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Azldev Agent Skill

Read this before running azldev or editing azldev config, and whenever working in a repo that contains an azldev.toml file; do not guess azldev's commands or config. Explains how to use the azldev CLI to build a distro from TOML config, including the core concepts (components, overlays, distros, rendered specs, locks), running azldev (repo root or -C, plus the -q and -O json flags), the common commands, and where to go for each workflow. Triggers include azldev, comp build, comp render, comp update, build a component, add a component, distro config.

1k tokens
context cost
the whole folder, loaded on every use
1
files
instructions only
0
copies elsewhere
how many repositories repackaged it
5305
stars on the repo
on the repository, not the skill itself

Install

one command, takes just this skill from the repository
npx skills add https://github.com/microsoft/azurelinux --skill azldev

The instruction itself

6 sections, as written by the author

Using azldev

azldev builds a Linux distribution from TOML configuration. It imports RPM specs

from an upstream distro and customizes them with an overlay system — no spec

forking. Components render to specs and sidecar build inputs, then build into RPMs;

images assemble RPMs into bootable artifacts.

Orient yourself

  • Run azldev from the repo root (where azldev.toml lives), or pass -C <dir>.
  • Global, agent-friendly flags: -q (quiet) and -O json (machine-readable

output). They work on every command.

  • Config is a stitched TOML hierarchy: azldev.toml includes the distro and project

config, which include the component files (**/*.comp.toml) into one namespace.

Core concepts

  • Component — a unit of packaging that renders to a spec and sidecar build inputs,

then builds into one or more RPMs. Its spec source is upstream (default), a pinned

upstream distro/version, or a local spec.

  • Overlay — a semantic patch applied to a spec or source file at render time, so

you customize upstream without forking it.

  • Distro — a named build target (*.distro.toml) with upstream URIs, release

versions, and build inputs.

  • Rendered spec — the generated .spec after overlays; a build input, never

hand-edited.

  • Lock — a per-component file pinning the resolved upstream commit and an input

fingerprint.

Common commands

Top-level commands in this build:

  • azldev completion — Generate the autocompletion script for the specified shell
  • azldev component — Manage components
  • azldev config — Manage tool configuration
  • azldev docs — Documentation commands
  • azldev image — Manage Azure Linux images
  • azldev package — Manage binary package configuration
  • azldev project — Manage Azure Linux projects
  • azldev repo — Inspect and manage RPM repositories
  • azldev version — Print the CLI version

Everyday tasks (add -q -O json when scripting):

| Task | Command |

| --- | --- |

| List components | azldev comp list -a |

| Inspect one component | azldev comp list -p <name> |

| Add a component | azldev comp add |

| Build a component | azldev comp build -p <name> |

| Render specs | azldev comp render -p <name> (or -a) |

| Refresh a lock | azldev comp update -p <name> |

| List / build images | azldev image list / azldev image build |

comp is an alias for component. Always confirm current syntax with

azldev <command> --help.

The hidden advanced group (adv) contains specialist integrations such as MCP and

mock helpers; it is intentionally omitted from normal help.

Where to go next

  • Add a new component — read the azldev-add-component skill.
  • Edit or review a component's TOML — read the azldev-comp-toml skill.
  • Add or change overlays — read the azldev-overlays skill.
  • Build, iterate, and debug a component — read the azldev-build-component skill.
  • Build, boot, and register images — read the azldev-image skill.
  • Refresh a lock and finalize for a PR — read the azldev-update-component skill.
  • Remove a component — read the azldev-remove-component skill.
  • Test built RPMs in a chroot — read the azldev-mock skill.

Golden rules

  • Never edit generated output — rendered specs and the output/work/log dirs are

produced by azldev. Change the source config and re-render.

  • Re-run azldev comp update before opening a PR — the lock fingerprint covers

the whole component config, and lock / rendered-spec CI checks run on committed state.

  • Every overlay needs a description explaining why the change is needed.

Generated by azldev docs agent; do not hand-edit. Generated for azldev version v0.1.0.

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How to use it

Copy the folder

Take microsoft/azldev from the repository into ~/.claude/skills for personal use, or into .claude/skills inside a project.

Check the name does not clash

The agent identifies a skill by the name field in its header. Two skills with the same name cannot sit side by side — one of them will be ignored.