Domain 2 of 3 · Chapter 7 of 15

Add REST APIs to an agent

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Included in this chapter:

  • What you hand over, and what comes back
  • The five steps, and the act after publish
  • What the specification decides for you
  • The Solution field, and why blank is a decision
  • Three authentication options, and a label to ignore
  • Three settings that all say authentication
  • Selecting operations is a security decision
  • Descriptions the orchestrator can act on
  • Where the call comes from
  • A tool acts, a knowledge source grounds
  • How these choices show up in questions

Four documented ways to reach an external API from a Copilot Studio agent

CriterionREST API toolCustom connectorMCP server toolSend HTTP request node
Where it is definedThe Add tool wizard inside Copilot StudioThe Power Apps maker portal, then consumed in Copilot StudioThe Tools page, from a server endpointOn the topic canvas, in one node
What you supplyAn OpenAPI v2 JSON specification, authentication details, descriptionsAn OpenAPI definition, a Postman collection, or a from-scratch definitionThe server URL and its authenticationA method, URL, headers, and body
Reuse beyond this agentOther agents in the same environment, through the environment-level Tools pageCopilot Studio, Power Automate, Power Apps, and Azure Logic AppsOther agents that connect the same serverNone; the node belongs to its topic
Who writes the routing descriptionThe maker, for the API and for every selected operationThe maker, for each connector operation addedThe server owner, except the server descriptionNot applicable; the topic decides when to call
Callable from a topic stepYes, with an Add a tool nodeYes, with an Add a tool nodeNo; only generative orchestration invokes itYes; the node is the step
Preview notice on its documentationYes, prerelease documentationNoNot on its product pageNo

Decision tree

An OpenAPI specification, and no connector for this APIIs the contract available as a JSON specification file?noGet the JSON file: a docs pageor YAML is not an uploadyesHave you selected only the operations users need?noTrim the selection: unselectedoperations stay unreachableyesDoes the API require a credential at all?noNone: no fields to completeyesDoes each user sign in at the vendor identity provider?noAPI key: Parameter label, name,Header or QueryyesOAuth 2.0 (labeled Auth 2.0): client ID and secret,authorization, token and refresh URLsShould the orchestrator decide when to call it?noClear dynamic use: only anAdd a tool node reaches ityesAgent-level tool. Either way, create the connectionand select Add and configure, once per operation
Cheat sheet

Cheat sheet

  • Define REST tools with an OpenAPI specification
  • Store the imported REST action in a solution
  • Describe the API for orchestration selection
  • Choose None, API key, or OAuth 2.0 authentication
  • Place API keys in the declared header or query parameter
  • Configure the complete OAuth authorization flow
  • Create a runtime connection after publishing the tool
  • Expose only required REST operations
  • Complete operation and parameter descriptions
  • Invoke one REST tool through either orchestration or a topic
  • Use REST tools for live operations, not knowledge grounding

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Also tested in

References

  1. Extend your agent with tools from a REST API (preview)
  2. Understand connector and REST API tools in Copilot Studio
  3. Add tools to custom agents
  4. Add a REST API tool using an OpenAPI specification
  5. Extend your agent with Model Context Protocol
  6. Use a connection reference in a solution with Microsoft Dataverse
  7. Import solutions in Power Platform
  8. Configure user authentication
  9. Understand MCP and its role in Copilot Studio integration
  10. Knowledge sources summary