Quickstart: Create a prompt agent

Create a prompt agent in Foundry Agent Service using the Microsoft Foundry SDK.

In this quickstart, you create a prompt agent in Foundry Agent Service and have a conversation with it. A prompt agent is a declaratively defined agent that combines a model from the Foundry model catalog, instructions, tools, and natural language prompts to drive behavior.

If you don’t have an Azure subscription, create a free account.

Prerequisites

• A model deployed in Microsoft Foundry. If you don’t have a model, first complete Quickstart: Set up Microsoft Foundry resources.
• The required language runtimes, global tools, and Visual Studio Code extensions as described in Prepare your development environment.

Set environment variables

Store your project endpoint as an environment variable. Also set these values for use in your scripts.

Python and JavaScript

PROJECT_ENDPOINT=<endpoint copied from welcome screen>
AGENT_NAME="MyAgent"

C# and Java

ProjectEndpoint = <endpoint copied from welcome screen>
AgentName = "MyAgent"

Install packages and authenticate

Make sure you install the correct version of the packages as shown here.

Python

1. Install the current version of azure-ai-projects. This version uses the Foundry projects (new) API .

   pip install azure-ai-projects>=2.3.0
   

2. Sign in using the CLI az login command to authenticate before running your Python scripts.

C#

1. Install packages:

   Add NuGet packages using the .NET CLI in the integrated terminal: These packages use the Foundry projects (new) API.

   dotnet add package Azure.AI.Projects
   dotnet add package Azure.AI.Projects.Agents
   dotnet add package Azure.AI.Extensions.OpenAI
   dotnet add package Azure.Identity
   

2. Sign in using the CLI az login command to authenticate before running your C# scripts.

TypeScript

1. Install the current version of @azure/ai-projects. This version uses the Foundry projects (new) API.:

   npm install @azure/ai-projects
   

2. Sign in using the CLI az login command to authenticate before running your TypeScript scripts.

Java

<dependency>
    <groupId>com.azure</groupId>
    <artifactId>azure-ai-agents</artifactId>
    <version>2.2.0</version>
</dependency>

1. Sign in using the CLI az login command to authenticate before running your Java scripts.

REST API

1. Sign in using the CLI az login command to authenticate before running the next command.

2. Get a temporary access token. It will expire in 60-90 minutes, you’ll need to refresh after that.

   az account get-access-token --scope https://ai.azure.com/.default
   

3. Save the results as the environment variable AZURE_AI_AUTH_TOKEN.

Foundry portal

No installation is necessary to use the Foundry portal.

Code uses Azure AI Projects 2.x and is incompatible with Azure AI Projects 1.x. See the Foundry (classic) documentation for the Azure AI Projects 1.x version.

Create a prompt agent

Create a prompt agent using your deployed model. The agent uses a PromptAgentDefinition with instructions that define the agent’s behavior. You can update or delete agents anytime.

Python

import os
from dotenv import load_dotenv
from azure.identity import DefaultAzureCredential
from azure.ai.projects import AIProjectClient
from azure.ai.projects.models import PromptAgentDefinition

load_dotenv()

project_client = AIProjectClient(
    endpoint=os.environ["PROJECT_ENDPOINT"],
    credential=DefaultAzureCredential(),
)

agent = project_client.agents.create_version(
    agent_name=os.environ["AGENT_NAME"],
    definition=PromptAgentDefinition(
        model=os.environ["MODEL_DEPLOYMENT_NAME"],
        instructions="You are a helpful assistant that answers general questions",
    ),
)
print(f"Agent created (id: {agent.id}, name: {agent.name}, version: {agent.version})")

C#

using Azure.AI.Projects;
using Azure.AI.Projects.OpenAI;
using Azure.Identity;

string projectEndpoint = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("PROJECT_ENDPOINT")
?? throw new InvalidOperationException("Missing environment variable 'PROJECT_ENDPOINT'");
string modelDeploymentName = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("MODEL_DEPLOYMENT_NAME")
?? throw new InvalidOperationException("Missing environment variable 'MODEL_DEPLOYMENT_NAME'");
string agentName = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("AGENT_NAME")
?? throw new InvalidOperationException("Missing environment variable 'AGENT_NAME'");

AIProjectClient projectClient = new(new Uri(projectEndpoint), new AzureCliCredential());

AgentDefinition agentDefinition = new PromptAgentDefinition(modelDeploymentName)
{
    Instructions = "You are a helpful assistant that answers general questions",
};

AgentVersion newAgentVersion = projectClient.Agents.CreateAgentVersion(
    agentName,
    options: new(agentDefinition));

List<AgentVersion> agentVersions = [..projectClient.Agents.GetAgentVersions(agentName)];
foreach (AgentVersion agentVersion in agentVersions)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Agent: {agentVersion.Id}, Name: {agentVersion.Name}, Version: {agentVersion.Version}");
}

TypeScript

import { DefaultAzureCredential } from "@azure/identity";
import { AIProjectClient } from "@azure/ai-projects";
import "dotenv/config";

const projectEndpoint = process.env["PROJECT_ENDPOINT"] || "<project endpoint>";
const deploymentName = process.env["MODEL_DEPLOYMENT_NAME"] || "<model deployment name>";

async function main(): Promise<void> {
    const project = new AIProjectClient(projectEndpoint, new DefaultAzureCredential());
    const agent = await project.agents.createVersion("my-agent-basic", {
        kind: "prompt",
        model: deploymentName,
        instructions: "You are a helpful assistant that answers general questions",
  });
  console.log(`Agent created (id: ${agent.id}, name: ${agent.name}, version: ${agent.version})`);
}

main().catch(console.error);

Java

package com.azure.ai.agents;

import com.azure.ai.agents.models.AgentVersionDetails;
import com.azure.ai.agents.models.PromptAgentDefinition;
import com.azure.core.util.Configuration;
import com.azure.identity.DefaultAzureCredentialBuilder;

public class CreateAgent {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        String endpoint = Configuration.getGlobalConfiguration().get("PROJECT_ENDPOINT");
        String model = Configuration.getGlobalConfiguration().get("MODEL_DEPLOYMENT_NAME");
        // Code sample for creating an agent
        AgentsClient agentsClient = new AgentsClientBuilder()
                .credential(new DefaultAzureCredentialBuilder().build())
                .endpoint(endpoint)
                .buildAgentsClient();

        PromptAgentDefinition request = new PromptAgentDefinition(model);
        AgentVersionDetails agent = agentsClient.createAgentVersion("MyAgent", request);

        System.out.println("Agent ID: " + agent.getId());
        System.out.println("Agent Name: " + agent.getName());
        System.out.println("Agent Version: " + agent.getVersion());
    }
}

REST API

Replace YOUR-FOUNDRY-RESOURCE-NAME with your values:

curl -X POST https://YOUR-FOUNDRY-RESOURCE-NAME.services.ai.azure.com/api/projects/YOUR-PROJECT-NAME/agents?api-version=2025-11-15-preview \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $AZURE_AI_AUTH_TOKEN" \
  -d '{
        "name": "MyAgent",
        "definition": {
            "kind": "prompt",
            "model": "gpt-4.1-mini", 
            "instructions": "You are a helpful assistant that answers general questions"
        }
    }'

The output confirms the agent was created. You see the agent name and ID printed to the console.

Chat with the agent

Use the agent you created to interact by asking a question and a related follow-up. The conversation maintains history across these interactions.

Python

import os
from dotenv import load_dotenv
from azure.identity import DefaultAzureCredential
from azure.ai.projects import AIProjectClient

load_dotenv()

project_client = AIProjectClient(
    endpoint=os.environ["PROJECT_ENDPOINT"],
    credential=DefaultAzureCredential(),
)

agent_name = os.environ["AGENT_NAME"]
openai_client = project_client.get_openai_client()

# Optional Step: Create a conversation to use with the agent
conversation = openai_client.conversations.create()
print(f"Created conversation (id: {conversation.id})")

# Chat with the agent to answer questions
response = openai_client.responses.create(
    conversation=conversation.id, #Optional conversation context for multi-turn
    extra_body={"agent_reference": {"name": agent_name, "type": "agent_reference"}},
    input="What is the size of France in square miles?",
)
print(f"Response output: {response.output_text}")

# Optional Step: Ask a follow-up question in the same conversation
response = openai_client.responses.create(
    conversation=conversation.id,
    extra_body={"agent_reference": {"name": agent_name, "type": "agent_reference"}},
    input="And what is the capital city?",
)
print(f"Response output: {response.output_text}")

C#

using Azure.AI.Projects;
using Azure.AI.Projects.OpenAI;
using Azure.Identity;
using OpenAI.Responses;

#pragma warning disable OPENAI001

string projectEndpoint = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("PROJECT_ENDPOINT")
    ?? throw new InvalidOperationException("Missing environment variable 'PROJECT_ENDPOINT'");
string modelDeploymentName = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("MODEL_DEPLOYMENT_NAME")
    ?? throw new InvalidOperationException("Missing environment variable 'MODEL_DEPLOYMENT_NAME'");
string agentName = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("AGENT_NAME")
    ?? throw new InvalidOperationException("Missing environment variable 'AGENT_NAME'");

AIProjectClient projectClient = new(new Uri(projectEndpoint), new AzureCliCredential());

// Optional Step: Create a conversation to use with the agent
ProjectConversation conversation = projectClient.OpenAI.Conversations.CreateProjectConversation();

ProjectResponsesClient responsesClient = projectClient.OpenAI.GetProjectResponsesClientForAgent(
    defaultAgent: agentName,
    defaultConversationId: conversation.Id);

// Chat with the agent to answer questions
ResponseResult response = responsesClient.CreateResponse("What is the size of France in square miles?");
Console.WriteLine(response.GetOutputText());

// Optional Step: Ask a follow-up question in the same conversation
response = responsesClient.CreateResponse("And what is the capital city?");
Console.WriteLine(response.GetOutputText());

TypeScript

import { DefaultAzureCredential } from "@azure/identity";
import { AIProjectClient } from "@azure/ai-projects";
import "dotenv/config";

const projectEndpoint = process.env["PROJECT_ENDPOINT"] || "<project endpoint>";
const deploymentName = process.env["MODEL_DEPLOYMENT_NAME"] || "<model deployment name>";

async function main(): Promise<void> {
    const project = new AIProjectClient(projectEndpoint, new DefaultAzureCredential());
    const openAIClient = project.getOpenAIClient();
    
    // Create agent
    console.log("Creating agent...");
    const agent = await project.agents.createVersion("my-agent-basic", {
        kind: "prompt",
        model: deploymentName,
        instructions: "You are a helpful assistant that answers general questions",
    });
    console.log(`Agent created (id: ${agent.id}, name: ${agent.name}, version: ${agent.version})`);
    
    // Create conversation with initial user message
    // You can save the conversation ID to database to retrieve later
    console.log("\nCreating conversation with initial user message...");
    const conversation = await openAIClient.conversations.create({
        items: [
            { type: "message", role: "user", content: "What is the size of France in square miles?" },
        ],
    });
    console.log(`Created conversation with initial user message (id: ${conversation.id})`);

    // Generate response using the agent
    console.log("\nGenerating response...");
    const response = await openAIClient.responses.create(
        {
            conversation: conversation.id,
        },
        {
            body: { agent: { name: agent.name, type: "agent_reference" } },
        },
    );
    console.log(`Response output: ${response.output_text}`);

     // Clean up
    console.log("\nCleaning up resources...");
    await openAIClient.conversations.delete(conversation.id);
    console.log("Conversation deleted");

    await project.agents.deleteVersion(agent.name, agent.version);
    console.log("Agent deleted");
}

main().catch(console.error);

Java

package com.azure.ai.agents;

import com.azure.ai.agents.models.AgentReference;
import com.azure.ai.agents.models.AgentVersionDetails;
import com.azure.ai.agents.models.PromptAgentDefinition;
import com.azure.identity.AuthenticationUtil;
import com.azure.identity.DefaultAzureCredentialBuilder;
import com.openai.azure.AzureOpenAIServiceVersion;
import com.openai.azure.AzureUrlPathMode;
import com.openai.client.OpenAIClient;
import com.openai.client.okhttp.OpenAIOkHttpClient;
import com.openai.credential.BearerTokenCredential;
import com.openai.models.conversations.Conversation;
import com.openai.models.conversations.items.ItemCreateParams;
import com.openai.models.responses.EasyInputMessage;
import com.openai.models.responses.Response;
import com.openai.models.responses.ResponseCreateParams;

public class ChatWithAgent {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        String endpoint = Configuration.getGlobalConfiguration().get("AZURE_AGENTS_ENDPOINT");
        String agentName = "MyAgent";
        
        AgentsClient agentsClient = new AgentsClientBuilder()
                .credential(new DefaultAzureCredentialBuilder().build())
                .endpoint(endpoint)
                .buildAgentsClient();

        AgentDetails agent = agentsClient.getAgent(agentName);

        Conversation conversation = conversationsClient.getConversationService().create();
        conversationsClient.getConversationService().items().create(
            ItemCreateParams.builder()
                .conversationId(conversation.id())
                .addItem(EasyInputMessage.builder()
                    .role(EasyInputMessage.Role.SYSTEM)
                    .content("You are a helpful assistant that speaks like a pirate.")
                    .build()
                ).addItem(EasyInputMessage.builder()
                    .role(EasyInputMessage.Role.USER)
                    .content("Hello, agent!")
                    .build()
            ).build()
        );

        AgentReference agentReference = new AgentReference(agent.getName()).setVersion(agent.getVersion());
        Response response = responsesClient.createWithAgentConversation(agentReference, conversation.id());

        OpenAIClient client = OpenAIOkHttpClient.builder()
            .baseUrl(endpoint.endsWith("/") ? endpoint + "openai" : endpoint + "/openai")
            .azureUrlPathMode(AzureUrlPathMode.UNIFIED)
            .credential(BearerTokenCredential.create(AuthenticationUtil.getBearerTokenSupplier(
                    new DefaultAzureCredentialBuilder().build(), "https://ai.azure.com/.default")))
            .azureServiceVersion(AzureOpenAIServiceVersion.fromString("2025-11-15-preview"))
            .build();

        ResponseCreateParams responseRequest = new ResponseCreateParams.Builder()
            .input("Hello, how can you help me?")
            .model(model)
            .build();

        Response result = client.responses().create(responseRequest);
    }
}

REST API

Replace YOUR-FOUNDRY-RESOURCE-NAME with your values:

# Optional Step: Create a conversation to use with the agent
curl -X POST https://YOUR-FOUNDRY-RESOURCE-NAME.services.ai.azure.com/api/projects/YOUR-PROJECT-NAME/openai/conversations?api-version=2025-11-15-preview \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $AZURE_AI_AUTH_TOKEN" \
  -d '{}'
# Lets say Conversation ID created is conv_123456789. Use this in the next step

#Chat with the agent to answer questions
curl -X POST https://YOUR-FOUNDRY-RESOURCE-NAME.services.ai.azure.com/api/projects/YOUR-PROJECT-NAME/openai/responses?api-version=2025-11-15-preview \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $AZURE_AI_AUTH_TOKEN" \
  -d '{
        "agent": {"type": "agent_reference", "name": "MyAgent"},
        "conversation" : "<YOUR_CONVERSATION_ID>",
        "input" : "What is the size of France in square miles?"
    }'

#Optional Step: Ask a follow-up question in the same conversation
curl -X POST https://YOUR-FOUNDRY-RESOURCE-NAME.services.ai.azure.com/api/projects/YOUR-PROJECT-NAME/openai/responses?api-version=2025-11-15-preview \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $AZURE_AI_AUTH_TOKEN" \
  -d '{
        "agent": {"type": "agent_reference", "name": "MyAgent"},
        "conversation" : "<YOUR_CONVERSATION_ID>",
        "input" : "And what is the capital city?"
    }'

You see the agent’s responses to both prompts. The follow-up response demonstrates that the agent maintains conversation history across turns.

Clean up resources

If you no longer need any of the resources you created, delete the resource group associated with your project.

• In the Azure portal, select the resource group, and then select Delete. Confirm that you want to delete the resource group.

Related content

• Agent development lifecycle
• What is Foundry Agent Service?
• Use tools with agents
• Quickstart: Deploy your first hosted agent