Deep Dive: What is the App Builder Agent in Microsoft 365 Copilot?

App Builder agent is the new tool from Microsoft to turn your words into a fully working app meant to allow anyone who understands their business needs to build an app. We used to call those people “Information Workers” but today we just call them everyone. Are you everyone? Then you can also build apps.

This tool is 100% targeted at non-technical people that are looking to build personal productivity apps for themselves or a small team. Think of it as a replacement for those Excel based solutions you build today more than a replacement fully developed Power Apps.

Now speaking of Power Apps, the whole reason I am so interested in these apps is they are built in React (some programming language but we don't care) using the Power Apps framework. That is pretty cool. So, you can have the stability and security of the Power Apps framework from an app that you "vibe coded". This is the same framework that full stack developers are now calling Code Apps. Not important to us other than to note this is taking advantage of the Power Apps world that we already know and trust.

Build an App using App Builder Agent

Building an app is as easy as getting the Agent, telling it what you want, letting the Agent do all of the hard work of figuring out how to turn your idea into an app, then the Agent creates the SharePoint lists you need to store data, and finally builds the app. You can then test out the app and provide feedback or ask for changes. It really is that easy.

Now there is one licensing note here, the App Builder Agent is part of Microsoft 365 Copilot, not Power Platform when it comes to licensing. That means in order to use the tool you must have that $30 per month M365 Copilot license. The same license that lights up Work chat, Copilot in your office clients, and a whole bunch of Copilot Studio scenarios is what allows you to use App Builder and the recently announced Workflows agent. They continue to really drive value in that license.

Accessing App Builder

To get started with the App Builder Agent navigate to https://m365.cloud.microsoft/chat and on the left click on All Agents. Please note, this feature may not be available yet in your region.

From the All Agents screen click on the search Bar and enter App Builder. You may or may not see (Frontier) after it. That is just a reminder this is still early preview.

Now click on the Agent and Click Add or Open if you had previously installed the Agent. You are now ready to build your own custom app with your words.

Telling the Agent what to build via your prompt

From the Home Screen of App Builder enter a prompt. It could be as simple as “Build me an app to track Incidents”. That is enough to start the process.

As you build more of them, you will want to learn to write better first prompts. Why? The better your initial prompt is, the less work you will have to do with the follow-up language to get it to where you want it. Also, today it creates the SharePoint structure based on your first prompt. So, you need to get that right from the start.

Below is the prompt I used to build this demo. Now if you are reading that and going  “Oh my gosh! I could never write anything that detailed”. Don’t worry, neither could I. What I did was went to regular Copilot and said “I want to build an Incident Reporting app using App Builder. Help me create a detailed first prompt”. Copilot wrote me close to what you see below, I then tweaked it to be exactly what I wanted, and then gave it to App Builder. Cheat code!

My Prompt:

Create an app called "Incident Report Six" for reporting workplace incidents. 
Data Storage: 
-Create a SharePoint list named "Incident Reports" to store all submitted incidents. 
User Flow: 
-Start with a Welcome Screen that offers two options:
-- Start a New Incident Report
-- View Existing Incident Reports
New Incident Report Form:
-Allow users to select from predefined incident categories (e.g., Safety, Security, Equipment Failure, etc.).
-Allow users to select severity levels (e.g., Low, Medium, High, Critical).
-Provide fields for:
--Incident description
--Witness statements
--Uploading photos or attachments
Submission Flow:
-After submitting the report, show a confirmation message.
-Include a button to return to the Welcome Screen.
Viewing Reports:
-From the Welcome Screen, allow users to view a list of previously submitted incident reports from the SharePoint list.

Check out your new App

After giving the prompt, it went and did some thinking and built my app. You can kind of watch the process via the high level bullets it provides. Looks like my app got built in 16 steps, and it does take a few minutes to run.

Once it is finished, the agent provides you with details and a link to the supporting SharePoint list where your data is stored. Make sure you keep the link to the SharePoint list, as it is hard to find later as of right now.

That is it, your app is ready. Click on the app icon and see what you got.

Looks like an app to me. Now keep in mind the process isn't meant to just work in one go. For me, this looks great, but when I clicked on Start New Incident Report, the screen was blank. Boo! No worries, tell the agent and let it fix it for you.

Boom! Fixed. I then filled out the incident report, and it was submitted without issue. I even went and confirmed it was saved to my SharePoint list.

Pretty awesome. Now at this point you and the agent can continue to work together to make the changes you want. Maybe you want the viewing incidents to have search and filter. Maybe you want the app to have a retro 8-bit vibe or use Unicorn gradients. If you want it, just ask your agent.

Publish and Share your agent

Now that you are happy with your app, it is time to release it into the world. You can keep it for just yourself or share it. First thing you want to do is click Update in the top right corner. That is your publish button for making the version you have been working on, the version that is used.

Then you can use the Share icon to Copy the link or Share.

If you copy the link, you get the usual Office sharing experience. Anyone in your organization that you give the link can view the agent. Or if you hit Share, then you can specify the person(s) that you want to have access. The sharing experience you should be used to in the M365 ecosystem.

Finally, if you just want to use your agent later. Then you will return to App Builder, this is where you will see all of your agents that you can use or continue to edit.

Things to keep in mind

• This is early release. So probably shouldn't be building production things with it yet. But you should be trying it out. It will evolve quickly.

• You have to have that M365 Copilot license to use it. I am also unsure when it will be in what regions, but hopefully you get it soon.

• In the demo I showed saving files. I am not sure that actually works, I have asked Microsoft for feedback and will update when I know more. My agents says they work but I can't open them and I am skeptical.

• No, this isn't a replacement for the Power Apps you build today. It is a tool to let others build simple apps. Don't be threatened by it, embrace the empowering nature.

Wrapping it up

Now anyone can build their own personal productivity app while still having the hosting and security of the Power Apps framework. That is really awesome in my book. I expect this to evolve a lot, and quickly so keep an eye on it. "Vibe coding" has come to M365 agents.

And speaking of changing quickly. How are you doing with this whole AI and Copilot world? If you need help or training then hit that Contact button. We can help! We have been teaching classes, mentoring people, and building agents for them and we can do the same for you. Let us help you make the transition to bringing AI to your org. Everything from these App Builder and Workflow agents to full on Autonomous Copilot Studio Agents, we got your back!