Build your first Copilot Studio agent grounded in SharePoint documents

Create an agent that answers questions from a SharePoint library, test it, and publish to Teams.

LevelBeginner
Time60 minutes
TopicCopilot Studio

You'll need

  • Copilot Studio access (trial or licensed)
  • A SharePoint library with clean, searchable documents

1. Prepare content

  1. Pick one domain (e.g. HR policies).
  2. Remove outdated versions and OCR scans (see the OCR workflow).
  3. Check permissions — the agent answers each user only from what they can open.

2. Create the agent

  1. copilotstudio.microsoft.com → Create → New agent.
  2. Describe it in plain language: purpose, audience, tone, languages.
  3. Add Knowledge → SharePoint and paste the library URL.

3. Write instructions

Starter instructions
You answer employee questions about HR policies.
- Use only the HR policy documents.
- Cite the document name and section.
- If unsure, say you don't know and suggest contacting HR.
- Reply in English or Bahasa Malaysia to match the user.

4. Test

  1. Use the test pane with 20 real questions.
  2. Check citations open the right document.
  3. Note wrong or vague answers and refine instructions or content.

5. Publish

  1. Set authentication to Microsoft Entra ID.
  2. Channels → Teams and Microsoft 365 Copilot → make available to a pilot group.
  3. Collect feedback for two weeks before wider rollout.

Tips

  • Content quality decides answer quality — fixing documents beats tweaking prompts.