Most agent programmes stall between “works for me” and “works for the organisation”. The friction is rarely the prompt — it is how sharing and admin approval actually work on each surface. This section maps the three maker tools Microsoft documents for Microsoft 365 agents, the sharing tiers that matter in practice, and where makers versus admins own each gate.
- Build
- Test
- Share
- Publish
- Govern
- Monitor
- Retire
Lifecycle stages (operating model)
Build
Define the outcome, knowledge boundary, tools, and identity. Prefer agents that finish a step over agents that only summarise.
Test
Use built-in test panes / side panes with real permissions. Verify citations, refusals, and escalation before anyone else installs.
Share
Give chat or edit access to a small set of people or a security / Microsoft 365 group. This is collaboration — not catalogue discovery.
Publish
Publish channels (Teams / Microsoft 365 Copilot) and, when ready, submit for admin approval so the agent can appear in the org catalogue / Agent Store.
Govern
Admins approve, assign users/groups, apply DLP and environment policies, and manage blocking in Microsoft 365 admin center Agents pages.
Monitor
Track usage, feedback, cost, and health. Prefer task completion and return rate over message volume.
Retire
Unshare, disconnect channels, ask admins to remove catalogue listings, and delete or reassign ownership when the outcome dies.
Three maker surfaces
Microsoft’s agents admin guidance distinguishes how agents are created from how they are shared or published to an organisational catalogue. Declarative SharePoint agents, for example, are shared via file permissions — they are not published to the org catalogue the same way Copilot Studio agents are.1
1. Agent Builder (in Microsoft 365 Copilot)
Build. Create a declarative agent in Microsoft 365 Copilot (natural language + Configure). Add knowledge from SharePoint, Teams, Outlook, public web, and Copilot connectors as licensing allows.2
Test. Chat with the private agent before sharing. Confirm knowledge respects each user’s permissions.
Share — individuals. Use Share: add people with Can chat or Can edit (owners). Groups can be chat users only — not owners.2
Share — groups. Add security groups / Microsoft 365 groups as chat users for team access.
Org-wide / catalogue. Turn on Org-wide sharing for chat access when admin policy allows, and/or Submit to your org catalog so an admin can deploy it under Built by your org in Agent Store. Shared and catalogue versions are managed separately after approval.23
2. SharePoint agents (site / library-scoped)
Build. Create agents on sites, pages, or libraries you can write to. Each agent is a .agent file; permissions on that file control who can open or edit it.4
Test. Open the agent in the SharePoint side pane with accounts that have realistic permissions. Responses only include content the chatting user can access.
Share — individuals / groups. Share the .agent file (and ensure underlying site/library permissions exist). Approving an agent on a site surfaces it in the site’s Approved section for people who can use agents there.5
Org catalogue. Declarative agents built with SharePoint are not published to the organisation catalogue the way Copilot Studio / Agent Builder catalogue submissions are. Admins still govern access via licensing, pay-as-you-go, restricted content discovery, and the Agents inventory in Microsoft 365 admin center.14
3. Copilot Studio agents
Build. Author in Copilot Studio (topics, knowledge, tools, authentication). Choose the right environment and security roles.
Test. Use the test panel; publish at least once before Teams / Microsoft 365 channels will work.6
Share — individuals / groups. Use Share for chat or authoring with people or security groups (classic sharing for collaborative testing). Sharing alone does not put the agent in the org Agent Store for everyone.71
Org catalogue / Agent Store. Publish, connect Teams and Microsoft Copilot, set availability to Show to everyone in my org, and Submit for admin approval. Admins approve in Microsoft 365 admin center under Agents → All agents → Requests (UI labels may evolve — see Learn). After approval the agent appears under Built by your org.68
Comparison matrix — sharing tiers
| Tier | Agent Builder | SharePoint agents | Copilot Studio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Individuals | Share dialog: Can chat / Can edit | Share .agent file; site permissions |
Share for chat / co-author; install link after publish |
| 2. Groups | Add group as Can chat (not owner) | Share file / site with security or M365 groups | Share with security groups; “teammates and shared users” in Teams store section |
| 3. Org catalogue | Org-wide chat toggle + Submit to org catalog; admin deploys to Built by your org | Not published to org catalogue (site Approved + admin inventory/block controls) | Submit for admin approval via Teams/M365 channel availability → Built by your org / Built for your org |
| Admin surfaces | M365 admin center Agents / sharing policies | SharePoint admin + M365 Agents inventory; PAYG | M365 admin center Requests; Teams admin apps / setup policies |
Maker vs admin RACI
| Activity | Maker | M365 / Teams admin | SharePoint / PP admin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Author & test agent | R / A | C | C (environment / site) |
| Share to individuals / groups | R / A | C (policy may restrict) | C |
| Publish channels / submit for approval | R | A (approve / reject) | C (DLP / env) |
| Assign org users; pin via setup policy | I | R / A | I |
| Block / retire catalogue listing | C | R / A | C |
| Monitor usage & cost | R | A | R (site / env telemetry) |
R = Responsible, A = Accountable, C = Consulted, I = Informed.
Practical rules of thumb
- Sharing ≠ catalogue. Shared users can install; org discovery usually needs admin approval.
- Permissions travel with identity. If a user lacks SharePoint access, the agent will not invent it.
- UI labels drift. Prefer the Microsoft Learn articles linked below over screenshots in decks.
- Retire deliberately. Unsharing does not always remove an approved catalogue entry — ask the admin.
Next: Copilot Studio → org catalogue deep dive · Effective Choice · Effective Measurements · Our Goal