Generate SDK Locally

This skill generates, builds, and tests Azure SDKs locally from TypeSpec with automatic customization support, covering the end-to-end workflow for fixing generation issues, applying SDK-specific updates, and refreshing package metadata when needed.

Triggers

USE FOR: generate, build, and test Azure SDKs locally from TypeSpec with automatic customization; update changelog; fix SDK build errors; resolve SDK generation errors; customize TypeSpec; rename SDK client or model; hide operation from SDK; fix analyzer errors; resolve customization drift; create subclient; update metadata; update version WHEN: "generate SDK locally", "build SDK", "run SDK tests", "update changelog", "fix SDK build errors", "resolve SDK generation errors", "customize TypeSpec", "rename SDK client", "rename SDK model", "hide operation from SDK", "fix analyzer errors", "resolve customization drift", "create subclient", "update metadata", "update version"

Boundaries

Do not use this skill for:

• Publishing SDK packages to package registries
• CI pipeline configuration
• API design review

Rules

• Interpret "generate SDK" and "generate SDK locally" as requests for the complete workflow: generate, build, validate, test, update changelog, update metadata, and update version. Do not treat the word "generate" by itself as a generate-only request.
• Stop after generation and a successful build when the user explicitly says "generate only", "only generate", or otherwise explicitly asks to skip checks, tests, changelog, metadata, and version updates. Bind only to the generation action even when a target qualifier follows: "generate SDK only for Web PubSub" is a generate-only request scoped to Web PubSub. By contrast, "generate the SDK for only the Web PubSub service" scopes the complete workflow to one service. Once a request is classified as generate-only, do not prompt for a commit or run steps 8–11. If the user's intent is unclear, default to the complete workflow.
• This skill generates an SDK locally from a local clone. Use it to generate an SDK only when the user indicates local generation — they say "local"/"locally", or are working from a local clone. If the user asks to "generate SDK for all languages", to generate for a release plan / release ID (even a single language), to generate without a local clone, or wants SDK pull requests created for them, do not generate locally — use the azsdk-common-generate-sdk-pipeline skill, which runs the SDK generation pipeline for each language and produces the SDK pull requests.
• Never use azure-sdk-mcp:azsdk_get_sdk_pull_request_link or azure-sdk-mcp:azsdk_get_pull_request to generate an SDK; those only retrieve links for SDKs that were already generated.
• Requires the azure-sdk-mcp server for the MCP workflow; without MCP, use npm exec --prefix eng/common/tsp-client -- tsp-client CLI.
• Verify the target language repo and the correct TypeSpec configuration file before generation.
• After generation or customization, run the check and test steps before updating metadata or finalizing changes.

MCP Tools

Prerequisites: azure-sdk-mcp server must be running. Without MCP, use npx tsp-client CLI.

Steps

1. Select language — Confirm target language: .NET, Java, JavaScript, Python, Go, or Rust.
2. Verify repo — Ensure the user has a local clone of the correct SDK repo. If not cloned, instruct user to clone it.
3. Identify config file — Determine the path to the TypeSpec configuration file. See config file details.
   • From azure-rest-api-specs repo: use path to tspconfig.yaml.
   • From an SDK language repo: use path to tsp-location.yaml.
4. Verify setup — Run azure-sdk-mcp:azsdk_verify_setup to confirm environment.
5. Generate — Run azure-sdk-mcp:azsdk_package_generate_code with the config file path.
6. Build — Run azure-sdk-mcp:azsdk_package_build_code. For .NET, use the additionalArguments: "/p:RunApiCompat=false" to skip API compatibility checks if user requests to skip API compatibility check.
7. Customize — If build fails, or if user requests SDK modifications, run azure-sdk-mcp:azsdk_customized_code_update with the build errors or user request. The tool handles the full workflow internally: it classifies the issue, applies TypeSpec decorators and/or code patches, regenerates the SDK, and builds — all in one call. See customization workflow. (If the user requested "generate only", stop here — skip steps 8–11.)
8. Commit checkpoint — Prompt the user to commit generated changes before proceeding. See commit checkpoint details.
9. Validate — Run azure-sdk-mcp:azsdk_package_run_check and azure-sdk-mcp:azsdk_package_run_tests.
10. Metadata — Run azure-sdk-mcp:azsdk_package_update_changelog_content, azure-sdk-mcp:azsdk_package_update_metadata, and azure-sdk-mcp:azsdk_package_update_version. (Note: For .NET data plane, skip this step — metadata, changelog, and version updates are per-commit tasks, not part of the generate/build/test workflow.)
11. Final commit — Prompt the user to commit final changes (changelog, metadata, version). See commit checkpoint details.

SDK repos | Customization workflow | Detailed workflow

Guardrails

• NEVER modify generated SDK code files directly for customizations. Always use azure-sdk-mcp:azsdk_customized_code_update. It handles classification, TypeSpec decorators, code patches, regeneration, and build as a single atomic workflow.
• If azure-sdk-mcp:azsdk_customized_code_update fails or times out, report the error to the user and suggest retrying. Do not attempt to replicate its behavior by editing files manually.
• Only the customization tool understands the correct layering of TypeSpec decorators vs code patches and ensures regenerated code stays consistent.

Examples

• "Generate the SDK locally for my TypeSpec service"
• "Build and test the Python SDK package"
• "Run CI checks for my SDK package"
• "Fix the SDK build errors on this PR"
• "Rename FooClient to BarClient for .NET"
• "Hide the internal polling operation from the Python SDK"
• "Fix .NET analyzer errors AZC0030 and AZC0012"
• "The build is failing because a customization references a renamed property"
• "Create a subclient architecture for the Python SDK"
• "Apply TypeSpec customizations to fix compilation errors"
• "Update the changelog for this SDK package"
• "Update the package version"
• "Update the package metadata and ci.yml"

Troubleshooting

• For "generate SDK for all languages", pipeline-based generation, or when no local SDK clone exists, call azure-sdk-mcp:azsdk_run_generate_sdk instead of the local generate flow, and never substitute azure-sdk-mcp:azsdk_get_sdk_pull_request_link / azure-sdk-mcp:azsdk_get_pull_request for generation.
• Run azure-sdk-mcp:azsdk_verify_setup to confirm MCP and tools.
• If build fails with type conflicts, breaking changes, analyzer errors, or customization drift, use azure-sdk-mcp:azsdk_customized_code_update to apply customizations.
• The customization tool uses a two-phase approach: TypeSpec decorators first (Phase A), then code repairs if needed (Phase B).
• If azure-sdk-mcp:azsdk_customized_code_update fails or times out, report the error and retry. Do not manually edit generated SDK code — manual edits will be overwritten on the next regeneration.
• Without MCP, use npx tsp-client CLI.