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Install the Microsoft Copilot Studio extension for Microsoft Visual Studio Code

Prerequisites

Before installing the Microsoft Copilot Studio extension for Microsoft Visual Studio Code, make sure you meet the following requirements:

System requirements

  • Operating system:
    • Windows (x64 architecture)
      • Windows 10 version 1809 or later
      • Windows 11 (any version)
    • macOS
  • Visual Studio Code: Version 1.80 or later (latest stable version recommended)
  • Internet connection: Required for installation and authentication

Account requirements

  • Microsoft account: Active Microsoft account with Copilot Studio license or access
  • Copilot Studio license: Appropriate license assigned to your account
  • Environment access: Permissions to access at least one Copilot Studio environment
  • Agent permissions: Read and write access to any agents you plan to edit

Installation steps

There are two ways to install the Copilot Studio extension in Visual Studio Code:

  • Install from within Visual Studio Code
  • Install from the Visual Studio Code Marketplace website

Method 1: Install from Visual Studio Code

  1. Select the Extensions icon in the activity bar or press Ctrl+Shift+X. The Extensions pane opens in Visual Studio Code.

  2. In the search bar, enter "Copilot Studio." Look for the official Copilot Studio extension in the results list. Verify that the publisher is "Microsoft."

  3. Once you find the correct extension, select it to open the extension details page.

  4. Select Install to begin installation.

  5. Wait for installation to complete. You might see a prompt to reload Visual Studio Code, in which case, select Reload when prompted.

  6. Verify the installation. Look for the Copilot Studio icon in the activity bar. The icon appears with Copilot Studio branding.

Method 2: Install from the Visual Studio Code marketplace website

  1. Go to https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/ and search for "Copilot Studio." You can also use the direct link: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-CopilotStudio.vscode-copilotstudio.

  2. Select Install on the marketplace page. Your browser prompts might prompt you to download Visual Studio Code before it asks you to open Visual Studio Code.

  3. Allow the browser to open Visual Studio Code and confirm installation by looking for the extension icon in the activity bar.

Initial configuration

First launch

  1. Select the Copilot Studio icon in the activity bar. The extension opens as an application pane. A pop-up notification is displayed, indicating that the Copilot Studio extension needs you to sign in.

  2. Select Sign In on the popup, then select Allow. Your default browser opens to a Microsoft authentication page.

  3. Enter your authentication credentials and complete any multifactor authentication if necessary.

  4. Review the permissions requested:

    • Read and write Copilot Studio agents
    • Access environment information
    • Sync files to cloud

    Select Accept or Allow. The browser prompts you that you can close the window and return to Visual Studio Code.

  5. Return to Visual Studio Code. The extension pane loads the environments you have access to, and the agents in those environments.

Verify successful setup

After authentication, you should see a structure under the Agents pane within the Copilot Studio extension in Visual Studio Code. You should see a list of environment groups, with nested environments and agents, similar to the following structure:

AGENTS
  └─ Environment Group (for example, developer, default, sandbox, production)
      ├─ Example Environment 1
      │   ├─ Agent 1
      │   └─ Agent 2
      └─ Example Environment 2
          └─ Agent 3

Troubleshoot the installation

The following are troubleshooting steps for some issues that might occur when installing or configuring the Copilot Studio Visual Studio Code extension.

Extension doesn't appear

Problem: The Copilot Studio icon doesn't appear in the activity bar.

Solution:

  1. Reload Visual Studio Code
  2. Select Extensions and look for the extension in the Installed list. Ensure that the extension is not disabled.
  3. Update Visual Studio Code to the latest version.
  4. Reinstall the extension.

Authentication failures

Problem: Authentication fails or loops repeatedly.

Solution:

  1. Clear your browser cache and cookies for microsoft.com.

  2. Try signing in using a different browser. Temporarily set this browser as default.

  3. Disable browser extensions that might block authentication.

  4. Check corporate firewall and proxy settings.

  5. Make sure you're using a supported account type.

Extension not found in Visual Studio Code marketplace

Problem: Can't find the Copilot Studio extension when searching.

Solution:

  1. Make sure you are searching in the Extensions pane, not web search.

  2. Check the spelling: "Copilot Studio."

  3. Contact your admin to see if your organization restricts Visual Studio Code marketplace access.

Uninstall the extension

To remove the extension:

  1. Open the Extensions pane.

  2. Find Copilot Studio in the installed extensions.

  3. On the entry in the list, select theManage (gear icon) > Uninstall.

  4. Reload Visual Studio Code when prompted.

Note

Uninstalling the extension doesn't delete locally cloned agent files. You need to remove these files manually.

Next steps

After installing the extension and authenticating with Copilot Studio, you're ready to:

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