Request Access to Custom Agents and Function Calling Preview Features

Question

Hello Azure Support Team,

I’m currently working on a smart underwriting agent project and need access to the Custom Agents and Function Calling features in Azure AI Foundry. These features are not visible under my subscription’s preview options.

Could you please enable access or confirm whether these features are available for:
(information in private chat)

If these features are gated or require approval, I’d appreciate guidance on how to proceed.

Thank you!

Answer 1

Hello Robert McArthur,

Thank you for reaching out and for your interest in using Custom Agents and Function Calling within Azure AI Foundry.

For your privacy and security, I’ve removed the subscription and tenant details you shared in your post, as sensitive information should not be posted publicly.

Currently, Custom Agents and Function Calling are in limited preview and may not be available in all subscriptions or regions. Access to these features is gated and requires approval.

Supported Features

• Function Calling: Enables agents to invoke structured functions during interactions. Supported via Python, C#, JavaScript SDKs, and REST API.
• Custom Agents: Can be created programmatically and support tools like Azure Functions, OpenAPI endpoints, and browser automation.

Portal Limitations:

• These features do not appear in the Azure AI Foundry portal UI until agents are created via SDK or API.
• Function calling is not supported directly in the portal runtime—agents must be created and run via code.

Recommended Action Plan

1. Verify Azure AI Foundry Resource and Project Deployment:
   • Create an Azure AI Foundry resource in your West US region.
   • Create a project within the resource to access agent capabilities.
2. Check Portal Access Path:
   • Use the dedicated Azure AI Foundry portal (https://ai.azure.com/) for full feature visibility.
3. Confirm Permissions:
   • Ensure your user account has appropriate roles (Owner, Contributor, or AI Foundry-specific roles) on the subscription and resource.
4. Submit a Support Request:
   • If after verifying the above steps you still cannot access the features, please submit a support ticket including your Subscription ID and region details.
5. Use SDK or REST API for Setup
   • Use the Python SDK to define and deploy agents with function calling.
   • Sample code and YAML definitions are available on GitHub and Microsoft Lear.
6. Stay updated → You can track availability updates and preview announcements via Azure Updates and the Azure AI Blog.

Reference Links:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/ai-foundry/agents/how-to/tools/function-calling?pivots=python
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/ai-foundry/agents/quickstart?pivots=ai-foundry-portal

Please feel free to accept this as an answer if this was helpful and upvote.
Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft QNA Portal.