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Customize app manifest for Microsoft Visual Studio

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The app manifest (previously called Teams app manifest) describes how your app integrates into Microsoft Teams and is shared between local and remote environments. The default app manifest file is available at the appPackage/manifest.json file and the environment variables available from the env/.env.{env} file.

The app manifest file contains some environment variables with the ${{XX_XX}} format. You can define your own environment variables and add placeholders in the manifest.json file. The following are the .env and .json file examples:

TEAMS_APP_DESCRIPTION=This is an amazing app

{
    "$schema": "https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/json-schemas/teams/v1.16/MicrosoftTeams.schema.json",
    "manifestVersion": "1.16",
    "description": {
        "short": "${{TEAMS_APP_DESCRIPTION}}",
        "full": "Full description of tab0418"
    },
}

Preview app manifest file

You can preview the app manifest file either For Local or For Azure. To preview the app manifest file, follow these steps:

  1. Select Project > Microsoft 365 Agents Toolkit.

  2. Select Select Microsoft 365 Account or Provision in the Cloud... to generate environment variables for local or remote Teams app.

    Screenshot shows the app trigger in local or remote.

  3. Upload the Zip App Package in the following ways:

    1. Select Project > Microsoft 365 Agents Toolkit > Zip App Package and then select either For Local or For Azure

      Screenshot shows the zip app package for local or Azure.

    2. From Solution Explorer, right-click on M365Agent (in this scenario the project name is M365Agent). Go to Microsoft 365 Agents Toolkit > Zip App Package and then select either For Local or For Azure.

      Screenshot shows the solution zip app package for local or Azure.

    Microsoft 365 Agents Toolkit (previously known as Teams Toolkit) generates the zip app package.

  4. Under appPackage folder, right-click on the manifest.json file.

  5. Select Preview Manifest File.

  6. Select either For Local or For Azure.

    Screenshot shows the preview of app manifest.

You can preview app manifest file under appPackage/build in Visual Studio.

I ran into an issue

Sync local changes to Developer Portal

After you've previewed the app manifest file in Visual Studio, you can sync the local changes to Developer Portal. To sync changes to Developer Portal follow these steps:

  1. Select Project.
  2. Select Microsoft 365 Agents Toolkit.
  3. Select Update Manifest in Developer Portal.

Screenshot shows update app manifest in teams developer portal.

You can also sync the local changes to Developer Portal from Solution Explorer:

  1. Right-click on MyTeamsApp14.
  2. Select Microsoft 365 Agents Toolkit.
  3. Select Update Manifest in Developer Portal

Screenshot shows solution update to teams app.

The changes are updated to Developer Portal.

Tip

If you want to make any manual updates that can be overwritten in Developer Portal, from the Warning dialog box select Overwrite and update.

Screenshot shows overwrite of app in Developer Portal.

When you create a Teams command bot using Visual Studio, two app IDs are registered in Microsoft Entra ID. You can identify the app IDs in Developer Portal as Application (client) ID under Basic information and existing bot ID under App features.

Screenshot shows basic information of the app in Developer Portal.

Screenshot shows overwrite and update in Developer Portal.

I ran into an issue

See also