azure-cost-optimization

# Azure Cost Optimization Skill

Analyze Azure subscriptions to identify cost savings through orphaned resource cleanup, rightsizing, and optimization recommendations based on actual usage data.

## When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when the user asks to:
- Optimize Azure costs or reduce spending
- Analyze Azure subscription for cost savings
- Generate cost optimization report
- Find orphaned or unused resources
- Rightsize Azure VMs, containers, or services
- Identify where they're overspending in Azure
- **Optimize Redis costs specifically** - See [Azure Redis Cost Optimization](./references/azure-redis.md) for Redis-specific analysis

## Instructions

Follow these steps in conversation with the user:

### Step 0: Validate Prerequisites

Before starting, verify these tools and permissions are available:

**Required Tools:**
- Azure CLI installed and authenticated (`az login`)
- Azure CLI extensions: `costmanagement`, `resource-graph`
- Azure Quick Review (azqr) installed - See [Azure Quick Review](./references/azure-quick-review.md) for details

**Required Permissions:**
- Cost Management Reader role
- Monitoring Reader role
- Reader role on subscription/resource group

**Verification commands:**
```powershell
az --version
az account show
az extension show --name costmanagement
azqr version
```

### Step 1: Load Best Practices

Get Azure cost optimization best practices to inform recommendations:

```javascript
// Use Azure MCP best practices tool
mcp_azure_mcp_get_azure_bestpractices({
  intent: "Get cost optimization best practices",
  command: "get_bestpractices",
  parameters: { resource: "cost-optimization", action: "all" }
})
```

### Step 1.5: Redis-Specific Analysis (Conditional)

**If the user specifically requests Redis cost optimization**, use the specialized Redis skill:

📋 **Reference**: [Azure Redis Cost Optimization](./references/azure-redis.md)

**When to use Redis-specific analysis:**
- User mentions "Redis", "Azure Cache for Redis", or "Azu