Confluence Connector: Step-by-Step Setup

Key insights

• What the Confluence Connector does
  Indexes Confluence pages, spaces, blogs, and attachments into the Microsoft Graph index so content appears in Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Search.
  It preserves Confluence permissions so users see only content they’re allowed to access.
• OAuth 2.0 setup
  Create an OAuth app in the Atlassian developer console and register the client ID, client secret, and required scopes in the Microsoft 365 admin center.
  The video shows using Copilot prompts to help complete these OAuth steps and handle pop-up approvals.
• Identity mapping and permissions
  Map Confluence accounts to Azure AD using Entra ID emails or custom regex rules when UPNs differ.
  Connector enforces space- and page-level restrictions so Copilot returns permission-aware results.
• Deployment and prerequisites
  Require Microsoft 365 or Search admin roles plus Confluence admin access; for on-premises Confluence install the Graph Connector Agent.
  Configure content scopes, set a sync schedule, and enable the connector for users in the admin portal.
• How it integrates with Copilot and search
  Confluence content shows as filtered, summarized results inside Copilot chats, no-code Copilot agents, and M365 search with semantic vector search relevance.
  Works for cloud and hybrid environments to keep content unified across apps like Teams and Outlook.
• Best practices and troubleshooting
  Start with a small scope and test identity mappings before full rollout, monitor sync logs and use delta sync to reduce load.
  Secure client secrets, apply least-privilege scopes, and verify permission enforcement during validation.

Daniel Anderson [MVP] published a detailed YouTube walkthrough that explains how to configure the Confluence connector for Microsoft 365 and Copilot. The video acts as a step-by-step guide, showing the full OAuth configuration, sync schedules, and how indexed content appears in both Microsoft search and Copilot agents. Importantly, Anderson demonstrates practical admin flows and highlights the settings that matter for secure, permission-aware indexing. As a result, the clip is useful for IT teams planning to bring Atlassian content into the Microsoft ecosystem.

What the Video Covers

First, the author walks viewers through finding and enabling connectors in the Microsoft 365 admin center and then creating the required OAuth app in the Atlassian developer console. Next, he explains how to configure scopes and permissions so that the connector can read Confluence spaces, pages, and attachments. Later segments show sync options, how results appear in Microsoft Search, and the steps to add Confluence as a knowledge source to a Copilot agent. The video also includes a quick tour of the connector gallery and sample outputs in real search scenarios.

Anderson times the tutorial precisely, starting with a short overview and then moving into hands-on steps such as using Copilot itself to assist with OAuth setup and client secret generation. He pauses to demonstrate the portal dialogs and Atlassian settings that commonly confuse administrators. By the end, viewers see live examples of Confluence results surfacing in Teams and Outlook search experiences. Consequently, the video helps bridge conceptual documentation and real-world configuration tasks.

Security and Identity Mapping Essentials

The video emphasizes that correct identity mapping between Confluence accounts and Entra ID is crucial to preserving permissions when content is surfaced by Copilot. Anderson outlines methods such as matching UPNs or using regex rules for non-standard email formats, thereby ensuring users only see content they are authorized to view. In addition, he reiterates that anonymous access is not supported and that connectors enforce native Confluence restrictions. Therefore, organizations must plan mapping and testing carefully to avoid accidental exposure of restricted pages.

Moreover, the tutorial explains the differences between cloud and on-premises deployments, noting that on-premises setups require a local Graph Connector Agent and additional scopes during OAuth configuration. Anderson also points out that admins should validate permission handling with a test group before broad rollouts, because permission intersections (for example, space and page level rules) can produce unexpected results. Finally, he recommends logging and audit checks to track sync errors and access denials for ongoing compliance.

Integration and User Experience

Anderson shows how indexed Confluence content appears in Microsoft search with filters, summaries, and relevance ranking, and then demonstrates how Copilot can reference that content in chats and agents. Thus, end users get unified knowledge access without switching between platforms, which can improve productivity across Teams, Outlook, and Loop. The video also highlights agent builder integration so that no-code Copilot agents can include Confluence as a knowledge source, making specialized assistants simpler to create. Consequently, this integration brings contextual Confluence content into conversational AI workflows.

At the same time, he tests search responses to show how vector-based relevance and metadata mapping influence result quality. He explains that careful attribute mapping—such as titles, authors, and descriptions—improves summarization and reduces noisy hits. Therefore, admins should review and refine mapping settings after an initial crawl to tune relevance. In short, small adjustments early on pay off with clearer answers and fewer irrelevant suggestions in Copilot outputs.

Tradeoffs and Practical Challenges

While the connector offers strong benefits, Anderson is clear about tradeoffs. Setting up the connector demands coordination between Microsoft and Confluence administrators, and initial identity mapping can be time-consuming for organizations with inconsistent account metadata. Additionally, choosing sync frequency involves a tradeoff between freshness and system load: more frequent syncs improve recency but require more network and processing resources. Hence, admins must balance business needs for up-to-date content against infrastructure capacity and cost.

For on-premises environments, the need to deploy and maintain a local connector agent adds operational overhead and security considerations, especially when routing traffic across network boundaries. Furthermore, troubleshooting permission mismatches can be complex because issues may originate in Confluence, the connector, or Entra ID mappings. Anderson therefore recommends phased rollouts, robust logging, and routine validation of sample queries to surface issues early. These steps help reduce disruption while administrators tune the system.

Guidance for Administrators

To make implementation smoother, the video advises starting with a small pilot scope, validating identity mapping, and testing search and agent responses before wider deployment. In addition, keep client secrets and OAuth credentials tightly controlled and rotate them periodically to maintain security hygiene. Anderson also suggests documenting mapping rules and sync schedules so support teams can reproduce and resolve problems faster. Overall, the approach reduces surprises during production rollout.

Finally, the tutorial functions as a practical companion to official documentation by showing real configurations and common pitfalls. Therefore, administrators planning Confluence integration with Microsoft 365 or Copilot will find the video useful as a hands-on reference and checklist. In conclusion, the walkthrough balances technical detail with operational tips, helping teams make informed decisions about tradeoffs and next steps for their knowledge integration projects.

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