Agent skill
azure-ai-projects-py
Build AI applications using the Azure AI Projects Python SDK (azure-ai-projects). Use when working with Foundry project clients, creating versioned agents with PromptAgentDefinition, running evaluations, managing connections/deployments/datasets/indexes, or using OpenAI-compatible clients. This is the high-level Foundry SDK - for low-level agent operations, use azure-ai-agents-python skill.
Install this agent skill to your Project
npx add-skill https://github.com/microsoft/skills/tree/main/.github/plugins/azure-sdk-python/skills/azure-ai-projects-py
SKILL.md
Azure AI Projects Python SDK (Foundry SDK)
Build AI applications on Microsoft Foundry using the azure-ai-projects SDK.
Installation
pip install azure-ai-projects azure-identity
Environment Variables
AZURE_AI_PROJECT_ENDPOINT="https://<resource>.services.ai.azure.com/api/projects/<project>"
AZURE_AI_MODEL_DEPLOYMENT_NAME="gpt-4o-mini"
Authentication
import os
from azure.identity import DefaultAzureCredential
from azure.ai.projects import AIProjectClient
credential = DefaultAzureCredential()
client = AIProjectClient(
endpoint=os.environ["AZURE_AI_PROJECT_ENDPOINT"],
credential=credential,
)
Client Operations Overview
| Operation | Access | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
client.agents |
.agents.* |
Agent CRUD, versions, threads, runs |
client.connections |
.connections.* |
List/get project connections |
client.deployments |
.deployments.* |
List model deployments |
client.datasets |
.datasets.* |
Dataset management |
client.indexes |
.indexes.* |
Index management |
client.evaluations |
.evaluations.* |
Run evaluations |
client.red_teams |
.red_teams.* |
Red team operations |
Two Client Approaches
1. AIProjectClient (Native Foundry)
from azure.ai.projects import AIProjectClient
client = AIProjectClient(
endpoint=os.environ["AZURE_AI_PROJECT_ENDPOINT"],
credential=DefaultAzureCredential(),
)
# Use Foundry-native operations
agent = client.agents.create_agent(
model=os.environ["AZURE_AI_MODEL_DEPLOYMENT_NAME"],
name="my-agent",
instructions="You are helpful.",
)
2. OpenAI-Compatible Client
# Get OpenAI-compatible client from project
openai_client = client.get_openai_client()
# Use standard OpenAI API
response = openai_client.chat.completions.create(
model=os.environ["AZURE_AI_MODEL_DEPLOYMENT_NAME"],
messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}],
)
Agent Operations
Create Agent (Basic)
agent = client.agents.create_agent(
model=os.environ["AZURE_AI_MODEL_DEPLOYMENT_NAME"],
name="my-agent",
instructions="You are a helpful assistant.",
)
Create Agent with Tools
from azure.ai.agents import CodeInterpreterTool, FileSearchTool
agent = client.agents.create_agent(
model=os.environ["AZURE_AI_MODEL_DEPLOYMENT_NAME"],
name="tool-agent",
instructions="You can execute code and search files.",
tools=[CodeInterpreterTool(), FileSearchTool()],
)
Versioned Agents with PromptAgentDefinition
from azure.ai.projects.models import PromptAgentDefinition
# Create a versioned agent
agent_version = client.agents.create_version(
agent_name="customer-support-agent",
definition=PromptAgentDefinition(
model=os.environ["AZURE_AI_MODEL_DEPLOYMENT_NAME"],
instructions="You are a customer support specialist.",
tools=[], # Add tools as needed
),
version_label="v1.0",
)
See references/agents.md for detailed agent patterns.
Tools Overview
| Tool | Class | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Code Interpreter | CodeInterpreterTool |
Execute Python, generate files |
| File Search | FileSearchTool |
RAG over uploaded documents |
| Bing Grounding | BingGroundingTool |
Web search (requires connection) |
| Azure AI Search | AzureAISearchTool |
Search your indexes |
| Function Calling | FunctionTool |
Call your Python functions |
| OpenAPI | OpenApiTool |
Call REST APIs |
| MCP | McpTool |
Model Context Protocol servers |
| Memory Search | MemorySearchTool |
Search agent memory stores |
| SharePoint | SharepointGroundingTool |
Search SharePoint content |
See references/tools.md for all tool patterns.
Thread and Message Flow
# 1. Create thread
thread = client.agents.threads.create()
# 2. Add message
client.agents.messages.create(
thread_id=thread.id,
role="user",
content="What's the weather like?",
)
# 3. Create and process run
run = client.agents.runs.create_and_process(
thread_id=thread.id,
agent_id=agent.id,
)
# 4. Get response
if run.status == "completed":
messages = client.agents.messages.list(thread_id=thread.id)
for msg in messages:
if msg.role == "assistant":
print(msg.content[0].text.value)
Connections
# List all connections
connections = client.connections.list()
for conn in connections:
print(f"{conn.name}: {conn.connection_type}")
# Get specific connection
connection = client.connections.get(connection_name="my-search-connection")
See references/connections.md for connection patterns.
Deployments
# List available model deployments
deployments = client.deployments.list()
for deployment in deployments:
print(f"{deployment.name}: {deployment.model}")
See references/deployments.md for deployment patterns.
Datasets and Indexes
# List datasets
datasets = client.datasets.list()
# List indexes
indexes = client.indexes.list()
See references/datasets-indexes.md for data operations.
Evaluation
# Using OpenAI client for evals
openai_client = client.get_openai_client()
# Create evaluation with built-in evaluators
eval_run = openai_client.evals.runs.create(
eval_id="my-eval",
name="quality-check",
data_source={
"type": "custom",
"item_references": [{"item_id": "test-1"}],
},
testing_criteria=[
{"type": "fluency"},
{"type": "task_adherence"},
],
)
See references/evaluation.md for evaluation patterns.
Async Client
from azure.ai.projects.aio import AIProjectClient
async with AIProjectClient(
endpoint=os.environ["AZURE_AI_PROJECT_ENDPOINT"],
credential=DefaultAzureCredential(),
) as client:
agent = await client.agents.create_agent(...)
# ... async operations
See references/async-patterns.md for async patterns.
Memory Stores
# Create memory store for agent
memory_store = client.agents.create_memory_store(
name="conversation-memory",
)
# Attach to agent for persistent memory
agent = client.agents.create_agent(
model=os.environ["AZURE_AI_MODEL_DEPLOYMENT_NAME"],
name="memory-agent",
tools=[MemorySearchTool()],
tool_resources={"memory": {"store_ids": [memory_store.id]}},
)
Best Practices
- Use context managers for async client:
async with AIProjectClient(...) as client: - Clean up agents when done:
client.agents.delete_agent(agent.id) - Use
create_and_processfor simple runs, streaming for real-time UX - Use versioned agents for production deployments
- Prefer connections for external service integration (AI Search, Bing, etc.)
SDK Comparison
| Feature | azure-ai-projects |
azure-ai-agents |
|---|---|---|
| Level | High-level (Foundry) | Low-level (Agents) |
| Client | AIProjectClient |
AgentsClient |
| Versioning | create_version() |
Not available |
| Connections | Yes | No |
| Deployments | Yes | No |
| Datasets/Indexes | Yes | No |
| Evaluation | Via OpenAI client | No |
| When to use | Full Foundry integration | Standalone agent apps |
Reference Files
- references/agents.md: Agent operations with PromptAgentDefinition
- references/tools.md: All agent tools with examples
- references/evaluation.md: Evaluation operations overview
- references/built-in-evaluators.md: Complete built-in evaluator reference
- references/custom-evaluators.md: Code and prompt-based evaluator patterns
- references/connections.md: Connection operations
- references/deployments.md: Deployment enumeration
- references/datasets-indexes.md: Dataset and index operations
- references/async-patterns.md: Async client usage
- references/api-reference.md: Complete API reference for all 373 SDK exports (v2.0.0b4)
- scripts/run_batch_evaluation.py: CLI tool for batch evaluations
Recommended Agent Skills
Expand your agent's capabilities with these related and highly-rated skills.
podcast-generation
Generate AI-powered podcast-style audio narratives using Azure OpenAI's GPT Realtime Mini model via WebSocket. Use when building text-to-speech features, audio narrative generation, podcast creation from content, or integrating with Azure OpenAI Realtime API for real audio output. Covers full-stack implementation from React frontend to Python FastAPI backend with WebSocket streaming.
mcp-builder
Guide for creating high-quality MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers that enable LLMs to interact with external services through well-designed tools. Use when building MCP servers to integrate external APIs or services, whether in Python (FastMCP), Node/TypeScript (MCP SDK), or C#/.NET (Microsoft MCP SDK).
frontend-design-review
Review and create distinctive, production-grade frontend interfaces with high design quality and design system compliance. Evaluates using three pillars: frictionless insight-to-action, quality craft, and trustworthy building. USE FOR: PR reviews, design reviews, accessibility audits, design system compliance checks, creative frontend design, UI code review, component reviews, responsive design checks, theme testing, and creating memorable UI. DO NOT USE FOR: Backend API reviews, database schema reviews, infrastructure or DevOps work, pure business logic without UI, or non-frontend code.
entra-agent-id
Microsoft Entra Agent ID (preview) for creating OAuth2-capable AI agent identities via Microsoft Graph beta API. Covers Agent Identity Blueprints, BlueprintPrincipals, Agent Identities, required permissions, sponsors, and Workload Identity Federation. Includes Microsoft Entra SDK for AgentID (containerized sidecar) for polyglot agent authentication (Docker/Kubernetes), 3P agent integration, autonomous and interactive agent patterns. Triggers: "agent identity", "agent id", "Agent Identity Blueprint", "BlueprintPrincipal", "entra agent", "agent identity provisioning", "Graph agent identity", "entra sidecar", "agent id sidecar", "auth sidecar", "3P agent", "third-party agent identity", "polyglot agent auth".
github-issue-creator
Convert raw notes, error logs, voice dictation, or screenshots into crisp GitHub-flavored markdown issue reports. Use when the user pastes bug info, error messages, or informal descriptions and wants a structured GitHub issue. Supports images/GIFs for visual evidence.
copilot-sdk
Build applications powered by GitHub Copilot using the Copilot SDK. Use when creating programmatic integrations with Copilot across Node.js/TypeScript, Python, Go, or .NET. Covers session management, custom tools, streaming, hooks, MCP servers, BYOK providers, session persistence, custom agents, skills, and deployment patterns. Requires GitHub Copilot CLI installed and a GitHub Copilot subscription (unless using BYOK).
Didn't find tool you were looking for?