Identify extensibility options
Microsoft 365 Copilot extensibility overview
Microsoft 365 Copilot can be extended in several ways to meet your organization’s unique needs. In this module, we review brief descriptions of four extensibility options—each offering different levels of customization, integration, and development effort.
This unit provides a brief overview of each option to help you begin evaluating which one might be the best fit for your scenario.
Extend Copilot's knowledge with Copilot connectors
Copilot connectors (formerly Graph connectors) allow you to bring external content into Microsoft 365 so that it becomes searchable and usable by Copilot and Copilot agents. There are a range of Copilot connectors available out of the box for Microsoft and non-Microsoft services. Building a custom Copilot connector provides a way to enhance Copilot’s grounding knowledge with your own enterprise data without building a new agent or interface. Agents and developers who build declarative agents can also ground their agents with Copilot connectors.
Build declarative agents in SharePoint
SharePoint site owners can create lightweight declarative agents using a no-code interface directly within SharePoint. This approach enables individuals or departments to tailor agents for specific scenarios in their familiar work environment. While convenient, these agents have some limitations compared to those built with more advanced tools.
Build declarative agents from Microsoft 365 Copilot
The lite version of Copilot Studio allows business users to efficiently build and publish declarative agents directly from the integrated experience accessible via Copilot Chat. This no-code tool provides a flexible way to extend Copilot’s capabilities for targeted use cases, though it currently offers fewer customization options than agents developed in the full Copilot Studio environment.
Build declarative agents in Copilot Studio
The full version of Copilot Studio enables makers and IT pros to build declarative agents using a low-code interface. These agents run on the same orchestrator as Microsoft 365 Copilot and can guide users through tasks, answer questions, and trigger actions using enterprise data available through Copilot connectors and Power Platform connectors.
Build declarative agents using Visual Studio Code and Microsoft 365 Agents Toolkit
Developers who want full control over their coding environment and source control can use Microsoft 365 Agents Toolkit in Visual Studio Code to build declarative agents that can be integrated with other Teams app components and Microsoft 365 applications. Microsoft 365 Agents Toolkit enables developers to create declarative agents with advanced features, such as custom API actions, adaptive cards, and CI/CD.
Publish custom agents to Microsoft 365 Copilot
Custom agents are built independently from Microsoft 365 Copilot using tools like the Teams SDK, Copilot Studio, or the Microsoft 365 Agents SDK. These agents offer more control over orchestration, model integration, and deployment, but they can also be surfaced in Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat and Teams in addition to external channels.