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Agent flows automate business processes by connecting triggers and actions into a reliable sequence.
By using the agent node in workflows, you can make those workflows more powerful by calling an agent directly from a node. The agent gives your agent flow the ability to reason over data, pull from knowledge sources, and decide which tools to use.
For example, a workflow that processes incoming support tickets can use an agent node to have an agent read the ticket, look up the customer's history, and draft a recommended response—all within a single workflow step. The workflow stays in control of the overall sequence, while the agent handles interpretation of ticket details.
By using the agent node, you can:
- Call an existing agent from your workflow.
- Send a message to the agent, including dynamic content from earlier steps in the flow.
- Retrieve the agent's response and use it in subsequent workflow steps.
- Optionally, allow the agent to request assistance from a person when it's unsure how to proceed.
Add and configure an agent node
In Copilot Studio, go to Flows and open an existing agent flow or create a new one.
- New flow: You land on the Designer page to configure a trigger.
- Existing flow: You land on the Overview page, and you have to go to the Designer page..
Select the Insert new action icon
at the point in the flow where you want to call an agent.In Add an action, under AI capabilities, select Run an agent.
The Run an agent node appears in the flow. Configure the following fields:
Agent (required): Select the agent. The list shows published agents you can access.
Message: Enter the message to send to the agent. This message tells the agent what task to perform when the flow runs.
You can include dynamic content from previous steps in the flow. Select tokens from the dynamic content picker to pass data into the message. For example, if your flow triggers when a calendar event is created, you might write "Prepare a brief for" followed by the Required attendee token from the trigger.
Request human assistance when unsure (optional): Turn on this option if you want the agent to escalate to a human when it can't proceed on its own. When an escalation occurs, the agent sends a request for input by email to the connection owner.
This option is useful when the agent's task might require interpretation that goes beyond its instructions or available knowledge. For example, if an agent is reviewing expense reports and finds an unusual charge that doesn't match any policy, it can flag the report for a person to decide rather than making an incorrect approval.
Use the agent response in your workflow
When the agent node runs, the workflow waits for the agent to complete its task. The agent response then becomes available as dynamic content that you can use in any subsequent step.
To use the agent response in a downstream action:
Select the action where you want to use the response (for example, a Send an email or Update a row action).
In the field where you want to insert the response, open the dynamic content picker.
Look for the output from the Run an agent step and select agent response.
Common ways to use the agent response:
- Insert the response into the body of an email or a message.
- Define a condition to branch your workflow based on what the agent returned.
- Save the response to a variable or data source for later reference.
Frequently asked questions
When should I use an agent node in my workflow?
Use an agent node when a step in your workflow requires dynamic orchestration—such as calling tools, pulling from knowledge sources, or taking multiple turns to complete a task based on a set of instructions. If the step only needs to process text or generate a response from a single prompt, a prompt node is likely a better fit.
Here are a few examples where the agent node is the right choice:
Review against policies (knowledge sources): A workflow triggers when an expense report is submitted. The agent node sends the line items to an agent that has access to company expense policies as a knowledge source. The agent checks each item for compliance and flags anything that doesn't comply. The workflow then routes flagged reports for manual review, and automatically approves the clean ones. The agent is the right choice here because it can reason across policy documents rather than requiring you to encode every rule as a workflow condition.
Research and prepare a briefing (tools + knowledge): A workflow triggers when a new meeting is added to your calendar. The agent node sends the meeting details to an agent. The agent uses connector tools to look up each attendee's role and recent interactions in your CRM tools, and pulls from an internal knowledge source with company org charts and project summaries. The agent compiles its findings into a briefing document. The workflow then emails the briefing before the meeting. The agent is the right choice here because the task requires calling external tools and combining information from multiple sources.
Handle customer inquiries (tools + knowledge + human escalation): A workflow triggers when a new case is created in your support system. The agent node passes the customer's question to an agent. The agent searches a product knowledge base, looks up the customer's account and order history using CRM tools, and drafts a personalized response. If the agent encounters a situation it can't resolve, like a billing dispute that requires a judgment call, the agent escalates to a human for input. The workflow sends the final response or routes the case based on the outcome. The agent is the right choice here because it orchestrates across multiple tools and knowledge sources, and can escalate when it reaches the limits of what it can handle autonomously.
What is the difference between the agent node and the prompt node?
Both the agent node and the prompt node add AI capabilities to your workflow, but they're designed for different types of tasks.
| Capability | Agent node | Prompt node |
|---|---|---|
| Tool orchestration | Full access to all agent tools | Code interpreter only |
| Knowledge sources | All supported knowledge sources | Dataverse only |
| Human in the loop | Yes | No |
| Task complexity | Complex tasks; the agent orchestrator can take multiple turns | Simple tasks; single turn |
Use the agent node when the workflow step requires reasoning, tool orchestration, or access to knowledge sources. An agent node is well suited for complex tasks where the AI needs to decide which tools to use or what information to retrieve from multiple sources.
Use the prompt node for simpler, lightweight AI calls where you need the model to process text or generate a response without tools or external knowledge.