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4 changes: 0 additions & 4 deletions .openpublishing.redirection.ai.json
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"redirect_url": "/dotnet/ai/microsoft-extensions-ai",
"redirect_document_id": true
},
{
"source_path_from_root": "/docs/ai/conceptual/agents.md",
"redirect_url": "/dotnet/ai"
},
{
"source_path_from_root": "/docs/ai/conceptual/evaluation-libraries.md",
"redirect_url": "/dotnet/ai/evaluation/libraries",
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96 changes: 96 additions & 0 deletions docs/ai/conceptual/agents.md
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---
title: Agents
description: Introduction to agents
author: luisquintanilla
ms.author: luquinta
ms.date: 10/01/2025
ms.topic: concept-article
---

# Agents

This article introduces the core concepts behind agents, why they matter, and how they fit into workflows, setting you up to get started building agents in .NET.

## What are agents?

**Agents are systems that accomplish objectives.**

![Components of an agent](../media/agents/agent-components.png)

Agents become more capable when equipped with the following:

- **Reasoning and decision-making**: Powered by LLMs, search algorithms, or planning and decision-making systems.
- **Tool usage**: Access to Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers, code execution, and external APIs.
- **Context awareness**: Informed by chat history, threads, vector stores, enterprise data, or knowledge graphs.

These capabilities allow agents to operate more autonomously, adaptively, and intelligently.

## What are workflows?

As objectives grow in complexity, they need to be broken down into manageable steps. That's where workflows come in.

**Workflows define the sequence of steps required to achieve an objective.**

Imagine you're launching a new feature on your business website. If it's a simple update, you might go from idea to production in a few hours. But for more complex initiatives, the process might include:

- Requirement gathering
- Design and architecture
- Implementation
- Testing
- Deployment

A few important observations:

- Each step might contain subtasks.
- Different specialists might own different phases.
- Progress isn’t always linear. Bugs found during testing might send you back to implementation.
- Success depends on planning, orchestration, and communication across stakeholders.

### Agents + workflows = agentic workflows

Workflows don't require agents, but agents can supercharge them.

When agents are equipped with reasoning, tools, and context, they can optimize workflows.

This is the foundation of multi-agent systems, where agents collaborate within workflows to achieve complex goals.

### Workflow orchestration

Agentic workflows can be orchestrated in a variety of ways. The following are a few of the most common:

- [Sequential](#sequential)
- [Concurrent](#concurrent)
- [Handoff](#handoff)
- [Group chat](#group-chat)

#### Sequential

Agents process tasks one after another, passing results forward.

![Sequential agent orchestration: Task Input → Agent A → Agent B → Agent C → Final Output](../media/agents/sequential-workflow.png)

#### Concurrent

Agents work in parallel, each handling different aspects of the task.

![Concurrent agent orchestration: Task Input → Agents A, B, C → Aggregate Results → Final Output](../media/agents/concurrent-workflow.png)

#### Handoff

Responsibility shifts from one agent to another based on conditions or outcomes.

![Handoff orchestration: Task Input → Agent A Decision → Agent B or Agent A → Agent B Decision → Agent C or Agent B → Final Output](../media/agents/handoff-workflow.png)

#### Group chat

Agents collaborate in a shared conversation, exchanging insights in real-time.

![Group chat orchestration: User and Agents A, B, C collaborate via GroupChat to produce final output](../media/agents/groupchat-workflow.png)

## How can I get started building agents in .NET?

The building blocks in <xref:Microsoft.Extensions.AI> and <xref:Microsoft.Extensions.VectorData> supply the foundations for agents by providing modular components for AI models, tools, and data.

These components serve as the foundation for Microsoft Agent Framework.

For more information, see [Microsoft Agent Framework](/agent-framework/overview/agent-framework-overview).
2 changes: 2 additions & 0 deletions docs/ai/index.yml
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url: overview.md
- text: Microsoft.Extensions.AI libraries
url: microsoft-extensions-ai.md
- text: Microsoft Agent Framework
url: /agent-framework/overview/agent-framework-overview?toc=/dotnet/ai/toc.json&bc=/dotnet/ai/toc.json
- linkListType: get-started
links:
- text: Connect to and prompt an AI model
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8 changes: 5 additions & 3 deletions docs/ai/toc.yml
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- name: Overview
href: dotnet-ai-ecosystem.md
- name: Microsoft.Extensions.AI
href: microsoft-extensions-ai.md
- name: Semantic Kernel
href: semantic-kernel-dotnet-overview.md
href: microsoft-extensions-ai.md
- name: Microsoft Agent Framework
href: /agent-framework/overview/agent-framework-overview?toc=/dotnet/ai/toc.json&bc=/dotnet/ai/toc.json
- name: C# SDK for MCP
href: get-started-mcp.md
- name: Quickstarts
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items:
- name: How generative AI and LLMs work
href: conceptual/how-genai-and-llms-work.md
- name: Building agents in .NET
href: conceptual/agents.md
- name: Tokens
href: conceptual/understanding-tokens.md
- name: Embeddings
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