Add a Copilot node to a workflow (preview)

Note

Features in this article are used by agents or workflows powered by the GitHub Copilot harness.

Usage-based billing applies to using, building, testing, and evaluating agents. These actions might consume Copilot Credits. Learn more in Manage costs for agents powered by the GitHub Copilot harness.

The Copilot node lets a workflow run Copilot Chat or a Cowork task, grounded in the connected user's mail, files, calendar, chats, and other Microsoft 365 content. Use Chat for a quick answer, summary, or draft. Use Cowork to delegate complex work that spans apps, data, and artifacts.

By using Chat, the node can also call specific agents. Select from Microsoft-built agents like Researcher and Analyst, or agents your team builds in Agent Builder. By using Cowork, you can start a new task or resume an existing task.

By using the Copilot node, you can:

Send a prompt to Copilot Chat.
Target a specific agent, such as Researcher, Analyst, or an Agent Builder agent, through Chat.
Start a new Cowork task or provide instructions to resume an existing task.
Pass dynamic content from earlier steps into a message or task instructions.
Use responses from Chat or Cowork in later workflow steps.

Add a Copilot node

In Copilot Studio, go to Flows and open an existing workflow, or create a new one.
- New workflow: You land on the designer to configure a trigger.
- Existing workflow: Open the workflow and go to the Build tab.
Select the Copilot icon on the Add panel. The configuration panel opens for the Copilot node.

In Connection, select or create a connection for the Microsoft 365 account that the node should use. The node runs on behalf of that user and uses that user's mail, files, calendar, and other Microsoft 365 content.

Choose Chat or Cowork

Under What would you like to do?, select one of the following options:

Run Copilot Chat: Get a quick answer, summary, or draft, or call an agent. Learn how to configure Chat.
Run a Cowork task: Delegate complex work that spans apps, data, and artifacts. You can start a new task or resume an existing one. Cowork tasks use Copilot Credits. Learn how to configure Cowork.

Run Copilot Chat

Select Run Copilot Chat. The configuration panel shows Chat in the Tool field, followed by the optional Agent field and the required Message field.

Target a specific agent

By default, Chat sends your message to Copilot. To call a specific agent instead, open the Agent dropdown menu and select an agent. The list includes:

Researcher: For deep, multi-source research that pulls together information from across the web and your Microsoft 365 content.
Analyst: For working with data, including cleaning, summarizing, and reasoning over numbers from spreadsheets and other sources.
Agents your team built in Agent Builder: Your tenant's custom agents appear in the list and can be called directly from the workflow.

When you select an agent, the Message field is the prompt sent to that agent for this run. The agent's own instructions, knowledge, and tools are already configured wherever the agent was built.

Leave Agent empty when you want the general Copilot Chat experience and don't need a specialized agent.

Write the message

In the required Message field, write what you want Copilot, or the targeted agent, to do for this run. Use the dynamic content picker to insert tokens from earlier steps so the call reasons over real run-time data.

For example, in a workflow that triggers when a sales rep marks a lead as qualified in Dynamics 365, the message might be Summarize all emails, Teams chats, and meeting notes between our team and the contacts at followed by the Account name token from the trigger.

Be specific about the task and the format of the response you want back. If you need a list, ask for a list. If you need a one-paragraph summary, say so.

Run a Cowork task

Select Run a Cowork task. The configuration panel shows Cowork in the Tool field, along with Task and Task instructions.

The Task field determines whether Cowork starts a new task or resumes an existing one. Task instructions is required in both cases.

Start a new task

Leave Task empty to start a new Cowork task.
In Task instructions, describe the work you want Cowork to do. Include the goal, relevant context, and the artifacts you want it to produce. Use the dynamic content picker to insert values from earlier workflow steps.

For example, enter Prepare a weekly account review using recent emails, Teams chats, and meeting notes for followed by the Account name token from an earlier step, then Include open action items, risks, and a draft follow-up plan.

Resume an existing task

In the Task dropdown menu, select the existing Cowork task you want to resume.
In Task instructions, describe what Cowork should do next for that task. Include any new information or changes to the expected result.

For example, enter Update the account review with the latest meeting notes below and revise the follow-up plan: followed by the meeting notes from an earlier step.

Use the Copilot response in your workflow

For both Chat and Cowork, the Copilot node exposes its response as dynamic content for subsequent workflow steps. You can use the Cowork response whether you start a new task or resume an existing one.

Select the next action where you want to use the result (for example, Send an email or Post a message in Teams).
In the field you want to fill, select Insert token to open the dynamic content picker.
Select the response output from the Copilot step. For Cowork, select Response, described as "The response from Cowork."

For example, to email the result of a Cowork task, insert its Response token into the Body field of a Send an email action.

Common patterns:

Insert the response into an email body, a Teams message, or a SharePoint list item.
Save the response to OneNote, OneDrive, or Word as a generated draft.
Pass the response into a later agent or prompt node for further processing.

Automation scenarios

The Copilot node works best as one step in a longer workflow. Earlier steps provide context, and the node runs Chat or starts or resumes a Cowork task. Later steps can deliver the response from either Chat or Cowork across the systems people work in.

Audit response drafting

A workflow triggers when an email arrives in the compliance mailbox with Audit request in the subject line. The Copilot node, configured for Chat, sends the message Search our policy library, controls documentation, and prior audit responses in SharePoint for material relevant to this request: followed by the Body token from the trigger, asking for the relevant policy excerpts and prior citations. Later steps draft a response document in SharePoint with the citations attached and start an approvals action routed to the compliance lead.

Deep research with the Researcher agent

A workflow triggers when a new opportunity is created in Dynamics 365. An earlier step pulls the account name and industry. The Copilot node, configured for Chat with Agent set to Researcher, sends Produce a one-page brief on followed by the Account name token, asking for recent news, leadership changes, and likely pain points. Later steps attach the brief to the opportunity record and post a Teams message to the assigned seller.

Data review with the Analyst agent

A workflow triggers when a finance team member uploads a monthly close file to a SharePoint library. The Copilot node, configured for Chat with Agent set to Analyst, sends Review the attached close file and call out any line items that look out of line with the prior three months. Later steps post the analyst's findings as comments on the file and start an approvals action if anything is flagged.

Custom Agent Builder agent for company-specific work

A workflow triggers when a customer submits an intake form. An earlier step pulls the customer's tier and recent purchases; the Copilot node, configured for Chat with Agent set to a custom Customer success agent built in Agent Builder, sends a prompt asking for a recommended next action grounded in the company's playbooks. Later steps create a task in Planner with the recommendation and notify the assigned account manager.

Account review with Cowork

A scheduled workflow gathers account details and recent activity. The Copilot node, with Tool set to Cowork and Task empty, starts a new task to prepare an account review and follow-up plan. To update an existing review instead, select the existing Cowork task in the Task dropdown menu and describe the new work in Task instructions.

A later Send an email action uses the Copilot node's Response output in its Body field to share the Cowork response with the account team.

Frequently asked questions

When should I use the Copilot node vs. an agent node?

Both nodes bring AI into a workflow, but they call different things.

Capability	Copilot node	Agent node
What it calls	Copilot Chat, an existing agent through Chat, or Cowork	An existing custom agent, or a new inline agent built in the node
Configuration	Choose Chat or Cowork. For Chat, write a message and optionally select an agent. For Cowork, write task instructions and optionally select an existing task from the Task dropdown menu.	Configure instructions, tools, knowledge, and output shape
Microsoft 365 grounding	Built in. Runs as the connected Microsoft 365 user	Optional, via Work IQ
Best for	Using Chat and existing agents, or delegating complex work to Cowork	Building automation-specific agents that travel with the workflow

Use the Copilot node to run Copilot Chat, call an existing agent such as Researcher, Analyst, or an Agent Builder agent, or start or resume a Cowork task. Use the agent node when the workflow needs a custom agent with specific instructions, tools, and knowledge that you assemble inline.

Does the node have access to my Microsoft 365 content?

Yes. The node runs as the Microsoft 365 user in the Connection field, so it can ground its response in that user's mail, files, calendar, and chats. Select the connection account carefully. Whatever that user can see in Microsoft 365, the workflow can use.

When you configure Chat, the Agent dropdown menu includes two kinds: Microsoft-built agents like Researcher and Analyst, or agents your team publishes from Agent Builder. Each agent comes preconfigured with its own instructions, knowledge, and tools. The node sends the message to the agent and returns the response.

Povratne informacije

Ali je bila ta stran uporabna?

Last updated on 2026-09-15