Azure AI Gateway

Configure Azure API Management (APIM) as an AI Gateway for governing AI models, MCP tools, and agents.

To deploy APIM, use the azure-prepare skill. See APIM deployment guide.

When to Use This Skill

Category	Triggers
Model Governance	"semantic caching", "token limits", "load balance AI", "track token usage"
Tool Governance	"rate limit MCP", "protect my tools", "configure my tool", "convert API to MCP"
Agent Governance	"content safety", "jailbreak detection", "filter harmful content"
Configuration	"add Azure OpenAI backend", "configure my model", "add AI Foundry model"
Testing	"test AI gateway", "call OpenAI through gateway"

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Quick Reference

Policy	Purpose	Details
azure-openai-token-limit	Cost control	Model Policies
azure-openai-semantic-cache-lookup/store	60-80% cost savings	Model Policies
azure-openai-emit-token-metric	Observability	Model Policies
llm-content-safety	Safety & compliance	Agent Policies
rate-limit-by-key	MCP/tool protection	Tool Policies

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Get Gateway Details

# Get gateway URL
az apim show --name <apim-name> --resource-group <rg> --query "gatewayUrl" -o tsv

# List backends (AI models)
az apim backend list --service-name <apim-name> --resource-group <rg> \
  --query "[].{id:name, url:url}" -o table

# Get subscription key
az apim subscription keys list \
  --service-name <apim-name> --resource-group <rg> --subscription-id <sub-id>

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Test AI Endpoint

GATEWAY_URL=$(az apim show --name <apim-name> --resource-group <rg> --query "gatewayUrl" -o tsv)

curl -X POST "${GATEWAY_URL}/openai/deployments/<deployment>/chat/completions?api-version=2024-02-01" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Ocp-Apim-Subscription-Key: <key>" \
  -d '{"messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Hello"}], "max_tokens": 100}'

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Common Tasks

Add AI Backend

See references/patterns.md for full steps.

# Discover AI resources
az cognitiveservices account list --query "[?kind=='OpenAI']" -o table

# Create backend
az apim backend create --service-name <apim> --resource-group <rg> \
  --backend-id openai-backend --protocol http --url "https://<aoai>.openai.azure.com/openai"

# Grant access (managed identity)
az role assignment create --assignee <apim-principal-id> \
  --role "Cognitive Services User" --scope <aoai-resource-id>

Apply AI Governance Policy

Recommended policy order in <inbound>:

1. Authentication - Managed identity to backend
2. Semantic Cache Lookup - Check cache before calling AI
3. Token Limits - Cost control
4. Content Safety - Filter harmful content
5. Backend Selection - Load balancing
6. Metrics - Token usage tracking

See references/policies.md for complete example.

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Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Token limit 429	Increase tokens-per-minute or add load balancing
No cache hits	Lower score-threshold to 0.7
Content false positives	Increase category thresholds (5-6)
Backend auth 401	Grant APIM "Cognitive Services User" role

See references/troubleshooting.md for details.

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References

• Detailed Policies - Full policy examples
• Configuration Patterns - Step-by-step patterns
• Troubleshooting - Common issues
• AI-Gateway Samples
• GenAI Gateway Docs

SDK Quick References

• Content Safety: Python | TypeScript
• API Management: Python | .NET