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[This article is prerelease documentation and is subject to change.]
Important
- You need to be part of the Frontier preview program and sign up to accept terms of participation to get early access to Microsoft Scout. Frontier connects you directly with Microsoft's latest AI innovations. Frontier previews are subject to the existing preview terms of your customer agreements. As these features are still in development, their availability and capabilities may change over time.
- If Microsoft Scout isn't visible in Microsoft Admin Center Agent management, ensure that the admin account is also enrolled in Frontier.
- This is a preview feature.
- Preview features may have restricted functionality and may not be released for general availability. These features are available before an official release so that customers can get early access and provide feedback.
- For more information, go to our Microsoft Product Terms.
An AI system includes not only the technology, but also the people who use it, the people affected by it, and the environment in which it's deployed. Microsoft's Responsible AI FAQs are intended to help you understand how AI technology works, the choices system owners and users can make that influence system performance and behavior, and the importance of thinking about the whole system, including the technology, the people, and the environment. You can use Responsible AI FAQs to better understand specific AI systems and features that Microsoft develops.
Responsible AI FAQs are part of a broader effort to put Microsoft's AI principles into practice. To find out more, see Microsoft AI principles.
AI-driven features
Microsoft Scout contains a growing list of AI-driven features. To learn about the capabilities and impact of specific features, review the list below.
- File system access - Microsoft Scout reads, writes, and searches files in your workspace directory based on your natural language instructions.
- Shell command execution - Runs commands and scripts on your machine with a three-tier permission system (auto-approve, prompt, deny).
- Browser automation - Controls a browser using Playwright to navigate pages, fill forms, take snapshots, and inspect network traffic.
- Code and CLI - Explores codebases, applies patches, runs builds and tests, and debugs failures using git, gh, curl, and PowerShell.
- Microsoft 365 integration - Reads and manages your email, calendar, Teams chats, OneDrive files, and meetings.
- WorkIQ queries - Runs complex queries across Microsoft 365 services to synthesize information from multiple sources.
- Heartbeat mode - Runs prompts autonomously in the background on a configurable schedule.
- Automations - Executes scheduled or condition-triggered tasks independently.
- Delegation - Launches specialized sub-agents for parallel research, code review, builds, and complex multi-step work.
- Memory and session history - Remembers preferences, decisions, and context across conversations, and recalls prior work from session history.
- Action approval - Microsoft Scout asks for your approval before performing sensitive actions such as sending an email, posting in Teams, or running commands that require permission.
- Conversation controls - You can pause, resume, or cancel Microsoft Scout's progress at any time, and provide feedback on individual responses.
- Privacy safeguards - External content (emails and web pages) is tagged as untrusted and treated as data, not instructions.
- Sensitivity label tracking - Tracks Microsoft Information Protection (MIP) sensitivity labels on content accessed during a session.
For detailed information about how these features use AI responsibly, see Responsible AI FAQ for Microsoft Scout.
About Microsoft Scout
Microsoft Scout is a desktop AI application for Windows and macOS that takes action on your behalf across your files, shell, browser, and Microsoft 365 data. You describe what you need in natural language, and Microsoft Scout does the work — reading and writing files, running commands, controlling a browser, querying your Microsoft 365 account, and working autonomously in the background.
Microsoft Scout shows each step as it works, asks for your approval before sensitive actions, and lets you pause, resume, or cancel at any time. It operates within your workspace directory and respects a granular permission system that you control.