🧩 Build Plugins for Copilot Cowork
Developer path · Plugins Package your know-how, your tools and your data once — and bring them into Copilot Cowork today. More Microsoft 365 Copilot surfaces are coming soon.
Where plugins run
Available now: Copilot Cowork
Coming soon: More Microsoft 365 Copilot surfaces. The plugin you build today is the same package that will light up there, so you won't need to rebuild it.
What Is a Plugin?
A plugin is the package. The building blocks are what you put in it.
It isn't a new kind of file. A plugin is a standard Microsoft 365 app package, the same one used by Teams apps, Copilot agents and Office add-ins, and manifest.json is its single source of truth.
| Building block | What it is | Use it when… |
|---|---|---|
| Skills | Workflows written in the open SKILL.md format (agentskills.io). Plain instructions that teach Cowork how to do a job, with optional scripts. |
The job is a workflow, like triaging issues, preparing a report or following a review checklist. |
| Connectors | Your own remote MCP servers that give Cowork live tools and data from external systems and APIs. | The job is an action against your system, or needs your data. |
| Agents | Declarative agents that combine instructions, tools and orchestration for multi-step work. | The job is multi-step and needs orchestration. |
Any combination is a valid plugin
Skills alone · Connectors alone · Skills + Connectors · Skills + Agent
You don't have to build all primitives. Start with the one your problem needs, then add the others to the same package as the problem grows.
Why Plugins?
- Build once. You package one set of files once, and new surfaces pick up the plugin you've already shipped.
- Built on open standards. Tools use MCP (Model Context Protocol), skills use SKILL.md, and authentication uses patterns your security reviewers already know.
- Portable skills. The same
SKILL.mdworks in VS Code / GitHub Copilot, Claude Code and more. If you already have a Claude Code or Cursor plugin, you can import it. - Governed. Admins upload, scope, install and block plugins in the Microsoft 365 admin center.
💡 Your effort compounds instead of repeating.