Azure Pricing MCP Server

A token-optimized, security-audited Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Azure pricing analysis, developed by P6P Lab.

🚀 Key Features

• Token Efficient: Responses optimized to use minimal tokens (~60-90% reduction)
• Concise Data: Essential information only, no verbose details
• Smart Limits: Configurable API calls and data processing limits
• Fast Responses: Configurable timeouts and streamlined processing
• Environment Variables: Fully configurable via environment variables
• 🔒 Security Certified: Comprehensive security audit passed - production ready

🛠️ Available Tools

• get_pricing_api: Fetch concise Azure pricing from Retail Prices API
• compare_regions: Compare pricing across Azure regions (configurable limit)
• get_pricing_summary: Get ultra-concise pricing summaries
• generate_report: Create compact cost analysis reports
• get_server_config: Get current server configuration (for debugging)

📦 Installation

From PyPI (Recommended)

# Install from PyPI
uvx p6plab.azure-pricing-mcp-server@latest

Local Development

# Build the package
uv build

# Install locally
uvx --from ./dist/p6plab_azure_pricing_mcp_server-1.4.0-py3-none-any.whl p6plab.azure-pricing-mcp-server

🚀 Usage with Amazon Q CLI

PyPI Installation (Recommended)

Add to your .amazonq/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "azure-pricing": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["p6plab.azure-pricing-mcp-server@latest"],
      "timeout": 30000
    }
  }
}

Local Installation (from built wheel)

Add to your .amazonq/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "azure-pricing": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["--from", "./dist/p6plab_azure_pricing_mcp_server-1.4.0-py3-none-any.whl", "p6plab.azure-pricing-mcp-server"],
      "timeout": 30000
    }
  }
}

With Environment Variables

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "azure-pricing": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["p6plab.azure-pricing-mcp-server@latest"],
      "timeout": 30000,
      "env": {
        "DEFAULT_REGION": "westeurope",
        "REQUEST_TIMEOUT": "30",
        "MAX_API_RESULTS": "15",
        "MAX_REGIONS_COMPARE": "6"
      }
    }
  }
}

🎯 Optimization Details

Token Usage Reduction

Optimization	Before	After	Savings
API Response Limit	50 items	5-15 items (configurable)	~70-85%
Sample SKUs	3 full objects	3 truncated objects	~60%
Error Messages	Full stack traces	Truncated (100 chars)	~90%
Regional Comparison	Full data per region	Summary stats only	~75%
Report Generation	Verbose markdown	Concise summary	~70%

Response Structure Changes

Before (Verbose):

{
  "status": "success",
  "data": {
    "items": [
      {
        "service_name": "Very Long Service Name Here",
        "product_name": "Very Long Product Name Here", 
        "sku_name": "Very Long SKU Name Here",
        "region": "eastus",
        "unit_price": 0.0688,
        "currency": "USD",
        "unit_of_measure": "1 Hour",
        "type": "Consumption",
        "tier_minimum_units": 0
      }
      // ... many more items
    ],
    "count": 50,
    "currency": "USD",
    "filters_applied": { /* ... */ }
  }
}

After:

{
  "status": "success",
  "service": "Virtual Machines",
  "region": "eastus", 
  "currency": "USD",
  "price_range": {
    "min": "0.0068",
    "max": "2.4160", 
    "avg": "0.3420"
  },
  "sample_skus": [
    {
      "name": "Standard_B1s",
      "price": "0.0068",
      "unit": "1 Hour"
    }
  ],
  "total_found": 15
}

Configurable Limits

All optimization limits are now configurable via environment variables:

• MAX_API_RESULTS: Control API response size (default: 10)
• MAX_REGIONS_COMPARE: Limit regional comparisons (default: 4)
• REQUEST_TIMEOUT: Adjust for network conditions (default: 15s)

Environment Variables

🌍 Azure Service Configuration

Variable	Purpose	Values	Default
DEFAULT_REGION	Default Azure region	eastus, westeurope, centralus, etc.	eastus
AZURE_PRICING_API_BASE_URL	Azure Retail Prices API URL	Valid URL	https://prices.azure.com/api/retail/prices

⚡ Performance Configuration

Variable	Purpose	Values	Default
REQUEST_TIMEOUT	HTTP request timeout in seconds	10, 30, 60, etc.	15
MAX_API_RESULTS	Maximum results per API call	5, 10, 20, etc.	10
MAX_REGIONS_COMPARE	Maximum regions for comparison	2, 4, 6, etc.	4

Configuration Examples

Minimal Configuration (Recommended)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "azure-pricing": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["p6plab.azure-pricing-mcp-server@latest"],
      "timeout": 30000
    }
  }
}

Custom Azure Configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "azure-pricing": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["p6plab.azure-pricing-mcp-server@latest"],
      "timeout": 30000,
      "env": {
        "DEFAULT_REGION": "westeurope",
        "REQUEST_TIMEOUT": "30",
        "MAX_API_RESULTS": "15",
        "MAX_REGIONS_COMPARE": "6"
      }
    }
  }
}

Performance Optimized Configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "azure-pricing": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["p6plab.azure-pricing-mcp-server@latest"],
      "timeout": 45000,
      "env": {
        "REQUEST_TIMEOUT": "45",
        "MAX_API_RESULTS": "20",
        "MAX_REGIONS_COMPARE": "8",
        "AZURE_PRICING_API_BASE_URL": "https://prices.azure.com/api/retail/prices"
      }
    }
  }
}

Debug Configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "azure-pricing": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["p6plab.azure-pricing-mcp-server@latest"],
      "timeout": 60000,
      "env": {
        "DEFAULT_REGION": "eastus",
        "REQUEST_TIMEOUT": "60",
        "MAX_API_RESULTS": "5"
      }
    }
  }
}

Environment Variables Usage Examples

Set via Shell (for testing)

# Azure Service Configuration
export DEFAULT_REGION=westeurope
export AZURE_PRICING_API_BASE_URL=https://prices.azure.com/api/retail/prices

# Performance Configuration  
export REQUEST_TIMEOUT=30
export MAX_API_RESULTS=15
export MAX_REGIONS_COMPARE=6

# Start Q CLI
q chat

Set via MCP Configuration (recommended)

Use the JSON configuration examples above to set environment variables through the MCP server configuration.

Implemented Environment Variables Details

🌍 Azure Service Configuration

• DEFAULT_REGION: Sets the default Azure region when none is specified. Use Azure region names like eastus, westeurope, centralus
• AZURE_PRICING_API_BASE_URL: Allows overriding the Azure Pricing API endpoint (useful for testing or alternative endpoints)

⚡ Performance Configuration

• REQUEST_TIMEOUT: HTTP timeout in seconds for Azure API calls. Higher values for slower connections
• MAX_API_RESULTS: Maximum number of results returned per API call. Lower values for faster responses
• MAX_REGIONS_COMPARE: Maximum number of regions that can be compared simultaneously. Prevents excessive API calls

Configuration Validation

The server logs all configuration values on startup:

Azure Pricing MCP Server Configuration:
  DEFAULT_CURRENCY: EUR
  DEFAULT_REGION: westeurope  
  AZURE_PRICING_API_BASE_URL: https://prices.azure.com/api/retail/prices
  REQUEST_TIMEOUT: 30.0s
  MAX_API_RESULTS: 15
  MAX_REGIONS_COMPARE: 6

Example Queries

Basic Pricing Queries

• "Get Azure Virtual Machines pricing summary for East US"
• "What's the price range for Azure Functions in West Europe?"
• "Show me Azure SQL Database pricing for eastus region"
• "Get Azure Storage pricing summary"
• "What are the costs for Azure App Service in Central US?"

Regional Comparison Queries

• "Compare Azure Storage costs between eastus and westeurope"
• "Compare Virtual Machines pricing across eastus, westus, and centralus"
• "Which region is cheapest for Azure Functions?"
• "Compare Azure SQL Database costs between North Europe and West Europe"
• "Show pricing differences for Azure Container Instances across 3 regions"

Service-Specific Queries

• "Get pricing for Standard_B2s virtual machine instances"
• "What's the cost of Azure Blob Storage hot tier?"
• "Show me Azure Kubernetes Service pricing details"
• "Get Azure Cosmos DB pricing for SQL API"
• "What are the rates for Azure Application Gateway?"

SKU and Product Filtering

• "Find pricing for Standard tier Azure App Service plans"
• "Get costs for Premium SSD managed disks"
• "Show me pricing for General Purpose v2 storage accounts"
• "What's the cost of Standard Load Balancer?"
• "Get pricing for Basic tier Azure Database for MySQL"

Cost Analysis and Reporting

• "Generate a cost summary report for Azure compute services"
• "Create a pricing comparison report for storage services"
• "Show me a cost analysis for serverless services"
• "Generate pricing report for database services in East US"

Multi-Service Queries

• "Compare costs of Azure Functions vs App Service for small workloads"
• "What's cheaper: Azure SQL Database or MySQL for basic usage?"
• "Show pricing for a typical web application stack in Azure"
• "Compare container hosting options: ACI vs AKS vs App Service"

Budget Planning Queries

• "What's the monthly cost estimate for a Standard_D2s_v3 VM running 24/7?"
• "Show me the most cost-effective storage options for archival data"
• "What are the cheapest compute options for development environments?"
• "Find the most economical database solution for small applications"

Advanced Filtering Examples

• "Get pricing for all compute services in East US under $0.10 per hour"
• "Show me storage services with pay-as-you-go pricing model"
• "Find all database services available in West Europe region"
• "Get pricing for services with 'Standard' in the SKU name"

🚀 Performance Tips

1. Use Specific Queries: Target specific services rather than broad searches
2. Configure Limits: Adjust MAX_REGIONS_COMPARE and MAX_API_RESULTS based on your needs
3. Optimize Timeout: Set REQUEST_TIMEOUT based on your network conditions
4. Use Summary Tools: Prefer get_pricing_summary over get_pricing_api for quick overviews
5. Fresh Sessions: Start new chat sessions for complex analyses
6. Regional Defaults: Set DEFAULT_REGION to your primary region to avoid specifying it repeatedly

Performance Configuration Examples

Fast & Minimal (for quick queries):

"env": {
  "MAX_API_RESULTS": "5",
  "MAX_REGIONS_COMPARE": "2", 
  "REQUEST_TIMEOUT": "10"
}

Comprehensive (for detailed analysis):

"env": {
  "MAX_API_RESULTS": "20",
  "MAX_REGIONS_COMPARE": "8",
  "REQUEST_TIMEOUT": "45"
}

🔧 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. "No pricing found" responses

• Cause: Service names in Azure API may differ from display names
• Solution: Try variations like "Virtual Machines" vs "Compute" vs "Microsoft.Compute"
• Alternative: Use product name filtering instead of service name

2. Timeout errors

• Cause: Network latency or Azure API slowness
• Solution: Increase REQUEST_TIMEOUT environment variable

"env": {
  "REQUEST_TIMEOUT": "60"
}

3. Empty results for specific regions

• Cause: Service may not be available in that region
• Solution: Try common regions like eastus, westeurope, centralus

4. MCP server not loading

• Check: Verify the server is listed in q mcp list
• Check: Verify the server status with q mcp status --name azure-pricing
• Solution: Ensure package is installed: uvx p6plab.azure-pricing-mcp-server@latest --help

Debugging Tools

Check Current Configuration

Use the built-in debugging tool to verify your environment variables are working:

Query: "Show me the current server configuration"

This will return:

{
  "status": "success",
  "configuration": {
    "DEFAULT_REGION": "eastus",
    "REQUEST_TIMEOUT": 15.0,
    "MAX_API_RESULTS": 10,
    "MAX_REGIONS_COMPARE": 4
  },
  "environment_variables": {
    "DEFAULT_REGION": "Not set",
    "REQUEST_TIMEOUT": "Not set"
  }
}

Debug Configuration

Enable verbose logging to troubleshoot issues:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "azure-pricing": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["p6plab.azure-pricing-mcp-server@latest"],
      "timeout": 60000,
      "env": {
        "REQUEST_TIMEOUT": "60",
        "MAX_API_RESULTS": "5"
      }
    }
  }
}

Verify Configuration

The server logs all configuration on startup. Check the logs to verify your environment variables are being applied:

Azure Pricing MCP Server Configuration:
  DEFAULT_CURRENCY: EUR
  DEFAULT_REGION: westeurope
  AZURE_PRICING_API_BASE_URL: https://prices.azure.com/api/retail/prices
  REQUEST_TIMEOUT: 30.0s
  MAX_API_RESULTS: 15
  MAX_REGIONS_COMPARE: 6

🔒 Security

Security Audit Status: ✅ PASSED

The Azure Pricing MCP Server has undergone comprehensive security analysis:

• ✅ No Medium or High Risk Vulnerabilities: Comprehensive scan completed
• ✅ Production Ready: Approved for production deployment
• ✅ Secure Dependencies: All dependencies are well-maintained and secure
• ✅ Limited Attack Surface: Read-only operations to public Azure API only
• ✅ No Sensitive Data: No hardcoded secrets, credentials, or API keys
• ✅ Proper Error Handling: Secure error messages without information disclosure

Security Features

• HTTPS Only: All API communications use secure HTTPS
• Input Validation: Proper type checking and parameter validation
• Timeout Protection: Configurable timeouts prevent hanging requests
• No File Operations: No file system access or manipulation
• No Command Execution: No subprocess or system calls
• Environment Variable Configuration: Secure configuration management

For detailed security analysis, see the Security Audit Report.

📋 Version History

• v1.4.0: Security audit and production readiness certification
• v1.3.0: Environment variables implementation for Azure Service and Performance Configuration
• v1.2.0: Major optimization for token efficiency
• v1.1.0: P6P Lab branding and improvements
• v1.0.0: Initial release

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

📄 License

This project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0 - see the LICENSE file for details.

🏷️ Keywords

Azure, Pricing, MCP, Model Context Protocol, Cost Analysis, Cloud Computing, P6P Lab, Security Certified, Production Ready