Microsoft Agent Framework at a glance

Microsoft's agent framework for Python and .NET, built by the Semantic Kernel and AutoGen teams and generally available since April 2026. It pairs typed agents with graph workflows that checkpoint, resume and wait for people, and a Go SDK is in public preview.

Best for: Python and .NET teams on Azure, including anyone moving off AutoGen or Semantic Kernel.

Key facts

Maintainer

Microsoft

Languages

Python, C#, .NET, Go

Licence

MIT

Latest version

Python 1.19.0 / .NET 1.23.0 · October 1, 2026

Repository

microsoft/agent-framework · 13,891 stars

Hosted option

Foundry Hosted Agents (Microsoft Foundry)

A new Microsoft Foundry service; Microsoft says deploying takes about two extra lines of code.

Quickstart

Install the package, set the credentials, then run the smallest agent from the official docs. Model IDs are the ones the docs use and may not be enabled on your account.

Python

pip install agent-framework

Needs Azure CLI login (AzureCliCredential) + Foundry project endpoint

from agent_framework import Agent
from agent_framework.foundry import FoundryChatClient
from azure.identity import AzureCliCredential

agent = Agent(
    client=FoundryChatClient(
        project_endpoint="https://your-foundry-service.services.ai.azure.com/api/projects/your-foundry-project",
        model="gpt-5.4-mini",
        credential=AzureCliCredential(),
    ),
    name="HelloAgent",
    instructions="You are a friendly assistant. Keep your answers brief.",
)

# Non-streaming: get the complete response at once
result = await agent.run("What is the largest city in France?")
print(f"Agent: {result}")

Quickstart source

C#

dotnet add package Microsoft.Agents.AI.Foundry --prerelease

Needs Azure CLI login

using System;
using Azure.AI.Projects;
using Azure.Identity;
using Microsoft.Agents.AI;

AIAgent agent = new AIProjectClient(
        new Uri("https://your-foundry-service.services.ai.azure.com/api/projects/your-foundry-project"),
        new AzureCliCredential())
    .AsAIAgent(
        model: "gpt-5.4-mini",
        instructions: "You are a friendly assistant. Keep your answers brief.");

Console.WriteLine(await agent.RunAsync("What is the largest city in France?"));

Quickstart source

Features

Recent changes

• April 2026: version 1.0 became generally available, after a release candidate in February.
• AutoGen moved to maintenance mode; Semantic Kernel v1 gets critical fixes for at least a year after MAF GA.
• Added Harness Agent, declarative YAML agents, Agent Skills and a Go SDK preview.

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