skills/agent-framework-azure-ai-py/SKILL.md
Build persistent agents on Azure AI Foundry using the Microsoft Agent Framework Python SDK.
npx skillsauth add Regtransfers/agency-agents-mcp agent-framework-azure-ai-pyInstall this skill globally with one command. Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and Windsurf.
3 of 9 scanners reported clean
Some scanners were skipped, did not run, or reported a non-clean status. Review each row below.
@ Agent Framework Azure Hosted Agents
Build persistent agents on Azure AI Foundry using the Microsoft Agent Framework Python SDK.
@ Architecture
User Query → AzureAIAgentsProvider → Azure AI Agent Service (Persistent)
↓
Agent.run() / Agent.run_stream()
↓
Tools: Functions | Hosted (Code/Search/Web) | MCP
↓
AgentThread (conversation persistence)
@ Installation
# Full framework (recommended)
pip install agent-framework --pre
# Or Azure-specific package only
pip install agent-framework-azure-ai --pre
@ Environment Variables
export AZURE_AI_PROJECT_ENDPOINT="https://<project>.services.ai.azure.com/api/projects/<project-id>"
export AZURE_AI_MODEL_DEPLOYMENT_NAME="gpt-4o-mini"
export BING_CONNECTION_ID="your-bing-connection-id" # For web search
@ Authentication
from azure.identity.aio import AzureCliCredential, DefaultAzureCredential
# Development
credential = AzureCliCredential()
# Production
credential = DefaultAzureCredential()
@ Core Workflow
@ Basic Agent
import asyncio
from agent_framework.azure import AzureAIAgentsProvider
from azure.identity.aio import AzureCliCredential
async def main():
async with (
AzureCliCredential() as credential,
AzureAIAgentsProvider(credential=credential) as provider,
):
agent = await provider.create_agent(
name="MyAgent",
instructions="You are a helpful assistant.",
)
result = await agent.run("Hello!")
print(result.text)
asyncio.run(main())
@ Agent with Function Tools
from typing import Annotated
from pydantic import Field
from agent_framework.azure import AzureAIAgentsProvider
from azure.identity.aio import AzureCliCredential
def get_weather(
location: Annotated[str, Field(description="City name to get weather for")],
) -> str:
"""Get the current weather for a location."""
return f"Weather in {location}: 72°F, sunny"
def get_current_time() -> str:
"""Get the current UTC time."""
from datetime import datetime, timezone
return datetime.now(timezone.utc).strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S UTC")
async def main():
async with (
AzureCliCredential() as credential,
AzureAIAgentsProvider(credential=credential) as provider,
):
agent = await provider.create_agent(
name="WeatherAgent",
instructions="You help with weather and time queries.",
tools=[get_weather, get_current_time], # Pass functions directly
)
result = await agent.run("What's the weather in Seattle?")
print(result.text)
@ Agent with Hosted Tools
from agent_framework import (
HostedCodeInterpreterTool,
HostedFileSearchTool,
HostedWebSearchTool,
)
from agent_framework.azure import AzureAIAgentsProvider
from azure.identity.aio import AzureCliCredential
async def main():
async with (
AzureCliCredential() as credential,
AzureAIAgentsProvider(credential=credential) as provider,
):
agent = await provider.create_agent(
name="MultiToolAgent",
instructions="You can execute code, search files, and search the web.",
tools=[
HostedCodeInterpreterTool(),
HostedWebSearchTool(name="Bing"),
],
)
result = await agent.run("Calculate the factorial of 20 in Python")
print(result.text)
@ Streaming Responses
async def main():
async with (
AzureCliCredential() as credential,
AzureAIAgentsProvider(credential=credential) as provider,
):
agent = await provider.create_agent(
name="StreamingAgent",
instructions="You are a helpful assistant.",
)
print("Agent: ", end="", flush=True)
async for chunk in agent.run_stream("Tell me a short story"):
if chunk.text:
print(chunk.text, end="", flush=True)
print()
@ Conversation Threads
from agent_framework.azure import AzureAIAgentsProvider
from azure.identity.aio import AzureCliCredential
async def main():
async with (
AzureCliCredential() as credential,
AzureAIAgentsProvider(credential=credential) as provider,
):
agent = await provider.create_agent(
name="ChatAgent",
instructions="You are a helpful assistant.",
tools=[get_weather],
)
# Create thread for conversation persistence
thread = agent.get_new_thread()
# First turn
result1 = await agent.run("What's the weather in Seattle?", thread=thread)
print(f"Agent: {result1.text}")
# Second turn - context is maintained
result2 = await agent.run("What about Portland?", thread=thread)
print(f"Agent: {result2.text}")
# Save thread ID for later resumption
print(f"Conversation ID: {thread.conversation_id}")
@ Structured Outputs
from pydantic import BaseModel, ConfigDict
from agent_framework.azure import AzureAIAgentsProvider
from azure.identity.aio import AzureCliCredential
class WeatherResponse(BaseModel):
model_config = ConfigDict(extra="forbid")
location: str
temperature: float
unit: str
conditions: str
async def main():
async with (
AzureCliCredential() as credential,
AzureAIAgentsProvider(credential=credential) as provider,
):
agent = await provider.create_agent(
name="StructuredAgent",
instructions="Provide weather information in structured format.",
response_format=WeatherResponse,
)
result = await agent.run("Weather in Seattle?")
weather = WeatherResponse.model_validate_json(result.text)
print(f"{weather.location}: {weather.temperature}°{weather.unit}")
@ Provider Methods
Method; Description
create_agent(); Create new agent on Azure AI service getagent(agentid); Retrieve existing agent by ID asagent(sdkagent); Wrap SDK Agent object (no HTTP call)
@ Hosted Tools Quick Reference
Tool; Import; Purpose
HostedCodeInterpreterTool; from agent_framework import HostedCodeInterpreterTool; Execute Python code HostedFileSearchTool; from agent_framework import HostedFileSearchTool; Search vector stores HostedWebSearchTool; from agent_framework import HostedWebSearchTool; Bing web search HostedMCPTool; from agent_framework import HostedMCPTool; Service-managed MCP MCPStreamableHTTPTool; from agent_framework import MCPStreamableHTTPTool; Client-managed MCP
@ Complete Example
import asyncio
from typing import Annotated
from pydantic import BaseModel, Field
from agent_framework import (
HostedCodeInterpreterTool,
HostedWebSearchTool,
MCPStreamableHTTPTool,
)
from agent_framework.azure import AzureAIAgentsProvider
from azure.identity.aio import AzureCliCredential
def get_weather(
location: Annotated[str, Field(description="City name")],
) -> str:
"""Get weather for a location."""
return f"Weather in {location}: 72°F, sunny"
class AnalysisResult(BaseModel):
summary: str
key_findings: list[str]
confidence: float
async def main():
async with (
AzureCliCredential() as credential,
MCPStreamableHTTPTool(
name="Docs MCP",
url="https://learn.microsoft.com/api/mcp",
) as mcp_tool,
AzureAIAgentsProvider(credential=credential) as provider,
):
agent = await provider.create_agent(
name="ResearchAssistant",
instructions="You are a research assistant with multiple capabilities.",
tools=[
get_weather,
HostedCodeInterpreterTool(),
HostedWebSearchTool(name="Bing"),
mcp_tool,
],
)
thread = agent.get_new_thread()
# Non-streaming
result = await agent.run(
"Search for Python best practices and summarize",
thread=thread,
)
print(f"Response: {result.text}")
# Streaming
print("\nStreaming: ", end="")
async for chunk in agent.run_stream("Continue with examples", thread=thread):
if chunk.text:
print(chunk.text, end="", flush=True)
print()
# Structured output
result = await agent.run(
"Analyze findings",
thread=thread,
response_format=AnalysisResult,
)
analysis = AnalysisResult.model_validate_json(result.text)
print(f"\nConfidence: {analysis.confidence}")
if __name__ == "__main__":
asyncio.run(main())
@ Conventions
@ Reference Files
@ When to Use This skill is applicable to execute the workflow or actions described in the overview.
@ Limitations
tools
Build AI agents that interact with computers like humans do - viewing screens, moving cursors, clicking buttons, and typing text. Covers Anthropic's Computer Use, OpenAI's Operator/CUA, and open-source alternatives.
testing
Generate structured PR descriptions from diffs, add review checklists, risk assessments, and test coverage summaries. Use when the user says "write a PR description", "improve this PR", "summarize my changes", "PR review", "pull request", or asks to document a diff for reviewers.
tools
Use when working with comprehensive review full review
development
You are an expert in creating competitor comparison and alternative pages. Your goal is to build pages that rank for competitive search terms, provide genuine value to evaluators, and position your product effectively.