Installation

Prerequisites

Before installing the Agent Framework, ensure you have:

Python 3.10 or higher installed on your system
pip package manager (included with Python)
An Azure subscription (for Azure OpenAI integration)

The Agent Framework supports Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems.

Install the Package

Install the Agent Framework using pip. We recommend two installation paths:

pip install agent-framework --pre

pip install agent-framework-core --pre

The --pre flag is required during the preview period to install pre-release versions.

Installing agent-framework gives you all sub-packages and integrations. This is the simplest way to get started. Use agent-framework-core for a minimal installation with only Azure OpenAI and OpenAI support.

Optional Packages

Install specific provider integrations as needed:

pip install agent-framework-azure-ai --pre

pip install agent-framework-anthropic --pre

pip install agent-framework-ollama --pre

Set Up Authentication

The Agent Framework uses Azure CLI for authentication with Azure OpenAI services.

Install Azure CLI

If you haven’t already, install the Azure CLI.

Authenticate with your Azure account:

az login

This command opens your browser to complete the sign-in process.

Set Your Subscription (Optional)

If you have multiple subscriptions, set the active one:

az account set --subscription "your-subscription-id"

Configure Environment Variables

Create a .env file in your project root to store configuration values:

.env

# Azure AI Foundry Project
AZURE_AI_PROJECT_ENDPOINT="https://your-project.api.azureml.ms"
AZURE_OPENAI_RESPONSES_DEPLOYMENT_NAME="gpt-4o"

# Azure OpenAI (alternative)
AZURE_OPENAI_ENDPOINT="https://your-resource.openai.azure.com"
AZURE_OPENAI_CHAT_DEPLOYMENT_NAME="gpt-4o"

# OpenAI (alternative)
OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-..."
OPENAI_CHAT_MODEL_ID="gpt-4o"
OPENAI_RESPONSES_MODEL_ID="gpt-4o"

You only need to configure the variables for the service you plan to use (Azure AI Foundry, Azure OpenAI, or OpenAI).

Install python-dotenv

To load environment variables from your .env file, install the python-dotenv package:

pip install python-dotenv

Then load the variables in your Python code:

from dotenv import load_dotenv

load_dotenv()

The python-dotenv package is automatically included as a dependency of agent-framework-core.

Verify Installation

Verify your installation by checking the package version:

pip show agent-framework-core

You should see output similar to:

Name: agent-framework-core
Version: 1.0.0rc3
Summary: Microsoft Agent Framework for building AI Agents with Python
Home-page: https://aka.ms/agent-framework
...

Getting Started

Guides

API Reference

Prerequisites

Install the Package

Optional Packages

Set Up Authentication

Configure Environment Variables

Install python-dotenv

Verify Installation

Next Steps

Quickstart

First Agent

​Prerequisites

​Install the Package

​Optional Packages

​Set Up Authentication

​Configure Environment Variables

​Install python-dotenv

​Verify Installation

​Next Steps

Quickstart

First Agent

Prerequisites

Install the Package

Optional Packages

Set Up Authentication

Configure Environment Variables

Install python-dotenv

Verify Installation

Next Steps