Overview of the basic declarative agent with API plugin template

Build a basic declarative agent with API plugin

With the declarative agent, you can build a custom version of Copilot that can be used for specific scenarios, such as for specialized knowledge, implementing specific processes, or simply to save time by reusing a set of AI prompts. For example, a grocery shopping Copilot declarative agent can be used to create a grocery list based on a meal plan that you send to Copilot.

You can extend declarative agents using plugins to retrieve data and execute tasks on external systems. A declarative agent can utilize multiple plugins at the same time.

Get started with the template

Prerequisites

To run this app template in your local dev machine, you will need:

• Node.js, supported versions: 18, 20, 22
• A Microsoft 365 account for development.
• Microsoft 365 Agents Toolkit Visual Studio Code Extension version 5.0.0 and higher or Microsoft 365 Agents Toolkit CLI
• Microsoft 365 Copilot license

1. First, select the Microsoft 365 Agents Toolkit icon on the left in the VS Code toolbar.
2. In the Account section, sign in with your Microsoft 365 account if you haven't already.
3. Create app by clicking Provision in "Lifecycle" section.
4. Select Preview in Copilot (Edge) or Preview in Copilot (Chrome) from the launch configuration dropdown.
5. Select your declarative agent from the Copilot app.
6. Send a prompt.

What's included in the template

Folder	Contents
.vscode	VSCode files for debugging
appPackage	Templates for the application manifest, the plugin manifest and the API specification
env	Environment files

The following files can be customized and demonstrate an example implementation to get you started.

File	Contents
appPackage/declarativeCopilot.json	Define the behaviour and configurations of the declarative agent.
appPackage/manifest.json	application manifest that defines metadata for your declarative agent.

The following are Microsoft 365 Agents Toolkit specific project files. You can visit a complete guide on Github to understand how Microsoft 365 Agents Toolkit works.

File	Contents
m365agents.yml	This is the main Microsoft 365 Agents Toolkit project file. The project file defines two primary things: Properties and configuration Stage definitions.

Addition information and references

• Declarative agents for Microsoft 365
• Extend Microsoft 365 Copilot
• Message extensions for Microsoft 365 Copilot
• Microsoft Copilot connectors for Microsoft 365 Copilot
• Microsoft 365 Copilot extensibility samples