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azlin context delete

Remove an Azure context from configuration

Description

The azlin context delete command removes the specified context from the configuration file. If the context being deleted is currently active, the current context pointer will be unset, and you'll need to select a new active context before running other azlin commands.

This command only removes the context configuration - it does not affect any Azure resources or subscriptions.

Usage

azlin context delete [OPTIONS] NAME

Arguments

Argument Description
NAME Name of the context to delete (required)

Options

Option Type Description
--config TEXT Path Custom config file path (default: ~/.azlin/config.toml)
-f, --force Flag Skip confirmation prompt
-h, --help Flag Show command help and exit

Examples

Basic Deletion

# Delete a context (with confirmation prompt)
azlin context delete staging

# Force delete without confirmation
azlin context delete old-context --force

# Delete from custom config
azlin context delete test --config ~/custom-config.toml

Common Workflows

# List contexts to see what exists
azlin context list

# Delete unused context
azlin context delete old-dev

# If it was active, set new active context
azlin context use production

# Verify deletion
azlin context list

Cleaning Up Multiple Contexts

# Remove old/unused contexts
azlin context delete old-prod --force
azlin context delete temp-test --force
azlin context delete archived-2024 --force

# Verify cleanup
azlin context list

Behavior

When you run azlin context delete NAME:

  1. Validation - Checks that the context exists
  2. Confirmation - Prompts for confirmation (unless --force used)
  3. Active Check - Detects if deleting the active context
  4. Deletion - Removes context from config file
  5. Active Reset - Unsets current context if it was the deleted one

Safety Features

Confirmation Prompt

By default, the command prompts for confirmation:

$ azlin context delete production
Delete context 'production'? This cannot be undone. [y/N]:

Type y to proceed or n to cancel.

Skip Confirmation

Use --force to skip the prompt (useful for scripting):

azlin context delete old-context --force

Troubleshooting

Context Not Found

Symptoms: Error "Context 'NAME' not found"

Solutions: 

# List available contexts
azlin context list

# Check for typos in context name
azlin context list | grep NAME

# Verify config file location
cat ~/.azlin/config.toml

Cannot Use Commands After Deletion

Symptoms: "No active context" errors after deleting a context

Solutions: 

# This happens when you delete the active context
# Set a new active context
azlin context list
azlin context use CONTEXT-NAME

# Or create a new default context
azlin context create default \
  --subscription $(az account show --query id -o tsv) \
  --tenant $(az account show --query tenantId -o tsv)

Deleted Wrong Context

Symptoms: Accidentally deleted the wrong context

Solutions: 

# Recreate the context (if you have the IDs)
azlin context create CONTEXT-NAME \
  --subscription YOUR-SUB-ID \
  --tenant YOUR-TENANT-ID

# Restore from config backup if you made one
cp ~/.azlin/config.toml.backup ~/.azlin/config.toml

# Recreate from Azure CLI
azlin context create CONTEXT-NAME \
  --subscription $(az account show --query id -o tsv) \
  --tenant $(az account show --query tenantId -o tsv)

Best Practices

Backup Before Deletion

# Backup config before major changes
cp ~/.azlin/config.toml ~/.azlin/config.toml.backup

# Now safe to delete
azlin context delete old-context --force

# If needed, restore
cp ~/.azlin/config.toml.backup ~/.azlin/config.toml

Clean Up Regularly

# Review contexts periodically
azlin context list

# Remove contexts for decommissioned projects
azlin context delete archived-project-2023
azlin context delete temp-testing
azlin context delete old-dev-environment

Source Code

See Also