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The Microsoft Agent 365 SDK connects an agent you already own and run to Microsoft Agent 365. Use it for code-level access to capabilities such as agent identity, governed Work IQ tools, or notifications.
Where the SDK fits
The integration model shows the boundary between built-in integrations, registry synchronization, and developer-integrated Agent 365 SDK scenarios.
Agents on platforms with built-in Agent 365 integration, and agents imported through registry sync, can already appear in the Agent 365 inventory. SDK integrations can provide capabilities that the platform path doesn't provide, such as Work IQ tooling or notifications. Platform integrations evolve, so confirm the current platform guidance before changing an integration. See Choose your integration option.
How Agent 365 capabilities fit together
Agent 365 developer integration provides four capabilities. The Agent 365 SDK provides identity, tooling, and notifications. Microsoft OpenTelemetry provides observability:
| Capability | Description |
|---|---|
| Identity | Use a Microsoft Entra-backed agent identity for secure authentication and controlled access to tools and data. Agents that need their own user account and mailbox are available only to tenants participating in the Frontier preview program. |
| Observability | Use the separate Microsoft OpenTelemetry Distro to emit telemetry that produces audited, traceable interactions, inference events, and tool usage. |
| Tooling | Invoke governed Work IQ Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers to reach Microsoft 365 workloads such as Mail, Calendar, Word, SharePoint, and Teams under admin control. |
| Notifications | Receive and respond to messages from Teams, Outlook, Word comments, and email, like a human participant in Microsoft 365 apps. This capability requires an agent's user account and is available only to tenants participating in the Frontier preview program. |
Important
Don't use the deprecated Agent 365 Observability SDK for new observability integrations. Use the Microsoft OpenTelemetry Distro. Continue to use the Agent 365 SDK packages for identity, tooling, and notifications.
Choose the capabilities that match your agent's requirements rather than adopting the entire SDK surface. Identity, tooling, and notifications use an agent identity blueprint as their Entra foundation. Notifications also require an agent user account. Microsoft OpenTelemetry can use either the agent identity blueprint or a standard Microsoft Entra app registration.
The SDK is delivered in language-specific packages for Python, JavaScript, and .NET. Install the package or packages for the capabilities you select, then configure the corresponding identity, permissions, and runtime integration. For the available packages, see Agent 365 SDK packages. Install Microsoft OpenTelemetry separately for new observability integrations.
Compare Microsoft Agent 365 SDK and Microsoft 365 Agents SDK
Microsoft Agent 365 SDK and Microsoft 365 Agents SDK are different products.
| Microsoft Agent 365 SDK (This SDK) | Microsoft 365 Agents SDK |
|---|---|
| Doesn't build agents. Extends an agent that already exists to add identity, tooling, and notifications. Use Microsoft OpenTelemetry to add observability. |
A framework for building conversational agents. Handles message delivery across channels such as Teams and Microsoft Copilot, and manages conversation state. |
These SDKs work together. You can build an agent with the Microsoft 365 Agents SDK, use the Agent 365 SDK for identity, tooling, and notifications, and use Microsoft OpenTelemetry for observability.
What it is and what it isn't
You continue to own the three layers that make the agent work:
| Layer | Description |
|---|---|
| Model | The language model or reasoning engine your agent calls. The SDK doesn't call or select models. |
| Framework or runtime | LangChain, Microsoft Agent Framework, Semantic Kernel, the OpenAI Agents SDK, the Claude Agent SDK, or custom code. The SDK doesn't build agents, plan or orchestrate steps, or execute tools. |
| Host | Wherever the agent runs today, such as Azure, AWS, Google Cloud, or on-premises. The SDK doesn't host or deploy your agent. |
The Microsoft Agent 365 SDK runs alongside these layers. It doesn't build, host, deploy, orchestrate, or execute the agent.
Note
The Microsoft Agent 365 SDK registers governed MCP servers so your agent can reach Microsoft 365 workloads, but your runtime still executes the tool calls.
The onboarding flow
The integration follows four stages:
| Stage | Description |
|---|---|
| 1. Register | Create the agent identity blueprint and the agent identity in Microsoft Entra. |
| 2. Extend | Add the capabilities your agent needs. Use the Agent 365 SDK for Work IQ tooling or notifications, and use Microsoft OpenTelemetry for observability. |
| 3. Validate | Run the agent as before and confirm its identity, telemetry, tool access, and message handling. |
| 4. Operate | Use Agent 365 controls to govern and audit the connected agent. |
You can complete these steps manually or use Agent 365 Skills from a supported coding assistant. Skills guide the setup, make the required changes, and validate the result.
How a request flows
A single interaction can use all four capabilities. When someone @mentions your agent in a Word comment:
- Notifications deliver the mention to your agent.
- Identity and authentication determine whether the agent acts as itself, on behalf of a signed-in user, or through an agent user account. The selected mode, permissions, consent, and token subject define which data and actions are available.
- Tooling gives the agent governed access to the Microsoft 365 data it needs.
- Observability records the invocation, tool calls, and model inference.
Your agent then responds in the comment thread.
Agent 365 SDK packages
Find the Agent 365 SDK packages in the package managers for the supported languages.
Important
The observability packages in the following tables are deprecated. Don't use them for new integrations. Use the Microsoft OpenTelemetry Distro, or review the deprecated Agent 365 Observability SDK documentation before migrating an existing integration.
You can find the Agent 365 SDK packages for Python on the Python Package Index (PYPI).
| Package | Description |
|---|---|
| microsoft-agents-a365-notifications | Notification and messaging extensions for AI agent applications. Provides utilities for handling agent notifications, lifecycle events, and routing across different channels and subchannels in Microsoft 365 applications. |
| microsoft-agents-a365-observability-core | Deprecated: Legacy telemetry, tracing, and monitoring components for AI agents built on OpenTelemetry. Provides structured spans for agent invocation, tool execution, and LLM inference with context propagation and pluggable exporters. Use the Microsoft OpenTelemetry Distro instead. |
| microsoft-agents-a365-observability-extensions-agent-framework | Deprecated: Legacy observability extensions for Microsoft Agent Framework. Provides OpenTelemetry tracing integration specifically for Agent Framework-based applications. Use the Microsoft OpenTelemetry Distro instead. |
| microsoft-agents-a365-observability-extensions-openai | Deprecated: Legacy observability extensions for OpenAI Agents SDK. Provides OpenTelemetry tracing integration for OpenAI Agents-based applications with automatic instrumentation for agent workflows and tool invocations. Use the Microsoft OpenTelemetry Distro instead. |
| microsoft-agents-a365-observability-extensions-langchain | Deprecated: Legacy observability extensions for LangChain framework. Provides OpenTelemetry tracing integration for LangChain-based AI applications with automatic instrumentation for chains, agents, and tools. Use the Microsoft OpenTelemetry Distro instead. |
| microsoft-agents-a365-observability-extensions-semantic-kernel | Deprecated: Legacy observability extensions for Semantic Kernel framework. Provides OpenTelemetry tracing integration for Semantic Kernel-based applications with automatic instrumentation for kernel functions, plugins, and planners. Use the Microsoft OpenTelemetry Distro instead. |
| microsoft-agents-a365-runtime | Core runtime utilities and environment management for AI agent applications. Provides essential Power Platform API discovery, environment configuration, and authentication scope resolution. |
| microsoft-agents-a365-tooling | Core tooling functionality for MCP (Model Context Protocol) tool server management in applications built with the Microsoft Agent 365 SDK. Provides the foundation for discovering, registering, and managing tool servers across different AI frameworks. |
| microsoft-agents-a365-tooling-extensions-agentframework | Agent Framework specific tools and services for AI agent development. Provides MCP (Model Context Protocol) tool registration service for dynamically adding MCP servers to Agent Framework agents. |
| microsoft-agents-a365-tooling-extensions-openai | OpenAI Agents SDK specific tools and services for AI agent development. Provides MCP (Model Context Protocol) tool registration service for dynamically adding MCP servers to OpenAI Agents SDK-based agents. |
| microsoft-agents-a365-tooling-extensions-semantickernel | Semantic Kernel specific tools and services for AI agent development. Provides MCP (Model Context Protocol) tool registration service for dynamically adding MCP servers to Semantic Kernel-based agents. |
| microsoft-agents-a365-tooling-extensions-azureaifoundry | Azure AI Foundry specific tools and services for AI agent development. Provides MCP (Model Context Protocol) tool registration service for dynamically adding MCP servers to Azure AI Foundry agents. |