Microsoft Agent Framework

• June 22, 2026 check: GitHub releases now show python-1.9.0 from June 18, with AgentLoopMiddleware, harness tool approval, shell-tool integration, telemetry improvements, and breaking MCP sampling guardrails. dotnet-1.10.0 remains the latest .NET tag in the checked release feed.
• June 16, 2026 check: Work IQ APIs are generally available. Microsoft’s licensing notice says billing uses Copilot Credits with no separate Work IQ API subscription, SKU, or per-user license, while Partner Center tells administrators to configure consumptive billing, access policies, limits, and alerts before custom or third-party Work IQ agents use Microsoft 365 data.
• June 10, 2026: dotnet-1.10.0 remains the checked .NET release line. Recent releases include multiple breaking or experimental changes, so pin tested package versions before production rollout.
• June 2, 2026: Microsoft Build 2026 put Work IQ APIs, Foundry IQ, Fabric IQ, Copilot Credits, Agent 365, and new Microsoft AI models around the enterprise-agent stack. Agent Framework remains the open-source code layer, but Microsoft-aligned buyers should evaluate it with Work IQ, Foundry, and governance controls rather than in isolation.
• May 8, 2026: dotnet-1.5.0 was the May baseline release. It has now been superseded by the June release stream.
• May 1, 2026: Microsoft put a legal AI agent directly inside Word through its Frontier program. That is not the open-source Agent Framework itself, but it shows the same Microsoft pattern: domain-specific agents wrapped in structured workflows, approvals, and familiar enterprise surfaces.

Pick Microsoft Agent Framework if you’re already on Microsoft Foundry or migrating from Semantic Kernel or AutoGen. The framework is open source, production-oriented, and deeply integrated with Microsoft Foundry, Azure OpenAI, GitHub Copilot, and Copilot Studio. If your organization is a Microsoft shop, this is the default agent framework to evaluate first.

Skip it if your stack is not Microsoft-aligned. TypeScript teams should use Mastra. Python-first teams not on Azure should look at LangGraph or CrewAI. The framework is technically independent of Azure but meaningfully better inside that ecosystem.

AutoGen is now maintenance-only. If you’re on AutoGen, Microsoft recommends migration to Agent Framework. AG2 (the community-forked AutoGen continuation) is the other path.

• Azure gravity. The framework works outside Azure, but the reference architecture, documentation, and observability story all assume Microsoft Foundry. Non-Azure users do more setup.
• Complexity vs simple use cases. A single-agent script that just calls an LLM with a few tools doesn’t need this framework. Use a provider SDK directly.
• Migration work from AutoGen. Not drop-in. Some multi-agent patterns need rewriting to match the new primitives.
• Active 1.x cadence. python-1.9.0 shipped June 18 and dotnet-1.10.0 shipped June 10, with recent release notes including breaking guardrail, file-access, hosting, and approval-flow changes. Pin the version you tested against; do not assume patches between minors are non-breaking.
• Work IQ is a separate consumption surface. As of June 16, Work IQ APIs are generally available, and Microsoft says API consumption draws down Copilot Credits. Do not budget Work IQ agents as “free framework” usage.
• Third-party model and tool risk. Microsoft explicitly notes in the docs that any non-Azure-direct model or third-party tool is your responsibility for data flow, compliance, and cost. Review before wiring up Anthropic, OpenAI, or Ollama in regulated workloads.
• Documentation is Microsoft-style. Extensive but dense. Easier to onboard via Microsoft Foundry’s guided experience than raw docs.

Produced by the aipedia.wiki editorial pipeline. Last verified 2026-06-22 against the Microsoft Agent Framework overview, the providers overview, the agent-framework GitHub releases page, Microsoft Build 2026, the Work IQ API announcement, the Work IQ licensing notice, and the Partner Center Work IQ update.

What happened to AutoGen? AutoGen is now in maintenance mode and will not receive new features. Microsoft recommends new projects start on Agent Framework. The community-forked AG2 continues the AutoGen lineage as an independent open-source project for teams that want to stay on that trajectory.

Does Agent Framework require Azure? No. It’s open source and has native client support for Microsoft Foundry, Azure OpenAI, OpenAI, Anthropic, Ollama, Foundry Local, GitHub Copilot, Copilot Studio, and custom providers. Microsoft Foundry is the reference deployment target, not a strict requirement.

Is there a visual agent builder? Not in the framework itself. Microsoft Foundry provides a visual experience for agent composition that sits on top. For pure visual building without Azure, see LangFlow.

How does it compare to Semantic Kernel? Agent Framework is Semantic Kernel’s successor. Existing Semantic Kernel code has a documented migration path. Most orchestration patterns transfer with refactoring.

• Microsoft Agent Framework overview: agents, workflows, migration posture, and third-party-system responsibility warning
• Microsoft Agent Framework providers: provider matrix and non-Azure data/cost caveat
• Microsoft Agent Framework GitHub releases: python-1.9.0, dotnet-1.10.0, release cadence, and breaking-change notes
• Microsoft Build 2026: Work IQ, Foundry, Agent 365, local/cloud agent runtime, and governance stack
• Work IQ API announcement: Work IQ context, MCP tool surface, Microsoft 365 tenant boundary, and agent controls
• Work IQ licensing notice: June 16, 2026 GA date and Copilot Credits consumption billing
• Partner Center Work IQ API and consumptive pricing update: post-GA admin setup, billing, access policies, limits, and alerts

• Category: AI Automation · AI Coding
• Compare: MS Agent Framework vs Mastra · vs CrewAI
• See also: AG2 · LangFlow