In this guide, you will find instructions about SharePoint agents.

A SharePoint AI-powered agent is a tool thathelpsyoufindinformationfrom SharePoint content and documentsusingnaturallanguagequeries. 

Purpose 

SharePoint agentsenableyouto: 

• Askquestions in naturallanguageabout SharePoint content. 

• Quicklyretrieve relevant informationfrom SharePoint sites and documentswithdirectreferences. 

• Automate repetitivetaskssuch as summarizingdocuments and answeringquestions. 

• Customizeagentstofittheneeds of a teamorproject. 

• Simplifyinformationsharing and discovery. 

Prerequisites 

Touse SharePoint agents, thefollowing are required: 

• A paymentmodelforthe agent, which you can request via the Service Portal: 
   a) Microsoft 365 Copilotlicense; 
   b) Pay-As-You-Gopricingmodel, whereyoupaypermessageexchangedwiththe agent. 

• Editpermissions on the SharePoint site (ifcreating a custom agent). 

• Access rightstothedocuments and sitesdefined as agent sources. 

Guide 

1. Using a SharePoint Agent 

Each SharePoint siteincludes a default agent linkedtothatsite’scontent. 

1. Openthedesired SharePoint site. 
2. ClicktheCopiloticon in thetopbar. 
3. Ask a questionorrequest a summary of thesitecontent. 
4. The agent willretrieveanswersfromthesite and displayresultswithreferences. 

2. Creating a Custom Agent 

Onlyuserswitheditpermissions on thesitecancreatecustomagents. 

1. Openthe SharePoint documentlibrary. 
2. Clickthe "Create agent" button on thetoolbar. 
   
   
   
   
3. Selectthecontentthe agent shoulduse (e.g., specificfilesorfolders). 
4. Click "Open agent" toactivateit. Youcanfurthercustomizeitifneeded. 
   
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   The agent file (.agent) isautomaticallysaved: 

   • Ifcreatedfromthesite'shomepage, itisstored in SiteContents > Site Assets > Copilotsfolder. 
   • Ifcreatedfrom a documentlibraryorfolder, itisstored in therespectivelocation. 
      

   The image shows the .agent file and a conversation window opened on the sidebar:
   
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3. Customizingan Agent 

1. Locatethe .agent file in the SharePoint library. 
2. Clickthethree-dot menu nexttothefile and select "Edit." 
3. Adjustthefollowingsettings: 
   1. Identity: settheagent’sname, description, and logo. 
   2. Sources: addorremove SharePoint sites, libraries, orfiles. 
   3. Behavior: definethewelcomemessage, examplequestions, and instructions. 
4. Savechanges. 

4. Sharingan Agent 

Aftercreation, the agent issavedas an .agentfile in the SharePoint library. Tousethe agent, therecipient must have a Microsoft 365 Copilotlicenseorbecoveredunderthepay-as-you-gopricingmodel. 

1. Locatethe .agent file in the SharePoint library. 
2. Clickthethree-dot menu nexttothefile and select "Share." 
3. Copy thesharing link and sendittothedesireduser. 

5. ManagingAgents 

Siteadministratorscan manage whichagents are visible and available on thesite. 

1. Openthe SharePoint site. 
2. ClicktheCopiloticon and selectthedesired agent. 
3. Usethe menu optionstoedit, share, ordeletethe agent. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) 

Whocancreate SharePoint agents? 

Onlyuserswitheditpermissions on the relevant SharePoint site. 

Doesthe agent have accessto all sitecontent? 

Agentscanonlyaccessfiles and pages thattheuserhaspermissiontoview. 

Do all SharePoint sitesinclude a default agent? 

Yes, eachsiteincludes a default agent linkedtothatsite’scontent. 

Can I createan agent thatusescontentfrommultiplesites? 

Yes, whencreatingcustomagents, youcandefinemultiple SharePoint sites and documents as sources. 

Can I add a web page as a sourceforan agent? 

No, thisisnotsupported in SharePoint agents, butitispossibleusing a Copilot Studio agent. (link to relevant wiki) 

Whichfiletypes are supported by agents? 

Supportedfiletypesinclude DOC, DOCX, PPT, PPTX, XLSX, PDF, TXT, RTF, HTML, ODT, and ODP. 

Canagentsbeused in Microsoft Teams? 

Yes, SharePoint agentscanbeintegratedwith Microsoft Teams, allowinguserstochatwiththemdirectly in Teamschannels. 

Howcan agent usagebemonitored? 

Siteadminscanuse SharePoint siteusagestatistics and filedetailsto monitor agent activity. 

Support and Contact Information 

For furtherassistanceortechnicalsupport, pleasecontact University of Tartu IT Helpdesk: 

Email: arvutiabi@ut.ee 

IT Helpdesk (arvutiabi) 

References 

Microsoft 365 CopilotUT wiki 

Microsoft guide: Get started with SharePoint agents 

Pay-As-You-Go pricing for agents 

Guide to creating a SharePoint agent 

Guide to editing a SharePoint agent 

Guide to using SharePoint agents 

Keywords 

SharePoint, agent, artificialintelligence, AI, Microsoft 365, Copilot, documentmanagement, workflow, automation