Microsoft Agent Framework capstone (agent calls the MCP tool)

[jongalloway]

Summary

Part of the converged workshop rewrite (milestone #1). New unit taking learners beyond chat + RAG into agentic development with the Microsoft Agent Framework — the capstone of the workshop per the official abstract ("build agents that can reason, plan, and take action").

Base content on the official get-started tutorial (abbreviated): https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/agent-framework/get-started/

Connective tissue: the agent should call the MCP tool the learner built earlier — demonstrating the abstract's "agents that take action using MCP-exposed tools." This is why MCP Basics stays required.

Core content (required)

• First agent: create an AIAgent with Microsoft Agent Framework, invoke it, stream the response (Agent Framework get-started Step 1)
• Add tools: give the agent a function tool — wire in the MCP server tool built in the MCP Basics part (Step 2)
• Multi-turn conversations: maintain state with sessions (Step 3)
• Emphasize grounding & safety framing from the abstract

Optional / bonus (badge as stretch)

• Memory & persistence via context providers (Step 4)
• Workflows — compose a multi-step workflow (Step 5)
• Multi-agent collaboration / orchestration patterns
• Host the agent (Step 6)

Uses

• Azure AI Foundry model from the pre-work checklist (Add mandatory pre-workshop Azure AI Foundry setup checklist #493)
• The MCP server/tool from the MCP Basics part

Acceptance criteria

• Learner builds an agent that reasons, calls a tool (the MCP tool), and holds a multi-turn conversation.
• Clear line drawn from "chat + RAG" to "agent that plans and acts."

Depends on

• Add mandatory pre-workshop Azure AI Foundry setup checklist #493 (Azure pre-work)
• MCP Basics part (provides the tool the agent calls)
• Relationship to GitHub Copilot SDK unit (GitHub Copilot SDK unit (short intro + pointers to official content) #497): the abstract lists Copilot SDK as its own section preceding Agent Framework — confirm whether GitHub Copilot SDK unit (short intro + pointers to official content) #497 is promoted from optional appendix to a short required unit.