agent-framework/dotnet/samples/GettingStarted/FoundryAgents/FoundryAgents_Step11_AsFunctionTool/README.md

Using AI Agents as Function Tools (Nested Agents)

This sample demonstrates how to expose an AI agent as a function tool, enabling nested agent scenarios where one agent can invoke another agent as a tool.

What this sample demonstrates

• Creating an AI agent that can be used as a function tool
• Wrapping an agent as an AIFunction
• Using nested agents where one agent calls another
• Managing multiple agent instances
• Managing agent lifecycle (creation and deletion)

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following prerequisites:

• .NET 10 SDK or later
• Azure Foundry service endpoint and deployment configured
• Azure CLI installed and authenticated (for Azure credential authentication)

Note: This demo uses Azure CLI credentials for authentication. Make sure you're logged in with az login and have access to the Azure Foundry resource. For more information, see the Azure CLI documentation.

Set the following environment variables:

$env:AZURE_FOUNDRY_PROJECT_ENDPOINT="https://your-foundry-service.services.ai.azure.com/api/projects/your-foundry-project" # Replace with your Azure Foundry resource endpoint
$env:AZURE_FOUNDRY_PROJECT_DEPLOYMENT_NAME="gpt-4o-mini"  # Optional, defaults to gpt-4o-mini

Run the sample

Navigate to the FoundryAgents sample directory and run:

cd dotnet/samples/GettingStarted/FoundryAgents
dotnet run --project .\FoundryAgents_Step11_AsFunctionTool

Expected behavior

The sample will:

1. Create a "JokerAgent" that tells jokes
2. Wrap the JokerAgent as a function tool
3. Create a "CoordinatorAgent" that has the JokerAgent as a function tool
4. Run the CoordinatorAgent with a prompt that triggers it to call the JokerAgent
5. The CoordinatorAgent will invoke the JokerAgent as a function tool
6. Clean up resources by deleting both agents