assessment

by microsoft

Run application assessment for a single repository

npx skills add https://github.com/microsoft/github-copilot-modernization --skill assessment
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Application Assessment

This skill performs application assessment for a single repository. It supports Java, .NET, and JavaScript/TypeScript projects.

Input Parameters

  • workspace-path (optional): Path to the project to assess. Defaults to the current directory (repository root) when not specified. All assessment outputs are written relative to this path (e.g. {workspace-path}/.github/modernize/assessment/reports/report-{reportId}/report.json). For a repository with multiple sub-projects, pass the sub-project directory path so that each sub-project's outputs are isolated.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:

  • Assess a Java or .NET application for cloud readiness and migration issues
  • Assess a JavaScript/TypeScript project for outdated dependencies and available updates
  • Generate detailed assessment reports with issue analysis and recommendations
  • Understand application dependencies, frameworks, and potential migration blockers

What This Skill Does

This skill performs a simplified assessment workflow:

  1. Check Project Type and Prerequisites:

    • For Java projects: Check MCP tool availability in this order:
      1. Primary: Check if 'appmod-run-assessment-action' MCP tool is available
        • If available, use ONLY this tool. It handles everything (prerequisite checks, installation, and assessment execution) in a single call.
        • Do NOT call any other assessment MCP tools when this tool is available.
      2. Fallback: If 'appmod-run-assessment-action' is NOT available, check if 'appmod-precheck-assessment' MCP tool is available
        • If available, use the legacy workflow: call 'appmod-precheck-assessment' first, then follow its guidance for 'appmod-install-appcat' and 'appmod-run-assessment'.
      3. If neither tool is configured, return immediately with setup instructions.
    • For .NET projects: Check if .NET SDK is available
      • No MCP tools required for .NET assessment
    • For JavaScript/TypeScript projects: Check if Node.js and npm are available
      • No MCP tools required for JS/TS assessment

  2. Run Assessment:

    • For Java projects: Trigger AppCAT analysis via Assessment MCP server
      • If 'appmod-run-assessment-action' is available (primary path):
        • Call 'appmod-run-assessment-action' MCP tool only
        • The MCP tool automatically saves the report to the versioned directory
      • If falling back to 'appmod-precheck-assessment' (legacy path):
        • Call 'appmod-precheck-assessment' to check prerequisites
        • Call 'appmod-install-appcat' to install AppCAT if needed
        • Call 'appmod-run-assessment' to run the assessment
    • For .NET projects: Install and run AppCAT directly
      • Install: dotnet tool update dotnet-appcat
      • Find all .csproj files under {workspace-path}
      • Join project paths with semicolons: projectPaths="project1.csproj;project2.csproj"
      • Run: appcat analyze $projectPaths --source Solution --target Any --serializer APPMODJSON --code --privacyMode Restricted --non-interactive --report {workspace-path}\.github\modernize\appcat\result\report.json
    • For JavaScript/TypeScript projects: Install and run npm-check-updates
      • Install: npm install -g npm-check-updates@19.6.3 --prefix {tool-install-dir}
      • Run: ncu --format group --packageFile {workspace-path}/package.json
      • Generate the reportId as a UTC timestamp formatted as yyyyMMddHHmmss (e.g. 2024-06-15T14:30:52Z becomes 20240615143052)
      • Create the versioned directory: mkdir -p {workspace-path}/.github/modernize/assessment/reports/report-{reportId}
      • Save the output to {workspace-path}/.github/modernize/assessment/reports/report-{reportId}/js-assessment-report.md
      • Do NOT save a copy to the top-level assessment directory
    • Analyzes code for cloud migration issues or dependency updates
    • Generates structured assessment data

  3. Save Report to Versioned Directory (All languages):

    • For Java projects (primary path — 'appmod-run-assessment-action'): The MCP tool automatically saves the report to {workspace-path}/.github/modernize/assessment/reports/report-{reportId}/report.json — no manual saving needed
    • For Java projects (legacy fallback path — 'appmod-precheck-assessment'):
      1. Find report.json under {workspace-path}/.github/modernize/appcat/result/
      2. Read the report and extract metadata.analysisStartTime
      3. Format the timestamp as yyyyMMddHHmmss to produce the reportId (e.g. 2024-06-15T14:30:52Z becomes 20240615143052)
      4. Create the versioned directory: mkdir -p {workspace-path}/.github/modernize/assessment/reports/report-{reportId}
      5. Move the report to {workspace-path}/.github/modernize/assessment/reports/report-{reportId}/report.json
    • For .NET projects:
      1. Find report.json at {workspace-path}/.github/modernize/appcat/result/report.json
      2. Read the report and extract metadata.analysisStartTime
      3. Format the timestamp as yyyyMMddHHmmss to produce the reportId (e.g. 2024-06-15T14:30:52Z becomes 20240615143052)
      4. Create the versioned directory: mkdir -p {workspace-path}/.github/modernize/assessment/reports/report-{reportId}
      5. Move the report to {workspace-path}/.github/modernize/assessment/reports/report-{reportId}/report.json
    • This versioned report should be included in the pull request

How to Use

Prerequisites

For Java projects:

  • Primary: MCP tool 'appmod-run-assessment-action' — preferred, handles everything in one call
  • Fallback: If primary tool is not available, use 'appmod-precheck-assessment' → 'appmod-install-appcat' → 'appmod-run-assessment' workflow
  • If neither tool is configured, the skill will return instructions for setup

For .NET projects:

  • .NET SDK must be installed
  • No MCP tools required - appcat will be installed and run directly via .NET CLI
  • The assessment will automatically install dotnet-appcat tool if not already present

For JavaScript/TypeScript projects:

  • Node.js and npm must be installed
  • No MCP tools required - npm-check-updates will be installed and run directly via npm
  • The assessment will automatically install npm-check-updates if not already present

Triggering Assessment

Simply express the intent to assess the application. Example prompts:

  • "Assess the application"
  • "Run assessment for this project"

The assessment process automatically:

  • Detects project language and framework within {workspace-path}
  • For Java: Uses MCP tool to run AppCAT and automatically save report to versioned directory
  • For .NET: Installs dotnet-appcat tool and runs analysis directly
  • For JavaScript/TypeScript: Installs npm-check-updates and runs dependency analysis
  • Executes comprehensive analysis
  • For Java (primary): Report is automatically saved to {workspace-path}/.github/modernize/assessment/reports/report-{reportId}/report.json
  • For Java (legacy fallback): Generates report at {workspace-path}/.github/modernize/appcat/result/, then moved to versioned directory
  • For .NET: Generates report at {workspace-path}/.github/modernize/appcat/result/report.json
  • For JavaScript/TypeScript: Generates report at {workspace-path}/.github/modernize/assessment/reports/report-{reportId}/js-assessment-report.md

Report Saving

For Java projects:

  1. If using 'appmod-run-assessment-action' (primary path): The MCP tool automatically saves the report to {workspace-path}/.github/modernize/assessment/reports/report-{reportId}/report.json — no manual report moving is needed
  2. If using legacy fallback path ('appmod-precheck-assessment'):
    • Find report.json under {workspace-path}/.github/modernize/appcat/result/
    • Read the report and extract metadata.analysisStartTime, format as yyyyMMddHHmmss to get reportId
    • Move the report to {workspace-path}/.github/modernize/assessment/reports/report-{reportId}/report.json
  3. Include this versioned report in the pull request

For .NET projects:

  1. Report is initially generated at {workspace-path}/.github/modernize/appcat/result/report.json
  2. Read the report and extract metadata.analysisStartTime, format as yyyyMMddHHmmss to get reportId
  3. Move the report to {workspace-path}/.github/modernize/assessment/reports/report-{reportId}/report.json
  4. Include this versioned report in the pull request

For JavaScript/TypeScript projects:

  1. Generate the reportId as a UTC timestamp formatted as yyyyMMddHHmmss (e.g. 2024-06-15T14:30:52Z becomes 20240615143052)
  2. Create the versioned directory: mkdir -p {workspace-path}/.github/modernize/assessment/reports/report-{reportId}
  3. Save the ncu output to {workspace-path}/.github/modernize/assessment/reports/report-{reportId}/js-assessment-report.md
  4. Include this versioned report in the pull request

Report Output Location

Report location depends on project type:

For Java projects (via MCP server):

  • Primary path ('appmod-run-assessment-action'): Automatically saved to: {workspace-path}/.github/modernize/assessment/reports/report-{reportId}/report.json
  • Legacy fallback path ('appmod-precheck-assessment'): Initially stored under {workspace-path}/.github/modernize/appcat/result/, then moved to versioned directory: {workspace-path}/.github/modernize/assessment/reports/report-{reportId}/report.json

For .NET projects (direct execution):

  • Initially generated at: {workspace-path}/.github/modernize/appcat/result/report.json
  • Moved to versioned directory: {workspace-path}/.github/modernize/assessment/reports/report-{reportId}/report.json

For JavaScript/TypeScript projects (direct execution):

  • Saved to versioned directory: {workspace-path}/.github/modernize/assessment/reports/report-{reportId}/js-assessment-report.md

Success Criteria

Assessment is complete when:

  • ✅ For Java: MCP server is available (or clear instructions provided if not)
  • ✅ For .NET: .NET SDK is available and dotnet-appcat tool is installed
  • ✅ For JavaScript/TypeScript: Node.js and npm are available and npm-check-updates is installed
  • ✅ AppCAT analysis executes without errors (Java/.NET) or ncu analysis executes without errors (JS/TS)
  • ✅ For Java and .NET: Report generated at {workspace-path}/.github/modernize/assessment/reports/report-{reportId}/report.json
  • ✅ For JavaScript/TypeScript: Report generated at {workspace-path}/.github/modernize/assessment/reports/report-{reportId}/js-assessment-report.md
  • ✅ Report metadata includes assessment tool version, timestamp, and configuration

Troubleshooting

Prerequisites Not Met:

  • For Java: First check for 'appmod-run-assessment-action', then fall back to 'appmod-precheck-assessment'
    • Return immediately with setup instructions if neither tool is available
    • Do not attempt to run assessment without MCP
  • For .NET: Verify .NET SDK is installed
    • Check with dotnet --version command
    • Provide installation instructions if .NET SDK is missing
  • For JavaScript/TypeScript: Verify Node.js and npm are installed
    • Check with npm --version command
    • Provide installation instructions if npm is missing

Assessment Failures:

  • Unsupported project type (only Java, .NET, and JavaScript/TypeScript supported)
  • For Java: MCP server communication errors
  • For .NET:
    • dotnet-appcat tool installation failure
    • appcat command execution errors
  • For JavaScript/TypeScript:
    • npm-check-updates installation failure
    • ncu command execution errors
    • No package.json found at {workspace-path}/package.json
  • Invalid project structure or build configuration

Report Generation Issues:

  • For Java (primary): No report.json found under {workspace-path}/.github/modernize/assessment/reports/report-*/report.json after MCP execution
  • For Java (legacy fallback): No report.json found under {workspace-path}/.github/modernize/appcat/result/ after MCP execution
  • For .NET: Report not generated at {workspace-path}/.github/modernize/appcat/result/report.json, or metadata.analysisStartTime missing from report
  • For JavaScript/TypeScript: Report not generated at {workspace-path}/.github/modernize/assessment/reports/report-{reportId}/js-assessment-report.md
  • Report file is corrupted or invalid JSON (Java/.NET only)

For any failure, provide clear error messages and troubleshooting steps.

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