Creating Agents with M365 Copilot (Copilot Studio Lite)
Agent building in M365 Copilot Chat is done in Copilot Studio Lite, it lets you create and share agents directly within M365 Copilot Chat either using a description or through a configuration panel.
https://m365.cloud.microsoft/chat/
Requirements
You need a Microsoft 365 Copilot license
More information on this here: https://utexas.sharepoint.com/sites/M365CoCo
Creating Your Agent
Start Agent Creation
In Microsoft 365 Copilot, select "Create agent" from the left navigation. You'll see two tabs: "Describe" and "Configure."
Build Using Describe Tab
Chat with Copilot to build your agent. It asks questions and updates your agent automatically. Tell it what your agent should do, and it fills in the name, description, and instructions. Changes save automatically as you go.
Additionally, you can chose from a number of preset templates to get you started.
When you are satisfied with this click “Create” in the upper right side of the UI to create the agent. You can always edit this later to refine it or add more settings and information.
Build Using Configure Tab
Switch to the Configure tab to manually configure the settings such as: your agent's name, description, instructions, icon, and knowledge sources.
Here you can also enable Capabilities, set Suggested Prompts, and edit the Instructions.
Add Knowledge Sources
Upload files, link SharePoint sites, or add websites. Your agent searches these when answering questions.
Note: When you add knowledge from M365 resources such as SharePoint or upload content, users without an M365 Copilot license will not be able to utilize your agent if you share it with them.
Test While Building
The test pane on the right updates automatically as you make changes. Ask questions to see how your agent responds and back and refine instructions as needed.
Create
When satisfied with testing, click Create at the top right. Your agent is now ready to use but remains private to you initially.
It may take several minutes for the agent to finalize.
Sharing Your Agent
After clicking Create, you'll see a confirmation that your agent is private. To share:
Click the Share button
Choose who can access it:
Just me (default—only you)
Specific users in your organization (select individuals or groups)
Anyone in your organization (anyone you give the link to)
When you share, others can use your agent but cannot edit it. If you update your agent later, click Update to push changes to users.
Best Practices
Focus on one task. Agents work best when they have a clear, specific purpose.
Write clear instructions. Be direct about what the agent should and shouldn't do.
Test thoroughly. Ask the same question different ways. Make sure responses are helpful and accurate.
Mind permissions. If you link SharePoint sites, users without access to those sites won't get answers from that content. Consider sharing SharePoint resources when you share the agent.
What to Avoid
Copilot Studio Lite agents are meant to be simple. They don't support:
Power Automate flows with premium connectors
Custom code or complex integrations
Collaborating across a unit
If you need these features, you can recreate agent to the full Copilot Studio experience. These agents are more complex.
Additionally, Copilot Agents aren't meant for automated tasks that run without user interaction, use Power Automate for those. Copilot Agents excel at facilitating conversations, collaborating with users, explaining information, and providing guidance through interactive dialogue.