M365 Declarative Agent: Volunteering App

Key insights

• Declarative Agent
  Define agent behavior with simple declarations instead of heavy code so teams can build task-focused assistants that work inside Copilot, Teams, Outlook, Word, and PowerPoint.
• M365 Agents Toolkit
  The toolkit provides VS Code/Visual Studio extensions, CLI tools, scaffolds, and testing helpers to speed building, debugging, and deploying agents across Microsoft 365.
• Integrations
  Agents connect to Microsoft Graph, Azure AI Search, SharePoint lists, and custom APIs using OpenAPI or TypeSpec, enabling secure data access and rich conversational actions like adaptive cards.
• Developer workflow
  Create a project with the toolkit, declare commands and API plugins in TypeSpec/JSON/YAML, test locally, then deploy to your tenant and iterate without full rewrites.
• Key benefits
  Deliver personalized, cross-platform assistants with faster development, reusable components, single-sign-on support, and enterprise-ready security and compliance.
• Demo example
  The Volunteering App demo shows end-to-end use: Azure AI Search for retrieval, Graph calls to write SharePoint lists, and practical auth and data flow patterns to copy and adapt.

Overview of the demo

On a recent Microsoft 365 & Power Platform community call, Microsoft presented a hands-on demo of a Declarative Agent built with the M365 Agents Toolkit. The session focused on a sample Volunteering App that showcases how declarative agents can automate tasks and surface relevant information across Microsoft 365 apps. Presenters Reshmee Auckloo and Lee Ford guided viewers through the design, integration points, and live behavior of the agent. Consequently, the demo served both as an introduction and as a practical reference for teams exploring Copilot-driven automation.

What the Volunteering App demonstrates

The Volunteering App example combines several Microsoft technologies to enable natural language interactions and automated actions. For instance, it uses Azure AI Search for retrieval and leverages the Microsoft Graph through plugin-style integrations to write to SharePoint lists. Moreover, the presenters walked through authentication flows and data movement so attendees could see how identity and permissions affect the solution. As a result, the demo clarified how declarative agents connect conversational prompts with real backend actions.

Architecture and developer workflow

First, the toolkit scaffolds agent projects using declarative definitions, typically in TypeSpec or JSON/YAML, which describe commands, dialogs, and API plugins. Then, developers add OpenAPI-style specifications or TypeSpec definitions to teach the agent how to call APIs such as Microsoft Graph or custom REST endpoints. Finally, the toolkit includes extensions for Visual Studio Code and command-line tools that simplify local testing, debugging, and deployment. Therefore, the architecture promotes rapid iteration while keeping the code surface small and focused on declared behavior.

Integration choices and practical tradeoffs

Integrating with services like Azure AI Search and SharePoint delivers richer responses and reliable data storage, but it also introduces tradeoffs around latency and cost. For example, deeper search and indexing improve accuracy, yet they increase operational complexity and may require tuning to avoid unnecessary queries. Similarly, exposing write actions via Graph APIs enables automation, but it raises security considerations and requires careful permission design to prevent accidental data changes. Thus, teams must balance responsiveness, cost, and security when choosing which integrations to enable.

Authentication, security, and governance

The demo emphasized single sign-on and permission scoping to ensure the agent acts only within intended boundaries, which is crucial in enterprise scenarios. In addition, defining least-privilege access for any plugins that write to SharePoint lists reduces the risk of overreaching agents, though it may complicate initial setup. Consequently, administrators will need to weigh ease of deployment against tighter controls and likely invest time in governance playbooks. Moreover, auditability and logging are central to trust, so teams should plan how to surface agent actions for review.

Developer experience and tooling

The M365 Agents Toolkit aims to lower barriers by providing scaffolding, debugging support, and CI/CD guidance so developers can focus on business logic rather than plumbing. Furthermore, TypeSpec support helps to clearly declare API shapes and expected responses, which improves maintainability and collaboration across teams. However, the declarative model also means teams must adapt to a more configuration-driven approach, which can be unfamiliar compared with traditional coding patterns. Still, the reduced boilerplate often speeds up prototyping and enables non-specialists to contribute to agent design.

Challenges and areas for improvement

Despite its strengths, this approach has several challenges that organizations should consider before adopting it widely. One issue is debugging complex conversational flows that span multiple plugins and data sources, which can require enhanced tooling and observability. In addition, managing multiple environments—sandbox, staging, and production—adds orchestration overhead, especially when API permissions vary by tenant. Therefore, teams should plan for robust testing and versioning strategies as their agents mature.

Adoption considerations and next steps

For organizations exploring declarative agents, a phased approach works best: prototype with a limited feature set, validate security models, and then expand integrations based on measured feedback. Moreover, community samples such as the Volunteering App provide practical starting points that demonstrate common patterns and pitfalls. Finally, ongoing iteration and close collaboration between developers, IT, and business owners will help balance user experience, security, and operational cost as the agent moves from demo to production.

Keywords

M365 Agents Toolkit, Declarative Agent, Volunteering App, Microsoft 365 agents tutorial, Declarative AI agents, Low-code volunteer app, Build agents with M365, Power Platform agent toolkit