Deployment and usage scope configuration
A step-by-step guide to Teams deployment, Web App deployment, and how to manage usage scope by user and organization.
1. Pre-deployment checklist
Before deployment, check the following items.
| Item | What to check |
|---|---|
| Instructions | Are the agent’s role, goals, and constraints clearly configured? |
| Knowledge | Are connected data sources up to date, and are their descriptions meaningful? |
| Actions | Are connector/flow authentication settings complete, and is the Flow in the same environment? |
| Testing | Have key scenarios been validated in the test panel, and has behavior been checked with Activity Map? |
| Error messages | Is an appropriate guidance message configured in the Fallback Topic? |
| Security | Is the authentication method appropriate, and is Anonymous access intentional? |
2. Teams deployment
Microsoft Teams is the most common deployment channel for Copilot Studio agents.
📖 Reference: Publish and deploy your agent
2.1 Publish procedure
- Click the Publish button at the top of Copilot Studio
- Review the change summary and run Publish
- Confirm the publish completion message
⚠️ You must publish for changes to take effect
Edits can be checked only in the test panel. Until you publish, the previous version remains in real channels. Most "I changed it, so why didn't it update?" issues are caused by not publishing.
Edits can be checked only in the test panel. Until you publish, the previous version remains in real channels. Most "I changed it, so why didn't it update?" issues are caused by not publishing.
2.2 Teams channel settings
- Select Publish tab → Channels → Microsoft Teams
- Enable Turn on Teams
- Click Open agent to check the agent in Teams
2.3 Teams deployment scope
| Deployment method | Description | Admin approval |
|---|---|---|
| Individual/link sharing | Share with individual users through a link | Not required |
| Team-level | Install as an app in a specific Teams team | Not required |
| Company-wide deployment | Deploy across the organization from Teams Admin Center | Required |
For company-wide deployment, select the “Show to everyone in my org” option and set the app to Allowed in Teams Admin Center. If needed, use Setup policies to specify user groups for automatic installation.
3. Web App deployment
Through the web channel, you can embed an agent in an external website or internal portal.
- Select Publish tab → Channels → Custom website
- Copy the provided embed code (iframe)
- Insert the code into the target website’s HTML
💡 Practical tip — web deployment security
Web channels are divided into public mode (access without authentication) and authenticated mode (requires Entra ID). Agents that handle internal information must use authenticated mode. For external customer-facing deployment, review the authentication method and data exposure scope with the security team in advance.
Web channels are divided into public mode (access without authentication) and authenticated mode (requires Entra ID). Agents that handle internal information must use authenticated mode. For external customer-facing deployment, review the authentication method and data exposure scope with the security team in advance.
3.1 Other deployment channels
| Channel | Characteristics | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 Copilot | Integrates the agent as a plugin inside Copilot Chat | Learn |
| Facebook Messenger | B2C customer engagement | Learn |
| Direct Line API | Custom app integration |
4. Managing usage scope by user/organization
4.1 Sharing settings
Agent-level sharing (edit permission):
- Co-author: can edit and publish the agent
- Viewer: can view agent settings but cannot edit
4.2 Management by environment
| Environment type | Purpose | Access scope |
|---|---|---|
| Development (Dev) | Agent development and testing | Development team only |
| Test (UAT) | User acceptance testing | Development team + business validators |
| Production | Real service environment | All users |
⚠️ Caution for Knowledge access permissions
Even if users can access the agent, if they do not have access permissions to Knowledge sources such as SharePoint, that information is not included in responses. Design appropriate document permissions with this in mind.
Even if users can access the agent, if they do not have access permissions to Knowledge sources such as SharePoint, that information is not included in responses. Design appropriate document permissions with this in mind.
📌 Next chapter preview
Now that you have learned deployment methods, the next Chapter 7 covers governance, registration processes, and cautions for operating shared organizational agents.
Now that you have learned deployment methods, the next Chapter 7 covers governance, registration processes, and cautions for operating shared organizational agents.