Microsoft Learn CLI

mslearn is a terminal CLI for the public Microsoft Learn MCP server.

It gives you terminal-friendly commands for docs search, docs fetch, code sample search, and environment diagnostics.

By default, it connects to:

https://learn.microsoft.com/api/mcp

Requirements

This project requires Node.js 22 or later.

node --version

Installation

Option A: Run instantly with npx (no install)

npx @microsoft/learn-cli search "azure functions timeout"

Option B: Install globally

npm install -g @microsoft/learn-cli
mslearn search "azure functions timeout"

Installing the npm package alone does not install agent discovery.

Agent discovery

The standalone CLI can install a CLI-first skill for the same agent ecosystems supported by this repository's plugins: GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, and Codex. The skill teaches the agent to invoke npx @microsoft/learn-cli@latest when Microsoft Learn MCP tools are unavailable.

Install discovery for detected agents in the current user profile:

mslearn setup --cli

Or detect agents in the current repository and install discovery there:

mslearn setup --cli --project

Override auto-detection by selecting one or more agents explicitly:

mslearn setup --cli --copilot
mslearn setup --cli --claude
mslearn setup --cli --codex

Or install it only in the current repository:

mslearn setup --cli --copilot --project
mslearn setup --cli --claude --project
mslearn setup --cli --codex --project

Target flags can be combined:

mslearn setup --cli --copilot --claude --codex

Remove the managed files without changing unrelated agent configuration:

mslearn remove --cli
mslearn remove --cli --copilot
mslearn remove --cli --claude --codex --project

| Agent | Scope | Skill | |-------|-------|-------| | GitHub Copilot | User | ~/.copilot/skills/microsoft-learn-cli/SKILL.md | | GitHub Copilot | Project | .github/skills/microsoft-learn-cli/SKILL.md | | Claude Code | User | ~/.claude/skills/microsoft-learn-cli/SKILL.md | | Claude Code | Project | .claude/skills/microsoft-learn-cli/SKILL.md | | Codex | User | ~/.agents/skills/microsoft-learn-cli/SKILL.md | | Codex | Project | .agents/skills/microsoft-learn-cli/SKILL.md |

--cli is required. Without an agent target, setup detects installed agents from their well-known user or project directories, while removal detects only Microsoft Learn CLI-managed discovery artifacts. Explicit targets (--copilot, --claude, or --codex) override detection and can be combined. Agents outside the plugin ecosystems, including Cursor, are not installed by this workflow. Re-running setup refreshes managed content; explicitly targeted removal succeeds when discovery is already absent.

CLI-first versus MCP-first

| Mode | Installation | Agent behavior | |------|--------------|----------------| | Standalone CLI-first | Install/run this npm package, then use mslearn setup --cli [agent-target] | Detected or selected agents invoke the standalone CLI through npx when Learn MCP tools are unavailable; no MCP configuration is added | | Repository plugin, MCP-first | Install the repository plugin for GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, or Codex | The plugin supplies the Microsoft Learn MCP endpoint and MCP-oriented skills |

When both integrations are installed, agents should prefer the Microsoft Learn MCP tools and use the standalone CLI skill only as a fallback.

Commands

mslearn search "azure functions timeout"
mslearn fetch "https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/azure-functions/functions-versions"
mslearn fetch "https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/azure-functions/functions-versions" --section "Function app timeout duration"
mslearn fetch "https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/azure-functions/functions-versions" --max-chars 3000
mslearn code-search "cosmos db change feed processor"
mslearn code-search "cosmos db change feed processor" --language csharp
mslearn doctor
mslearn doctor --format json
mslearn setup --cli
mslearn setup --cli --project
mslearn setup --cli --copilot
mslearn setup --cli --copilot --project
mslearn setup --cli --claude
mslearn setup --cli --codex
mslearn remove --cli
mslearn remove --cli --copilot
mslearn remove --cli --copilot --project
mslearn remove --cli --claude
mslearn remove --cli --codex

Available commands:

• search <query> searches official Microsoft documentation.
• fetch <url> fetches a Learn page as markdown-friendly output.
• fetch <url> --section <heading> returns a single section.
• fetch <url> --max-chars <number> truncates output.
• code-search <query> --language <name> searches official code samples.
• doctor [--format text|json] checks runtime and connectivity.
• setup --cli [--copilot|--claude|--codex] [--project] detects agents or installs discovery for explicit targets.
• remove --cli [--copilot|--claude|--codex] [--project] detects and removes only managed discovery content.

The search and code-search commands output human-readable formatted text by default. Pass --json to get the raw JSON response, which is useful for piping to other tools:

mslearn search "azure functions" --json | jq '.results[].title'
mslearn code-search "BlobServiceClient" --language python --json

Endpoint configuration

To override the default endpoint, set MSLEARN_ENDPOINT or pass --endpoint <url> for a single command.

Example in PowerShell:

$env:MSLEARN_ENDPOINT = "https://learn.microsoft.com/api/mcp"
mslearn doctor

Development

To build and test from source:

cd cli
npm install
npm run build
npm test
node dist/index.js --help