Chapter 1 of 6
Module scope#
What we will do#
Objective. Give one existing external agent a live entry in the Microsoft Agent 365 agent registry.
Record the onboarding decisions, connect the agent through the route its runtime supports, then review the resulting record in Agent Registry with the agent owner.
Why it matters#
Problem. Agents built outside the Microsoft ecosystem run on their own platforms. Nobody in the tenant can say which of them exist, who owns them, or how they get retired.
Solution. Onboarding the agent to Agent 365 puts it in the same registry as Microsoft-built agents. The runtime owner keeps maintaining the agent itself through its existing source.
Boundaries#
This module sits outside the numbered session sequence.
It changes one thing: the agent's entry in Agent Registry. Microsoft Agent 365 owns that record; the runtime owner owns the agent definition, endpoint, and source. Agents built with Microsoft Foundry, Copilot Studio, or Agent Builder are integrated automatically and do not need this module. Developer-facing API discovery stays in Azure API Center (API Center and MCP inventory guide).
Sequencing depends on the route. Built-in integration means the agent is already in Agent Registry, so you can apply the Agent 365 access boundary guide data controls first. Registry sync and the SDK create the registry record here, so the Agent 365 access-boundary control follows this module for those routes; its prerequisite of an agent with Available status is not met until the registry record exists.
Module preparation
Who should join
- Microsoft Agent 365 administrators and AI platform engineers
- Runtime owners for agents built outside the Microsoft ecosystem
- External platform administrators who issue connection credentials
- Agent owners and the retirement coordinator
What you need
- An agent built outside the Microsoft ecosystem runs in an approved nonproduction runtime, and its runtime owner controls the source repository or supported platform integration.
- The Agent 365 administrator has confirmed licensing, administrator access, and Agent Registry availability.
- The delivery team has selected one onboarding route: built-in integration, Registry sync from a supported connected platform, or a runtime-owned Agent 365 SDK integration.
- For Registry sync, the external platform administrator can issue and revoke a connection credential for that platform.
- The agent owner, runtime owner, and retirement coordinator can review the live Agent 365 record.