Configure and manage connections

Agents use tools and knowledge to perform actions on behalf of users and collect relevant contextual information. These tools and knowledge sources are often stored in external systems, such as Microsoft Dataverse, Microsoft SharePoint, or other APIs. To access these resources securely, agents need to authenticate to establish connections. The agent can use the agent author authentication or the user authentication, depending on the scenario.

In Microsoft Copilot Studio, connections are used to securely access authenticated services for tools and knowledge. You can create connections to various data sources, such as Microsoft Dataverse, Microsoft SharePoint, or external APIs.

View and manage agent connections

In Copilot Studio, you can view and configure the connections used by your agent on the Connection Settings page.

On the Connection settings page, you can configure and manage the connections used by your agent. You can view existing connections, create new ones, and edit or disconnect them as needed.

View connections on the Connection Settings page

1. Navigate to your agent page in Copilot Studio by selecting Agents and then selecting the agent you want to look at.

   The agent overview page opens.

2. Select Settings to open the agent Settings page.

3. In the left navigation pane, select Connection Settings.

A list is displays in a table with all the connections associated with your agent. For each connection, you can view its name, tools and knowledge using the connection, connection status, and the date the connection was last updated.

Filter connections

If you have many connections on your agent, you can filter to get a narrower view and find the connection you want to deal with. You can apply different filters to view connections based on their status, such as Activated/Deactivated, Connected/Not Connected, Deactivated, Expired, or Connection Error.

Select or create a connection

1. Under Status for the connection entry in the list, select Manage to open the Create or pick a connection pane.

2. Open the Connection configuration. Pick an existing connection from the list or select Create new connection to create a new one.

   If you select Create new connection, a connection setup pane opens. As needed, you might be prompted to sign in to the service or provide additional information to complete the connection setup.

3. When you're done, select Submit to save your changes.

   The connection is now associated with your agent and your agent can use the connection to access the tools and knowledge.

Configure connection parameters

Under Manage for the connection entry in the list, select See details to view more detail about the connection.

Information appears in two tabs:

• Details: Displays the connection name, description, status, and creation details.
• Connection parameters: Displays the connection parameters, such as authentication details, API keys, or other required information and lets you configure the details.

Share connection parameters for On-Behalf-Of (OBO) authentication

For some connections that support Single Sign-On (SSO), you can set the connection to use On-Behalf-Of (OBO) authentication. In an OBO flow, the user delegates the agent to use the shared connection parameters with the service on the user's behalf. This is useful when the agent needs to access resources that require user-specific permissions or when actions need to be performed in the context of a user's identity.

Enable parameter sharing for OBO

Under Connection parameters for the connection entry in the list, you can allow the user to authorize sharing specific connection parameters.

1. Under Connection parameters, turn on Allow permission to share parameters.

   

2. Select checkboxes for the parameters you want to allow the user to share.

   The user is prompted to grant permission for these parameters when the agent uses OBO authentication.

User experience for OBO authentication

When the agent uses OBO authentication, the user is prompted to grant permission for the agent to use their connection parameters. The user can choose to allow or deny this permission. If the user allows it, the agent can access resources and perform actions on behalf of the user. The agent connects to the service transparently using the shared connection parameters.