Request information from human review in workflows (preview)

Note

This article reflects the new experiences for creating agents and workflows in Microsoft Copilot Studio. The new agent experience is currently available as a production-ready preview. Learn about the two agent experiences in Classic vs. new agent experience. The new workflows experience is in public preview. Learn about the two workflows experiences in Workflows overview.

  • Public preview features aren't meant for production use and might have restricted functionality.
  • Production-ready and public previews are subject to supplemental terms of use.
  • Some capabilities available in the classic experience aren't yet available in the new experience.
  • Agents and workflows created in the new experience can't be converted to the classic experience.

Human input, review, and action are essential to ensure that automations and AI workflows run effectively and maintain high quality. The request information (RFI) action in workflows provides a streamlined way to incorporate human oversight into automated processes.

Access request information

The request information action is available in workflows. Learn more about workflows in Workflows overview.

What is the request information action?

Request information is an action that lets you:

  1. Pause execution.
  2. Collect input from designated human reviewers before proceeding with subsequent steps.
  3. Use input from human reviewers in subsequent steps.

Common use cases for request information

The request information action addresses critical business needs across various industries. Here are a few examples:

  • Insurance claims processing: When automated claim review identifies missing documentation or requires damage assessment details, the RFI action can request specific information from field adjusters, such as repair estimates, photo documentation, or on-site inspection results.
  • Financial services compliance: During loan applications or account reviews, flows can pause to request more verification documents from compliance officers, such as income verification, credit assessments, or regulatory approvals.
  • Supply chain quality control: Manufacturing processes can request inspection reports from quality assurance teams when automated systems detect potential defects or when supplier certifications need human verification.
  • Legal document review: Contract approval flows can pause to request legal counsel input on specific clauses, risk assessments, or compliance requirements that require professional judgment.
  • IT security incident response: Security flows can automatically request more investigation details from cybersecurity analysts when threat detection systems identify suspicious activities requiring expert analysis.

Set up request information in your workflow

There are a few steps to set up and test the request information action in your workflow.

Add request information in your workflow

If you don't have an existing workflow for this action, start by creating one:

  1. Log into Copilot Studio at copilotstudio.microsoft.com.

  2. Select Workflows from the left navigation to access the Workflows page.

  3. Select New workflow. The workflow designer opens with only a Start node on the canvas.

  4. Select the Start node and configure the trigger for your workflow.

If you already have a workflow and want to add this action, open it in the flow designer and continue with the following steps:

  1. In the flow designer, select Add a step where you want to add the action, search for Human review, and then select Request for information.

  2. On the canvas, select your Request for information node to open the configuration pane, and then configure these required fields:

    • Title: The subject line of the email sent with the request.
    • Message: The message or note that accompanies the request.
    • Assigned to: The email addresses of the individuals who receive the request.

    Important

    • The response from the first person to respond is used in the workflow. Subsequent responses aren't processed.
    • All requests are currently sent via Outlook only. More platforms might be added in the future.
    • Requests can't be sent to users outside of your tenant.

  3. Configure a connection if prompted.

  4. Select Add an input.

  5. Add your first input by selecting one of the available input types.

  6. Five input types are currently supported:

    • Text (string)
    • Yes/No (Boolean)
    • Email (email address)
    • Number (integer)
    • Date (date)

    Screenshot of input type selection in Copilot Studio.

    Inputs offer flexibility with options for multi-select, single-select, and required fields. More input options are covered later in this article.

  7. Give the input a descriptive name.

  8. Add more inputs as needed by selecting Add an input.

Use parameters from request information in other actions

Every input that you specify in your request information action produces a parameter that can be used in subsequent actions.

For example, the parameters from the request information action become available as dynamic content that you can pass into subsequent actions.

At runtime, when the human responds to the request, the parameters are automatically populated with the values from their submission.

Run and test request information in your workflow

After you add the request information action, test it to make sure it works as expected.

  1. Save and publish the workflow.

  2. Select Test to run the workflow.

    When the workflow reaches the request information action, it pauses execution and sends the request to the assigned humans through Outlook.

  3. Have the reviewer enter the requested information in Outlook, and then select Submit.

    After the reviewer submits the responses, the workflow resumes execution and continues with the remaining actions.

You can also test the Request for information node on its own without running the entire workflow. Learn more in Test a single node in a workflow.

More on inputs

You have some flexibility in configuring your inputs. Here are some ways you can make inputs more flexible:

  • Make some inputs optional (all input types): When you send requests for information, you might want to make certain fields optional. In the designer, select the three dots (…) beside the input you added and select Make the field optional. When this request is sent, that input is optional for the assignee.

  • Placeholder text (all input types): You can customize the placeholder text that the assignee sees when they receive a request. Use this to provide additional information or hints on how the field should be completed.

    To do so in the designer, select the field beside the name field of the input and customize the placeholder text. When the assignee receives the request, they see the corresponding placeholder text in each field. For example, in the image that follows, they would see: "Please enter the date on which you conducted the assessment."

  • Single-select options (text inputs): For text inputs, you can provide predefined options to assignees. These options can be configured as single-select, requiring the assignee to choose one option from the list.

    In the designer, select the three dots (…) beside the text input, and then add a dropdown of options.

    Add the options you want the assignee to choose from.

    When the request is sent, the assignee can select one of the options from the list.

  • Multi-select options (text inputs): For text inputs, you can also provide predefined options that allow assignees to select multiple choices. Multi-select lets the assignee choose more than one option from the available list.

    In the designer, select the three dots (…) beside the text input, and then add a multi-select list of options.

Known issues

Occasionally, a request information action might return outputs wrapped in double braces ({{ }}) when you reference parameters in your flow. To avoid this issue, ensure that input names are configured without spaces.

  • Last updated on