Connector Tools

Copilot Studio agents can be given Power Platform connector tools, allowing the agent to invoke connector actions that read from and write to connected Microsoft and non-Microsoft services.

Recorded characteristics

Function

Microsoft documents Power Platform connectors as proxies or wrappers around APIs that let Copilot Studio communicate with other apps and services. A maker adds connector tools to an agent at agent level (Tools) or inside a topic; each connector tool represents a specific action or operation the agent performs using that connector. With generative orchestration, active by default, the agent can select and call the appropriate tool automatically in response to a user request or an autonomous trigger; tools can also be called explicitly from a topic. Connectors include prebuilt standard connectors, premium connectors and custom connectors built against any publicly available API.

Data access

Access depends on the connector selected, the specific tools or actions exposed to the agent, and the authenticated connection. Microsoft lists connectors to Microsoft services such as Office 365, SharePoint and Dynamics 365 and to non-Microsoft services such as Salesforce, Google services and ServiceNow. The ServiceNow connector reference documents creating, reading and updating records including incidents, questions and users. Access is not unrestricted: it is bounded by the connection's credentials and the underlying service's own permissions, and by Power Platform data policies where configured.

Actions

Can take actions

External actions

Yes

Human confirmation

Conditional

Permission basis

Mixed

Administrative control

Documented controls include which connector tools a maker adds to the agent, connection configuration and status on the agent's Connection Settings page (connected, not connected, deactivated, expired, stale), the authentication mode chosen for the tool (agent author authentication or user authentication, with user credentials the default), maker-provided credentials configuration, connection sharing in Power Apps, on-behalf-of parameter sharing, and Power Platform data policies configured in the Power Platform admin center. Microsoft states data policy enforcement applies to all tenants in real time and lists blocking the use of Power Platform connectors as tools and requiring user authentication among common data policy use cases; connectors are classified into business, non-business and blocked data groups.

Default state

Not established

Availability

Recorded at the platform level. Connector availability varies by connector: prebuilt standard connectors are included with all Copilot Studio plans, premium connectors are available in select Copilot Studio plans, and custom connectors can be created for other public APIs. Individual connector reference pages state the service class and regional availability per product; for example the ServiceNow connector is listed as Premium for Copilot Studio, with regional exclusions. Some connector features are documented as preview.

Licensing

Copilot Studio licensing governs access to the platform and to premium connectors; Microsoft directs readers to the current Copilot Studio licensing and billing documentation. Premium connectors require select Copilot Studio plans.

External model or provider

Not publicly established for this capability. Microsoft does not document a specific named model that governs connector tool selection or execution; orchestration behaviour is described functionally (generative orchestration) rather than by model identity, and model configuration can vary.

Limitations and uncertainty

Documented operations vary by connector; each connected service exposes different actions and may impose its own limits, licensing and regional restrictions. Authentication behaviour differs between agent author authentication and user authentication, and user authentication for tools is only supported on some channels (for example custom website, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint and Omnichannel live chat, but not Azure Bot Service channels, demo website, Facebook or mobile app). Single sign-on is not supported for connectors when an agent uses custom Microsoft Entra authentication and is deployed to Teams. Connector-level known issues exist, such as the ServiceNow Create Record action being unable to set the full record description. Copilot Studio does not store credentials; tokens can expire or be revoked. Microsoft documents a per-tool 'Ask the end user before running' setting: when enabled, the end user is asked for confirmation before the tool runs, and Microsoft documents this option as set to No by default. Whether a connector action requires human confirmation therefore depends on the configuration of the individual tool. Authentication (whose credentials the connector uses) is configured separately from action confirmation, and an authentication or sign-in prompt is not equivalent to approval of an action. The capability-level default operational state of the mechanism is not stated.

Evidence

• Use Power Platform connectors as tools in Copilot Studio agents

  Supports: Function · Actions · External actions · Data access · Permission basis · Availability · Limitations · Human confirmation · Primary source

  Connectors act as proxies or wrappers around APIs and enable Copilot Studio to communicate with other apps and services. Connector tools represent specific actions or operations the agent performs using that connector, added at agent level under Tools or within a topic.

  Connectors let agents connect to external services and applications to perform a wide range of tasks or retrieve data.

  Connectors include connections to Microsoft services such as Office 365, SharePoint and Dynamics 365 and to non-Microsoft services such as Google services and Salesforce.

  Access requires a connection; the connection details depend on the connector selected.

  By default the connection uses user credentials; a maker can instead configure maker-provided credentials for the tool.

  Standard connectors are included with all Copilot Studio plans, premium connectors are available in select plans, and custom connectors can be created for any publicly available API.

  Single sign-on is not supported for connectors when an agent uses custom Active Directory authentication and is deployed to Microsoft Teams.

  The page documents connection creation and credential prompts. A per-tool confirmation option (Ask the end user before running, documented as No by default) is described separately in the tool configuration documentation.

• Add tools to custom agents

  Supports: Function · Actions · General · Human confirmation · Primary source

  Tools let an agent interact with external systems and perform actions in response to user requests or autonomous triggers. With generative orchestration, active by default, the agent automatically selects the appropriate tool; tools can also be called explicitly from a topic.

  Example tools include sending emails using the Office 365 Outlook connector and reading and writing data.

  Microsoft lists Connector separately from agent flow, prompt, REST API, Model Context Protocol and computer use as distinct tool mechanisms.

  Microsoft documents an Ask the end user before running tool configuration: in the end user chat experience the agent asks for confirmation before running the tool, and the option is set to No by default.

• Configure and manage connections

  Supports: Permission basis · Admin controls · Primary source

  The agent can use either agent author authentication or user authentication, depending on the scenario; on-behalf-of authentication lets the user delegate the agent to use the user's connection parameters on the user's behalf.

  Connection Settings shows each connection, the tools using it, and its status: connected, not connected, deactivated, expired or stale.

• Configure user authentication for tools

  Supports: Permission basis · Limitations · Admin controls · Primary source

  User authentication is selected when data access must be restricted to specific users and the tool completes with the customer's data access; agent author authentication is selected when access to the service is implicit or for low-risk use cases.

  User authentication for tools is supported only on some channels; Azure Bot Service channels, demo website, Facebook and mobile app are not supported.

  Copilot Studio does not store credentials; users can refresh or revoke permissions from the connection page.

• Configure data policies for agents

  Supports: Admin controls · General · Primary source

  Data policies govern how agents connect and interact with data and services; connectors are classified as business, non-business or blocked, and enforcement is in effect for all tenants in real time.

  Common data policy use cases include blocking the use of Power Platform connectors as tools and requiring user authentication.

• ServiceNow connector reference

  Supports: External actions · Availability · Limitations · Primary source

  The ServiceNow connector supports creating, reading and updating records stored within ServiceNow, including incidents, questions and users.

  The ServiceNow connector is listed with a Premium service class for Copilot Studio, with documented regional exclusions.

  Known issue: when using the Create Record action the full record description cannot be specified, due to ServiceNow REST API limitations.

• Copilot Studio, Power Platform and Azure Logic Apps connectors documentation

  Supports: General · Availability · Primary source

  Connectors allow the underlying service to talk to Microsoft Copilot Studio and other Power Platform products through prebuilt actions and triggers.

  Connector references are published by tier (standard, premium) and by release status (preview, production).

• Control maker-provided credentials for authentication

  Supports: Admin controls · Permission basis · Primary source

  Administrators can enable or disable the selection of maker-provided credentials in the Power Platform admin center, per environment or environment group, choosing whether end-user credentials, maker-provided credentials, or both are available to makers.

  By default both end-user and maker-provided credentials are enabled; connector tools can authenticate with the end user's credentials or with maker-provided credentials where allowed.