Microsoft Agent Framework
An MIT-licensed Python and .NET AI agent framework supports self-hosted apps and multi-agent workflows, with model requests sent to connected providers.
Microsoft Agent Framework is an AI agent framework for developers building locally hosted applications in Python or C#/.NET. It supports local development and self-hosting of the application, while integrations such as Azure OpenAI and OpenAI send model requests to those providers. Self-hosting the app doesn't make those calls offline or remove provider costs.
Its main focus is coordinating agents across tasks that need persistent state and more control than a single chat exchange. Graph-based workflows support sequential work, concurrent agents, handoffs and group collaboration. Checkpoints let workflows resume, and human participation lets an application pause for input or review.
Agents can use tools, retrieval-augmented generation and domain-specific skills. Conversation memory carries context between exchanges, while middleware lets developers customize request handling and error processing. Background agents support work outside an active conversation.
For teams comparing frameworks, DevUI provides an interface for testing agents and inspecting workflows. OpenTelemetry integration supports tracing and monitoring across the application. Developers can also define agents in YAML.
The framework is open source under the MIT license. Alongside self-hosting, it supports cloud hosting through Microsoft Foundry and Azure Functions; provider integrations also include the GitHub Copilot SDK. A separate Go SDK lives in the microsoft/agent-framework-go project.
