Connecting Microsoft Copilot

Step-by-step guide to connect Microsoft Copilot Studio and Microsoft 365 Copilot to your Seed MCP server.

Prerequisites

Before you begin:

[ ] Microsoft Copilot Studio access - Access through your Microsoft 365 subscription
[ ] Seed server URL - Get this from your administrator (e.g., https://mcp.example.com)
[ ] OAuth endpoints - Authorization and token URLs from your administrator
[ ] Admin permissions - May need tenant admin for some configurations

Overview

Microsoft Copilot Studio supports the Model Context Protocol (MCP), allowing you to connect your Seed server directly to your Copilot agents. When connected, tools and knowledge from your Seed server are automatically added to your agent.

Option 1: Microsoft Copilot Studio

Connect your Seed server to agents in Microsoft Copilot Studio.

Step 1: Enable MCP Support

Open Microsoft Copilot Studio
Navigate to your agent
Ensure Generative orchestration is enabled
- Go to agent Settings
- Select Generative AI
- Enable Generative orchestration

Step 2: Add MCP Server

In your agent, select Add a Tool
Search for "Model Context Protocol" or "MCP"
Select Connect to MCP Server
Enter your Seed server details:

json

{
  "name": "Seed MCP Server",
  "url": "https://YOUR_SERVER_URL/mcp",
  "authentication": {
    "type": "oauth2",
    "authorizationUrl": "https://YOUR_SERVER_URL/oauth/authorize",
    "tokenUrl": "https://YOUR_SERVER_URL/oauth/token",
    "clientId": "copilot-studio",
    "scope": "openid profile email"
  }
}

Step 3: Authenticate

Click Authenticate or Connect
You'll be redirected to your organization's login page
Log in with your credentials
Grant consent to allow Copilot Studio to access the MCP server
You'll be redirected back to Copilot Studio

Step 4: Configure Actions

Once connected, Copilot Studio will automatically:

Import all available tools as Actions
Import prompts as Topics
Import resources as Knowledge sources

You can customize which actions are available:

Go to Tools & Actions
Review imported MCP actions
Enable/disable specific actions
Configure action parameters

Step 5: Test Your Agent

Open the Test panel

Try queries that use your Seed tools:

"Check the server health"
"Show me my user information"
"What's the server configuration?"

Option 2: Microsoft 365 Copilot (Declarative Agents)

Connect Seed to Microsoft 365 Copilot using declarative agents.

Step 1: Install Visual Studio Code

Install Visual Studio Code
Install the Microsoft 365 Agents Toolkit extension
Sign in with your Microsoft 365 account

Step 2: Create Declarative Agent

Open Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P)
Select Microsoft 365: Create new declarative agent
Choose MCP-enabled agent template
Name your agent (e.g., "Seed Agent")

Step 3: Configure MCP Connection

Edit the generated declarativeAgent.json:

json

{
  "$schema": "https://developer.microsoft.com/json-schemas/copilot/declarative-agent/v1.0/schema.json",
  "name": "Seed Agent",
  "description": "Access to Seed MCP server tools and resources",
  "instructions": "You help users access tools and information from the Seed MCP server.",
  "mcp_servers": [
    {
      "name": "seed",
      "url": "https://YOUR_SERVER_URL/mcp",
      "authentication": {
        "type": "oauth2",
        "authorization_url": "https://YOUR_SERVER_URL/oauth/authorize",
        "token_url": "https://YOUR_SERVER_URL/oauth/token",
        "client_id": "m365-copilot",
        "scope": "openid profile email"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Step 4: Register OAuth Client

bash

curl -X POST https://YOUR_SERVER_URL/oauth/register \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "client_name": "Microsoft 365 Copilot",
    "redirect_uris": ["https://microsoft.com/copilot/callback"],
    "grant_types": ["authorization_code", "refresh_token"],
    "response_types": ["code"],
    "token_endpoint_auth_method": "none"
  }'

Save the returned client_id and update your declarativeAgent.json.

Step 5: Deploy Agent

In VS Code, open Command Palette
Select Microsoft 365: Deploy declarative agent
Choose Deploy to Microsoft 365
Authenticate with your Microsoft 365 account
Grant necessary permissions

Step 6: Use in Microsoft 365 Copilot

Open Microsoft 365 Copilot (Teams, Outlook, or copilot.microsoft.com)
Click the agent selector
Find and select your Seed Agent
Start asking questions that use your Seed tools

Configuration Options

Authentication Types

OAuth 2.0 (Recommended):

json

{
  "authentication": {
    "type": "oauth2",
    "authorization_url": "https://mcp.example.com/oauth/authorize",
    "token_url": "https://mcp.example.com/oauth/token",
    "client_id": "your-client-id",
    "client_secret": "your-client-secret",
    "scope": "openid profile email"
  }
}

Personal Access Token (PAT):

json

{
  "authentication": {
    "type": "bearer",
    "token": "your-personal-access-token"
  }
}

Server Capabilities

Specify which MCP capabilities to enable:

json

{
  "mcp_servers": [
    {
      "name": "seed",
      "url": "https://mcp.example.com/mcp",
      "capabilities": {
        "tools": true,
        "prompts": true,
        "resources": true
      }
    }
  ]
}

Multiple MCP Servers

Connect to multiple MCP servers:

json

{
  "mcp_servers": [
    {
      "name": "seed-production",
      "url": "https://mcp.example.com/mcp",
      "authentication": { /* ... */ }
    },
    {
      "name": "seed-development",
      "url": "https://dev.example.com/mcp",
      "authentication": { /* ... */ }
    }
  ]
}

Testing Your Connection

Test in Copilot Studio

Open your agent in Copilot Studio
Go to Test panel

Try a query that uses a Seed tool:

User: "Check the server health"
Agent: [Uses healthcheck tool from Seed]

Test MCP Actions

Go to Tools & Actions
Find an imported MCP action
Click Test
Provide required parameters
Verify the response

Debug Connection

In Copilot Studio:

Go to Settings → MCP Connections
View connection status
Check authentication status
Review error logs

Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

"Cannot connect to MCP server"

Verify the server URL is accessible from Microsoft's infrastructure
Check firewall rules allow connections from Microsoft IP ranges
Ensure the /mcp endpoint is responding

"MCP server configuration invalid"

Validate JSON syntax in configuration
Ensure all required fields are present
Check authentication URLs are correct

Authentication Issues

"OAuth authentication failed"

Verify OAuth endpoints are publicly accessible
Check client_id is registered with your Seed server
Ensure redirect URIs are configured correctly
Confirm authorization and token URLs are correct

"Token expired"

Copilot Studio should auto-refresh tokens
If persisting, disconnect and reconnect the MCP server
Check refresh token is valid

Action/Tool Issues

"Action not found"

Verify tools are registered in your Seed server
Refresh the MCP connection in Copilot Studio
Check tool names and descriptions are valid

"Action execution failed"

Check tool parameters are correct
Verify user has permissions for the action
Review Seed server logs for errors

Enterprise Management

Tenant-Level Settings

Administrators can manage MCP connections at the tenant level:

Go to Microsoft 365 Admin Center
Navigate to Settings → Copilot
Configure MCP Server Policies:
- Allow/block specific MCP servers
- Require approval for new connections
- Set authentication requirements

Compliance & Security

Data Governance:

MCP connections respect Microsoft 365 data governance policies
Sensitivity labels apply to data accessed via MCP
DLP policies apply to MCP responses

Audit Logging:

MCP actions are logged in Microsoft 365 audit logs
Review logs in Microsoft Purview Compliance Portal
Search for "MCP" activities

Permission Requirements

Users need these permissions:

Copilot Studio: System Administrator or Environment Maker role
M365 Copilot: Copilot license and tenant policy enabling MCP
Agent Creation: Appropriate Microsoft 365 roles

Best Practices

Agent Instructions

Provide clear instructions for your agent:

json

{
  "instructions": "You are a helpful assistant with access to the Seed MCP server. When users ask about server status, use the healthcheck tool. When they ask about their information, use the user-info tool. Always provide clear, concise responses."
}

Tool Descriptions

Ensure your Seed tools have clear descriptions:

Copilot Studio uses descriptions to understand when to call tools
Include parameter descriptions
Specify expected outputs

Error Handling

Handle MCP errors gracefully:

Provide fallback responses when tools fail
Log errors for troubleshooting
Notify users clearly when actions can't complete

Advanced Configuration

Custom Capabilities

Define custom capabilities for specific scenarios:

json

{
  "name": "Seed Server",
  "capabilities": {
    "tools": {
      "healthcheck": {
        "enabled": true,
        "cache_ttl": 300
      }
    }
  }
}

Conditional Access

Implement conditional access based on user context:

json

{
  "mcp_servers": [
    {
      "name": "seed",
      "url": "https://mcp.example.com/mcp",
      "conditions": {
        "user_groups": ["Administrators", "Developers"]
      }
    }
  ]
}

Next Steps

Microsoft Learn - MCP in Copilot Studio - Official documentation
Build Declarative Agents with MCP - Developer guide
Tools Overview - See available Seed tools
API Reference - Complete API documentation

Connecting Microsoft Copilot ​

Prerequisites ​

Overview ​

Option 1: Microsoft Copilot Studio ​

Step 1: Enable MCP Support ​

Step 2: Add MCP Server ​

Step 3: Authenticate ​

Step 4: Configure Actions ​

Step 5: Test Your Agent ​

Option 2: Microsoft 365 Copilot (Declarative Agents) ​

Step 1: Install Visual Studio Code ​

Step 2: Create Declarative Agent ​

Step 3: Configure MCP Connection ​

Step 4: Register OAuth Client ​

Step 5: Deploy Agent ​

Step 6: Use in Microsoft 365 Copilot ​

Configuration Options ​

Authentication Types ​

Server Capabilities ​

Multiple MCP Servers ​

Testing Your Connection ​

Test in Copilot Studio ​

Test MCP Actions ​

Debug Connection ​

Troubleshooting ​

Connection Issues ​

Authentication Issues ​

Action/Tool Issues ​

Enterprise Management ​

Tenant-Level Settings ​

Compliance & Security ​

Permission Requirements ​

Best Practices ​

Agent Instructions ​

Tool Descriptions ​

Error Handling ​

Advanced Configuration ​

Custom Capabilities ​

Conditional Access ​

Next Steps ​

Resources ​

Connecting Microsoft Copilot

Prerequisites

Overview

Option 1: Microsoft Copilot Studio

Step 1: Enable MCP Support

Step 2: Add MCP Server

Step 3: Authenticate

Step 4: Configure Actions

Step 5: Test Your Agent

Option 2: Microsoft 365 Copilot (Declarative Agents)

Step 1: Install Visual Studio Code

Step 2: Create Declarative Agent

Step 3: Configure MCP Connection

Step 4: Register OAuth Client

Step 5: Deploy Agent

Step 6: Use in Microsoft 365 Copilot

Configuration Options

Authentication Types

Server Capabilities

Multiple MCP Servers

Testing Your Connection

Test in Copilot Studio

Test MCP Actions

Debug Connection

Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

Authentication Issues

Action/Tool Issues

Enterprise Management

Tenant-Level Settings

Compliance & Security

Permission Requirements

Best Practices

Agent Instructions

Tool Descriptions

Error Handling

Advanced Configuration

Custom Capabilities

Conditional Access

Next Steps

Resources