Agent skill
m365-agents-py
Microsoft 365 Agents SDK for Python. Build multichannel agents for Teams/M365/Copilot Studio with aiohttp hosting, AgentApplication routing, streaming responses, and MSAL-based auth. Triggers: "Microsoft 365 Agents SDK", "microsoft_agents", "AgentApplication", "start_agent_process", "TurnContext", "Copilot Studio client", "CloudAdapter".
Install this agent skill to your Project
npx add-skill https://github.com/microsoft/skills/tree/main/.github/plugins/azure-sdk-python/skills/m365-agents-py
SKILL.md
Microsoft 365 Agents SDK (Python)
Build enterprise agents for Microsoft 365, Teams, and Copilot Studio using the Microsoft Agents SDK with aiohttp hosting, AgentApplication routing, streaming responses, and MSAL-based authentication.
Before implementation
- Use the microsoft-docs MCP to verify the latest API signatures for AgentApplication, start_agent_process, and authentication options.
- Confirm package versions on PyPI for the microsoft-agents-* packages you plan to use.
Important Notice - Import Changes
⚠️ Breaking Change: Recent updates have changed the Python import structure from
microsoft.agentstomicrosoft_agents(using underscores instead of dots).
Installation
pip install microsoft-agents-hosting-core
pip install microsoft-agents-hosting-aiohttp
pip install microsoft-agents-activity
pip install microsoft-agents-authentication-msal
pip install microsoft-agents-copilotstudio-client
pip install python-dotenv aiohttp
Environment Variables (.env)
CONNECTIONS__SERVICE_CONNECTION__SETTINGS__CLIENTID=<client-id>
CONNECTIONS__SERVICE_CONNECTION__SETTINGS__CLIENTSECRET=<client-secret>
CONNECTIONS__SERVICE_CONNECTION__SETTINGS__TENANTID=<tenant-id>
# Optional: OAuth handlers for auto sign-in
AGENTAPPLICATION__USERAUTHORIZATION__HANDLERS__GRAPH__SETTINGS__AZUREBOTOAUTHCONNECTIONNAME=<connection-name>
# Optional: Azure OpenAI for streaming
AZURE_OPENAI_ENDPOINT=<endpoint>
AZURE_OPENAI_API_VERSION=<version>
AZURE_OPENAI_API_KEY=<key>
# Optional: Copilot Studio client
COPILOTSTUDIOAGENT__ENVIRONMENTID=<environment-id>
COPILOTSTUDIOAGENT__SCHEMANAME=<schema-name>
COPILOTSTUDIOAGENT__TENANTID=<tenant-id>
COPILOTSTUDIOAGENT__AGENTAPPID=<app-id>
Core Workflow: aiohttp-hosted AgentApplication
import logging
from os import environ
from dotenv import load_dotenv
from aiohttp.web import Request, Response, Application, run_app
from microsoft_agents.activity import load_configuration_from_env
from microsoft_agents.hosting.core import (
Authorization,
AgentApplication,
TurnState,
TurnContext,
MemoryStorage,
)
from microsoft_agents.hosting.aiohttp import (
CloudAdapter,
start_agent_process,
jwt_authorization_middleware,
)
from microsoft_agents.authentication.msal import MsalConnectionManager
# Enable logging
ms_agents_logger = logging.getLogger("microsoft_agents")
ms_agents_logger.addHandler(logging.StreamHandler())
ms_agents_logger.setLevel(logging.INFO)
# Load configuration
load_dotenv()
agents_sdk_config = load_configuration_from_env(environ)
# Create storage and connection manager
STORAGE = MemoryStorage()
CONNECTION_MANAGER = MsalConnectionManager(**agents_sdk_config)
ADAPTER = CloudAdapter(connection_manager=CONNECTION_MANAGER)
AUTHORIZATION = Authorization(STORAGE, CONNECTION_MANAGER, **agents_sdk_config)
# Create AgentApplication
AGENT_APP = AgentApplication[TurnState](
storage=STORAGE, adapter=ADAPTER, authorization=AUTHORIZATION, **agents_sdk_config
)
@AGENT_APP.conversation_update("membersAdded")
async def on_members_added(context: TurnContext, _state: TurnState):
await context.send_activity("Welcome to the agent!")
@AGENT_APP.activity("message")
async def on_message(context: TurnContext, _state: TurnState):
await context.send_activity(f"You said: {context.activity.text}")
@AGENT_APP.error
async def on_error(context: TurnContext, error: Exception):
await context.send_activity("The agent encountered an error.")
# Server setup
async def entry_point(req: Request) -> Response:
agent: AgentApplication = req.app["agent_app"]
adapter: CloudAdapter = req.app["adapter"]
return await start_agent_process(req, agent, adapter)
APP = Application(middlewares=[jwt_authorization_middleware])
APP.router.add_post("/api/messages", entry_point)
APP["agent_configuration"] = CONNECTION_MANAGER.get_default_connection_configuration()
APP["agent_app"] = AGENT_APP
APP["adapter"] = AGENT_APP.adapter
if __name__ == "__main__":
run_app(APP, host="localhost", port=environ.get("PORT", 3978))
AgentApplication Routing
import re
from microsoft_agents.hosting.core import (
AgentApplication, TurnState, TurnContext, MessageFactory
)
from microsoft_agents.activity import ActivityTypes
AGENT_APP = AgentApplication[TurnState](
storage=STORAGE, adapter=ADAPTER, authorization=AUTHORIZATION, **agents_sdk_config
)
# Welcome handler
@AGENT_APP.conversation_update("membersAdded")
async def on_members_added(context: TurnContext, _state: TurnState):
await context.send_activity("Welcome!")
# Regex-based message handler
@AGENT_APP.message(re.compile(r"^hello$", re.IGNORECASE))
async def on_hello(context: TurnContext, _state: TurnState):
await context.send_activity("Hello!")
# Simple string message handler
@AGENT_APP.message("/status")
async def on_status(context: TurnContext, _state: TurnState):
await context.send_activity("Status: OK")
# Auth-protected message handler
@AGENT_APP.message("/me", auth_handlers=["GRAPH"])
async def on_profile(context: TurnContext, state: TurnState):
token_response = await AGENT_APP.auth.get_token(context, "GRAPH")
if token_response and token_response.token:
# Use token to call Graph API
await context.send_activity("Profile retrieved")
# Invoke activity handler
@AGENT_APP.activity(ActivityTypes.invoke)
async def on_invoke(context: TurnContext, _state: TurnState):
invoke_response = Activity(
type=ActivityTypes.invoke_response, value={"status": 200}
)
await context.send_activity(invoke_response)
# Fallback message handler
@AGENT_APP.activity("message")
async def on_message(context: TurnContext, _state: TurnState):
await context.send_activity(f"Echo: {context.activity.text}")
# Error handler
@AGENT_APP.error
async def on_error(context: TurnContext, error: Exception):
await context.send_activity("An error occurred.")
Streaming Responses with Azure OpenAI
from openai import AsyncAzureOpenAI
from microsoft_agents.activity import SensitivityUsageInfo
CLIENT = AsyncAzureOpenAI(
api_version=environ["AZURE_OPENAI_API_VERSION"],
azure_endpoint=environ["AZURE_OPENAI_ENDPOINT"],
api_key=environ["AZURE_OPENAI_API_KEY"]
)
@AGENT_APP.message("poem")
async def on_poem_message(context: TurnContext, _state: TurnState):
# Configure streaming response
context.streaming_response.set_feedback_loop(True)
context.streaming_response.set_generated_by_ai_label(True)
context.streaming_response.set_sensitivity_label(
SensitivityUsageInfo(
type="https://schema.org/Message",
schema_type="CreativeWork",
name="Internal",
)
)
context.streaming_response.queue_informative_update("Starting a poem...\n")
# Stream from Azure OpenAI
streamed_response = await CLIENT.chat.completions.create(
model="gpt-4o",
messages=[
{"role": "system", "content": "You are a creative assistant."},
{"role": "user", "content": "Write a poem about Python."}
],
stream=True,
)
try:
async for chunk in streamed_response:
if chunk.choices and chunk.choices[0].delta.content:
context.streaming_response.queue_text_chunk(
chunk.choices[0].delta.content
)
finally:
await context.streaming_response.end_stream()
OAuth / Auto Sign-In
@AGENT_APP.message("/logout")
async def logout(context: TurnContext, state: TurnState):
await AGENT_APP.auth.sign_out(context, "GRAPH")
await context.send_activity(MessageFactory.text("You have been logged out."))
@AGENT_APP.message("/me", auth_handlers=["GRAPH"])
async def profile_request(context: TurnContext, state: TurnState):
user_token_response = await AGENT_APP.auth.get_token(context, "GRAPH")
if user_token_response and user_token_response.token:
# Use token to call Microsoft Graph
async with aiohttp.ClientSession() as session:
headers = {
"Authorization": f"Bearer {user_token_response.token}",
"Content-Type": "application/json",
}
async with session.get(
"https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/me", headers=headers
) as response:
if response.status == 200:
user_info = await response.json()
await context.send_activity(f"Hello, {user_info['displayName']}!")
Copilot Studio Client (Direct to Engine)
import asyncio
from msal import PublicClientApplication
from microsoft_agents.activity import ActivityTypes, load_configuration_from_env
from microsoft_agents.copilotstudio.client import (
ConnectionSettings,
CopilotClient,
)
# Token cache (local file for interactive flows)
class LocalTokenCache:
# See samples for full implementation
pass
def acquire_token(settings, app_client_id, tenant_id):
pca = PublicClientApplication(
client_id=app_client_id,
authority=f"https://login.microsoftonline.com/{tenant_id}",
)
token_request = {"scopes": ["https://api.powerplatform.com/.default"]}
accounts = pca.get_accounts()
if accounts:
response = pca.acquire_token_silent(token_request["scopes"], account=accounts[0])
return response.get("access_token")
else:
response = pca.acquire_token_interactive(**token_request)
return response.get("access_token")
async def main():
settings = ConnectionSettings(
environment_id=environ.get("COPILOTSTUDIOAGENT__ENVIRONMENTID"),
agent_identifier=environ.get("COPILOTSTUDIOAGENT__SCHEMANAME"),
)
token = acquire_token(
settings,
app_client_id=environ.get("COPILOTSTUDIOAGENT__AGENTAPPID"),
tenant_id=environ.get("COPILOTSTUDIOAGENT__TENANTID"),
)
copilot_client = CopilotClient(settings, token)
# Start conversation
act = copilot_client.start_conversation(True)
async for action in act:
if action.text:
print(action.text)
# Ask question
replies = copilot_client.ask_question("Hello!", action.conversation.id)
async for reply in replies:
if reply.type == ActivityTypes.message:
print(reply.text)
asyncio.run(main())
Best Practices
- Use
microsoft_agentsimport prefix (underscores, not dots). - Use
MemoryStorageonly for development; use BlobStorage or CosmosDB in production. - Always use
load_configuration_from_env(environ)to load SDK configuration. - Include
jwt_authorization_middlewarein aiohttp Application middlewares. - Use
MsalConnectionManagerfor MSAL-based authentication. - Call
end_stream()in finally blocks when using streaming responses. - Use
auth_handlersparameter on message decorators for OAuth-protected routes. - Keep secrets in environment variables, not in source code.
Reference Files
| File | Contents |
|---|---|
| references/acceptance-criteria.md | Import paths, hosting pipeline, streaming, OAuth, and Copilot Studio patterns |
Reference Links
| Resource | URL |
|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 Agents SDK | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/agents-sdk/ |
| GitHub samples (Python) | https://github.com/microsoft/Agents-for-python |
| PyPI packages | https://pypi.org/search/?q=microsoft-agents |
| Integrate with Copilot Studio | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/agents-sdk/integrate-with-mcs |
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