Automation Child Runbooks - Document Details

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This page is part of the Azure documentation. It contains code examples and configuration instructions for working with Azure services.

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Bias Analysis

Detected Bias Types

powershell_heavy

windows_tools

missing_linux_example

windows_first

Summary

The documentation is heavily focused on PowerShell and Windows-centric tools and patterns. All examples use PowerShell syntax and cmdlets (such as Start-AzAutomationRunbook, Disable-AzContextAutosave, Connect-AzAccount), and there is no mention or example of using Python or other runbook types supported by Azure Automation (such as Python runbooks, which are commonly used on Linux). The terminology and instructions assume a Windows/PowerShell environment, and there are no Linux/bash equivalents or guidance for non-Windows users.

Recommendations

Add equivalent examples for Python runbooks, which are supported in Azure Automation and commonly used in Linux environments.
Include bash/CLI examples where possible, or at least mention how Linux users can achieve similar functionality.
Explicitly state the platform support and limitations for each approach (e.g., which features are PowerShell-only, which are cross-platform).
Reorganize sections to avoid always presenting Windows/PowerShell approaches first; consider parallel presentation of PowerShell and Python/bash examples.
Reference Azure CLI or REST API alternatives for starting and managing runbooks, which are platform-agnostic.

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Scan History

Date	Scan	Status	Result
2026-01-14 00:00	#250	in_progress	Biased
2026-01-13 00:00	#246	completed	Biased
2026-01-12 00:00	#243	cancelled	Biased
2026-01-11 00:00	#240	completed	Biased
2026-01-10 00:00	#237	completed	Biased
2026-01-09 00:34	#234	completed	Biased
2026-01-08 00:53	#231	completed	Clean
2026-01-06 18:15	#225	cancelled	Clean
2025-08-17 00:01	#83	cancelled	Clean
2025-07-13 21:37	#48	completed	Biased
2025-07-09 13:09	#3	cancelled	Clean
2025-07-08 04:23	#2	cancelled	Biased

Flagged Code Snippets

$vm = Get-AzVM -ResourceGroupName "LabRG" -Name "MyVM"
$output = PSWF-ChildRunbook -VM $vm -RepeatCount 2 -Restart $true

# Ensure that the runbook does not inherit an AzContext
Disable-AzContextAutosave -Scope Process

# Connect to Azure with system-assigned managed identity
$AzureContext = (Connect-AzAccount -Identity).context

# set and store context
$AzureContext = Set-AzContext -SubscriptionName $AzureContext.Subscription -DefaultProfile $AzureContext

$params = @{"VMName"="MyVM";"RepeatCount"=2;"Restart"=$true}

Start-AzAutomationRunbook `
    -AutomationAccountName 'MyAutomationAccount' `
    -Name 'Test-ChildRunbook' `
    -ResourceGroupName 'LabRG' `
    -DefaultProfile $AzureContext `
    -Parameters $params -Wait