Build an agent (preview)

[This article is prerelease documentation and is subject to change.]

The Build tab in the new agent experience in Microsoft Copilot Studio is the central surface for configuring your agent. It's where you define your agent, what it knows, what it can do, and what its limits are.

Note

This article reflects the new agent experience in Microsoft Copilot Studio, which is currently available as a production-ready preview. Learn about the two experiences in Classic vs. new agent experience.

  • Production-ready previews are subject to supplemental terms of use.
  • Some capabilities available in the classic experience aren't yet available in the new experience.
  • Agents created in the new experience can't be converted to the classic experience.

What is the Build tab?

The Build tab brings the core parts of agent authoring together in one place. Instead of designing explicit topic flows and branching logic, you describe your agent in natural language and connect the resources it needs to respond and act.

As you build your agent, use the Build tab to:

  • Define your agent's details, behavior, and scope.
  • Connect the knowledge sources your agent can ground on.
  • Add tools your agent can use to take action.
  • Set behavioral constraints through the agent's instructions.
  • Select the AI model and Microsoft IQ sources.
  • Review the components that are part of your agent.

Key areas on the Build tab

The Build tab is organized into two main areas: the instructions editor and the components panel.

Instructions editor

The instructions editor contains:

  • Agent name: An editable name field where you set the agent's display name.
  • Agent icon: An icon for your agent. You can replace the default icon and its color with something more representative.
  • Instructions: A rich-text editor where you define the agent's behavior in natural language. Use instructions to describe the agent's role, tone, goals, boundaries, and response style. Learn more in Configure agent details and instructions (preview).

Components panel

The components panel is where you configure the resources and capabilities available to your agent:

  • Model: Select the AI model your agent uses for reasoning and responses. Learn more in Select a model for an agent.
  • Microsoft IQ: Connect work context, business data, and app signals to improve answers and actions.
  • Skills: Define behaviors through structured instructions. Learn more in Skills overview for agents (preview).
  • Tools: Connect the agent to external systems and actions such as connectors, MCP servers, REST APIs, and workflows. Learn more in Tools overview for agents (preview).
  • Knowledge: Provide trusted context to guide decisions by connecting sources such as SharePoint, uploaded files, and websites. Learn more in Add knowledge to an agent (preview).
  • Connected agents: Add other agents to collaborate across agents to complete work. Learn more in Add connected agents (preview).
  • Memory: Turn on memory to keep context and personalize interactions across conversations.

How the Build tab differs from the classic experience

In the classic experience, explicit topics, triggers, and branching conversation flows shape the agent behavior. In the new experience, with the Build tab's natural-language-first approach, you create agents that rely on enhanced orchestration to interpret your instructions, decide when to use knowledge, and determine when to invoke tools.

This approach reduces the need to author detailed flow logic up front. Instead, you focus on describing your agent, connecting the right components, and defining the boundaries that guide how it operates.

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