Microsoft Azure WindowsESU
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For Agents
Provision and manage Multiple Activation Keys (MAKs) for Windows Extended Security Updates so legacy Windows machines can keep receiving security patches.
Use for: Create a Multiple Activation Key for Windows Server 2008 ESU, List all WindowsESU keys in my subscription, Get a specific Multiple Activation Key by name, Delete an unused ESU activation key
Not supported: Does not handle Windows patch delivery, OS activation on individual machines, or non-Windows ESU programmes — use for issuing and managing Multiple Activation Keys only.
The Azure WindowsESU API manages Multiple Activation Keys (MAK) that enable Windows Extended Security Updates for end-of-support Windows versions such as Windows Server 2008 and Windows 7. It exposes 7 operations across 4 resource paths under the Microsoft.WindowsESU provider, covering MAK creation, retrieval, listing per resource group or subscription, and deletion. Use it to script ESU key issuance, audit existing keys, and decommission keys that are no longer needed for compliance reporting.
Install Jentic One Beta
Connect the WindowsESU to your agent
Jentic One is a self-hosted execution layer for AI agents. It lets your agent call the WindowsESU, or any other public or private API you need. You set the rules, the agent never sees your credentials, and every call is logged.
Two steps, two machines. Install the instance in a safe environment, then register your agent from wherever it runs.
1
Step 1: Jentic One Host machine
# On the machine that will host your Jentic One instance:
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jentic/jentic-one/main/tools/install.sh | sh2
Step 2: Agent machine
# On the machine where your agent runs (keep this separate from the instance):
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jentic/jentic-one/main/tools/install.sh | sh
jentic register # connects your agent to your Jentic One instanceJentic One is in public beta. The setup above keeps your agent separate from the instance, which is what you want before using real credentials: an agent running as the same OS user as Jentic One can read its stored keys directly. Just evaluating? A single local install is fine to start. See the secure deployment guide for the tiers.
Capabilities
What an agent can do with WindowsESU API.
Create Multiple Activation Keys for Windows Extended Security Updates in a chosen region
Retrieve a MAK by name to inspect its activation count and supported OS type
List MAKs in a resource group or across the entire subscription for audit
Delete a Multiple Activation Key when the underlying machines have been retired
Enumerate available WindowsESU management operations for tooling and discovery
Use Cases
Patterns agents use WindowsESU API for, with concrete tasks.
★ Issue ESU keys for legacy Windows fleets
Provision Multiple Activation Keys for fleets of end-of-support Windows Server 2008 or Windows 7 machines so they continue receiving security patches under the Extended Security Updates programme. The PUT operation on multipleActivationKeys/{name} creates the key with the appropriate OS type, support type, and agreement number for licensing.
Create a MAK named legacy-srv2008-prod in resource group esu-rg covering Windows Server 2008 R2 with the agreement number on file.
Compliance audit of ESU coverage
Inventory every Multiple Activation Key across a subscription to confirm legacy machines remain covered by ESU. The list-by-subscription and list-by-resource-group endpoints make it possible to feed audit dashboards with current key counts, OS types, and activation counts without manual portal checks.
List all Multiple Activation Keys in subscription 00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000 and report any without remaining activations.
Retire ESU keys for decommissioned machines
When a legacy Windows machine is decommissioned, an agent can delete its associated Multiple Activation Key with DELETE on /multipleActivationKeys/{name} to keep the licensing inventory tidy and avoid ongoing ESU charges. The list endpoints make it straightforward to find keys that no longer correspond to running fleets.
Delete the MAK named legacy-srv2008-archive in resource group esu-rg and confirm the operation succeeds.
Agent-driven legacy OS support
Let an AI agent answer questions like 'are all my Windows 2008 machines still covered by ESU?' by listing keys, correlating against inventory, and creating new keys where coverage is missing. Jentic exposes the WindowsESU operations as agent tools so this becomes a single-prompt workflow instead of a manual portal session.
Search Jentic for 'list azure windows esu activation keys', load the schema, and execute it for the target subscription, then report any resource groups missing coverage.
Key Endpoints
7 endpoints — the azure windowsesu api manages multiple activation keys (mak) that enable windows extended security updates for end-of-support windows versions such as windows server 2008 and windows 7.
METHOD
PATH
DESCRIPTION
PUT
/subscriptions/{subscriptionId}/resourceGroups/{resourceGroupName}/providers/Microsoft.WindowsESU/multipleActivationKeys/{multipleActivationKeyName}
Create or update a Multiple Activation Key
GET
/subscriptions/{subscriptionId}/resourceGroups/{resourceGroupName}/providers/Microsoft.WindowsESU/multipleActivationKeys/{multipleActivationKeyName}
Get a Multiple Activation Key by name
GET
/subscriptions/{subscriptionId}/resourceGroups/{resourceGroupName}/providers/Microsoft.WindowsESU/multipleActivationKeys
List MAKs in a resource group
GET
/subscriptions/{subscriptionId}/providers/Microsoft.WindowsESU/multipleActivationKeys
List MAKs in a subscription
DELETE
/subscriptions/{subscriptionId}/resourceGroups/{resourceGroupName}/providers/Microsoft.WindowsESU/multipleActivationKeys/{multipleActivationKeyName}
Delete a Multiple Activation Key
GET
/providers/Microsoft.WindowsESU/operations
List available WindowsESU operations
PUT
/subscriptions/{subscriptionId}/resourceGroups/{resourceGroupName}/providers/Microsoft.WindowsESU/multipleActivationKeys/{multipleActivationKeyName}
Create or update a Multiple Activation Key
GET
/subscriptions/{subscriptionId}/resourceGroups/{resourceGroupName}/providers/Microsoft.WindowsESU/multipleActivationKeys/{multipleActivationKeyName}
Get a Multiple Activation Key by name
GET
/subscriptions/{subscriptionId}/resourceGroups/{resourceGroupName}/providers/Microsoft.WindowsESU/multipleActivationKeys
List MAKs in a resource group
GET
/subscriptions/{subscriptionId}/providers/Microsoft.WindowsESU/multipleActivationKeys
List MAKs in a subscription
DELETE
/subscriptions/{subscriptionId}/resourceGroups/{resourceGroupName}/providers/Microsoft.WindowsESU/multipleActivationKeys/{multipleActivationKeyName}
Delete a Multiple Activation Key
GET
/providers/Microsoft.WindowsESU/operations
List available WindowsESU operations
Why Jentic?
Three things that make agents converge on Jentic-routed access.
Credential isolation
Azure AD OAuth tokens for `azure_auth` are stored encrypted in the Jentic vault (MAXsystem). Agents receive scoped, short-lived bearer tokens — refresh tokens and client secrets never enter the agent context.
Intent-based discovery
Agents search Jentic by intent (e.g. 'create windows esu activation key') and Jentic returns the matching MultipleActivationKeys operation with its full input schema, so the agent can call the right ARM endpoint without hand-coding URIs.
Time to first call
Direct integration: half a day to a day for Azure AD auth, ARM polling, and the MAK request schema. Through Jentic: under 30 minutes — search, load schema, execute.
Related APIs
Alternatives and complements available in the Jentic catalogue.
FAQs
Specific to using WindowsESU API through Jentic.
What authentication does the WindowsESU API use?
The API uses Azure Active Directory OAuth 2.0 via the implicit flow scheme `azure_auth`, scoped to user_impersonation against https://management.azure.com. Through Jentic the OAuth token stays in the vault and only short-lived scoped bearer tokens are exposed to the agent.
Can I create a Multiple Activation Key with this API?
Yes. PUT on /subscriptions/{subscriptionId}/resourceGroups/{resourceGroupName}/providers/Microsoft.WindowsESU/multipleActivationKeys/{multipleActivationKeyName} creates a MAK with fields for OS type, support type, agreement number, customer information, and number of installations covered.
What are the rate limits for the WindowsESU API?
The spec does not declare explicit rate limits. Calls go through Azure Resource Manager, which applies standard ARM throttling per subscription. Inspect the x-ms-ratelimit-remaining-subscription-* response headers to track quota.
How do I list all my ESU keys through Jentic?
Search Jentic for 'list azure windows esu activation keys', load the schema for GET /subscriptions/{subscriptionId}/providers/Microsoft.WindowsESU/multipleActivationKeys, and execute it. Install with `pip install jentic` and use the async search/load/execute pattern.
Does this API actually patch Windows machines?
No. The API issues and manages activation keys only. Patches are delivered through Windows Update or WSUS once the MAK has been applied to a machine using slmgr.vbs or a configuration management tool — that step happens on the machine, not via this API.
Which OS versions are covered by Windows ESU?
The osType field on a Multiple Activation Key accepts the supported end-of-support Windows versions covered by the ESU programme — primarily Windows Server 2008 / 2008 R2 and Windows 7. The exact accepted enum values are defined in the request schema for the multipleActivationKeys PUT operation.
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