Orpheus Systems Architecture

17. SharePoint placement of the agent waits for the Agent Chat web part

17. SharePoint placement of the agent waits for the Agent Chat web part

Date: 2026-10-23

Status

Accepted

Problem

The Contract Calendar agent runs in Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat and Teams (ADR 0012). The owner wants it inside SharePoint as well, next to the Contract Calendar web part, ideally in the site's chat side pane. The demo tenant has no Microsoft 365 Copilot licence (research decision D7), and the agent is a declarative agent with an MCP action, published to the organisation's app catalog.

Microsoft is changing how agents appear in SharePoint (Upgrade agents in SharePoint and OneDrive):

So there is no supported way today to show this agent in the SharePoint side pane, with or without a licence, and the supported page placement is not released yet.

Decision

  1. No side-pane integration and nothing built on .agent files or the Agent Link web part. A declarative agent cannot be the side pane's agent, and the .agent route retires in March 2027 (research decision D8).
  2. Now: link to the agent from the SharePoint page with a Button or Quick links web part that opens the agent's share link in Copilot Chat. Users get the full agent, unlicensed, in a new tab. This is what the demo shows next to the web part.
  3. When the Agent Chat web part ships: add it to the Contract Calendar page with this agent, and update this ADR and the demo procedure. Check then how unlicensed use is billed (Copilot app PAYG) and whether the tenant must enable PAYG first.
  4. No Copilot licence is bought for this. A licence enables Copilot in SharePoint, but that still cannot host this agent in the side pane.

SharePoint placement of the Contract Calendar agent

flowchart LR
  U["User on the SharePoint site"] --> P["SharePoint page"]
  subgraph NOW["Now"]
    P -->|"Button or Quick links web part"| L["Agent share link"]
    L --> CC["Copilot Chat<br/>Contract Calendar agent<br/>works without a Copilot licence"]
  end
  subgraph LATER["When available"]
    P -.->|"Agent Chat web part<br/>roadmap 575298"| AC["Agent on the page<br/>unlicensed use billed via Copilot app PAYG"]
  end
  subgraph NO["Not used"]
    SP["SharePoint side chat pane<br/>Copilot licence; hosts only Copilot and .agent files"]
    AL["Agent Link web part<br/>.agent files, retire March 2027"]
  end
  CC --> MCP["MCP server"]
  AC -.-> MCP

Considered Options

Option Summary Pros Cons
✅ Link now, Agent Chat web part later Button or Quick links web part to the agent's share link; replace with the Agent Chat web part when released Works today without a licence; no throw-away code; follows Microsoft's announced path Opens a new tab instead of chatting on the page
Agent in the SharePoint side chat pane Set the agent as the site's main agent Native look Not possible for declarative agents built outside .agent files; side pane needs a Copilot licence
.agent file with the Agent Link web part Build a SharePoint agent and link it Chat on the page today Q&A over content only, no MCP actions; retires March 2027
Buy one Microsoft 365 Copilot licence Licence the demo account Copilot in SharePoint for the presenter Still cannot host this agent in the side pane; cost; owner decided against a licence for now (D7)
Custom SPFx chat web part calling the MCP server Our own chat UI on the page Full control Re-implements Copilot orchestration, auth and safety; duplicates what the Agent Chat web part will provide

Consequences

Positive:

Negative / Trade-offs:

Risks: | Risk ID | Description | Impact (E/H/M/L) | Mitigation | |---------|-------------|------------------|------------| | R-AGT-14 | Agent Chat web part ships later than needed for a client | M | The link placement keeps working; the agent itself is unaffected | | R-AGT-15 | Unlicensed use through the Agent Chat web part requires PAYG billing | M | Check billing when it ships; document it for clients before placing the web part |