Use Simplified AKS Menu Structure (Feature Flag)

The AKS extension uses a role-based cluster context menu organization as the default experience.

Setting

{
  "aks.simplifiedMenuStructure": true
}

Default value: true

After changing this setting, reload the VS Code window. You can also switch modes via the commands AKS: Switch to Classic Menu and AKS: Switch to Grouped Menu without editing settings directly.

What changes when enabled

Instead of many top-level commands, cluster actions are grouped into three submenus:

Develop & Deploy
Troubleshoot & Diagnose
Manage Cluster

Direct commands Show In Azure Portal and Show Properties remain available.

Develop & Deploy : Run Kubectl commands, Container Assist (preview), Attach ACR, Create GitHub Workflow, KAITO submenu, Install Azure Service Operator.

Troubleshoot & Diagnose : AKS Diagnostics submenu, Inspektor Gadget, network troubleshooting submenu, resource utilization submenu, Eraser Tool, security submenu.

Manage Cluster : Show properties, show in portal, delete cluster, rotate certificate, reconcile cluster.

When both feature flags are enabled:

aks.simplifiedMenuStructure = true
aks.containerAssistEnabledPreview = true (default in 2.1.0)

and a workspace folder is open, AKS: Run Container Assist (Preview) appears under Develop & Deploy.

Switching between Classic and Grouped menus

Two commands let you switch menu modes without opening Settings:

Command	Effect
AKS: Switch to Classic Menu	Sets `aks.simplifiedMenuStructure` to `false` and prompts to reload.
AKS: Switch to Grouped Menu	Sets `aks.simplifiedMenuStructure` to `true` and prompts to reload.

Both commands are available in:

The Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P).
The AKS cluster context menu (right-click on a cluster in the Azure/Kubernetes Cloud Explorer).
Only the applicable command is shown — if the grouped menu is active you see “Switch to Classic Menu”, and vice versa.

After running either command, VS Code prompts you to reload the window. The new menu layout takes effect after the reload.

Backward compatibility

When aks.simplifiedMenuStructure is false, the previous menu organization stays active. This allows gradual rollout, internal validation, and user feedback collection without breaking existing workflows.