QUICK_START.md•5.07 kB
# Quick Start Guide 🚀
Get the Azure Pricing MCP Server running in under 5 minutes.
---
## Prerequisites
- **Python 3.10+** ([Download](https://www.python.org/downloads/))
- **VS Code** with [GitHub Copilot](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=GitHub.copilot) extension
*— OR —*
- **Claude Desktop** app
---
## Step 1: Clone & Setup
```bash
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/charris-msft/azure-pricing-mcp.git
cd azure-pricing-mcp
# Create virtual environment
python -m venv .venv
# Activate virtual environment
source .venv/bin/activate # Linux/Mac
.venv\Scripts\activate # Windows
# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt
```
**Or use the automated setup:**
```bash
python setup.py # Cross-platform
.\setup.ps1 # Windows PowerShell
```
---
## Step 2: Verify Installation
```bash
# Test the server starts without errors
python -m azure_pricing_server
```
Press `Ctrl+C` to stop. If it starts without errors, you're ready!
---
## Step 3: Configure Your AI Assistant
### Option A: VS Code + GitHub Copilot
1. Create `.vscode/mcp.json` in your workspace (or this repo):
```jsonc
{
"servers": {
"azure-pricing": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "/absolute/path/to/azure-pricing-mcp/.venv/bin/python",
"args": ["-m", "azure_pricing_server"]
}
}
}
```
> ⚠️ **Important**: Use the **absolute path** to your Python executable!
**Find your Python path:**
```bash
# Linux/Mac
which python
# or after activating venv:
echo $VIRTUAL_ENV/bin/python
# Windows
where python
# or after activating venv:
echo %VIRTUAL_ENV%\Scripts\python.exe
```
2. Restart the MCP server:
- Open Command Palette (`Ctrl+Shift+P` / `Cmd+Shift+P`)
- Run: **MCP: List Servers**
- Click refresh/restart next to `azure-pricing`
3. Verify tools are loaded:
- You should see **6 tools** available
---
### Option B: Claude Desktop
1. Find your config file:
- **macOS**: `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`
- **Windows**: `%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json`
- **Linux**: `~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`
2. Add the server configuration:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"azure-pricing": {
"command": "python",
"args": ["-m", "azure_pricing_server"],
"cwd": "/absolute/path/to/azure-pricing-mcp"
}
}
}
```
3. Restart Claude Desktop completely (quit and reopen)
---
## Step 4: Test It Out! 🎉
Open Copilot Chat (VS Code) or Claude Desktop and try:
```
What's the price of a Standard_D4s_v3 VM in East US?
```
You should see the MCP tools being invoked and real Azure pricing data returned!
### More Example Queries
| Query | What It Does |
|-------|--------------|
| "Price for 20 D32s_v6 nodes in eastus2" | Get VM pricing with node calculation |
| "Compare storage prices: eastus vs westeurope" | Cross-region comparison |
| "Estimate monthly cost for D8s_v5 running 12hr/day" | Usage-based cost estimation |
| "What App Service plans are available?" | SKU discovery with fuzzy matching |
| "Show me GPU VM pricing" | Search specific VM types |
---
## Available Tools
| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `azure_price_search` | Search prices with filters (service, region, SKU) |
| `azure_price_compare` | Compare prices across regions or SKUs |
| `azure_cost_estimate` | Estimate costs based on usage hours |
| `azure_discover_skus` | List available SKUs for a service |
| `azure_sku_discovery` | Smart SKU discovery with fuzzy matching |
| `get_customer_discount` | Get customer discount information |
---
## Troubleshooting
### Tools not appearing in VS Code
1. **Check the path**: Must be absolute, not relative
2. **Check Python version**: Needs 3.10+
3. **Restart MCP**: Command Palette → MCP: List Servers → Restart
4. **Check for syntax errors**: Run `python -m azure_pricing_server` manually
### "No module named 'mcp'"
```bash
# Make sure you're in the virtual environment
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
```
### Server crashes on startup
Check for Python syntax errors:
```bash
python -c "import azure_pricing_server"
```
### No results returned
- Service names are case-sensitive: use `Virtual Machines` not `virtual machines`
- Region names use Azure format: `eastus`, `westeurope`, `eastus2`
- Try broader searches first, then narrow down
---
## Next Steps
- 📖 Read [USAGE_EXAMPLES.md](USAGE_EXAMPLES.md) for detailed query patterns
- 🔧 Check [README.md](README.md) for full documentation
- 🤝 [Contribute](README.md#-contributing) to the project!
---
## Quick Reference
```bash
# Start server manually (for testing)
python -m azure_pricing_server
# Run tests
python test_mcp_server.py
# Check Python path (Linux/Mac)
echo $VIRTUAL_ENV/bin/python
# Check Python path (Windows)
echo %VIRTUAL_ENV%\Scripts\python.exe
```
---
<p align="center">
<b>Need help?</b> Open an <a href="https://github.com/charris-msft/azure-pricing-mcp/issues">issue</a> on GitHub!
</p>