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Azure Keyvault Py

microsoft/azure-keyvault-py

| Azure Key Vault SDK for Python. Use for secrets, keys, and certificates management with secure storage.

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19 d ago
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Install

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

What comes with it

2 347 bytes besides the instruction
references/capabilities.md
references/non-hero-scenarios.md

The instruction itself

19 sections, as written by the author

Azure Key Vault SDK for Python

Secure storage and management for secrets, cryptographic keys, and certificates.

Installation

# Secrets
pip install azure-keyvault-secrets azure-identity

# Keys (cryptographic operations)
pip install azure-keyvault-keys azure-identity

# Certificates
pip install azure-keyvault-certificates azure-identity

# All
pip install azure-keyvault-secrets azure-keyvault-keys azure-keyvault-certificates azure-identity

Environment Variables

AZURE_KEYVAULT_URL=https://<vault-name>.vault.azure.net/  # Required for all auth methods
AZURE_TOKEN_CREDENTIALS=prod # Required only if DefaultAzureCredential is used in production

Authentication & Lifecycle

> 🔑 Two rules apply to every code sample below:

>

> 1. Prefer DefaultAzureCredential. It works locally (Azure CLI / VS Code / Developer CLI) and in Azure (managed identity, workload identity) with no code change. Avoid connection strings, account/API keys — they bypass Entra audit and rotation.

> - Local dev: DefaultAzureCredential works as-is.

> - Production: set AZURE_TOKEN_CREDENTIALS=prod (or AZURE_TOKEN_CREDENTIALS=<specific_credential>) to constrain the credential chain to production-safe credentials.

> 2. Wrap every client in a context manager so HTTP transports, sockets, and token caches are released deterministically:

> - Sync: with <Client>(...) as client:

> - Async: async with <Client>(...) as client: and async with DefaultAzureCredential() as credential: (from azure.identity.aio)

>

> Snippets may abbreviate this setup, but production code should always follow both rules.

Secrets

SecretClient Setup

from azure.identity import DefaultAzureCredential, ManagedIdentityCredential
from azure.keyvault.secrets import SecretClient

# Local dev: DefaultAzureCredential. Production: set AZURE_TOKEN_CREDENTIALS=prod or AZURE_TOKEN_CREDENTIALS=<specific_credential>
credential = DefaultAzureCredential(require_envvar=True)
# Or use a specific credential directly in production:
# See https://learn.microsoft.com/python/api/overview/azure/identity-readme?view=azure-python#credential-classes
# credential = ManagedIdentityCredential()
vault_url = "https://<vault-name>.vault.azure.net/"

with SecretClient(vault_url=vault_url, credential=credential) as client:
    # All secret operations go inside this block (see examples below)
    ...

Secret Operations

# Set secret
secret = client.set_secret("database-password", "super-secret-value")
print(f"Created: {secret.name}, version: {secret.properties.version}")

# Get secret
secret = client.get_secret("database-password")
print(f"Value: {secret.value}")

# Get specific version
secret = client.get_secret("database-password", version="abc123")

# List secrets (names only, not values)
for secret_properties in client.list_properties_of_secrets():
    print(f"Secret: {secret_properties.name}")

# List versions
for version in client.list_properties_of_secret_versions("database-password"):
    print(f"Version: {version.version}, Created: {version.created_on}")

# Delete secret (soft delete)
poller = client.begin_delete_secret("database-password")
deleted_secret = poller.result()

# Purge (permanent delete, if soft-delete enabled)
client.purge_deleted_secret("database-password")

# Recover deleted secret
client.begin_recover_deleted_secret("database-password").result()

Keys

KeyClient Setup

from azure.identity import DefaultAzureCredential
from azure.keyvault.keys import KeyClient

credential = DefaultAzureCredential()
vault_url = "https://<vault-name>.vault.azure.net/"

with KeyClient(vault_url=vault_url, credential=credential) as client:
    # All key operations go inside this block (see examples below)
    ...

Key Operations

from azure.keyvault.keys import KeyType

# Create RSA key
rsa_key = client.create_rsa_key("rsa-key", size=2048)

# Create EC key
ec_key = client.create_ec_key("ec-key", curve="P-256")

# Get key
key = client.get_key("rsa-key")
print(f"Key type: {key.key_type}")

# List keys
for key_properties in client.list_properties_of_keys():
    print(f"Key: {key_properties.name}")

# Delete key
poller = client.begin_delete_key("rsa-key")
deleted_key = poller.result()

Cryptographic Operations

from azure.keyvault.keys.crypto import CryptographyClient, EncryptionAlgorithm

# Get crypto client for a specific key
# crypto_client = CryptographyClient(key, credential=credential)
# Or from key ID
with CryptographyClient(
    "https://<vault>.vault.azure.net/keys/<key-name>/<version>",
    credential=credential
) as crypto_client:
    # Encrypt
    plaintext = b"Hello, Key Vault!"
    result = crypto_client.encrypt(EncryptionAlgorithm.rsa_oaep, plaintext)
    ciphertext = result.ciphertext

    # Decrypt
    result = crypto_client.decrypt(EncryptionAlgorithm.rsa_oaep, ciphertext)
    decrypted = result.plaintext

    # Sign
    from azure.keyvault.keys.crypto import SignatureAlgorithm
    import hashlib

    digest = hashlib.sha256(b"data to sign").digest()
    result = crypto_client.sign(SignatureAlgorithm.rs256, digest)
    signature = result.signature

    # Verify
    result = crypto_client.verify(SignatureAlgorithm.rs256, digest, signature)
    print(f"Valid: {result.is_valid}")

Certificates

CertificateClient Setup

from azure.identity import DefaultAzureCredential
from azure.keyvault.certificates import CertificateClient, CertificatePolicy

credential = DefaultAzureCredential()
vault_url = "https://<vault-name>.vault.azure.net/"

with CertificateClient(vault_url=vault_url, credential=credential) as client:
    # All certificate operations go inside this block (see examples below)
    ...

Certificate Operations

# Create self-signed certificate
policy = CertificatePolicy.get_default()
poller = client.begin_create_certificate("my-cert", policy=policy)
certificate = poller.result()

# Get certificate
certificate = client.get_certificate("my-cert")
print(f"Thumbprint: {certificate.properties.x509_thumbprint.hex()}")

# Get certificate with private key (as secret)
from azure.keyvault.secrets import SecretClient
with SecretClient(vault_url=vault_url, credential=credential) as secret_client:
    cert_secret = secret_client.get_secret("my-cert")
    # cert_secret.value contains PEM or PKCS12

# List certificates
for cert in client.list_properties_of_certificates():
    print(f"Certificate: {cert.name}")

# Delete certificate
poller = client.begin_delete_certificate("my-cert")
deleted = poller.result()

Client Types Table

| Client | Package | Purpose |

|--------|---------|---------|

| SecretClient | azure-keyvault-secrets | Store/retrieve secrets |

| KeyClient | azure-keyvault-keys | Manage cryptographic keys |

| CryptographyClient | azure-keyvault-keys | Encrypt/decrypt/sign/verify |

| CertificateClient | azure-keyvault-certificates | Manage certificates |

Async Clients

from azure.identity.aio import DefaultAzureCredential
from azure.keyvault.secrets.aio import SecretClient

async def get_secret():
    async with DefaultAzureCredential() as credential:
        async with SecretClient(vault_url=vault_url, credential=credential) as client:
            secret = await client.get_secret("my-secret")
            print(secret.value)

import asyncio
asyncio.run(get_secret())

Error Handling

from azure.core.exceptions import ResourceNotFoundError, HttpResponseError

try:
    secret = client.get_secret("nonexistent")
except ResourceNotFoundError:
    print("Secret not found")
except HttpResponseError as e:
    if e.status_code == 403:
        print("Access denied - check RBAC permissions")
    raise

Best Practices

  • Pick sync OR async and stay consistent. Do not mix azure.xxx sync clients with azure.xxx.aio async clients in the same call path. Choose one mode per module.
  • Always use context managers for clients and async credentials. Wrap every client in with Client(...) as client: (sync) or async with Client(...) as client: (async). For async DefaultAzureCredential from azure.identity.aio, also use async with credential: so tokens and transports are cleaned up.
  • Use DefaultAzureCredential for code that runs locally. Use a specific token credential for code that runs in Azure.
  • Use managed identity in Azure-hosted applications
  • Enable soft-delete for recovery (enabled by default)
  • Use RBAC over access policies for fine-grained control
  • Rotate secrets regularly using versioning
  • Use Key Vault references in App Service/Functions config
  • Cache secrets appropriately to reduce API calls

10. Use async clients for high-throughput scenarios

Reference Files

| File | Contents |

|------|----------|

| references/capabilities.md | Additional non-hero capabilities, operation-group coverage, and production checklists. |

| references/non-hero-scenarios.md | Dedicated non-hero examples for secondary/advanced scenarios. |

How to use it

Copy the folder

Take microsoft/azure-keyvault-py 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.

Install what it needs

The instructions reference pip. Without those the skill loads but fails at the first command.