use azure-networking), Azure Virtual Network Manager (use azure-virtual-network-manager).

v1.0Latest
New~1.9kUpdated Jun 26, 2026

Azure Network Watcher Skill

This skill provides expert guidance for Azure Network Watcher. Covers troubleshooting, decision making, limits & quotas, security, configuration, and integrations & coding patterns. It combines local quick-reference content with remote documentation fetching capabilities.

How to Use This Skill

IMPORTANT for Agent: Use the Category Index below to locate relevant sections. For categories with line ranges (e.g., L35-L120), use read_file with the specified lines. For categories with file links (e.g., [security.md](security.md)), use read_file on the linked reference file

IMPORTANT for Agent: If metadata.generated_at is more than 3 months old, suggest the user pull the latest version from the repository. If mcp_microsoftdocs tools are not available, suggest the user install it: Installation Guide

This skill requires network access to fetch documentation content:

  • Preferred: Use mcp_microsoftdocs:microsoft_docs_fetch with query string from=learn-agent-skill. Returns Markdown.
  • Fallback: Use fetch_webpage with query string from=learn-agent-skill&accept=text/markdown. Returns Markdown.

Category Index

Category Lines Description
Troubleshooting L34-L44 Diagnosing and fixing Azure network issues: outbound connectivity, NSG/admin rules, and VPN gateway/on-premises connectivity, including automation and CLI/PowerShell-based troubleshooting.
Decision Making L45-L51 Guidance for migrating network monitoring: moving from classic Connection Monitor and Network Performance Monitor tests, and switching NSG flow logs to VNet flow logs.
Limits & Quotas L52-L56 How to configure and run Network Watcher packet capture, storage and filtering options, and the key limits/quotas (size, duration, concurrency) that apply to captures
Security L57-L64 Securing Network Watcher: RBAC setup, hardening deployments and data access, Zero Trust segmentation with Traffic Analytics, and protecting VNet flow logs using managed identities.
Configuration L65-L79 Configuring and governing Network Watcher logging: AMA for Connection Monitor, NSG/VNet flow logs setup, schemas, filtering, templates (Bicep/ARM), and Azure Policy enforcement.
Integrations & Coding Patterns L80-L85 Using Network Watcher data in tools and code: parsing NSG flow logs with PowerShell, visualizing in Power BI, triggering packet capture from Functions, querying Traffic Analytics with KQL, and integrating with Sentinel.

Troubleshooting

Topic URL
Diagnose outbound connection issues with Network Watcher https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/network-watcher/connection-troubleshoot-manage
Troubleshoot NSG and admin rules with NSG diagnostics https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/network-watcher/diagnose-network-security-rules
Resolve common Azure Network Watcher issues https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/network-watcher/frequently-asked-questions
Diagnose on-premises VPN connectivity to Azure with Network Watcher https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/network-watcher/network-watcher-diagnose-on-premises-connectivity
Automate VPN connectivity monitoring with Azure Automation and Network Watcher https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/network-watcher/network-watcher-monitor-with-azure-automation
Troubleshoot VPN gateways and connections with Azure CLI https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/network-watcher/vpn-troubleshoot-cli
Troubleshoot VPN gateways and connections with PowerShell https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/network-watcher/vpn-troubleshoot-powershell

Decision Making

Topic URL
Migrate from Connection Monitor classic to new Connection Monitor https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/network-watcher/migrate-to-connection-monitor-from-connection-monitor-classic
Migrate tests from Network Performance Monitor to Connection Monitor https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/network-watcher/migrate-to-connection-monitor-from-network-performance-monitor
Migrate from NSG flow logs to VNet flow logs https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/network-watcher/nsg-flow-logs-migrate

Limits & Quotas

Topic URL
Use Network Watcher packet capture and understand its limits https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/network-watcher/packet-capture-overview

Security

Topic URL
Configure RBAC permissions for Azure Network Watcher https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/network-watcher/required-rbac-permissions
Secure Azure Network Watcher deployment and data access https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/network-watcher/secure-network-watcher
Apply Zero Trust segmentation using Traffic Analytics https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/network-watcher/traffic-analytics-zero-trust
Secure VNet flow logs with managed identities https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/network-watcher/vnet-flow-logs-managed-identity

Configuration

Topic URL
Configure Azure Monitor Agent for Connection Monitor https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/network-watcher/azure-monitor-agent-with-connection-monitor
Install and manage Azure Monitor Agent on Arc servers https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/network-watcher/connection-monitor-install-azure-monitor-agent
Understand Connection Monitor Log Analytics data schemas https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/network-watcher/connection-monitor-schema
Enable NSG flow logs using Bicep https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/network-watcher/nsg-flow-logs-bicep
Configure and manage Azure NSG flow logs https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/network-watcher/nsg-flow-logs-manage
Enable NSG flow logs using ARM templates https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/network-watcher/nsg-flow-logs-template
Govern Traffic Analytics with Azure Policy https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/network-watcher/traffic-analytics-policy-portal
Understand Traffic Analytics schema and aggregation https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/network-watcher/traffic-analytics-schema
Configure filtering for Azure VNet flow logs https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/network-watcher/vnet-flow-logs-filtering
Configure and manage Azure virtual network flow logs https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/network-watcher/vnet-flow-logs-manage
Enforce VNet flow logs with Azure Policy https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/network-watcher/vnet-flow-logs-policy

Integrations & Coding Patterns

Topic URL
Parse and read Azure flow logs with PowerShell https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/network-watcher/flow-logs-read
Trigger Network Watcher packet captures from Azure Functions alerts https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/network-watcher/packet-capture-alert-triggered
Analyze Traffic Analytics data with KQL queries https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/network-watcher/traffic-analytics-queries
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Overall Score

66/100

Grade

C

Adequate

Safety

78

Quality

58

Clarity

78

Completeness

51

Summary

This skill provides expert guidance for Azure Network Watcher, covering troubleshooting, configuration, security, and integrations. It functions as a curated reference skill that directs agents to fetch remote Microsoft Learn documentation via MCP tools (mcp_microsoftdocs or fetch_webpage) and structures knowledge into six organized categories with indexed line ranges and topic-specific URLs.

Detected Capabilities

documentation fetching (network request)remote content retrieval with fallbackMCP tool invocationfile reading (local reference content)guidance for CLI/PowerShell command execution

Trigger Keywords

Phrases that MCP clients use to match this skill to user intent.

troubleshoot azure network connectivityconfigure network watcher monitoringnsg flow logs setupconnection monitor migrationtraffic analytics kql queriesazure network diagnosticsvnet flow logs filteringnetwork watcher security rbac

Risk Signals

INFO

Remote documentation fetching via mcp_microsoftdocs and fetch_webpage

Compatibility & How to Use This Skill section
INFO

Network access required for fetching Microsoft Learn documentation

Compatibility section
INFO

Guidance for PowerShell and Azure CLI command execution (not shell commands in skill)

Troubleshooting and Integrations sections

Referenced Domains

External domains referenced in skill content, detected by static analysis.

github.comlearn.microsoft.com

Use Cases

  • Debug Azure Network connectivity issues
  • Configure NSG and VNet flow logs
  • Set up Connection Monitor for network testing
  • Troubleshoot VPN gateways and on-premises connectivity
  • Implement Zero Trust network segmentation with Traffic Analytics
  • Migrate from legacy monitoring tools to Connection Monitor
  • Integrate network data with Sentinel, Power BI, or Azure Functions
  • Apply RBAC and secure Network Watcher deployments

Quality Notes

  • Strength: Well-organized category index with line ranges enables targeted access to content sections. Strength: Clear separation of scope — explicitly excludes overlapping topics (Azure Monitor, Virtual Network, Networking, Virtual Network Manager). Strength: Comprehensive URL table covering 28 distinct topics organized by category. Strength: Fallback mechanism documented for tool availability (mcp_microsoftdocs or fetch_webpage). Strength: Version staleness check documented — suggests repo pull if generated_at is >3 months old. Weakness: No supporting markdown files present (security.md, reference files not in manifest) — category index references line ranges but no actual content sections exist below frontmatter. Weakness: No error handling guidance for failed documentation fetches. Weakness: No practical examples or code snippets for common tasks. Weakness: No step-by-step workflows or decision trees despite 'Decision Making' category. Weakness: No mention of limitations or error scenarios (e.g., what if fetch fails, quota limits on documentation calls).
Model: claude-haiku-4-5-20251001Analyzed: Jun 26, 2026

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