Microsoft is expanding its Copilot Frontier Programme with two powerful new agents. These are the App Builder and Workflows Agents.
These put “app creation” and automation directly into the hands of everyday users, with zero coding needed just an idea and an ask. These new agents are designed to further democratise innovation across every person in every organisations, making it possible to build “apps” and streamline processes using nothing more than natural language.
They are rolling out in the US now and will come to UK, Canada and the other regions over the next week or so.
I’ll add a demo to this blog as soon as I have access.
What are the App Builder and Workflows Agents?
Firstly, these are new, in preview for Frontier (early adopters) and may change. They are not designed to replace Power Apps or Copilot Studio but more about adding value to info workers and non developers. Here is the new agents, which you can get by going to the main Copilot page, agents and get more agents.
App Builder: A no-code agent that enables anyone to design and deploy lightweight apps in minutes. It can generate a Microsoft Lists backend if needed and is grounded in Microsoft 365 content like Word, Excel, and Teams. These are not full blown apps that can hook into enterprise data or anything but create simple to use, functional and simple agents for things like data input, collection and look up.
Workflows: An automation agent that turns everyday requests into flows across Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, Planner, and more – without needing Power Automate expertise. Again these are quite simple, but great for simple automation needs when you know what you want to do but don’t have time or want to learn / use Power Automate.
Both these new agents are integrated into the Copilot Studio lite experience, ensuring they inherit Microsoft 365’s enterprise-grade security, compliance, and governance.
How Do They Work?
These agents work like other agents but are specific functional agents. They work by:
- Using Natural Language Prompts: users can simply describe what they need. For example “Build me a dashboard to track campaign milestones” or “Send a Teams reminder every Friday at 3pm” – and Copilot translates that into a working app or automated flow.
- Multi-turn Editing: Once the agent is created it can be modified, updated, refined with additional interactions without having to starting from scratch.
- Ensuring Seamless Integration: Outputs are instantly shareable, just like a document link, and respect existing permissions and governance.
These agents lower the barrier to innovation. Instead of relying on IT or developers, any employee can now build tools that fit their needs whether that’s a lightweight app for tracking, or a workflow that eliminates repetitive admin. Since they are built into Microsoft 365, they inherit the same security, compliance, and governance as the rest of the platform.
App Builder Use examples
- Create a product launch dashboard to track milestones and assign tasks.
- Build a calculator app for quick cost estimates, grounded in Excel data.
- Generate interactive lists for project tracking, with Microsoft Lists as the backend.
Workflows agent use examples
- Automate weekly Teams updates with deadlines pulled from Planner.
- Set up email reminders for approval deadlines.
- Manage calendar scheduling by automatically blocking time for recurring tasks.
Current Limitations
- Frontier Programme Only: Currently limited to participants in the Copilot Frontier Programme.
- Language Support: Available in English only.
- Organisational Controls: Access depends on Microsoft 365 app store settings and admin policies.
- Governance & Permissions: Agents respect existing role-based access controls.
- Scalability: Best for lightweight apps and workflows; complex scenarios require Copilot Studio or Power Platform.
- Performance Throttling: Heavy usage may trigger throttling.
- Admin Management: Apps and workflows are subject to standard ALM practices, which may add overhead.
Final Thoughts
The App Builder and Workflows agents represents another step forward in Microsoft’s vision of empowering everyone to innovate with AI.
Whilst these agents are far from a replacement for full-scale development or automation platforms, they provide a fast, accessible way to solve everyday problems. For organisations in the Copilot Frontier Programme, these agents are a glimpse into a future where building apps and automations is as easy as describing what you want.