Managing Azure Management Groups

---
name: managing-azure-management-groups
description: |
  Use when working with Azure Management Groups — azure Management Groups
  hierarchy and governance management. Covers management group tree structure,
  subscription placement, policy assignments, RBAC inheritance, compliance
  status, and governance auditing. Use when managing Azure tenant hierarchy,
  assigning policies to management groups, reviewing subscription organization,
  or auditing inherited access controls.
connection_type: azure-management-groups
preload: false
---

# Azure Management Groups Management Skill

Manage Azure Management Group hierarchies, subscription placement, policy assignments, and RBAC.

## MANDATORY: Discovery-First Pattern

**Always inspect the management group hierarchy and policy state before changes.**

### Phase 1: Discovery

```bash
#!/bin/bash
echo "=== Tenant Info ==="
az account show --query '{TenantId:tenantId,Name:name}' -o table 2>/dev/null

echo ""
echo "=== Management Group Hierarchy ==="
az account management-group list --query '[*].{Name:name,DisplayName:displayName,Id:id}' -o table 2>/dev/null | head -20

echo ""
echo "=== Root Management Group ==="
az account management-group show --name $(az account show --query tenantId -o tsv) --expand --recurse -o json 2>/dev/null | jq '{name: .displayName, children: [.children[]? | {name: .displayName, type: .type, childCount: (.children // [] | length)}]}' | head -20

echo ""
echo "=== Subscriptions ==="
az account list --query '[*].{Name:name,Id:id,State:state}' -o table 2>/dev/null | head -15
```

### Phase 2: Analysis

```bash
#!/bin/bash
MG_NAME="${1:?Management group name required}"

echo "=== Management Group Details ==="
az account management-group show --name "$MG_NAME" --expand --recurse -o json 2>/dev/null | jq '{name: .displayName, children: [.children[]? | {name: .displayName, type: .type}]}' | head -20

echo ""
echo "=== Policy Assignments ==="
az policy assignment list --scope "/providers/Microsoft.Management/managementGroups/$MG_NAME" --query '[*].{Name:name,Policy:policyDefinitionId,Enforcement:enforcementMode}' -o table 2>/dev/null | head -15

echo ""
echo "=== Role Assignments ==="
az role assignment list --scope "/providers/Microsoft.Management/managementGroups/$MG_NAME" --query '[*].{Principal:principalName,Role:roleDefinitionName,Scope:scope}' -o table 2>/dev/null | head -15

echo ""
echo "=== Compliance ==="
az policy state summarize --management-group "$MG_NAME" --query '{compliant: results.resourceDetails[0].count, nonCompliant: results.resourceDetails[1].count}' -o table 2>/dev/null | head -10
```

## Output Rules
- **TOKEN EFFICIENCY**: Target <=50 lines per output
- Show hierarchy as tree structure when possible
- Summarize policy assignments with enforcement mode
- List RBAC by management group scope

## Safety Rules
- **NEVER move subscriptions without understanding inherited policies**
- **Review policy inheritance** before assigning to management groups
- **Check RBAC inheritance** impacts on child resources
- **Test policies at lower MG levels** before applying to root
- **Verify management group deletion** has no child resources

## Output Format

Present results as a structured report:
```
Managing Azure Management Groups Report
═══════════════════════════════════════
Resources discovered: [count]

Resource       Status    Key Metric    Issues
──────────────────────────────────────────────
[name]         [ok/warn] [value]       [findings]

Summary: [total] resources | [ok] healthy | [warn] warnings | [crit] critical
Action Items: [list of prioritized findings]
```

Target ≤50 lines of output. Use tables for multi-resource comparisons.

## Anti-Hallucination Rules

1. **NEVER assume resource names** — always discover via CLI/API in Phase 1 before referencing in Phase 2.
2. **NEVER fabricate metric names or dimensions** — verify against the service documentation or `--help` output.
3. **NEVER mix CLI commands between service versions** — confirm which version/API you are targeting.
4. **ALWAYS use the discovery → verify → analyze chain** — every resource referenced must have been discovered first.
5. **ALWAYS handle empty results gracefully** — an empty response is valid data, not an error to retry.

## Counter-Rationalizations

| Shortcut | Counter | Why |
|----------|---------|-----|
| "I'll skip discovery and check known resources" | Always run Phase 1 discovery first | Resource names change, new resources appear — assumed names cause errors |
| "The user only asked for a quick check" | Follow the full discovery → analysis flow | Quick checks miss critical issues; structured analysis catches silent failures |
| "Default configuration is probably fine" | Audit configuration explicitly | Defaults often leave logging, security, and optimization features disabled |
| "Metrics aren't needed for this" | Always check relevant metrics when available | API/CLI responses show current state; metrics reveal trends and intermittent issues |
| "I don't have access to that" | Try the command and report the actual error | Assumed permission failures prevent useful investigation; actual errors are informative |