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Microsoft Agent Framework
Microsoft Agent Framework is an open-source development kit for building AI agents and multi-agent workflows for .NET and Python. It brings together and extends ideas from Semantic Kernel and AutoGen projects, combining their strengths while adding new capabilities. Built by the same teams, it is the unified foundation for building AI agents going forward.
Agent Framework offers two primary categories of capabilities:
AI agents: Individual agents that use LLMs to process user inputs, call tools and MCP servers to perform actions, and generate responses. Agents support model providers including Azure OpenAI, OpenAI, and Azure AI.
Workflows: Graph-based workflows that connect multiple agents and functions to perform complex, multi-step tasks. Workflows support type-based routing, nesting, checkpointing, and request/response patterns for human-in-the-loop scenarios.
The framework also provides foundational building blocks, including model clients (chat completions and responses), an agent thread for state management, context providers for agent memory, middleware for intercepting agent actions, and MCP clients for tool integration. Together, these components give you the flexibility and power to build interactive, robust, and safe AI applications.
Why another agent framework?
Semantic Kernel and AutoGen pioneered the concepts of AI agents and multi-agent orchestration. The Agent Framework is the direct successor, created by the same teams. It combines AutoGen's simple abstractions for single- and multi-agent patterns with Semantic Kernel's enterprise-grade features such as thread-based state management, type safety, filters, telemetry, and extensive model and embedding support. Beyond merging the two, Agent Framework introduces workflows that give developers explicit control over multi-agent execution paths, plus a robust state management system for long-running and human-in-the-loop scenarios. In short, Agent Framework is the next generation of both Semantic Kernel and AutoGen.
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