az aks get-credentials: AKS kubeconfig in CI

Merge AKS cluster credentials into kubeconfig so kubectl and helm can target the cluster.

az aks get-credentials downloads kubeconfig entries for an AKS cluster and merges them locally. In CI it follows az login and precedes any kubectl or helm step. For AAD-enabled clusters you may also need kubelogin on the runner.

Common flags

-n NAME and -g RESOURCE_GROUP - target cluster
--admin - fetch cluster-admin credentials (bypasses AAD)
--overwrite-existing - replace stale entries in kubeconfig

Example in CI

Fetch credentials, then confirm kubectl connectivity.

shell

az aks get-credentials -g my-rg -n my-cluster --overwrite-existing
kubectl get nodes

Common errors in CI

ResourceNotFound: ... managedCluster ... not found - wrong cluster name or resource group
kubelogin: command not found - AAD cluster needs kubelogin installed on the runner
error: You must be logged in to the server (Unauthorized) - SP lacks an Azure Kubernetes Service RBAC role

Key takeaways

Merges AKS credentials into kubeconfig for kubectl and helm.
AAD-enabled clusters require kubelogin on the runner.
Use --overwrite-existing to avoid stale kubeconfig entries in CI.