azure-functions-agents

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Build, scaffold, extend, deploy, and troubleshoot event-driven AI agents and scheduled serverless agent apps on Azure Functions using azurefunctions-agents-runtime. Use when the user wants a scheduled agent, morning briefing, daily digest, timer agent, inbox summary, email or Teams briefing, background AI workflow, connector-triggered agent, event-driven AI automation, HTTP/chat agent, webhook-style agent, or Azure Functions hosted agent. Covers .agent.md, agents.config.yaml, Foundry gpt-4.1/gpt-5.x model choice, dynamic sessions for code execution and web browsing, built-in chat/API/MCP endpoints, remote MCP servers, Connector Namespaces, Office 365 or Teams MCP tools/triggers, custom Python tools, Agent Skills, azd deployment, local.settings.json, Application Insights, local development, and troubleshooting.

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Sourceanthonychu/skills

Added on2026-05-30

NPX Install

npx skill4agent add anthonychu/skills azure-functions-agents

SKILL.md Content

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Azure Functions Agents

Use this skill to build event-driven AI agents on Azure Functions with the Azure Functions serverless agents runtime. This programming model is new, so prefer these patterns over older package README examples.

Current Defaults

Scaffold with Microsoft Foundry as the model provider.
Scaffold files may keep
```
gpt-4.1
```
as the safe Bicep fallback, but before provisioning or deploying, check the user's subscription/region for the best deployable GPT model and quota.
Prefer the newest deployable GPT reasoning model with remaining quota when available, such as
```
gpt-5.4
```
or newer. Only configure reasoning settings for models known to support them. Older models can fail if
```
AZURE_FUNCTIONS_AGENTS_REASONING_*
```
settings are present.
For
```
gpt-5.x
```
and other reasoning-capable models, use reasoning effort
```
high
```
by default,
```
xhigh
```
only when the selected model supports it, and reasoning summary
```
concise
```
.
If an agent needs web browsing, current public data, browser automation, data analysis, or code execution, use Azure Container Apps dynamic sessions. Do not write custom web-fetch tools for those cases.
Use remote MCP servers and connection MCP servers from
```
mcp.json
```
.
Use Connector Namespaces, represented as
```
Microsoft.Web/connectorGateways
```
resources in Bicep.
Generated apps should include a ready-to-edit
```
src/local.settings.json
```
, not only a template.

Generated

requirements.txt

must use the official PyPI package:

azurefunctions-agents-runtime

Progressive References

Load only the files needed for the task:

Need	Reference
Required files and scaffold contents	project-files.md
Agent frontmatter, triggers, built-in endpoints	agent-files.md
Trigger schemas, connector triggers, built-in endpoint routes	triggers.md
Built-in chat APIs, session IDs, built-in MCP tools	built-in-endpoints.md
Local/deployed testing recipes by trigger type	testing.md
Foundry model defaults, upgrades, reasoning settings	models.md
Dynamic sessions for code execution and web browsing	sessions.md
Connector Namespace overview, naming, and safety boundaries	connectors.md
Connector MCP server configs, authorization, `mcp.json` , and inspection	connector-mcp.md
Connector operation IDs, schemas, dynamic parameters, and Teams target IDs	connector-schemas.md
Connector-triggered agents and trigger config deployment	connector-triggers.md
Custom Python tools and Agent Skills	tools-and-skills.md
Writing robust agent instructions	agent-authoring.md
Bicep, azd, deployment, local development	infra-and-deployment.md
Diagnostics and common failures	troubleshooting.md
Full quickstart app copied into this skill	quickstart-reference.md

Assess the Workspace

Before editing, inspect the app. Look for:

src/function_app.py

importing

create_function_app()

```
src/*.agent.md
```
```
src/agents.config.yaml
```
```
src/mcp.json
```
```
src/tools/
```
and
```
src/skills/
```
```
src/local.settings.json
```

infra/main.bicep

infra/app/*.bicep

infra/main.parameters.json

```
azure.yaml
```
```
.azure/*/config.json
```
for existing
```
azd
```
environments

For existing apps, read the current files and preserve the app's structure. Current apps should use explicit

builtin_endpoints

trigger.args

, Foundry provider settings,

agents.config.yaml

for shared runtime defaults, and Connector Namespace MCP entries in

mcp.json

When inspecting deployed connectors, remember that Connector Namespace resources live under

Microsoft.Web/connectorGateways

. Connections are

connectorGateways/<gateway>/connections

, MCP server configs are

connectorGateways/<gateway>/mcpserverconfigs

, and trigger configs are

connectorGateways/<gateway>/triggerconfigs

. Do not search for legacy top-level

Microsoft.Web/connections

to find Connector Namespace connections.

Discuss and Plan the Agent

When the user says they want to create an agent, do not jump straight to files unless the request already contains enough detail. First learn enough to shape the app and discuss a short plan.

Ask only the questions needed to move forward, usually covering:

Goal: What should the agent accomplish, and what should a successful run produce?
Invocation: Should it be chat/API-driven, scheduled, event-triggered, connector-triggered, or some combination?
Inputs and outputs: What data starts the run, and should the result be returned, logged, emailed, posted, drafted, stored, or sent somewhere else?
Interactive surfaces: Does the user want to chat with the agent, expose a chat/API surface, stream responses, or expose the agent as a built-in MCP tool? Enable built-in endpoints only for those interactive scenarios.
Tools and services: Does it need web/code execution, Microsoft Learn, Office 365, Teams, Azure Resource Manager, storage, queues, databases, or custom APIs?
Teams targets: If the agent needs a Teams team, channel, or chat target, ask the user to paste a Teams link and parse IDs from it on their behalf. Do not ask them to manually find raw team IDs, channel IDs, or chat IDs.
Safety boundaries: For actions like email, Teams posts, ticket creation, or resource changes, should the agent draft, ask for confirmation, or act automatically?
Model selection: Which Azure subscription and region should be checked for GPT model access and quota? If the user has not specified them, use the current Azure CLI subscription and the planned
```
AZURE_LOCATION
```
.
Deployment preference: Default to building and deploying to Azure with
```
azd up
```
, but offer to run locally first if the user wants a local iteration loop.

Do not ask the user to estimate runtime duration unless the workflow is obviously unusual or may run longer than the standard background-agent defaults. Set practical timeouts yourself: keep simple chat/API agents at the runtime default, set timer, connector-triggered, queue, and other background agents to 30 minutes, and align

host.json

functionTimeout

to the longest agent timeout. For synchronous HTTP work that may take longer than about 230 seconds, choose a background/deferred pattern instead of relying on a longer HTTP response.

Do not add

builtin_endpoints

or a

main.agent.md

debug/chat agent just to test a scheduled, timer, connector-triggered, queue, or other background workflow. If the user asks for a chat bot, debug chat UI, chat API, streaming API, or says they want to talk to the agent, enable the appropriate built-in endpoints for that agent or add a separate interactive agent. Otherwise, verify background agents with the admin invoke endpoint and Application Insights.

After the discovery, summarize the plan before editing. Include the agent files, trigger or built-in endpoints, model choice, tools/MCP/connectors, infrastructure changes, and how it will be tested. If the user has already provided enough detail, make reasonable choices and proceed.

Scaffold a New App

Use the complete reference sample at assets/quickstart-sample as the safest starting point. Copy it into the target project, then tailor it to the user's agent instead of inventing a project structure from memory.

Baseline structure:

text

<project-root>/
  azure.yaml
  infra/
    abbreviations.json
    main.bicep
    main.parameters.json
    app/
      api.bicep
      connector-gateway.bicep
      trigger-config.bicep        # if using connector triggers
      foundry.bicep
      rbac.bicep
      session-pool.bicep
      session-pool-rbac.bicep
  src/
    function_app.py
    host.json
    local.settings.json
    requirements.txt
    .funcignore
    agents.config.yaml
    main.agent.md              # only when the user wants chat/API/MCP endpoints
    <agent-name>.agent.md
    mcp.json

Default scaffold choices:

Python 3.13 in Bicep.
Foundry provider. Keep
```
gpt-4.1
```
in template defaults only as a safe fallback.
Before running
```
azd provision
```
or
```
azd up
```
, run the model and quota checks in models.md, recommend the best deployable GPT model, and set the
```
FOUNDRY_MODEL
```
,
```
FOUNDRY_MODEL_NAME
```
,
```
FOUNDRY_MODEL_VERSION
```
,
```
FOUNDRY_DEPLOYMENT_CAPACITY
```
, and reasoning env vars when a better reasoning-capable model is selected.
No reasoning app settings unless the app is explicitly upgraded to a reasoning-capable model.
ACA dynamic session pool when any agent needs code execution or web browsing.
Optional Office 365 Outlook connection MCP server when
```
TO_EMAIL
```
is set.
Built-in endpoints only when the scenario is interactive. Do not add debug chat UI, chat API, streaming API, built-in MCP, or a general
```
main.agent.md
```
to a scheduled-only/background-only app unless the user asked for that surface.
Explicit timeout settings: use
```
functionTimeout: "00:30:00"
```
in
```
host.json
```
for background-capable apps, keep simple chat/API agents at
```
timeout: 900
```
, and set timer, connector-triggered, queue, or other long-running background agents to
```
timeout: 1800
```
unless the task clearly needs more.
Connector-triggered apps use the preview extension bundle and a second-step trigger config deployment after the
```
connector_extension
```
system key exists.
```
local.settings.json
```
includes local storage and Foundry/MCP placeholders.

After copying, remove or adjust sample-specific agents and instructions. Keep infrastructure modules only when the app needs them.

Local Development First Rule

Default to deploying new apps to Azure with

azd up

; these agents are designed for managed identity, Foundry, dynamic sessions, Connector Namespaces, Application Insights, and Functions hosting. Offer to run locally first when the user wants to iterate before deploying, and explain the local tools required.

Local prerequisites:

Azure Developer CLI (
```
azd
```
)
Azure Functions Core Tools v4
Python 3.13+

Azurite, when using

AzureWebJobsStorage=UseDevelopmentStorage=true

Azure CLI login for local managed-identity-equivalent access

When an app uses Foundry, dynamic sessions, or connector MCP servers, run

azd provision

before local development. Local

func start

still calls real Azure resources for model, session pool, and connector operations.

Local loop:

```
azd init
```
```
azd provision
```

Copy outputs from

azd env get-values

into

src/local.settings.json

Start Azurite with
```
azurite --skipApiVersionCheck
```
.
From
```
src
```
, create a venv, install requirements, and run
```
func start
```
.

The scaffolded Bicep grants the deployer/local user access to Foundry and the session pool, and connection access policies when optional connectors are enabled.

Build or Modify Agents

Each

.agent.md

file defines one agent. Use YAML frontmatter for runtime configuration and markdown for behavior. The file stem becomes the function name and built-in endpoint route segment.

Choose endpoints from the scenario, not from testing convenience. Scheduled-only, timer, connector-triggered, queue, and other background agents should omit

builtin_endpoints

unless the user asks to talk to that agent, expose it as an API, or expose it as a built-in MCP tool. Use the admin endpoint and Application Insights to test background agents.

Current trigger example:

yaml

---
name: Daily Report
description: Sends a daily report.

trigger:
  type: timer_trigger
  args:
    schedule: "0 0 15 * * *"

mcp: true
---

Current built-in endpoint example:

yaml

---
name: Chat Agent
description: Interactive agent for testing.

builtin_endpoints:
  debug_chat_ui: true
  chat_api: true
  mcp: true

mcp: false
---

Load agent-files.md before adding less common frontmatter fields.

Model Selection Guidance

For new scaffolds, keep

gpt-4.1

as the safe Bicep default, but actively try to select the best deployable GPT model before provisioning. Use

az cognitiveservices model list

and

az cognitiveservices usage list

to check the user's subscription, target region, model version, deployment SKU, and quota. See models.md for copyable commands.

Do not silently deploy

gpt-4.1

just because it is the template default. Either run the model and quota checks and choose/recommend a better deployable model, or state why the checks could not be run and then use

gpt-4.1

without reasoning settings.

Recommend the newest deployable GPT reasoning model with remaining quota. Ask the user to choose when there are meaningful tradeoffs, such as newer/slower/costlier reasoning models versus smaller mini/nano models. If no reasoning-capable model has quota, or if availability/quota discovery cannot determine what the user can deploy, use

gpt-4.1

without reasoning settings.

When selecting a reasoning-capable model, confirm reasoning support from the Azure OpenAI reasoning models documentation, then set model and reasoning values together. Use reasoning effort

high

by default,

xhigh

only when the selected model supports it and the user wants maximum reasoning with possible latency/cost tradeoffs, and reasoning summary

concise

Deploy and Verify

For new apps, use

azd up

from the project root. If the user has agreed to deploy, run the deployment commands yourself instead of stopping after printing them. Set required

azd

env vars, run

azd init

when needed, run model/quota checks before provisioning, confirm the active Azure subscription, then run

azd up

with a generous timeout. Pause only for information you genuinely need from the user, such as a missing recipient email, region choice, subscription confirmation, or portal-only connector authorization. Do not route secrets through chat.

Before

azd provision

azd up

, run

az account show --query "{name:name,id:id,tenantId:tenantId}"

and show the selected subscription to the user unless they already explicitly named the subscription for this deployment. If it is not the intended subscription, have the user choose or run

az account set --subscription <subscription-id>

before provisioning. Do not deploy to whichever Azure CLI subscription happens to be active without making that choice visible.

Unless the user explicitly asks for continuous deployment, deploy from the local workspace with

azd up

. Do not create GitHub Actions workflows, CI/CD pipeline files, repository secrets, or run

azd pipeline config

for a normal app deployment request.

After deployment, verify outputs with

azd env get-values

, open or provide the relevant app URL, show the user how to get the default function key only when built-in chat UI/API endpoints are present, open Connector Namespace authorization links when connectors are present, check connection status, and run a smoke test when practical. For timer or other non-HTTP agents, manually trigger the function with the admin endpoint after deployment, then query Application Insights requests, traces, and exceptions for that run. For built-in chat agents, open or provide the

/agents/<slug>/

URL and call the chat API if useful. Do not rely on

az functionapp log tail

for Flex Consumption agent diagnostics.

Be hands-on after scaffolding. Do not stop at a command list when the next command is safe and the user already approved the direction. Run

azd up

, open authorization URLs, run

azd env get-values

, test deployed endpoints, and report the results. Stop only for user-only actions such as signing in to authorize a connector, selecting an ambiguous option, or entering secrets.

When creating backing Azure resources beyond this skill's bundled Bicep, use Azure docs. If the agent needs searchable docs context, ask the user to connect the Microsoft Learn MCP server at

https://learn.microsoft.com/api/mcp

Useful endpoints:

Chat UI, when enabled:
```
/agents/<agent-file-stem>/
```
Chat API, when enabled:
```
POST /agents/<agent-file-stem>/chat
```

Streaming chat API, when enabled:

POST /agents/<agent-file-stem>/chatstream

MCP endpoint, when enabled:
```
/runtime/webhooks/mcp
```
Manual non-HTTP trigger:
```
POST /admin/functions/<agent-file-stem>
```