Manage Sub Agents¶

Sub-agents allow you to build advanced, nested user workflows in Copilot Studio. By wrapping existing agents as sub-agents, you can compose complex multi-step interactions and call them in a structured, hierarchical way within your agent configurations.

Overview¶

The Manage Sub-Agents page follows the same layout and interaction patterns as the Manage Agents and Manage Skills pages.

The sub-agent configuration can be opened in the sub menu of Manage agents:

It provides:

• A list view of all available custom sub-agents.
• Search and filter capabilities to quickly find a specific sub-agent.
• A detail panel on the right side that displays the configuration of the selected sub-agent.
• Options to create, edit, export, and delete sub-agents.

Sub-Agent Details¶

The sub-agent overview displays all configured sub-agents in your tenant.

Clicking on any sub-agent in the list opens its detail panel on the right side of the page. The detail panel displays:

• Sub-agent name and description
• Visualization of the used agent
• The wrapped agent reference
• Confirmation mode setting
• Timing configuration
• Available actions: Edit, clone, delete and export

Creating a New Sub-Agent¶

To create a new sub-agent, click the "+ Create Sub-Agent" button in the top-right area of the Manage Sub-Agents page. This opens the Create Sub-Agent dialog.

Step 1 — Enter Name and Description¶

In the Create Sub-Agent dialog, provide the following basic information:

Step 2 — Select the targeted agent¶

Select an existing agent from the dropdown list to act as the foundation of this sub-agent. The sub-agent acts as a wrapper around the selected agent, enabling it to be called within a nested agent structure.

⚠️ Important: Only agents that already exist in your tenant are available for selection. If the agent you need is not listed, create it first on the Manage Agents page before returning to create the sub-agent.

Step 3 — Configure Confirmation Mode¶

The Confirmation Mode controls how the sub-agent behaves when it is called within a workflow. Choose one of the following options:

💡 Recommendation: Use Confirm or Update and Confirm for sub-agents that perform critical or irreversible actions, to give users control over the outcome.

Step 4 — Configure Timings¶

The Timings section allows you to configure time-related behavior for the sub-agent. These settings control how long the system waits for a response before timing out.

⚠️ Note: Timing values should be aligned with the expected response time of the wrapped agent and the overall workflow requirements. Setting values too low may cause premature timeouts in complex workflows.

Step 5 — Submit and Create¶

Once all fields are filled in and configurations are set, click "Create" to submit the form and create the sub-agent.

After successful creation:

• The new sub-agent appears in the sub-agent list.
• Its details are immediately accessible in the detail panel.
• It is now available to be added to agent workflows via the Manage Agents page.

Editing a Sub-Agent¶

To edit an existing sub-agent:

1. Select the sub-agent from the list.
2. In the detail panel, click "Edit".
3. The Edit Sub-Agent dialog opens — it contains the same fields as the Create dialog.
4. Update the desired fields.
5. Click "Save" to apply the changes.

⚠️ Note: Editing a sub-agent that is already in use by one or more agents will immediately affect those agents' behavior. Review all dependent agents after making changes.

Deleting a Sub-Agent¶

To delete a sub-agent:

1. Select the sub-agent from the list.
2. In the detail panel, click "Delete".
3. Confirm the deletion in the confirmation dialog.

⚠️ Warning: Deleting a sub-agent that is referenced in an agent workflow will cause that workflow to break. Ensure the sub-agent is removed from all agent configurations before deleting it.

Adding a Sub-Agent to an Agent Workflow¶

Once a sub-agent is created, you can integrate it into any agent's workflow via the Manage Agents page.

Steps¶

1. Navigate to Manage Agents.
2. Select the agent you want to configure from the list.
3. In the agent's detail panel or edit dialog, locate the Assign sub-agents / skills section.
4. Select the desired sub-agent from the list.
5. Save the agent configuration.

The sub-agent is now part of the agent's workflow and will be called according to the configured confirmation mode and timing settings.

Export and Import Sub-Agents¶

Sub-agents can be exported and imported as part of your environment management workflow. For full details on the export and import process, including use cases and post-import configuration steps, refer to:

📄 Export & Import Agents and Skills