agent-framework/user-documentation-python/getting-started

Microsoft Agent Framework Getting Started

This guide will help you get up and running quickly with a basic agent using the Agent Framework and Azure AI Foundry.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following:

• Python 3.9 or later
• An Azure AI Foundry project with a deployed model (e.g., gpt-4o-mini)
• Azure CLI installed and authenticated (az login)

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

Running a Basic Agent Sample

This sample demonstrates how to create and use a simple AI agent with Azure AI Foundry as the backend. It will create a basic agent using ChatAgent with FoundryChatClient and custom instructions.

Make sure to set the following environment variables:

• FOUNDRY_PROJECT_ENDPOINT: Your Azure AI Foundry project endpoint
• FOUNDRY_MODEL_DEPLOYMENT_NAME: The name of your model deployment

For detailed information about different ways to run examples and configure environment variables, see Running Examples Guide.

Sample Code

import asyncio
from agent_framework import ChatAgent
from agent_framework.foundry import FoundryChatClient
from azure.identity.aio import AzureCliCredential

async def main():
    async with (
        AzureCliCredential() as credential,
        ChatAgent(
            chat_client=FoundryChatClient(async_credential=credential),
            instructions="You are good at telling jokes."
        ) as agent,
    ):
        result = await agent.run("Tell me a joke about a pirate.")
        print(result.text)

if __name__ == "__main__":
    asyncio.run(main())

More Examples

For more detailed examples and advanced scenarios, see the Foundry Agent Examples.