Explore agent channels and publishing options
Every agent needs a way to reach its users — and the channel you choose shapes more than just delivery. It determines where users reach the agent, which publishing path applies, and which governance controls are in place by default.
The channel landscape
Microsoft's platform supports a wide range of delivery destinations:
| Channel | Description |
|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 Copilot | Enterprise AI assistant experience; agents appear as customized Copilot experiences |
| Microsoft Teams | Collaboration surface; agents appear as bots or Copilot extensions in chats, channels, and meetings |
| SharePoint | Copilot Studio agents are surfaced within a SharePoint site |
| Voice | Voice-enabled agents through the Copilot Studio voice channel; real-time voice is in public preview |
| Custom apps and websites | Agents are embedded in proprietary applications, portals, or web experiences |
| Messaging channels | Agents are deployed to third-party messaging platforms via Azure Bot Service |
| Agent-to-agent (A2A) | Agents are registered as a callable service for other agents |
Different channels are available depending on how you build your agent.
Publish from Copilot Studio
Copilot Studio provides native channel configuration for a wide range of destinations. Most are managed from the Copilot Studio canvas without writing deployment code.
Microsoft 365 Copilot and Teams are the primary enterprise channels. Channel configuration in Copilot Studio submits the agent for admin review and approval in the Microsoft 365 admin center. At publishing time, you set the scope: yourself (for testing), specific users or groups, or the whole organization.
SharePoint surfaces a Copilot Studio agent within a specific SharePoint site. The agent retains all its capabilities; SharePoint is the access point, not a specialized version of the agent. Authentication uses Entra ID by default.
Voice extends the agent to support voice interactions through the Copilot Studio voice channel.
External messaging channels are configurable through Copilot Studio's channel settings via Azure Bot Service.
Note
The Copilot Studio voice channel supports two modes. Basic voice agents are generally available. Real-time voice agents are in public preview at time of authoring.
Publish from Microsoft Foundry
Publishing a Foundry agent creates an Agent Application: A production Azure resource with a stable HTTPS endpoint, its own Entra agent identity, and its own RBAC scope. That published endpoint is the foundation for all downstream channel options.
From the Agent Application, Foundry supports two deployment paths:
Channels configuration: After you publish an agent, the Foundry portal exposes a Channels menu where you configure delivery destinations: Teams and Microsoft 365 Copilot, SharePoint, third-party messaging platforms, web chat, custom websites, mobile apps, and Azure Bot Service channels. This is the same channel set available in Copilot Studio. For Teams and Microsoft 365 Copilot, when you publish to these channels, the agent goes through the Copilot Control System approval pipeline.
Note
Publishing Foundry agents to Teams and Microsoft 365 Copilot through the Foundry portal is in early access preview at time of authoring.
Direct API integration: The Agent Application's stable HTTPS endpoint can be called directly from any custom application, backend service, or integration layer, without going through a channel configuration. This path uses RBAC-scoped authentication and exposes a standard REST interface or the Activity Protocol.
Publish with the Microsoft 365 Agents SDK
The Microsoft 365 Agents SDK is the pro-code option when you need more control than Foundry's built-in channel configuration provides. It's the right choice for scenarios requiring streaming responses, custom SSO flows, multitenant ISV distribution, or migration from the archived Bot Framework SDK.
The SDK is AI-agnostic: You connect your choice of model and orchestration framework. The Microsoft 365 Agent Toolkit is the VS Code and Visual Studio extension for scaffolding, testing, and deploying these agents.
Note
Bot Framework SDK has been archived; support ended December 31, 2025. The Microsoft 365 Agents SDK is the supported migration path.
Publish an agent to be callable by other agents
An agent doesn't have to serve only human users. Registering an incoming A2A endpoint makes the agent callable by other agents. The next unit describes multiagent solutions in more detail.
Note
Incoming A2A endpoint registration is in preview at time of authoring.
Channel governance
Channel deployment decisions determine which governance controls are inherited by default:
- Microsoft 365 Copilot and Teams: Agents operate under Microsoft 365 DLP, retention, audit, and compliance policies. The Copilot Control System gives admins visibility and control over which agents are available to which users.
- Custom apps, messaging channels, and Azure Bot Service: Microsoft 365 controls don't extend here automatically. Authentication, authorization, and data handling are the developer's responsibility.
- Voice: Same governance principles as other channels, with additional considerations for voice data handling and retention.
- Incoming A2A: Cross-tenant agent access requires explicit trust configuration; it isn't established automatically.
Guiding question: For the agent you're building or exploring, which channel or channels best fit where your intended users already work?